Latest long reads: Finextra Research

Financial services businesses must stop putting Customer Due Diligence on the backburner

Simon Mansell UK forensic head of Customer Due Diligence at KPMG

Financial services businesses must stop putting Customer Due Diligence on the backburner

Financial crime challenges even the most diligent of organisations. During the Covid-19 pandemic, fraud proliferated in the UK, with professional criminals targeting the public amid Covid-19 disruption to the tune of £37 million in 2021, up 80% from £20.5 million in the same period in 2020. Professional and financial services firms have an obliga...

15 March 2022 /crime

From DevOps to NoOps: Are engineers’ jobs in jeopardy?

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

From DevOps to NoOps: Are engineers’ jobs in jeopardy?

In 2018, Microsoft Israel’s chief scientist, Tomer Simon, wrote an article titled, ‘Stop DevOps Before Someone Gets Hurt’. In it, he urged engineers to bypass DevOps and jump straight into ‘NoOps’. Irrespective of the merits of this approach, the most illuminating part of Simon’s recommendation is to figure the DevOps environment as a continuum – ...

14 March 2022 /devops

Innovation in Canadian fintech and transforming the banking model

Madhvi Sonia Head of Content at Finextra

Innovation in Canadian fintech and transforming the banking model

In 2022, traditional financial institutions are prioritising catering to their tech-savvy customers, huge rounds of investment are driving fintech innovation and the industry is bouncing back from the economic impact of Covid-19. Alongside the success of the fintech industry on a global scale, Canada has fared particularly well because of support ...

11 March 2022 /cloud

Ukraine: How fintech can prove itself to be a force for good

Paige McNamee

Ukraine: How fintech can prove itself to be a force for good

As the entire world watches on, trying to assist the plight of the Ukrainian people in whatever way they can, we’re also seeing industries adapt and tailor services to reach those most in need. Fintech is no exception. Speaking with fintechs including the NEAR Foundation, Griffin, GC Partners, Skymind, Banked, and Azimo, we have compiled their pers...

10 March 2022 /inclusion

How should UK FMPs remain compliant with 2022 sustainability regulations?

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

How should UK FMPs remain compliant with 2022 sustainability regulations?

With the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation’s (SFDR) first reference period just around the corner, asset managers, banks and fund brokers are working closely with their underlying companies to report on their environmental, social and governance (ESG) impact. Given the vast amount of information and new data points that must be sourced to ...

09 March 2022 /sustainable

International Women’s Day: Addressing gender bias in AI

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

International Women’s Day: Addressing gender bias in AI

One of the key missions of International Women’s Day 2022 is to celebrate digital advancement and champion the women spearheading innovation. With every development, however, it is important to ensure gender equity is baked into the system. While bias may be a fact of life, it doesn’t need to become a feature of our technologies too; #BreaktheBias...

08 March 2022 /inclusion

How is the Russia-Ukraine war impacting the financial and tech sectors?

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

How is the Russia-Ukraine war impacting the financial and tech sectors?

With sanctions from the European Union, Switzerland, France, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, the United States, and the United Kingdom, ratcheting up on the Russian Federation, economic shockwaves are being felt by industries far and wide. Already, the global economy is gasping for air; energy and oil prices are climbing, shares are tumblin...

04 March 2022 /wholesale

Embedded finance is not a new concept (but it’s particularly bubbly in France)

Jean-Francois Guillaumin General Manager France at Solarisbank AG

Embedded finance is not a new concept (but it’s particularly bubbly in France)

Despite the phrase dominating headlines over the last year or two, the embedded finance market is not a new concept in France. Our recent report with Finextra, ‘The Future of Embedded Finance 2022: Which European stakeholders will win or lose?’ discussed how momentum toward embedded finance has been building slowly but surely over the past decade....

03 March 2022 /retail

The Future of Regulation: The step change facing Open Banking

Paige McNamee

The Future of Regulation: The step change facing Open Banking

Do we need to let go of Open Banking to embrace Open Finance? This is an extract from Finextra's The Future of Regulation 2022 report. Few concepts embody the essence of fintech in the way Open Banking does. Its fundamental purpose of opening-up the banking industry by paring back once unwavering control over client data by incumbent banks, is allo...

01 March 2022 /regulation

The Future of ESGTech: Goal 16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

The Future of ESGTech: Goal 16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions

Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. This is an extract from Finextra's The Future of ESGTech 2022 report. Focus target 16.4: By 2030, significantly reduce illicit financial and arms flows, strengthen the re...

28 February 2022 /sustainable

The fintech sentiment: The Kalifa Review’s scorecard one year on

Paige McNamee

The fintech sentiment: The Kalifa Review’s scorecard one year on

Hailed as a brilliant opportunity to keep modernising the regulatory environment upon its release, the first 12 months following the Kalifa Review’s publication has seen mixed progress. The Review outlined five core recommendations around which a roadmap would be built, these included policy and regulation; skills and talent; investment; internatio...

28 February 2022 /regulation

‘A crisis of vision’: Richard Turrin takes aim at the Fed’s CBDC report

Paige McNamee

‘A crisis of vision’: Richard Turrin takes aim at the Fed’s CBDC report

A leading voice in the international central bank digital currency (CBDC) dialogue, fintech consultant and author of Cashless, Richard Turrin has spent over a decade working in the financial technology industry in China and APAC and brings a unique perspective to his analysis of the diverging approaches being taken to CBDC strategy and adoption. On...

25 February 2022 /crypto

Long reads