More than 700 million Africans lack access to a bank or mobile money account and only 41% of Africans are financially included. This is due to the high cost of providing financial services in Africa which forces many financial services providers to remain focused on serving wealthier customers.

Bokio (www.bokio.co.uk), the Gothenburg-born fintech behind an AI-driven accounting software for SMEs and self-employed, today announces that it has merged with Stockholm-based competitor, Red Flag (www.redflag.se).

SaïdBusiness School, University of Oxford and Mastercard today announce the launch of anew Oxford Cyber Futures online programme aimed at equipping senior executives to address new cyber risks and opportunities – among the most significant industrial and societal challenges of the 21stcentury – using next-generation learning tools.

One of the many effects of globalisation has been the proliferation of connections between corporates and banks. As corporates have responded to global opportunities in both sales and sourcing, their banking relationship needs have grown in tandem. Trade figures give an inkling of the pace at which this has happened: in the 25 years from 1993 to 2018, trade as a percentage of global GDP rose by ~50%1.

With the power of the world wide web making commercialization transcend boundaries, the online transaction has not only become a trend but a necessity. This has led to a rising dependency on SSL Certificates, data masking, authentications, etc. 

The current economy provides a space for not only information but goods and services to be procured with a click of a button from anywhere across the globe and have it delivered right at your doorstep.

Fenergo, the leading provider of digital transformation, customer journey and client lifecycle management (CLM) solutions for financial institutions, and IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced the signing of an original equipment manufacturing (OEM) agreement that will allow the companies to collaborate on solutions that can help clients better manage the multitude of financial risks they may face.

A foundation has been laid and now is the time to double down to accelerate innovation.

The concept of real-time payment processing both from an operational and cost advantage is big news yet only 36% of all electronic payments in the UK are now via the Faster Payments Service (FPS)¹. One could argue that FPS has fundamentally changed the nature of payments, user experience and the real economy. But in reality, the race to real-time has been slow and steady rather than a gold rush.

COVID-19 has triggered unprecedented change around the world, imposing social distancing and a dramatic increase in remote working. With millions of people now following governmental advice to stay at home, Mobey Forum’s Digital ID expert group is busy exploring how digital identity schemes can help life to continue via online channels. Elina Mattila, Executive Director at Mobey Forum, offers further insight…

Quantile Technologies (Quantile), a leading provider of multilateral optimisation services, today announced that its early adoption of cloud technology has ensured the continued operation of its interest rate compression and margin optimisation services, which are fundamental to reducing risk and improving liquidity in the global derivatives markets.

With the inevitable tribulation and market regulations resulting from the pandemic, one thing is certain - the global banking landscape will face a lot more uncertainty. In the meantime, banks have been called on to help boost the economy – to tackle how people can still pay bills, including credit card, loan and mortgage payments, and receive payments during these tricky times.