New mission to further digital rights and reset digital citizens’ relationship with the internet for a better online world; delivers new Avast One free protection platform for users worldwide

Avast, a global leader in digital security and privacy, today unveiled its new brand identity and expanded purpose to protect digital freedom for all online citizens. Avast is committed to furthering digital rights, especially in the critical area of privacy, with a new digital freedom strategy that includes policymaker engagement, philanthropy, and innovation. The new brand look and tone reflects Avast’s wider purpose, a new and innovative approach to total digital protection with Avast One, and a call to action for people to reset their relationship with the internet for a better online experience.

In a world now transformed by the pandemic, Avast has identified how online harms have expanded beyond security issues to include serious threats to personal privacy and identity. Research* published by Avast today in its Digital Citizenship Report found that, while six out of ten people acknowledged the increased importance of the internet during the pandemic, security and privacy concerns have prevented 65% of people worldwide from doing something online; women and those aged 18-24 (68%) were the most concerned demographics.

Ondrej Vlcek, CEO Avast, said, “The digital world has reached a crossroads. Over 4.8 billion people are online today - over half the world’s population - and ensuring people have the ability to access a safe and secure internet is increasingly a fundamental digital right. It’s not enough to simply trust online providers to always have our best interests at heart, and people are looking for help to address the inequality in their relationship with the internet and protect their safety and privacy. We believe, as a digital protection company, that we can do more to improve online security and defend against covert surveillance through unwanted tracking and monitoring. Avast is therefore committed to fighting for digital freedom and to protect the privacy of digital citizens online today and those who will join us in the future.”

As part of the company’s new purpose-led strategy, Avast is today announcing:

• Avast One, a new digital protection service: Avast pioneered free antivirus 20 years ago and is committed to providing the best free protection products for all of its users. Avast’s new hero product combines the company’s award-winning antivirus technology with a firewall and software updater feature to protect people from using outdated software and supply chain attacks, extensive privacy protection in the form of a Virtual Private Network for regular browsing use, and identity protection through our data breach monitoring service, all for free with the Avast One Essential version.
• The new Avast Foundation program: the company’s charitable Foundation celebrates its first year this year, and has debuted a new program tackling digital freedom issues and supporting vulnerable people. Building on a previous decade of philanthropy, the Avast Foundation is focused on enabling a more equitable and inclusive digital future in which everyone has access to the tools and opportunities to reach their full potential.
• Shaping policy on security and privacy technologies: Avast believes that protecting people’s privacy needs to go beyond product innovation and that it has a role in helping shape policy on technology adoption and use. Avast advocates for digital freedom with political stakeholders worldwide by serving as a resource. Avast is proactively engaging on critical topics such as online surveillance, privacy, AI and encryption technologies to educate and ensure people-first policy-making.

Digital Citizens are waking up to concerning internet issues

The Avast Digital Citizenship Report reveals that for 34% of people globally, the internet has made the pandemic more bearable by enabling social contact, new experiences, access to important services, and inspiration. Globally, 40% used the internet to keep in touch with loved ones, with 22% saying they used video calling for the very first time in their lives. For 27% of internet users worldwide, the internet empowered them to experience and learn new things.

However, the report also shows that people enjoy the internet, yet do have concerns about their safety and privacy. This confirms what customers have told Avast - that it’s simply the price they have to pay for using it. The majority of digital users (83%) say the protection of their data is very important to them, however, less than half (43%) say they have strong trust in data protection laws.

Uncertainty about security and privacy can also inhibit people online, with many deciding against certain online activities, for example, 36% chose not to register for certain online accounts requiring personal details, 20% decided against online banking, and 30% refrained from using public Wi-Fi.

Avast One: next-level protection for today’s digital life

Avast One provides digital citizens with a single solution to online security, privacy, identity and performance issues, keeping people and their data safe and their devices running smoothly. With built-in personalization capabilities, Avast One adjusts to the individual needs of people and their family members.

With the free Avast One Essential offering, users get protection from cyber threats such as ransomware, spyware and phishing attacks; security from malicious incoming connections via its firewall; and a generous VPN allowance of 5GB per week, which is highly competitive. Given the reasonable concerns, people have about public Wi-Fi, using a virtual private network (VPN) can help users keep their personal information safe while connected.

The paid Avast One Individual and Avast One Family products include additional features, including protection from Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) spoofing, DNS hijacking, and webcam spy attacks. It also offers data breach monitoring to allow people and their families to see if the passwords of their online accounts have been exposed and provides them with unlimited VPN services. Avast One users can also significantly improve their PC performance with a Disk Cleaner that allows them to find and clean redundant junk files to keep their device clean.

Avast One is available from today in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia and will roll out to non-English speaking markets soon.

*Avast survey regarding global digital citizenship trends among 16,147 online users in 17 countries around the world conducted by YouGov and Forsa. Avast commissioned the survey to the research institution YouGov who ran the survey from June 15th to June 27th in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Czech Republic, France, India, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, United Kingdom and the United States, and to the research institution Forsa in Austria, Germany and Switzerland (German-speaking population only). The survey was run as a representative survey among over 1,000 people in each region, apart from Austria and Switzerland, where Forsa surveyed over 500 people each. The global data points in this report cover results of all regions, apart from data points that show results by age groups or gender, where results from German-speaking markets are excluded.

Talos, a technology provider for the institutional trading of digital assets, today announced the hire of Ant Ludlow as Head of Product Design.

Ludlow is a London-based design advocate and digital product leader with over 20 years’ experience spanning digital agencies, product startups and technology consultancies. Ludlow joins Talos from Bullet (part of 6point6), a London-based product design and change accelerator he founded that helps businesses lead the charge on ambitious industry-wide transformation, and before that he co-founded capital markets experience design consultancy, Fathom. In addition to previously leading product design on Talos’ initial user interface, he’s also designed for firms including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, Tradeweb and MarketAxess.   

“Ant is one of the most talented product designers Anton or I have ever worked with, and we’re very excited to reunite with him as we build the next generation of the Talos platform,” said Ethan Feldman, Talos co-founder and CTO. “His experience—which strikes the perfect balance between technical and creative—will ensure we continue to deliver products that allow our institutional clients to safely and efficiently participate in the digital asset ecosystem.” 

Ludlow will be responsible for leading the design of Talos’s product suite, which supports institutional investors through the full crypto trading lifecycle, from price discovery to execution through clearing and settlement and across spot, futures and FX markets. With a recently completed series A funding round, the firm is currently embarking on a significant expansion of its product set.  

Ludlow added: “I’ve spent most of my career helping to shape the product offerings of fintech startups and financial institutions by enabling them to engage with their audiences in more meaningful ways. Through my involvement with the design of the initial Talos product, it was clear that they were on to something big. It’s extremely exciting to have the opportunity to join the fantastic team and help define this new digital asset class and the ways that institutions will interact with it. I cannot wait to see what we can do.”

UTP Merchant Services,  a provider of market leading credit and debit card payment solutions, has partnered with Visit Pembrokeshire to provide cost savings and advice for their members while supporting the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Trust.

Following the disruption caused by Covid-19, Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) and tourism organisations across the UK have experienced increased demand for specialised financial advice from member businesses, and many have struggled with both with the upturn in demand and complexity of requests.

Visit Pembrokeshire, the first DMO in Wales, has been among these organisations, having been inundated with appeals for guidance and impartial advice on how to implement online and Covid-safe payments.

The partnership will see UTP support Visit Pembrokeshire’s members’ businesses to alleviate the pressures of updating their payment infrastructures.

For every live deal, UTP will donate to the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Trust. The Trust works to protect and conserve the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, promotes outdoor learning, and provides young people with the practical skills needed for access to local employment opportunities.

The partnership was spearheaded by Kevin Betts, Partner Manager at UTP, who said: “During the pandemic, SMEs in all sectors suffered huge disruption and hardship. We initially responded by suspending our fees and working with our merchants to ensure a compassionate and responsible approach to help businesses get back on their feet. However, we felt we could do more.

We knew many DMOs / tourism organisations were struggling to meet their members’ demands for guidance and that we could offer our expertise and services while continuing to give something back. We have put together a special offer for tourist boards and as part of the offer, for every live deal, UTP commits to donating to a local charity so both local businesses and the wider community can benefit.”

UTP terminals provide contactless and mobile payments for businesses looking to become more Covid secure. Their Payment Gateways help businesses that are either restructuring or setting up websites for eCommerce, and their Virtual Terminals support businesses that take numerous payments over the phone. The processing fees of current suppliers are reduced and UTP’s Faster Processing offers same day payments, whether in-store or online.

Michael Ault, CEO at UTP, added: “Our partnership with Visit Pembrokeshire means we can take much pressure off their internal resource, help stimulate the local economy, and with every deal triggering a donation to the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Trust, we can play our part in protecting this spectacular and cherished British coastline.”

AML Essentials helps cryptocurrency platforms meet regulatory requirements and accelerate global market expansion 

NICE Actimize, a NICE business and its cloud-based AML Essentials solutions have been chosen by Voyager Digital Ltd, one of the world’s fastest-growing cryptocurrency platforms, to support its digital asset customers. Voyager Digital will leverage Essentials Suspicious Activity Monitoring and Customer Due Diligence applications within its operations. Voyager Digital announced $3.3 billion assets under management as of April 2021, with more than 60 crypto assets and stable coins and over 30 interest-bearing assets available on the Voyager app. 

NICE Actimize AML Essentials is a cost-effective, rapid time to value anti-money laundering solution which provides comprehensive coverage for KYC/CDD, risk screening, and suspicious activity monitoring. Using the same power and experience as its enterprise solutions, NICE Actimize’s AML Essentials reduces overhead to make compliance easier and at a lower total cost of ownership. The solution also provides full regulatory coverage and a single view of customer risk across the customer lifecycle by synergizing AI, machine learning, domain expertise, and intelligent automation. 

“It's important for Voyager Digital to join with the market leader in anti-money laundering technology to efficiently transition our system into a more automated environment,” explained Steve Ehrlich, CEO and Co-founder, Voyager Digital Ltd. “As we further expand our market, it's mission-critical to have a strong AML partner like NICE Actimize to meet the requirements of major regulatory agencies while providing a seamless experience for our users.”  

“Leading the industry with AML solutions addressing the unique requirements of cryptocurrency and digital asset platforms, NICE Actimize will support Voyager Digital’s accelerated growth with our cloud-based, real-time capabilities to deliver exceptional performance and value,” said Craig Costigan, CEO, NICE Actimize.  

Trading on the Voyager app is currently available to all U.S. residents, excluding those who live in New York state. Voyager Digital is actively working with regulators to obtain a BitLicense to operate in New York and internationally later this year. NICE Actimize AML solutions can help cryptocurrency / digital asset companies meet the requirements of the New York Department of Financial Services (NY DFS) BitLicense. 

For additional information on NICE Actimize’s Anti-Money Laundering Essentials solutions, please click here.  

Africa’s leading payments technology company, Flutterwave, one of TIME's 2021 100 Most Influential Companies, has partnered with Currencycloud, the experts in simplifying business in a multi-currency world, in order to accelerate the launch of their payment network in Europe and the US. 

The partnership enables Flutterwave to enhance its services to customers by enabling them to receive money globally via unique virtual accounts. The partnership with Currencycloud will allow Flutterwave’s merchants seamless and quick access to send and receive money transfers at a significant scale at their convenience.

In addition, the partnership will enable merchants access to receive payments by channels other than debit cards, further providing more options for merchants worldwide.

Olugbenga ‘GB’ Agboola, Founder and CEO of Flutterwave said: “This partnership marks our ongoing commitment to creating a payments infrastructure that links the world to Africa. Our shared value of simplifying payments, coupled with the speed with which we could launch in a new market leveraging Currencycloud APIs were just a few reasons why we partnered with them. Through our partnership, we are excited to offer new and existing customers, more payment options to grow their business, access new markets and build their customer base.”

David Heitzmann, Vice President of Sales & General Manager of North America at Currencycloud commented: “Our goal at Currencycloud is to reimagine the way money flows around the world. The partnership with Flutterwave is a great example of this, and we are thrilled to be able to support Flutterwave in their mission.”

The Currencycloud API has been incorporated into Flutterwave’s solution and is available to existing and new customers today.

Industry veteran and ex Duco VP, Julian Trostinsky, joins Gresham as Global Director of Customer Success

Gresham Technologies plc (Gresham), Global FinTech and leading provider of real-time solutions for data integrity & control, banking integration, payments & cash management, today announced the appointment of Julian Trostinsky as Global Director of Customer Success.

Julian will play a key role in building out Gresham’s consulting practice, managed services, delivery and support capabilities to ensure that its customers’ gain rapid and sustained business value from the firm’s market leading Connect and Control solutions.

With nearly 25 years of experience working in the financial services industry, Trostinsky joins Gresham from Duco, where he served as VP Strategy and Solutions Engineering and led the build-out of Duco's Global Services division. Previously, Julian was the Head of Global Operations and Client Services at SmartStream Technologies, where he spent close to 18 years working with leading financial institutions globally. During his career in the industry, he was instrumental in developing reconciliation shared service centres for a number of global financial institutions including Bank of New York Mellon and Citi.

The appointment follows Gresham’s recent acquisition of Electra Information Systems (Electra) to create the leading independent provider of reconciliation and related data services to financial markets. The firm is a trusted partner to over 270 direct customers around the world in industries such as banking, investment management, insurance, energy and commodities.

Comments David Eagan, Group Director, Customer Success & Service Delivery at Gresham, “I am delighted to welcome Julian to the Gresham team. He brings a wealth of experience in banking and capital markets technology, and an excellent track record in shaping and delivering new operating models in the industry. As a proven people and process leader, Julian will help drive the evolution of our Customer Success strategies aimed at delighting, retaining, and growing our global customer base.”

Speaking about his new role, Julian Trostinsky, Global Director of Customer Success, Gresham, said “I’ve watched Gresham’s progress over a number of years as its Clareti platform has become firmly established in financial markets, initially in the control of unstructured data and more recently in core cash nostro and securities reconciliations for global banks. The acquisition of Electra’s data aggregation service, and its out-of-the box post-trade capabilities for the buy-side, further strengthens Gresham’s leadership position. It’s an exciting time to be joining the company and helping support the next phase of growth.”

Nucleus Commercial Finance, the fintech revolutionising how UK SMEs access finance, has today announced that it has reached £2 billion in lending to SMEs.

This milestone has been reached following a year of record growth for the fintech which saw it lend over £450 million to UK businesses in 2020. This growth has been driven by Nucleus’ vital role in the roll out of the government's Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) and its application of technology to transform the lending experience for brokers and businesses.

The launch of its automated underwriting solution and the implementation of Open Banking has resulted in the fintech making 90% of application decisions within one hour. These growth drivers have enabled Nucleus to rapidly scale lending across its full product suite and bring new solutions to market, such as Business Growth Loans - a first-of-its-kind product to help businesses with flexible funding post-CBILS.

Chirag Shah, CEO, Nucleus Commercial Finance, said: “We’re delighted to have broken the £2 billion milestone just two years after reaching £1 billion in lending. This is a testament to the Nucleus team’s hard work and ambition to innovate and create the unique solutions that SMEs need.

“SMEs have faced a challenging 18 months, but we have demonstrated the crucial role fintech lenders play in providing the vital support businesses need to survive and thrive. SMEs and brokers have experienced the benefits of our automated underwriting and Open Banking solutions, and we are extremely excited to take them on the next stage of our journey as we continue to build and evolve our technology to deliver what the industry needs for the future.”

Canoe Intelligence (“Canoe”), a financial technology company redefining data management processes for alternative investors, wealth managers, asset servicers, and capital allocators, today announced the appointment of a new Chief Technology Officer, Vishal Saxena.    

Vishal brings over 20 years of academic and industry experience within financial services to his new role. He will leverage his experience in team building, process optimization, software development, project management and alternative and private investments domain knowledge to support Canoe’s growing client base and strengthen the company’s product and technology strategy.  

Prior to joining Canoe, Vishal was a Managing Director in the Blackstone Technology and Innovations group. During his tenure at Blackstone, Vishal oversaw application development for several business systems and enterprise platforms, including the integration of fund accounting systems with Canoe’s automated technology, and supported various corporate functions. Recognizing the efficiencies gained from Canoe at Blackstone, Vishal was motivated to join Canoe as an executive team member to aid in driving Canoe’s growth and industry adoption.

Prior to joining Blackstone, Vishal led various software development teams at Capital IQ, a division of Standard & Poor’s, where he was most recently Director of Data Technology. Before Capital IQ, he held various software development roles at Morgan Stanley, Citigroup and Sapient.

“We are thrilled to officially welcome Vishal to the Canoe team,” said Jason Eiswerth, Chief Executive Officer at Canoe Intelligence. “For almost a year, we’ve collaborated with Vishal while implementing Canoe technology at Blackstone and have been impressed with his ability. Vishal has a highly unique track record of scaling teams and advancing technology solutions within fast-paced environments. I have no doubt that he will help propel Canoe to the next phase of growth as we continue to expand our global client base and help firms automate their alternative investment processes.”

“I’m excited to join the Canoe team and look forward to contributing to the company’s success from both a technology and strategy perspective,” said Chief Technology Officer, Vishal Saxena. “Canoe is truly modernizing the alternative investment space by simplifying data extraction, standardizing data ingestion and automating manual business processes and reporting. I’m eager to get started.”

Vishal received a B.Tech. in Civil Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. He also received a Master of Engineering degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, and a Master of Science degree in Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta. Vishal recently joined the board of Reach the World, a non-profit organization making the benefits of world travel accessible to classrooms.

This news follows Canoe’s announcement of the completion of its Series A extension funding led by clients, Blackstone and Carlyle and, and a new partnership with State Street.

Morehouse College and Spelman College to launch the Center for Black Entrepreneurship, focused on advancing the next generation of Black entrepreneurs

Today, Mastercard is pleased to announce grants totaling $5 million to two Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Morehouse College and Spelman College, to develop the Center for Black Entrepreneurship (CBE). The CBE will further the development of cutting-edge entrepreneurial programming, thought leadership, networking and academic and mentorship opportunities for aspiring Black entrepreneurs.

The philanthropic funding, delivered by the Mastercard Impact Fund, is part of Mastercard’s $500 million, five-year In Solidarity commitment to advance racial equity and economic opportunity through city programs to support Black communities, affordable financial tools and services, and expanding access to capital and resources for Black-owned businesses. 

HBCUs Poised to Drive Black Innovation and Entrepreneurship

For more than 100 years, HBCUs have served as pathways to mentorship and economic mobility for Black students in pursuit of higher education. While HBCUs make up 3% of American colleges and universities, graduates, they produce 25% of Black STEM graduates. The power of their alumni networks and scholarship combined with the cultural and historical significance they possess uniquely position them to drive inclusive growth within the Black community.

With increased funding, HBCUs will be able to scale the already critical role they play in helping to train and develop the next generation of Black entrepreneurs and innovators.

“For over a century, HBCUs have played a critical role in nurturing professional talent and creating economic mobility in Black communities,” said Salah Goss, senior vice president for social impact at the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth. “By investing in HBCUs, Mastercard is intentionally choosing key institutions who we believe can be catalytic in furthering our commitment to ensuring that the digital economy works for the Black community, and for everyone, everywhere.” 

Morehouse College and Spelman College to Establish the Center for Black Entrepreneurship (CBE)

In partnership with the Black Economic Alliance Foundation (BEA), Morehouse College and Spelman College are in the process of establishing the Center for Black Entrepreneurship (CBE) with financial support from Mastercard, among others. The CBE will help assemble, educate and empower a new generation of Black entrepreneurial talent. Specifically, the CBE will focus on eliminating opportunity gaps between Black entrepreneurs, professional investors and business builders by leveraging education, mentorship and access to capital and opportunity.

The CBE will be located on the campuses of Spelman College and Morehouse College in southwest Atlanta. Spelman plans to house it in its new academic facility, the Center for Innovation & the Arts, and Morehouse will house it within a new facility on campus. The Atlanta metro area is home to 57 colleges and universities and over 100,000 Black-owned businesses, making it a hub for Black students and entrepreneurs. Despite Atlanta being the ninth-largest metro area in the country and housing the second-largest population of Black people in America, there is a significant disconnect between venture capital firms that are traditionally West Coast-based and emerging Black student entrepreneurs, who are disproportionately located on the East Coast and in the South.

Mastercard’s grant will support the hiring of adjunct faculty, the creation of an online entrepreneurship program, experiential courses and pitch competitions that will enable students to put their classroom instruction in practice. In addition to the grant, Mastercard will provide in-kind support, such as digital technology training and access to Start Path, the company’s global startup engagement program created to help the best and brightest later-stage startups maximize their opportunity for success.

This investment is designed to have a transformational impact on economic growth for Black communities and builds on Mastercard’s commitment to bolster employee recruitment and HBCU programming in collaboration with the Congressional HBCU Caucus its brand’s 2020 Partnership Pledge.

The integration expands ACA’s regulatory technology software suite to include eComms surveillance technology

ACA Group (ACA), the leading governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) advisor in financial services, has acquired Catelas, a sophisticated machine learning-based electronic communications (eComms) surveillance and investigations platform. Catelas ingests all types of eComms, trade alerts, and voice calls to provide buy- and sell-side firms globally with a single view of potential high-risk activities and behaviors across their organization.

The acquisition of Catelas further enhances the holistic surveillance capabilities of ACA’s RegTech platform. Catelas’ patented technology automates the mapping of how people connect and form groups within a firm, isolates collusion risk, and detects high-risk behaviors. In 2022, Catelas will integrate with ACA’s award-winning regulatory technology platform, ComplianceAlpha^®. This integration gives firms unique oversight of control room activities, trade and eComms surveillance, wall crossing, bribery, and other material risks through one central platform.

Danielle Tierney, Senior Analyst at Greenwich Associates, said, “The demand for integration throughout the trade surveillance alert process is driving innovation across the compliance landscape. Firms who take action and invest in technologies to conduct surveillance across trading and communications are taking important steps to protect their employees, markets, and stay on the on top of regulatory demands.”

Eddie Cogan, ACA Group Partner and founder of Catelas said, “Electronic communications surveillance is critical to compliance and is becoming increasingly complex as firms move to Microsoft Teams, WeChat, Slack, Zoom, and other virtual communications tools. Globally, firms are at risk if they are not diligent about tracking and surveilling activity alongside personal and firm investments. We’re excited to join the ACA team and deliver Catelas’ advanced eComms analytics within ComplianceAlpha.”

Shvetank Shah, Chief Executive Officer, ACA Group said, “ACA’s vision is to build a fully integrated, holistic regulatory risk and compliance management platform that provides a single view into all activities that could put firms at risk. Bringing the Catelas team into the ACA family helps firms create a more efficient compliance operating model, better protecting them from regulatory fines and reputational damage while decreasing the overall cost of compliance.”

ComplianceAlpha^® integrates risk and compliance activities, automated surveillance, ongoing monitoring, flexible workflows, enhanced analytics, and managed services delivery. Designed, developed, and supported by ACA’s experienced team that includes over 200 former regulators and compliance officers in addition to subject matter experts in cybersecurity and technology, the platform is used by over 1,000 leading financial services firms worldwide to build more scalable and resilient compliance programs.

Catelas was founded in 2007 and has locations in Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco. The firm’s surveillance platform is used by global banks, asset managers, and capital market firms to isolate the risks that could harm the business without overloading reviewers with false positives.