Richard, organizer of the original Bitcoin, Ethereum and Blockchain Super Conference, held in February, is hosting a follow-up conference in September. Like the first conference, the second offers attendees a rare opportunity to network with many of the most respected players in the cryptocurrency and blockchain space – including developers, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and “smart money” hedge fund managers who are now piling their capital into blockchain assets.

Open Banking is here. The Second Payment Services Directive (PSD2) now requires banks to give any third party access to use payments data and launch transactions from a customer’s bank account, subject to permission. It’s a radical idea; and while there will undoubtedly be impacts, the exact nature and timeframes of the disruption are still becoming clear.

Getting the measure

Although the range of possibilities and changes around Open Banking may sometimes seem confusing, essentially, they fall into five key categories. 

PEX Insure, the managing general agent (MGA) founded by Byron Shepherd, has chosen two separate SSP platforms to distribute its insurance products. Shepherd was formerly one of the heads of the Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB), responsible for services including MyLicence and the NCD database.

The MGA has chosen SSP Pure Broking to retail standard motor cover, with further products to follow. In addition, as PEX Insure has its own delegated authority, it has also signed up to wholesale insurance products through SSP's brokers. 

HPS, a multinational company and leading provider of electronic payment solutions for financial institutions, card processors, merchant acquirers, independent sales organizations (ISOs), and national and regional switches around the world, has increased its presence within Africa with a new office in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Saxo Bank, the leading Fintech specialist focused on multi-asset trading and investment, has today announced that its transformative fixed income offering, available on mobile via SaxoTraderGO, has won the Best Mobile Trading Initiative at the 2018 Sell Side Technology Awards.

The Sell Side Technology Awards recognise the leading technologies and third party vendors in their areas of expertise through an auditable and transparent methodology developed by the publication’s senior journalists. 

Swedbank and Meniga have partnered since 2017 to improve Swedbank’s digital customer experience through a personal finance activity feed and data aggregation platform, which will give customers better control over their daily finances and a more personal, engaging experience than today.

Now, Swedbank is further strengthening this partnership with Meniga by making an equity investment of EUR 3m in the company. Meniga is a leader within software for personal finance management and has a large number of leading banks as their customers in over 20 countries.

The TALL Group of Companies, the UK leader in the provision of secure paper and electronic payment solutions, is honoured to have secured the UK’s highest official accolade for business success. Her Majesty The Queen has approved the Prime Minister's recommendation that the organisation should receive a Queen's Award for Enterprise in the International Trade category this year.

FlexTrade today announced the official release of FlexNOW, an out-of-the-box, broker neutral EMS to address the needs of hedge funds and mini-primes who require a streamlined, multi-asset trading system at the click of a button.

The major payment networks Visa, Mastercard and American Express say they are preparing for a better online payments experience by backing the EMVCo Secure Remote Commerce specification (SRC).