Ancoa, provider of contextual surveillance and insightful analytics for exchanges, regulators, buy- and sell-side firms, today announced it has won ‘Best Market Surveillance Technology’ at the 2016 Futures & Options World (FOW) International Awards. The award recognises the ongoing enhancements made to the Ancoa surveillance platform, which have enabled customers to meet the Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) deadline of July 2016. 

Lotte Card, one of the biggest card companies in Korea, adopted a biometric-based authentication system service in its payment app jointly with Blocko Inc., a blockchain startup. Financial organizations in Korea, including banks, Korea Exchange and card companies, are actively adopting blockchain technology, but this is the first case in Korea that commercialized blockchain technology combined with biometric-based authentication system.

The Western Union Company, a leader in global payment services, announced it is enhancing its existing relationship with Viber, a leading mobile messaging app with 754M unique users worldwide, by enabling Viber users in the UK to send money domestically and internationally to more than 200 countries and territories from the convenience of the Viber app.

 Semafone, which provides secure payment software for call centres, has reported three new client wins in North America worth $7.5 million, only six months after opening its headquarters in Boston. 

The company’s substantial investment in its North American operations has contributed significantly to Semafone’s 30 per cent growth in its customer base worldwide. 

Entrepreneurs want technology solutions that help businesses operate more effectively, foster better engagement with customers, and securely accept the latest innovation in payments. To that end, First Data , the global leader in commerce-enabling technology, today announced the expansion of its Clover platform with the official launch of Clover Mini and Clover Mobile in the U.K. The “all-in-one” business management solutions have enjoyed broad adoption in the U.S. since they were introduced last year.

Credit card acquirers across prosperous markets, such as the US and UK, are making bold changes to attract consumers from growing ecommerce markets. Vantiv, Inc. (NYSE: VNTV), a leading provider of payment processing services, and PPRO Group, a cross border e-payment provider, today announces the latest partnership to break convention and offer international alternative payment methods (APMs) to merchants looking to conquer European and Asian markets. 

The Beast Apps, a leading global provider of rapidly deployed data, analytics, trading and compliance solutions for the financial services industry announced the launch of Minotaur, available for demonstration today. Minotaur provides banks with a MiFID II compliance solution that integrates disparate systems for client, sales, and trader workflow across any asset class. Minotaur helps banks integrate and deploy a comprehensive MiFID II solution well in advance of the January 2018 deadline.

Fidessa group plc has today announced that seventeen Hong Kong-based brokers have been using Fidessa for the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect link since it went live on 5th December.

Eva Fu, Product Marketing Manager at Fidessa, said the uptake of Fidessa’s Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect solution had been rapid due to the success of its Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect solution in 2014.

NCR Corporation, a global leader in omni-channel solutions, today announced that Nedbank, one of the largest banks in the country, will be the first bank in South Africa to introduce NCR Interactive Teller. Built on modern hardware, this software-based technology allows the user to complete up to 80 percent of transactions typically completed inside a physical branch with a live video teller at an ATM.