After years of predictions and goals set for “2020”, it feels quite surreal to have finally welcomed in the year that once felt so futuristic. And what a pivotal decade the “teens” have been for the world of biometrics!

But before we share our 2 cents on the predictions for the year, we shouldn’t overlook the busy and successful end to 2019 the industry has had, as well as the major highlights of the last year.

Ending the year on a high

Consumers get first biometric payment cards

This time last year, I only made one prediction with any degree of confidence – that at some point, the UK’s future trading relationship with the rest of the world will be settled, and confidence and stable growth would return.

And I still stand by this a year later!

2019 was a tough year – for business and lenders alike. Although final quarter figures are not yet available, annual UK growth to September was just 1%, and both August and September showed a contraction in the economy.

DUI or driving under the influence is most often thought of in connection with alcohol. But booze isn’t the only thing that can land you in hot water with the law. There are many other substances that fall under the umbrella of this felony. Essentially, the decision to drive under the influence will not just endanger you and your passengers, but it will also put everyone else on the roads in harm’s way.

So you’ve decided to take the plunge in 2020. You know that data analytics can do great things to propel your company into the next decade and you’re ready to take the next steps?

You do a Google search for “data analytics software and services”, only to be presented with 238,000,000 search results of providers who all claim to be the right match for you. With som nay fish in the sea, how do you choose?

This article will explore the qualities that make up a great data analytics provider to help narrow your search and ensure return on your investment.

NatWest has today launched a new partnership with Soldo, a pre-paid company card provider for small businesses, which will allow two of the bank’s ventures, Esme Loans and Rapid Cash, to be offered directly to Soldo’s customers, as the bank aims to increase lending to UK SMEs throughout 2020.

Built for the investment and acquisition markets, mnAI, a new AI-powered company intelligence platform, has launched in the UK today. mnAI reduces the time it takes companies and individuals to identify and understand relevant businesses from months to minutes.

BMLL Technologies, the data engineering and analytics firm, today announced the appointment of Paul Humphrey as Chief Executive Officer. A senior executive with decades of experience in leading positions across the brokerage, banking, data and exchange world, Paul Humphrey joins BMLL Technologies to drive the scale up of the business and realise the firm's mission to democratise access to granular market data and analytical products at speed and scale.

Planixs, the leading provider of real time, intraday cash, collateral and liquidity management solutions, has today announced that it has appointed Nick Applebee to their Customer Leadership Team and to grow Collateral capabilities.

Nick brings with him over 25 years’ experience in the financial services sector having held senior roles at Barclays PLC and Nomura International PLC across product, cash and intraday liquidity management and collateral management. 

Nickel Digital Asset Management is announcing today the launch their second cryptocurrency offering, Nickel Digital Gold Institutional fund to allow for secure, efficient, and transparent access to Bitcoin, the leading digital asset.

The investment team at UK-regulated manager Nickel brings multi-year experience from traditional finance to leverage opportunities in cryptocurrency.