Latest long reads: Finextra Research

What is an ETF? All you need to know after the US SEC approves Bitcoin spot ETFs

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced its approval of 11 bitcoin spot ETFs, allowing for trading to begin as early as today. There has been a lot of buzz and build-up to this outcome, not least because the SEC’s X account was reportedly hacked resulting in their determination being tweeted a day early. For many, this is the...

11 January 2024 /crypto

Forget COP: Why financial markets must advocate for ESG

Retired Member

Forget COP: Why financial markets must advocate for ESG

Experts warn 2024 could take us into uncharted climate territory, pushing temperature rises beyond the threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius. These stakes demand one thing: there must be no more COPs where corporate emissions, as the main driver of the climate crises, are not meaningfully addressed. Oil and gas majors remain the biggest offenders, but ...

11 January 2024 /sustainable

Sehrish Alikhan Reporter at Finextra

Rise of the superapp

Gartner forecasts that 50% of the population will be using superapps by 2027, predicting a skyrocket in usage for the future. Yet where did they come from and what do they do? Superapps are mobile or web applications that offer users multiple services on a single platform. These multi-service applications include mini-apps and features that allow u...

10 January 2024 /retail

How leading finance and insurance firms are already capitalising on AI

Theo Michalopoulos General Manager, Financial Services Industry at Microsoft

How leading finance and insurance firms are already capitalising on AI

AI has an incredible breadth and variety of use cases for financial services organisations – but there is a strategic thread that should tie them all together. When used well, AI helps financial firms do more of what they’re great at. Banks want to do more banking, provide more mortgages, make good credit risk decisions and take the right assets o...

10 January 2024 /retail

Are stablecoins the next opportunity in payments?

Níamh Curran

Are stablecoins the next opportunity in payments?

In 2023, we have seen stablecoins - cryptocurrency designed to have a relatively stable price, typically by being pegged to a commodity or fiat currency – being embraced by some of the biggest payment players like Visa and PayPal. Despite being less than a decade old, more than 11 trillion in stablecoins were settled on-chain in 2022, accountin...

09 January 2024 /crypto

Will 2024 be a progressive year for fintech investment?

Kirsty Rutter Fintech Investment Director at Lloyds Banking Group

Will 2024 be a progressive year for fintech investment?

The fintech investment landscape in 2023 has been challenging, with a strong focus on generative artificial intelligence. With wider uncertainty, investors have been more comfortable holding their money in savings and money market products, than taking the risk and reward of investing in new businesses. So, as we look to the year ahead, with intere...

04 January 2024 /retail

Tips for female founders looking for investment in 2024

Vivi Friedgut CEO at Blackbullion Ltd

Tips for female founders looking for investment in 2024

As I head into another funding round in 2024, I find myself once again looking at the figures around female funding. It’s not a cosy read. Innovate Finance’s latest figures identified that a total of 10 female founded (or co-founded) companies completed venture deals in the first half of 2023. This means female-driven fintechs represent just 2.2% o...

03 January 2024 /startups

Fintech Regulation Update: Mind the gap ahead of 2024

Madhvi Sonia Head of Content at Finextra

Fintech Regulation Update: Mind the gap ahead of 2024

Here’s the first edition of a new Finextra long read series summarising the latest regulatory updates impacting the financial services, technology or fintech industries, and how financial market participants should mind the gap between the regulations that have not fully caught up with the pace of innovation. Payments Payments s...

29 December 2023 /regulation

Finextra's top Future Series reports of 2023

Madhvi Sonia Head of Content at Finextra

Finextra's top Future Series reports of 2023

With 2023 drawing to a close, we take a look back at our most downloaded Future Series reports over the course of the past year. Finextra’s Future Series is an annual editorial report series covering a fintech topic at a high level and includes interviews from financial institutions, usually a global range from EMEA, APAC and the Americas. Top Fut...

28 December 2023 /payments

Madhvi Sonia Head of Content at Finextra

Top 25 fintech investments of 2023

Just before Christmas, HSBC UK announced the expansion of its ‘Growth Lending’ fund from £250 million to £350 million in response to growing demand from high-growth tech scale-ups. To access the funding, scale-ups must have strong equity backing, a proven sales track record, and a clear path to profitability. The fund was launched in response to ...

27 December 2023 /startups

Madhvi Sonia Head of Content at Finextra

Finextra’s top long reads of 2023

With 2023 drawing to a close, we take a look back at our most viewed long reads over the course of the past year. Top long reads of 2023 10. 5 predictions for fintech in 2023: What’s next after a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year? Arvin Abraham, partner at Goodwin Procter, explored how fintech is still in its adolescence, but opportunities...

27 December 2023 /payments

Why established digital banks are the best choice for startups in 2024

Luther Liang Director of Product at Grasshopper – serving US startups and SMBs

Why established digital banks are the best choice for startups in 2024

In the ever-evolving landscape of finance, startups face unique challenges that demand innovative solutions. Choosing the right financial partner can be a make-or-break decision for these companies, especially in an era of technological acceleration, which is why digital banks have risen as a compelling alternative to traditional institutions and ...

22 December 2023 /startups

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