Lloyds Banking Group and the Cambridge Judge Business School undertook a unique collaboration to look at innovative digital opportunities for the future of banking and our customers.

As part of their MPhil in Management programme, students from the university participated in an intense six-week programme to deepen the understanding of three challenge areas set by Lloyds Banking Group: identity, social and gamification.

SIX and Swisscom are working towards a strategic partnership to establish a Switzerlandwide, universal mobile payment solution in collaboration with banks. The basis for this partnership has been established in May 2015 when SIX, UBS and Zürcher Kantonalbank launched the Paymit payment solution. Paymit will now enter the next phase with the expansion to retail and commerce segments. SIX and Swisscom are confident that this will generate added value for customers and business. Both companies also aim to develop state-of-the-art services to transform the customer shopping experience. 

The payment service on Samsung Smart TV was designed from scratch to provide an easy and safe payment experience specifically for the TV. It supports major credit cards, debit cards, PayPal as well as other mobile billing options. The beauty of it is that in most cases, users can complete a payment in just three steps after the initial registration setup. First, choose the item you want to purchase. Then simply press the ‘Pay Now’ button, and enter the PIN (Personal Identification Number). That’s it!

Integro Ltd., an international insurance brokerage and risk management firm, today announced that it has reached an agreement to be acquired by entities affiliated with Odyssey Investment Partners, LLC, positioning Integro for continued growth. Financial details of the investment were not disclosed.

 Equinix, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX), the global interconnection and data center company, today announced the second phase expansion of its third International Business ExchangeTM (IBX®) data center in Singapore, known as SG3.

HID Global, a worldwide leader in secure identity solutions, today announced an ultra-thin Polycarbonate (PC) ePrelaminate inlay for electronic ID (e-ID) cards that is more than 30 percent thinner than alternatives.

So, the September date looms for ESMA’s final clarification on unbundling. What seems evident is that payment for research with trading commissions is definitely going to be out. What seems less clear, though, is what can still be bundled into the definition of ‘execution’ and therefore still be paid for in commission dollars. Presumably, post-trade TCA services are included as they could just be thought of as a fancy form of invoice or, in the case of pre- or real-time analytics, as a mechanism that allows customers to monitor what is going on.

Intelliflo has this week (3 August 2015) rolled out its enhanced digital personal financial management hub, the Personal Finance Portal (PFP) to all 12,600 users of Intelligent Office (iO), the UK’s leading business management software for financial advisers. The roll-out coincided with the UK government’s announcement that it is launching a Financial Advice Market Review, looking at how financial advice could work better for consumers.

GlobalPlatform has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China’s Telecommunication Terminal Testing Technology Association (TAF), enabling the bodies to align their work efforts to advance interoperable and standardized mobile device security worldwide.