For those of you that have succeeded at not growing up while growing older, you may remember the simple joy of playing Pooh Sticks.  If you don’t recollect this little game, feel free to click here for a little on-line refresher. [*WORKPLACE WARNING:  Turn the volume down on your speakers.  The “Winnie the Pooh” theme song might forever change how your co-workers view you and your work habits.]

Cashaa is a peer-to-peer marketplace for cryptocurrency traders and cash senders, founded in July 2016. Prior to that, it had been operating on a trial basis in Indonesia since April 2016. Cashaa is based in Level 39, a fintech accelerator in Canary Wharf, London, and is now going to launch publicly in January 2017.

For banks operating in the EU there is seemingly an endless supply of regulatory change – effectively forcing banks to constantly monitor their regulatory reporting technology.Just three years after CRD IV and CRR were finalised, for example, the EU’s banking sector now faces a revised Capital Requirements Directive and Capital Requirements Regulation, CRD V and CRR II. 

Today Wirecard AG and Cuscal, one of Australia's leading payment services companies, announced that they will be working together to allow Wirecard’s merchant acquiring services throughout Australia, with Cuscal as acquiring BIN sponsor. That includes the use of Wirecard’s proprietary omnichannel payment processing platform to receive credit and debit card transactions in Australia.

Following the launch of their iOS app at the end of August, London fintech startup Moneybox today launches its Android app to the Play Store.

FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) (NASDAQ:FDS), a leading provider of integrated financial information and analytical applications, today announced its results for the first quarter of fiscal 2017.

“Disruption was the order of the day for 2016 in the payments industry; 2017 is looking to be just as exciting.  New regulation, improved support for non-bank players and increased collaboration are all set to further shake up the status quo.

Non-banks hold the key to the global growth of FinTechs

On 12 December 2016, Arab Bank (Switzerland) Ltd. signed a long-term contract with Avaloq for full Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) services. By partnering with Avaloq, the bank will benefit from the Avaloq Banking Suite, a state-of-the-art solution that includes a fully integrated component for upcoming legal and regulatory requirements. The migration is expected to be completed by the middle of 2017.

The following 24 startups will be competing for their chance at the coveted Best in Show prize of US$10,000 at the Fintech Finals 2017(FF17) pitch competition at PMQ in Hong Kong on January 19, 2017. Each startup will have just 5 minutes to pitch their business in front of industry judges and a live audience.

In April 2016, Atom Bank, the UK’s first bank built exclusively for mobile, became the first of the new breed of challenger banks to open its virtual doors through a controlled roll-out to pre-registered customers. In October they fully opened to the whole of the UK and welcomed customers to their new and innovative banking platform.