Among top headaches of financial reporting 200+ respondents mention time-intensive processes, lack of automation, integration of data sources and last-minute changes

This month the Royal Mint is undertaking its potential last flip of the coin by introducing an updated £1 coin into circulation. With the same shape as the old 12-sided three pence piece or ‘threepenny bit’, its makers claim it will be the most secure coin in the world. The current £1 coin it replaces has been in circulation for over thirty years and is deemed to be vulnerable to ever more sophisticated counterfeiters. But how long will we be using this coin? The UK is swiftly moving towards a new cultural phenomenon – the cashless society.  

 A shift in how trusted identities are used across the healthcare continuum is fuelling the demand for advanced smart card technologies and mobile solutions, as healthcare institutions become more connected. The new focus on ID technology is changing how institutions operate, how they manage access to patients, data and equipment, how they protect patient privacy, and how they improve billing accuracy – all without compromising the quality of care. This is according to HID Global, a worldwide leader in trusted identity solutions.

The implementation of the Second Payment Services Directive (PSD2) early next year is set to have a far-reaching and positive impact on payments and digital commerce.

Integrating Third Party Providers (TPPs) into the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA’s) regulatory framework will lead to new levels of transparency and security in the online transfer of money. A new wave of competition and innovation in payment services will emerge, ultimately enhancing the customer experience.

The wealth management startup Grain has demonstarted its 2.0 version in the iOS app store this week and it is also live on 

OpenLedger’s Apptrade, the platform developing “Kickstarter for Apps on the Blockchain”, has received a $100,000 USD boost from OpenLedger ApS, the world's first blockchain powered conglomerate. Supported by the digital token APPX, Apptrade creates portfolios, or groups, of apps, where if one of those apps becomes the next Instagram or Angry Birds, then the value of the portfolio rises.

The British Bankers’ Association (BBA) has recently released new statistics on high street banking, which demonstrate that business borrowing has sharply declined since January and sees growth slow-down year-on-year compared to the recent months.

Raiffeisen Bank, a member of Austrian Raiffeisen Group, has selected Backbase, the omni-channel digital banking market leader, to deliver its new digital omni-channel banking platform. Raiffeisen Bank in Romania serves over 2 million customers, of which 100,000 SMEs, 5,600 corporations and 1.9 million personal banking customers.

Tieto is introducing a new Forest Hub ecosystem platform that helps wood supply business partners in their operational data transfer regarding wood logistics and mill reception processes. Tieto Forest Hub seeks to improve daily operational planning and follow-up, management of the inventories, and information quality, while also decreasing the amount of manual work required and reducing errors.