Digital banking software provider, Backbase, has today announced the launch of its new regional headquarters in Singapore. Off the back of strong growth in the past few years, the regional centre in Singapore will strengthen its regional footprint to ensure greater proximity to clients and provide high-quality services and expertise to businesses in Asia Pacific (APAC). 

In a Sunday opinion column in The Financial Times (FT), Google and Alphabet chief executive officer (CEO) Sundar Pichai wrote about the importance of having government oversight regarding artificial technology (AI).

“Growing up in India, I was fascinated by technology. Each new invention changed my family’s life in meaningful ways,” he wrote. 

Now that he is in the position to frame new tech advances, he said he believes that international cooperation for oversight is vital in order to impose workable global standards. 

Yolt, the smart thinking money app, has announced that one of its newest features, Yolt Pay, is now available to Monzo account holders.

Royal Bank of Scotland has appointed Vanessa Bailey as chief risk officer (CRO) of its ring-fenced bank, it said in an announcement. She will be based in London. Vanessa Bailey Bailey was formerly interim chief risk officer, NatWest Markets, and assumed her new position on August 20. She will report to group chief risk officer Bruce Fletcher, and Ross McEwan, the chief executive of NatWest Holdings. The new role will also see her joining the NatWest Holdings executive committee and chairing the NatWest Holdings risk executive committee.

Red Deer, the financial technology company dedicated to enhancing the performance of active investment managers, and Cappitech, a leading provider of regulatory reporting and intelligence solutions for the financial services industry, today announced a partnership to deliver a combined MiFID II and MAR compliance solution for investment managers.

The United Kingdom’s management consulting industry has grown by 8.3% last year, its second fastest rate of growth since the financial crisis. Although less optimistic than a year ago, three out of four UK consulting firms expect demand for management consulting services to increase in the next 12-24 months.

 Finastra announced today that TONIK, the first licensed digital-only bank in Southeast Asia, has selected Fusion Essence in the cloud to power its end-to-end core banking capabilities. The move will support TONIK as it launches its retail deposit and customer loans services in the Philippines, giving it agility and the ability to scale quickly.

Stratis, an enterprise blockchain technology company, announces the winners of its latest hackathon, the Stratis Smart Contracts Challenge. Attracting nearly 200 participants and 13 high-quality submissions, the online hackathon produced a range of smart contract applications spanning finance, law, identity, trade, supply chain, charity, healthcare and gaming.

US$10,000 First Place: Cirrus Swap

JCB International, Co., Ltd., the international operations subsidiary of JCB Co., Ltd., and Nordic-based payment service provider Nets Group, today announce the wider enablement of JCB payment acceptance by Nets merchants in Finland.

This latest strategic expansion initially enables over 18,000 businesses across Finland to accept JCB payments through the Nets Merchant Services platform. This will provide JCB’s growing Russian and Japanese cardmember base with the opportunity to shop with ease and peace of mind whilst they visit the country.

Finastra has been named best global trade finance software provider by Global Finance at the Trade Finance Awards 2020. The accolade was announced at an awards ceremony held at the BAFT Global Annual Meeting in Frankfurt last week. It recognizes Finastra for its innovative technology in the trade and supply chain finance space.