I used to blog about blockchain and distributed ledger technology (DLT) almost once a week … four years ago. Today, I hardly blog about it at all. I guess it just shows what’s top of mind and what’s not at any time in FinTech and, right now, blockchain is not top of mind. In fact, most of the conferences I go to these days it’s a surprise if anyone is talking about blockchain or DLT at all. It’s a no-no.

How can a rising technology that everyone loved fall so fast? Is DLT dead? Where do we go from here?

Applications are now being accepted for Accenture’s (NYSE: ACN) annual FinTech Innovation Lab Asia-Pacific, a 12-week program that helps early- and growth-stage fintech companies accelerate product and business development through mentorship with executives from top financial institutions.

Fintech entrepreneurs developing cutting-edge products, services and technologies are invited to apply now until May 10 at https://www.fintechinnovationlab.com/asia-pacific/.

NatWest are trialling a new companion to the NatWest app called Mimo, which has been designed to help customers save time, save money and enjoy financial peace of mind. 

Mimo will help customers budget, remind them of the financial tasks they need to do and provide proactive and personal insights into their money, looking at their bills or day-to-day spending, as well as insurance, subscriptions and utilities and will be able to take direct action for them — bringing them the best deals in the market.

Chief Digital Officer for NatWest, Frans Woelders said: 

A new report from Mastercard confirms the power of mobile technology to improve financial inclusion. The research shows that 15 countries account for over 60% of the global unbanked population, where 607 million people have a mobile phone, but do not yet have a bank account. Mobile technology could therefore provide them with immediate access to the benefits of financial inclusion.

In all but one of these 15 countries (India) people with a mobile phone outnumber those with a bank account by several million (rising to 204 million in China).

Computop, the global payment processor, today announced that Europe's leading online optician, Mister Spex, has selected the company’s highly secure POS terminals for the processing of all card payments  across its national network of German stores. The CCV Pad card terminal from Computop is one of a new generation of POS solutions that have been developed to reduce costs and expenditure on PCI security audits while protecting purchasers’ card data.

Calligo, the global data optimization and privacy specialist, today announced it has acquired Connected Technologies Inc., a Canadian specialist in outsourced IT and cloud services. 

The purchase of Connected Technologies, based in Brampton, Ontario, is another significant step in Calligo’s continued growth strategy. The acquisition complements its two previous acquisitions in Canada – cloud services provider, 3 Peaks, in October 2017 and Mico Systems, an outsourced IT services company, in May of last year. 

Over one-third of IT decision makers in the UK’s largest financial services companies believe that AI will transform the industry in the next decade, but the same percentage admit that their infrastructure is not prepared for the transformation, a new survey conducted by Digital Realty reveals. 

A survey of business leaders by DXC Technology (NYSE: DXC) and Vanson Bourne, an independent research firm, reveals that 86 percent of IT and business decision makers believe that being able to predict and prevent future challenges with applications could be a “game changer” for their organizations.

VERMEG, the banking and insurance software solutions leader, is proud to announce it has received a top mark on the 2019 Corporate Equality Index (CEI). The CEI is recognized as the premier benchmarking survey and report in the United States and abroad on corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality, and is administered by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation.  

VERMEG joins the ranks of over 560 major U.S. businesses that also earned top marks this year.