Latest Innovation News: Finextra Research

Estimote taps Apple iBeacon for micro-location-based shopping

Taking advantage of Apple's decision to embrace Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), US start-up Estimote has been showing off its Beacon technology, which allows retailers to communicate and interact with customers in-store.

12 September 2013

News/Innovation

Level39 opens expansion space for fast growing start-ups

Canary Wharf Group is to dedicate a further 15,000 square feet of office space at One Canada Square to accommodate growing demand from high growth technology companies in London.

10 September 2013

News/Innovation

PayPal shines a Beacon on the future of hands-free payments

Continuing its mission to re-invent the high street shopping experience, PayPal has unveiled Beacon, a Bluetooth plug-in for merchants that automatically checks in consumers for hands-free cashless payments at the point-of-sale.

10 September 2013

News/Innovation

US credit union takes the branch to the customer with MobiBranch smartphone app

A Mississippi credit union is using mobile technology to get employees out of the branch and into the community to perform in-branch transactions on the go.

10 September 2013

News/Innovation

Bitcoin firms meet UK govt officials as regulation looms

Representatives from the bitcoin community met UK government officials in Downing Street this week amid claims that the Financial Conduct Authority is considering regulating the virtual currency.

06 September 2013

News/Innovation

PayPal re-imagines the mobile wallet

PayPal's quest to replace the leather wallet with a mobile handset has moved closer to fruition with the release of a bundled app incorporating bank and card payments, loyalty redemption, credit lines, P2P money transfer and high street shopping.

06 September 2013

News/Innovation

StockTwits builds smartwatch widget

As the smartwatch craze gathers momentum, StockTwits has developed a widget that delivers trending stock information straight to Meta Watches.

06 September 2013

News/Innovation

Contactless cards and 'ATMs' bring clean water to India's poor

An Indian social enterprise is using contactless pre-paid cards and ATM-style machines to bring clean drinking water to the country's poor.

05 September 2013

News/Innovation

Fintech innovation VCs Anthemis Group and Life.Sreda team up

Anthemis Group has struck a deal with Russian venture capital fund Life.Sreda which will see the pair co-invest in tech-based disruptive financial services start-ups.

04 September 2013

News/Innovation

Bionym bids to replace passwords with heartbeat

Canadian start-up Bionym is promising to make passwords, keys and wallets relics of the past with a bracelet that authenticates its wearer through their heartbeat.

04 September 2013

News/Innovation

FNB taps instant messaging for mobile money transfers

First National Bank has registered a patent in South Africa for using instant messaging within a smartphone app to transfer money, according to local press reports.

02 September 2013

News/Innovation

Tradehill suspends bitcoin trading in face of regulatory heat

Bitcoin exchange Tradehill has temporarily shut down trading, citing "banking and regulatory" issues related to its credit union partner.

30 August 2013

News/Innovation

Artist crafts 'hug-and-pay' technology

Artist Heidi Hinder has developed wearable technology that allows its users to transmit money using physical gestures - hugs, high-fives, handshakes and even tap dancing.

30 August 2013

News/Innovation

Yorkshire and HP launch cloud-based shared service alliance

Yorkshire Building Society (YBS) has partnered with HP Enterprise Services to launch a cloud-based IT platform that will be used to provide other financial institutions with access to retail banking applications

29 August 2013

News/Innovation

Brits predict death of coins and cheque books

Brits foresee the demise of cheque books and some coins in the near future as payments goes hi-tech thanks to mobile phones and biometrics.

28 August 2013

News/Innovation

Bitcoin Foundation meets US lawmakers

Bitcoin Foundation representatives met with a host of US law enforcement agencies and regulators in Washington yesterday to discuss oversight of the digital currency.

27 August 2013

News/Innovation

Ticker-tape machine prints tweets, not stock prices

A British Web developer has built his own steampunk ticker-tape machine which prints out tweets instead of stock prices.

23 August 2013

News/Innovation

Ping Bluetooth wallet beeps when cards disappear

A US start-up has taken to KickStarter to fund its Bluetooth smart wallet which links to the owner's phone and alerts them if their payment card is not returned.

22 August 2013

News/Innovation

Israel's Bank Leumi launches fintech innovation hub

Israel's Bank Leumi has teamed up with investment vehicle Elevator to launch a fintech innovation hub, providing backing to the country's financial technology start-ups.

21 August 2013

News/Innovation

NatWest taps Vine for customer service videos

NatWest has taken to Twitter's Vine app, creating a series of clips answering frequently asked questions and providing top tips on surviving student life.

20 August 2013