Integral (www.integral.com), the technology partner trusted by leading banks, brokers, and asset managers to help them outperform their competition in the foreign exchange market, reported today average daily volumes (ADV) across Integral platforms totaled $35.1 billion in April 2020.  This represents a decrease of 36.9% compared to March 2020, and an increase of 12.5% compared to the same period in 2019. 

Leading digital-first banking software provider, Backbase, today announces that Lake Mary, Florida-based credit union, Addition Financial, has selected its omni-channel platform to optimize its user experience. Partnering with Backbase will provide Addition Financial the technology to innovate and differentiate from its competitors, allowing it to offer outstanding digital services for retail and business banking members.

Governments are encouraging consumers not to use cash since the Covid-19 outbreak. However, we were already seeing a steady decline in cash payments and a transition toward digital. Will Hurst, Head of Commercial Development at Monevo explains.

Contactless payments were already on an unstoppable rise to overtake our reliance on physical cash in society pre Covid-19.

The current pandemic simply accelerates this shift. While I don't truly believe cash will ever be replaced entirely in my lifetime, it's use will become a fraction of what it is today.

Analysis from global consultancy partnership Kearney has found that the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting recession will mean that banks across Europe need to rethink their strategies and reduce their costs by over £30 billion (€35 billion) to overcome this crisis. 

Today the British Business Bank has announced that it has approved three new lenders for accreditation under the Bounce Bank Loan Scheme. The scheme is intended to target small and micro businesses in all sectors, with loans from £2k up to 25% of the business’ turnover with a maximum loan of £50k.

Countingup, the business current account that automates your accounting, has received the backing of leading fintech investors. The London-based startup has raised £4m in a bridge round of financing led by ING Ventures with co-investment from Triple Point, CVentures and BiG Start Ventures. All are backing the company’s vision to be the one financial hub for 1m small businesses. In the two years since Countingup launched, it now boasts more than twenty thousand customers and has processed almost £1bn in transactions.

Avaloq has been named one of the world’s leading technology firms for wealth managers in the 2020 WealthTech100, an annual list of the 100 most innovative wealth tech companies in the world. Companies are selected by a panel of industry professionals and analysts from over 1,200 shortlisted firms, with leaders being ranked on criteria such as efficiency improvements or cost savings for clients, market growth and innovative use of technology to solve complex industry problems. The WealthTech100 is run by FinTech Global, a specialist research firm.

There is no question that the pandemic has created large-scale social and behavioural shifts among consumers. Not only has it fundamentally changed attitudes toward risk, but it is challenging expectations around online security, convenience and access, or lack thereof, to key staples, e.g. toilet paper purchased online, and other digital services.