As a Money 20/20 series regular, arriving at this year’s show in the ever-buzzing Las Vegas, I prepared myself for four days packed with futuristic visions and startling concepts for how we might be paying in fifty years’ time. Bizarrely refreshingly, however, was the return to the near future. Or, rather, the realization that those topics once considered shiny and futuristic were now making real progress on the path to consumers.  

ChinaPay, a Chinese financial services and payments provider, and PPRO Group, a cross-border e-payment specialist, announces today a partnership to bring over 15 European alternative payment methods (APMs) to ChinaPay’s Chinese merchants. The partnership will help to expand the merchants’ customer reach across Europe, with the possibility of adding additional APMs in the future.

Cyber Security Base with F-Secure, a free online course series developed by the University of Helsinki and F-Secure, is now open for its third year. The course series, designed to give students the practical skills and knowledge required for a career in cyber security, exemplifies some of the unique strategies companies and educators are using to address a global cyber security talent shortage. 

Duco, the global provider of enterprise data quality and reconciliation services, today announced that former HSBC and Merrill Lynch veteran Spencer Lake has joined the board of directors as a non-executive director. The company has also significantly bolstered its senior management team with the appointments of Danielle Price as Head of Finance and Operations, Peyton Kay as Vice President of Strategic Marketing, and Scott Glazer as Head of Sales, North America.  

Meniga, the global leader in digital banking solutions, today announced a €3 million investment from Íslandsbanki, bringing the total investment in the company from banks this year to €9.1m.

Íslandsbanki is the third bank to have invested in Meniga this year. The Icelandic bank follows Swedbank´s investment in April and the strategic partnership announced with UniCredit in June. Meniga will use the proceeds from the Íslandsbanki investment to enhance product research and development.

Fenergo, the leading provider of Client Lifecycle Management solutions (CLM) and services for financial institutions, has announced its expansion into Private Banking and Wealth Management, with the creation of a new division lead by Steve D’Souza.

Chinese households possess a huge spending capacity. From 2010 to 2017, the retail sales of consumer goods in China accumulated from 158 bn RMB (22.7 bn USD) to more than 366 bn RMB (52.7 bn USD) – revealing a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 11 percent p.a. over the last eight years.

CryptoCompare, the global cryptocurrency market data provider, today published its monthly Exchange Review for October 2018, designed to offer institutional and retail investors insights into the cryptocurrency exchange industry.

Industry change in the Nordics is not primarily fueled by digitally native companies that disrupt the market overnight, but by established industry players transforming their existing businesses. Disruption increasingly comes from companies that already have a strong market position, an existing customer base, a thriving partner ecosystem, and high brand awareness. These are among the key findings of the new study Towards a data-driven future, conducted by IDC on behalf of Tieto. 

Saxo Bank, the leading Fintech specialist focused on multi-asset trading and investment, today announces two changes to the Board of Management in order to further strengthen client focus, corporate governance and strategy execution.

- Board of Management member Søren Kyhl has been promoted to Deputy CEO while he continues in his role as COO.

- Damian Bunce has been appointed member of the Board of Management with the new title of Chief Commercial Officer.