Fintech News Issue #205 February 21st, 2019

I’ve had a lot of conversations with bankers and technologists, and realised something recently. That realisation is a simple but important one, and it is this: dealing with technology is very different to dealing with money; furthermore, dealing with money through technology is very different to dealing with technology through money.

Join insurance Nexus’s free webinar on: ‘Monetising Insurance Innovation Strategies: Leadership- Partnerships- Technologies’ (4pm GMT, Weds 6th March). Milan Sud, Head of Innovation Strategy, AXA, João Pedro Machado, Director for Transformation, Fidelidade and Peter Stockhammer, MD, Generali Vitality will offer perspectives on how insurance innovation strategy is translated into profitable actions. 1 mins to sign up, and we’ll send you the recordings if you can’t join us live.

Banking is at a tipping point, as accounts are increasingly being opened at organizations that are heavily investing in digital capabilities. Alternative financial services firms, from established fintech providers to relative newcomers, are also gaining followers and users. What strategies are U.S. financial institutions considering in 2019 to address these challenges?

It wasn't that long ago that the banking pundits were predicting that fintech startups would put existing banks out of business. The Wall Street Journal headline "Biggest Three Banks Gobble Up $2.4 Trillion in New Deposits Since Crisis" squashed that delusion.

Name the company that strikes fear into everyone’s hearts in business?

More and more security holes are appearing in cryptocurrency and smart contract platforms, and some are fundamental to the way they were built.

The biggest impact of artificial intelligence will be to help humans make discoveries we couldn’t make on our own.

Nigeria might be Africa's largest economy, but when it comes to financial matters, people typically favour cash payments over technology.

The first cryptocurrency created by a major U.S. bank is here — and it's from J.P. Morgan Chase.

Machine learning is a branch of artificial intelligence that has grabbed a lot of headlines previously. People are fascinated by the concept of machines seemingly ‘thinking’, and learning how to carry out tasks more proficiently over time. This has been both a holy grail of computer programmers, and a mortal fear of the human race. But machine learning is no longer something over the horizon; it’s here right now.

In 2018, VC-backed fintech companies raised more than $39B across 1,707 deals. But which players made the most bets?

What happens when collateral becomes liquid?
While the past year was a tough one for the public crypto markets, talented and dedicated teams spent it heads down, shipping what appear to be some of the building blocks of a truly open financial system.

Unlike before, the financial sector is enriched with many evolving revolutionary technologies

The administration of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador recently announced measures aimed at making financial services more affordable in a nation where more than half the population is unbanked.

Whether you’ve heard about this particular concept or not, you have surely reaped the benefits of the numerous products and services that originated in the Fintech Revolution.