The why of upgrading payment solutions is evident – consumers increasingly demand quick and easy seamless ways to purchase. However, the how is not so simple. Not only is the range of available payment methods growing by the day, but to a non-specialist, these sophisticated technologies can be overwhelming.

Implementing a new payments system is complex, time consuming, and involves numerous stakeholders. It also requires finetuned planning to ensure a smooth transition, meaning no customer experiences payment disruption and no merchant experiences a lost sale.

Last week saw the number of available mortgage products increase for the second week in a row to 8,044 products, an increase of 488 (5.9%) from the previous week. The majority of the growth has been seen in the remortgage sector where the product numbers increased by 5.4%, while home mover products increased by 2.0% and BTL product numbers reduced by 1.9%. When compared to pre-pandemic levels, the number of mortgage products is 6,630 (45.2%) lower than the nine week average to 16^th March.

Okta, Inc. (NASDAQ:OKTA), the leading independent provider of identity for the enterprise, has announced the appointment of David Bradbury as Chief Security Officer. Bradbury brings more than 20 years of security and engineering experience to Okta and will report directly to Todd McKinnon, Okta’s Chief Executive Officer and co-founder.

Temenos (SIX: TEMN), the banking software company, today announced the launch of eight propositions – using innovative Explainable AI (XAI) and cloud technologies – to help banks in their immediate response to the Covid-19 crisis. Temenos is supporting banks to ensure business continuity, enhance digital engagement to meet clients’ changing needs, and manage socioeconomic pressures. These Covid-19 propositions are immediately available worldwide. Delivered as Temenos SaaS, they are deployed quickly, easily and can be implemented remotely, if required.

Wirecard, the global innovation leader for digital financial technology, has enhanced the customer experience of its mobile payment app, boon, by adding the capability to personalise cash gifts with meaningful media-rich messages and experiences. Collaborating with Vouchr, the creators of an engagement API for digital money, cash transfers can be transformed into highly engaging, fun and personalized experiences, which serve to drive customer loyalty and increase engagement.

Tandem Bank is celebrating the one year anniversary of its intelligent Autosavings feature, which gradually and effortlessly builds an individual's savings account for them. More than half of Tandem Accounts are actively set up to use the feature, suggesting the tool has been an incredible success. Tandem’s goal was to help incentivise individuals to prioritize their savings whenever possible, and given the deteriorating state of global affairs due to Covid-19, we now collectively understand the importance of creating a financial safety net. 

An interview with Max Laemmle, Founder & CEO of Fraugster about how he founded the company, AI and the impact of COVID-19 on the financial services industry.

Financial IT: Can you please tell us more about your background? What’s the story behind the founding Fraugster?

CoinDCX, India’s largest and safest cryptocurrency exchange and liquidity aggregator, announced that crypto payments pioneer Crypto.com will be listing its cryptocurrency CRO token on the CoinDCX exchange. It will be traded in two pairs CRO/BTC and CRO/INR. It means, Indian traders trading on the exchange can buy or sell CRO token in exchange of BTC (Bitcoin) or Indian Rupee. Following the successful listing of the MCO token on CoinDCX earlier this month, the CRO listing marks Hong Kong-based Crypto.com’s official entrance into the Indian market.

Banco Santander announced today the completion of its purchase of a c.50.1% stake in Ebury, one of the best international payment, FX and international cash management platforms for SMEs, after obtaining all regulatory approvals from the required authorities. This transaction was announced in November 2019 and is part of the bank's digital strategy, providing SMEs with the necessary tools for their international expansion through global trade finance services.