MoneyFarm, the digital wealth management company, has appointed David Jeffery as Chief Technology Officer ahead of its UK launch.

Prior to MoneyFarm, David worked at music site, Last.fm, where he spent three years as CTO, developing the company’s use of big data and software innovation that has been behind the business’ rapid growth. Prior to this, David was Chief Software Architect at Betfair for nine years, joining what was still a start-up and helping to build the world’s largest online betting exchange.

 MANGOPAY, the online payment API for marketplaces and crowdfunding platforms announces its partnership with London FinTech start-up GoCardless, specialists in online Direct Debit payments. Launching in early 2016, the partnership will provide MANGOPAY’s merchants with an easy way to set up and accept recurring payments.

To nobody’s surprise the exciting predictions for the world of crowdfunding in 2015 were not entirely wrong. In fact, most of them were entirely right. So have an early Christmas present, wonderful followers of all things crowdfinance. 2016 is going to be BIG. You heard it here first…

1)Crowdfinance is going mainstream and beyond

If 2015 was the year crowdfinance knocked at the door, 2016 will be the year it makes it over the threshold, changes into indoor shoes and cosies up in the living room with a glass of brandy.

Standard Chartered Bank has appointed Mr Amar Rathor as Head of SC Studios San Francisco.

 Financial innovation company R3 has concluded its distributed ledger bank membership round with the addition of 12 new banks, bringing the total number to 42.  Since its September launch, the company has seen a groundswell of interest in the consortium from financial services companies around the world.

Data recovery company Infinity Wireless Limited today announced £500,000 in venture round funding, led by Mangrove Capital Partners, an early backer of Skype and Wix with additional funding from existing investors Boundary Capital Partners. As part of the investment, Mangrove Partner David Waroquier will join the board.

The torrent of regulations designed to manage risk in the international banking system shows no sight of slowing down, and threatens to overwhelm banks and regulators alike.

While once considered the stuff of science fiction, biometric technology is becoming part of our everyday lives. Biometrics use human characteristics – voice, fingerprints, palm or iris vein patterns – for purposes ranging from identification to task initiation. Smartphones, such as the iPhone® 6, put fingerprint authentication into people's pockets, while devices like the Amazon Echo bring voice command technology into homes.  
 

 Powa Technologies has formed a 10-year strategic alliance with “limitless” potential to create a ubiquitous new standard in mobile commerce for China UnionPay’s (CUP) 1.3b credit and debit card users.  

Atom will be pioneering the use of biometrics in the UK banking industry, leading the way with face and voice biometrics as core credentials to log-in to your bank. Atom is the UK’s first bank designed for digital, offering easy and convenient banking via an app, due to launch in 2016.

A personalised approach is at the heart of what Atom will offer, starting at the very first step of opening the ‘virtual doors’ of the bank. Face and voice recognition will be two key ways in which customers will be able to identify themselves to access their money and make financial transactions.