Finextra's 2017 in review

As Finextra pulls the shutters down on 2017, we take a look back at our most popular news stories, videos, and community engagement activities over the course of the past year. The site will re-open for business on 2 January 2018.

Top news stories of 2017

January

China launches $1.5bn fintech fund

A consortium of Chinese state-owned companies and private enterprises has created a $1.44 billion investment fund dedicated to fintech mergers and acquisitions.

February

IBM and Visa join forces to turn billions of connected devices into points of sale

IBM has struck a deal with Visa which will give all of Big Blue's Watson IoT platform customers access to the card giant's payment services, potentially turning billions of cars, fridges, sneakers and other connected devices into points of sale.

March

Deutsche Bourse fintech venture fund targets blockchain and AI

Deutsche Bourse's new dedicated fintech venture fund, DB1, is hoping to make up to five investments this year, focusing on startups that use technologies such as blockchain and machine learning to rebuild the rails on which financial markets are built.

April

JPMorgan formally quits R3

JPMorgan Chase has formally exited blockchain consortium R3, following in the footsteps of fellow titans Goldman Sachs and Banco Santander who split last November.

May

Did someone cancel the fintech revolution?

Did someone cancel the fintech revolution or has it just been delayed? That's the question posed by a new report on the UK scene, which argues that new entrants have failed to lure customers from incumbents and that VC money has started to dry up.

June

Santander's Openbank relaunched as 100% digital bank

Banco Santander is overhauling the operations of its direct banking subsidiary in Spain, transferring all IT assets and client transactions to the cloud and revamping its online and mobile presence as part of a group-wide mission to recruit 30 million digital customers by 2018.

July

Twenty eight global banks to test Swift blockchain application

Interbank messaging network Swift says that 22 additional global banks have joined its blockchain proof of concept (PoC), designed to validate whether the technology can help banks reconcile their international nostro accounts in real time.

August

Rabobank constructs physical model to understand IT architecture

Rabobank has built a 3D model of its own organisation and supporting IT systems to help visualise improvements that can be made as it embarks on its digital transformation programme.

September

HSBC moves into Open Banking

HSBC is testing a platform that lets customers see all of their accounts, no matter who the provider, on one screen.

October

Mastercard to roll out blockchain API

Mastercard is to open up access to its inhouse blockchain technology platform via an API which will be made available to developers at banks and retailers.

November

Ripple boss predicts central bank adoption of blockchain

Central banks will use distributed ledger technology (DLT) to settle high-value interbank payments within the next five to ten years, predicts the chief executive of Ripple.

December

Big data and software robots crunch compliance costs for Credit Suisse

Credit Suisse says that a new big data platform and the intelligent deployment of software robots is reversing years of rising compliance costs.

Most Commented

VocaLink and BancTec win UK cheque clearing mandate

Will words and gestures replace plastic cards and cash?

EBA rejects Commission amendments on screen scraping under PSD2

US firm to implant employees with RFID chips

Will cards disappear before cash?

Videos

Brexit and Trump: Regulatory change

Demand for new ways to consume financial services