Latest long reads: Finextra Research

The cloud oligopoly, regulation, and the collaboration conundrum in the financial ecosystem

Madhvi Sonia Head of Content at Finextra

The cloud oligopoly, regulation, and the collaboration conundrum in the financial ecosystem

Consumers are evolving. They now expect the same agile customer experience from their financial services providers that they are offered elsewhere by other industries. Searching for ways to optimise the digital experience for customers, financial institutions have been leveraging the elasticity, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness of cloud computin...

16 April 2021 /cloud

Andrew Smith Founding CTO at RTGS & ClearBank

Agile Series: DevOps

In all of the articles that make up this “Agile Series”, a fair few of the same themes keep on flowing richly through each article. This one is no different…If you want your teams to be autonomous, if you want your teams to build self-contained products, if you want to be able to value delivery, then you need your teams to be able to deploy their ...

15 April 2021 /devops

We are what we invest in: The importance of gender lens investing

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

We are what we invest in: The importance of gender lens investing

What is gender lens investing? How do we advance gender diversity and inclusion in the fintech and renewable energy sectors? Can we accurately measure the impact of gender-smart investment? Answering these questions successfully will have a profoundly positive impact on the global economy. At SME Finance Forum’s virtual webinar ‘Gender Lens...

14 April 2021 /inclusion

Why are British investors increasingly crossing the pond to trade?

Marco Mottadelli Head of Global Brokerage at Fineco Bank

Why are British investors increasingly crossing the pond to trade?

When it comes to their financial portfolios, Britons are looking abroad. Like modern day versions of the proverbial Mrs. Watanabe, market conditions are pushing even relatively modest retail investors beyond their shores. Whereas those Japanese investors were pushed by low yields and inflation at home to seek fortunes in the foreign exchange offer...

14 April 2021 /markets

Tech and Crime Series: Has the FCA bitten off more than it can chew with its NatWest Prosecution?

Thomas Cattee Solicitor at Gherson

Tech and Crime Series: Has the FCA bitten off more than it can chew with its NatWest Prosecution?

News broke on Tuesday 16 March 2021 that the Financial Conduct Authority (the “FCA”) has started criminal proceedings against NatWest Bank (“NatWest”) for alleged offences relating to the adequacy of procedures in place to prevent money laundering. These proceedings are in respect of offences under the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 (the “200...

13 April 2021 /crime

The Next Futuristic Technology: What are NFTs?

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

The Next Futuristic Technology: What are NFTs?

Talk of non-fungible tokens is hard to avoid of late. But why all the fuss? What exactly are they, and what real-world applications do they have? Demystifying this brand-new cryptocurrency will be key to mainstreaming it and ensuring its long-term success. The next futuristic technology everyone is talking about are non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Th...

08 April 2021 /crypto

Tech and Crime Series: Cryptoassets and financial crime

Thomas Cattee Solicitor at Gherson

Tech and Crime Series: Cryptoassets and financial crime

News broke on 6 March 2021 that John McAfee (“McAfee”) has been charged in the US with conspiracy to commit fraud and money-laundering. This is in relation to his alleged involvement in a cryptocurrency scheme. The indictment states that “McAfee’s so called-cryptocurrency team (the “McAfee Team”), perpetrated two fraudulent schemes relating to th...

07 April 2021 /crime

Checking the pulse of the UK’s purpose-driven banking ecosystem

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

Checking the pulse of the UK’s purpose-driven banking ecosystem

Does the UK’s financial services sector only exist to drive profits for shareholders? Can we hard-wire deeper social and environmental purpose into our financial institutions? The burgeoning purpose-driven banking sector in the UK is key to securing a sustainable, democratic and resilient system for all, but how do we ensure it continues to grow i...

01 April 2021 /sustainable

Agile Series: Enabling agile with your software architecture

Andrew Smith Founding CTO at RTGS & ClearBank

Agile Series: Enabling agile with your software architecture

If you have the wrong software architecture, then your ability to really implement an agile engineering culture will be dramatically hampered. In previous posts, you will have noted that I outlined three core principles I like to instil within any engineering department. These principles being: Value delivery over predictability Value principles ...

31 March 2021 /devops

PSR Consultations: Could the proposed measures to fight fraud have unintended consequences?

Teresa Connors Client Director at Payment Matters

PSR Consultations: Could the proposed measures to fight fraud have unintended consequences?

Only 45% of reported Authorised Push Payment (APP) losses are reimbursed or repatriated. APP scams trick payees into sending payment from their bank account to a a fraudster, the fraudster often impersonates a known entity such as a large corporation or bank. Scams are sophisticated and can trick the vulnerable and the vigilant, wrecking lives cau...

30 March 2021 /payments

The wholesale financial services firm of the future cannot survive without AI

Retired Member

The wholesale financial services firm of the future cannot survive without AI

A perfect storm of pressures which has been building on the financial services industry for years has come to a head. Covid-19 has been a catalyst for change for institutions who have been facing a build-up of competitive and regulatory pressures and now have to face the urgency of making their business models fit for purpose. AI, for many years a ...

30 March 2021 /wholesale

Crypto Regulation Series: An exploration of the UK's cryptoasset landscape

Stephen Elam Partner at Cooke Young & Keidan

Crypto Regulation Series: An exploration of the UK's cryptoasset landscape

This piece was co-authored by Stephen Elam and Peter Stewart, of Cooke Young & Keidan. Less than three years ago, the Parliament’s Treasury Committee referred to cryptoasset markets as a “Wild West”, in which consumers were “afforded very little protection from the litany of risks”. As crypto markets developed at a rapid pace, there was consid...

29 March 2021 /regulation

Long reads