Encompass Corporation, the fast-growing provider of intelligently automated Know Your Customer (KYC) solutions, today announces the appointment of data management veteran Cyndi Festa to the new role of Head of Data Sourcing.

Cyndi joins from Dun & Bradstreet, the leading provider of business decisioning data and analytics, where she enjoyed a distinguished career spanning more than 15 years. Operating globally, she steered areas including data operations, data engineering and data quality.

As a member of the global product team, Cyndi will lead the sourcing of the critical KYC information that powers the Encompass platform and enables customers to effectively carry out their KYC and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) processes.

Encompass integrates with hundreds of KYC global data sources and uniquely aggregates primary data from registry, regulator and listing sites with company ownership and screening data from premium partners. As a globally-recognised expert in data sourcing, Cyndi will expand and develop Encompass’ relationships with the world’s authoritative sources of KYC identification and verification information.

This appointment comes at a time of ongoing significant growth for Encompass, with a number of important hires being made across product, engineering, and beyond.

Alan Samuels, Head of Product, Encompass Corporation, said: We are delighted to have someone with Cyndi’s expertise, industry know-how and connections join our team and help us accelerate our growth.

This is a key role for us as we continue to develop our product and data capabilities for the benefit of our customers, and we look forward to building out what we offer, with Cyndi’s direction.

Cyndi Festa added: I am delighted to be joining Encompass Corporation, an industry-leading innovator in the AML and KYC space.  As the Head of Data Sourcing, I am excited to leverage my data experience to further enhance the solid data foundations, to power new opportunities and add value for Encompass and our clients.

Profile Software, an international financial solution provider, announced today the new version of its Treasury platform Acumen.plus, the new major upgraded, STP, real-time cloud-native platform that delivers advanced UX and automation to the modern Treasurer, globally.

Capitalising on international experience across 45 countries, Acumen.plus was developed to be the new Treasury system that empowers users to check and validate mass deals’ imports using real time APIs. It offers functions for bulk uploads, allowing a secure and easy monitoring of the process. Users can inspect and authorise uploaded deals, before actual creation in the system, thus, eliminating errors and ensuring quality of data, crucial in Treasury.

Furthermore, a quick input facility is available for deals such as Money Market, Bond and FX spot deals. When deals are not executed in external trading platforms/systems but agreed non-electronically, Treasurers may still very easily manually input them by entering only the key values in a special command line, thus saving time for more added value activities.

Acumen.plus also delivers flexibility to easily configure screens within the application and mask unused fields. It enables personalisation and allows the user to work on familiar screens used in other applications focusing on the information that is relevant to him/her, while accommodating the Bank’s specific workflows for any deal type.

All analyses can be accessed directly through dashboards and shortcuts can be user-specific. Treasury reporting has been enhanced to offer on-demand charts and dashboards. Template reports and dashboards are available for holistic and real time views of activities in different areas, with a focus on specific tasks or instruments where needed.

Functions can be adapted to accommodate new requirements and new business. Acumen.plus empowers Treasurers to make quicker, more informed decisions by easily and accurately measuring activity, risk and return of different portfolios.

Profile is an innovative provider of Financial solutions continuously investing in developing new products and enriching existing ones to proactively meet and exceed customer requirements and market trends with success.

Learn more about our Acumen.plus solution.

Syngrafii, the global provider of compliant remote signing solutions, has announced the launch of its proprietary iinked Seal™ capability developed to enable lawyers and notaries to affix electronic seals to documents in real time on a video platform. The new product is a key development in Syngrafii’s 2021 Platform Release 2.6 – adding compliant notarization functionality to its suite of eSignature solutions that includes iinked Sign™ and Video Signing Room™ (VSR) technologies.

The new linked Seal™ functionality positions Syngrafii as the foremost provider of uniquely compliant software to serve the burgeoning notarization sector, reported by the National Notary Association to have reached 4.4 million professionals in the US alone – many of whom operate in over 30 states that have already passed remote online notarization (RON) laws. 

The new linked Seal™ feature will have special appeal to e-Notary professionals who are operating in an increasingly virtual environment where compliance and document non-repudiation are of utmost importance. 

Unlike other platforms that utilize multiple-use and proxy signatures, all Syngrafii signatures are authentic, one-time use e-signatures that meet or exceed legal, governance, and compliance standards globally. 

“Syngrafii has continually taken the most secure analog processes and wrapped them in a state-of-the-art next-generation software platform that provides optimal security and non-repudiation in every remote transaction we facilitate,” said Matthew Gibson, co-founder and CEO Syngrafii. “linked Seal™ is the newest advanced tool we are providing to our compliance-driven customers which when used in combination with our linked Video Signing Room™ solution enables notary professionals to simply and quickly enable remote witnessing, notarization, and swearing of oaths.”

“These new tools and features allow our customers to future proof their business offerings in the new normal, adhere to best practice and maintain an unalterable eDiscovery record all on one unified platform. iinked™ platform is purpose-built for professionals but easy enough for all other business applications. Add our Pay as You Sign™ usage-based pricing approach and we check all the right business boxes.”

Syngrafii remote transaction technology is compliant with relevant laws and regulations for swearing, commissioning and Remote Online and e-notarization across numerous jurisdictions worldwide. The technology, protected by more than 45 granted and pending patents, is in use by SMEs and enterprises spanning the banking, real estate, legal, professional services, government, and financing sectors in Canada, the U.S. and EMEA. 

NCR Corporation has been named the global market leader for multivendor ATM software in the RBR ATM Software 2021 Report.

“Financial institutions are under pressure to improve efficiencies and deliver exceptional customer experiences across all channels,” said Frank Hauck, president and general manager, Global Banking, NCR Corporation. “NCR’s ATM software enables self-directed banking, empowering branch staff to focus on customer relationships, advisory services and sales.”

NCR’s multivendor ATM software allows financial institutions and ATM deployers to run common applications across their ATM fleet, regardless of the ATM manufacturer. This enables the delivery of new client experiences and enhanced capabilities for customers while bringing new services to market more quickly, increasing efficiencies and reducing costs. It also provides a consistent customer experience across multi-vendor ATM fleets. 

“The use of multivendor ATM software continues to rise, as both bank and non-bank ATM deployers recognize the business and customer value in using common ATM applications across their fleets, regardless of the hardware manufacturer,” said Dominic Hirsch, Managing Director, RBR. “This software provides institutions with the ability to increase efficiencies while providing a more seamless customer experience, a significant competitive advantage in today’s market.”

Susannah Streeter, senior investment and markets analyst, Hargreaves Lansdown

‘’Bitcoin has lost ground again after a short relief rally, as inflation fears linger and prospective competition from central bank digital currencies comes into sharp focus. Bitcoin fell by 1.6% over 24 hours, dropping back below $32,000 dollars, with the fresh crypto sell-off also pushing down the price of Ethereum by 2%, Dogecoin by 3% and Cardano by 1.7%.

The edge away from crypto wallets comes as speculation surges about the impact of central banks around the world launching rival digital currencies.

The chair of the Federal Reserve Jerome Powell said the introduction of CBDCs would undermine the case for crypto currencies and stable coins. His comments in a special US congress appearance came as the European Central Bank revealed it is forging ahead with an investigation into the benefits of a digital euro which would complement cash.

This week the Bank of England also stressed the need for regulators to keep up with digital coin developments, and ensure the public have the confidence and trust to use digital money. But in contrast to the Fed, it flagged stable coins as systemically important, indicating that these are likely to be a central feature in the monetary system going forward.

The revolution in the global payments system is firmly on central banks’ radar given how critical its smooth running is to financial stability. 

In its report today the financial conduct authority highlighted that 2.3 million people in the UK hold crypto assets, warning that they risk losing all their money due to their highly volatile nature, particularly as these are assets the watchdog does not regulate. With the number of people piling into crypto rising by a fifth over the year, and around 14% of people borrowing money to speculate, regulators are clearly concerned that some of the most financially vulnerable are gambling with money they can’t afford to lose. 

The chatter on social media platforms and potential for fraud and scams is rising, with so many people desperate to emulate tales of getting rich quick.

The financial watchdog is currently focused on trying to establish fresh strategies to encourage fewer people to indulge in risky investments. It is clear greater regulation of the crypto world is on its way.”

Brilliant Solutions has added MPowered Mortgages to its lender panel.

MPowered Mortgages, brought to you by MQube, offers lending for buy-to-let individual, limited company and portfolio landlords. As a result of the partnership, Brilliant Solutions’ members will have access to the MPowered mortgage products.

MPowered Mortgages’ product offering comes alongside the innovative MPowered system which Brilliant Solutions members will have access to. Brilliant Solutions advisers will benefit from a simple and intuitive system which enables cases to be submitted with ease, with a simple document upload and a full application process for brokers that takes up to just 10 minutes, leapfrogging the DIP stage. 

MPowered Mortgages aim to deliver lending with certainty and control. The application process has been built alongside advisers to give them the tools they need to better serve their clients.  

Additional highlights of the partnership for Brilliant Solutions brokers include: 

• Range of fee-free re-mortgages up to £1m 
• 2 and 5 Year fixed periods up to 80%
• CCJ – 1 satisfied up to £250 in last 3 years
• Defaults over 2 years ignored
• Local Authority flats up to 70%
• HMO – up to 6

Emma Hollingworth, distribution director at MPowered Mortgages, added: “We are delighted to join with Brilliant Solutions Mortgage Club and continuing to build a strong relationship with their club members, who can access our full product range focused on making the mortgage application process even smoother for everyone. Brilliant Solutions shares our vision for a tech-enabled future and our commitment to deliver for brokers.”

Michael Craig, sales director at Brilliant Solutions, said: “We’re very pleased to welcome MPowered Mortgages to our panel. The launch of a new lender is always exciting, especially when they are using cutting-edge technology to help drive our market forwards. We’re looking forward to be able to offer our members access to its range of flexible buy-to-let mortgages on its new lending platform.” 

Research conducted by Texthelp - the global leader in literacy, numeracy and accessibility technology - in collaboration with YouGov  - revealed that one in four (27%) adults aged over 50 encountered issues when accessing websites during the Covid-19 pandemic. With the over 50s accounting for over 25 million people in the UK (source: ONS), this data suggests older people are struggling to navigate vital services online.

The report, Improving online accessibility for the 'silver surfer’, found that of those that experienced accessibility issues, almost a third (31%) of UK respondents had trouble knowing what to do or what to click on. Nearly half of all users also found that the links in the sites were not working (46%) and 63% of users who experienced issues found the visual layout and design of sites overly complicated. Reading text on websites was also a challenge, with 20% of respondents indicating they would prefer larger text. 22% wanted the content on websites, such as words and instructions, to be easier to understand. 

85% of respondents used online services for managing their personal finances during the first national lockdown. 41% of those surveyed used online banking services to view statements and a third (30%) of users used online banking for money transfers. 64% of users plan to use online banking even after lockdown, the biggest response from all the sectors profiled.

With an ageing population and a growing number of ‘silver surfers’ online, accessibility issues like these will continue to grow unless addressed by organisations. With over half of respondents (56%) planning to continue using online services as frequently as when they did during lockdown, websites need to make sure that different accessibility requirements are met. 

Martin McKay, CEO & Founder at Texthelp says: “The pandemic has fast-tracked the transition to digital. Many products and services previously available on the high-street, at a GP surgery or in a shop are now only available online. 

Older generations have been forced to migrate online, where they might have been resistant before. However, our research shows that many private and public organisations are failing to accommodate the needs of older generations. Many websites are built without accessibility in mind and this means certain groups are being locked out of vital services. A quarter of over 50s experienced issues when accessing services or products online – this isn’t a number that we can just ignore. This data should serve as a wake-up call to both public and private sector organisations alike.”

Ledgermatic, the treasury, finance and custody solution, announces it is now live and compatible for the Algorand ecosystem. Businesses that use the Algorand network, hold Algo’s and use native ASA tokens can leverage Ledgermatic as their custodian and back office finance solution with a first set of clients currently active on the system. 

Ledgermatic’s platform ushers in new features for the market to orchestrate a variety of finance functions previously unavailable to the industry. Clients can view their global digital asset positions and flows by geography, asset and business unit, allowing them to manage liquidity and exposure in real time. Customers can also recreate their corporate structure and assign a variety of account types and third parties to the individual entities; segregated, pooled and virtual accounts can manage a variety of trading, investment and back office activity. Users can also link their digital asset activity to their general, sub-ledger and Chart of Accounts (CoA). Granular financial controls for segregation of duties, veto rights and audit views vastly reduces the opportunity that Ledgermatic users are exposed to fraud, waste and abuse. 

This means businesses can now reconcile and account for their digital asset operations centrally instead of managing their business in silos. 

The integrated Ledgermatic custody service is in use for the growing needs of modern digital asset businesses, where a segregated and secure service is needed for treasury holdings, third party escrow and collateral, short term holdings on excess revenues and long term, “buy and hold” investment strategies. 

Ledgermatic is available to token holders, Algorand-built platforms, investment funds and exchanges and is working to make Algorand staking available on its platform imminently. IBMR, the project behind ARCC, one of Algorand’s largest token holders, uses Ledgermatic as their custodian. 

Sinjin Jung, Managing Director of IBMR commented: “We believe Ledgermatic is the best suited solution for our needs. It couples a highly sophisticated and secure custody service that is embedded into a treasury system so we can manage our holdings from a single portal. For diverse crypto operations, it's a necessity for transparency, audit and administration.”

Ledgermatic CEO Luke Sully commented: “The Algorand ecosystem is a vibrant community of really impressive and focused projects. We recognized the growth in these projects and wanted Algorand to feature amongst our first set of protocols we work with. With Ledgermatic we enable Algorand activity to drive overall financial growth and convert back offices into a dynamic, secure and hyper-connected function.” 

W. Sean Ford, COO of Algorand said: "We are thrilled that Ledgermatic recognized the robust ecosystem developing on the Algorand blockchain, and have prioritized making their treasury and custody tools available to the accelerating number of individuals and organizations launching assets on Algorand. With compatibility across the ecosystem, digital asset businesses building on Algorand can now seamlessly tap into Ledgermatic's offerings.”

A new industry report, released by Trulioo, the leading global identity verification company, and One World Identity, examines the nuances of digital identity verification. In particular, it explores how adopting a consumer-centric and layered approach to digital identity verification according to specific markets is a key component in reducing onboarding friction, increasing security and forging stronger customer relationships.

The “Driving Consumer-Centric Digital Identity to Speed Financial Growth” report explores how the orchestration of different identity proofing techniques and risk signals is critical in identifying bad actors and differentiating them from legitimate users. Orchestration utilizes a host of alternative data sources that empower companies to continuously identify customers, reducing friction and providing a constant, clear view of customer identities. In turn, organizations can build long-lasting relationships with customers because they have established a positive brand reputation and a strong sense of trust and safety. 

“Reliance on digital services has skyrocketed. On average, consumers started transacting with six new brands during the last year,” said Garient Evans, SVP, Identity Solutions, Trulioo. “Online businesses that incorporated digital identity verification were able to carry on without disruption to business operations and came out on top. Meanwhile, companies that lagged behind by still requiring in-person Customer Due Diligence were left scrambling to keep up with their counterparts at the forefront of digital transformation.”

Other highlights from the report include: 

• The need for fraud, security, customer experience, and compliance teams to converge and eliminate data silos within organizations

• How to ensure compliance with evolving and disparate data and consumer privacy standards, and how being transparent about data collection increases consumer trust and comfort levels with information sharing

• The implications that adopting a consumer-centric approach has for companies in banking, travel, eCommerce and online marketplaces, healthcare and physical access management

Download the “Driving Consumer-Centric Digital Identity to Speed Financial Growth” report here. 

On July 22, join Garient Evans and Cameron D’Ambrosi, Managing Director, OWI, for a fireside chat as they discuss the report’s findings. Register for the online event here.

A £7.6million transformative regeneration programme, set to put Plymouth, England, on the global map as a leader in immersive technology today came to fruition as Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair of Arts Council England, joined creative leaders from across the country to formally open the city’s Grade II listed Market Hall. In addition, linking this building’s significant past to its cutting-edge future, tomorrow (Friday 16th July) will see the unveiling of a prestigious blue plaque in commemoration of major 18th century European painter and founder of the Royal Academy of Arts, Sir Joshua Reynolds, who had his studio on this site. 

The brainchild of the Real Ideas Organisation, the Market Hall is now home to a spectacular immersive dome, which is the first of its type - 15m diameter, 210 degrees over the top, with a flat floor - in Europe. The Dome was designed by Gaianova.co.uk and built/constructed by Alchemy International (formerly known as WNY). The only other like it in the world can be found at SAT in Montreal, Canada. Local architects and masters at creating inspirational spaces, Le Page are responsible for the historic building refurb and new extension. The trailblazing development for the south west and England as a whole demonstrates the growth of Plymouth as an international destination, and is set to further enhance the strength of the country's powerful global position in the creative sphere.  

Tickets to the opening weekend sold out within 24 hours of being available to the public, demonstrating the demand and appetite locally for this cutting-edge experience. Those lucky enough to claim one of 800 free tickets will be able to enjoy an immersive experience in the Market Hall dome, in a COVID safe way, for the very first time. 

Also, as of today, tickets to the dome’s very first show have gone live via Real Ideas’ website. The immersive family-friendly film, Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure allows dome-goers to meet the ‘other’ dinosaurs, the ones that lived below the surface, under the depths of the sea. Travel back in time to when dinosaurs roamed the seas and meet Dolly – a curious and adventurous dolichorhynchops – as she travels through the most dangerous oceans in history. Along the way, she encounters long-necked plesiosaurs, giant turtles, enormous fish, fierce sharks, and the most dangerous sea monsters of all, the mosasaur. 

Alongside enriching cultural experiences and immersive opportunities in the dome which people can come and experience post-pandemic, boosting their mental wellbeing and creating pride of place, the new Market Hall will offer creative and collaborative workspace, learning, workshops, expansive meeting rooms, event spaces, a production suite and a café dishing up nutritious lunch options and barista-grounded coffee.

Developed in partnership with Plymouth City Council and the Institute of Digital Art and Technology at the University of Plymouth, the Market Hall, in the Devonport area of the city, will create a new space for the local community. The project has been supported with funding from Arts Council England, the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, ERDF, and the Unlocking Growth Fund administered by Heart of the South West LEP. All of this is new investment into Plymouth from national and European sources which is anticipated to have a significant impact.

Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair of Arts Council England, joined Real Ideas’ Chief Executive Lindsey Hall, the Earl and Countess of Devon, and Caroline Norbury, Chief Executive of Creative England, to enjoy the first formal viewing within the spectacular building and immersive dome.  Needing just two projectors to cover the full surface of the immersive dome, the tech at the Market Hall is state-of-the-art and creates a seamless shared virtual reality experience without the need for a headset. The bespoke sound system, boasting 19 channels of audio, encases the dome and adds to what is a truly immersive experience with the power to transport you anywhere in the universe, real or imagined, that you can dream of!

Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair, Arts Council England, said: “At the Arts Council, we are thrilled that the eagerly anticipated innovation space, the Market Hall, and the state-of-the-art immersive dome is now open. Since its inception the project has excited us with its digital ambitions and impressive regeneration of a disused historic building in Devonport. The Market Hall will use cutting edge technology to create unique artistic experiences and opportunities for the community, placing Plymouth and the south west even more firmly on the cultural and technological map.  

We applaud Real Ideas’ partnership working, approach to inclusivity, and their bold vision. This world-class space will play host to creative enterprises, educational institutes, and local businesses. Local people will be at its heart – encouraging creativity in the region, helping to support the local economy, and contributing to a sense of pride in Plymouth.  

Arts Council are pleased to have been part of this journey, thanks to funding from the Government, and we are proud to have backed this innovative vision and digital leadership from the team at Real Ideas. We look forward to seeing the ripples spread far and wide from the Market Hall.”  

Lindsey Hall, Chief Executive of Real Ideas said: “The Market Hall really is a gamechanger, putting Plymouth and the South West of England on the map internationally as a place with an epic emerging tech cluster around immersive and creative digital. It is without a doubt our most audacious project to date. It is immediately relevant and offers untold opportunity as a place for jobs, research, development, exploration, learning, collaboration, economic development, and secondary economic benefits too. It’s also incredibly good fun!”

Karl Tucker, chair of the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “Market Hall is a truly unique space and a fantastic transformation of a previously disused heritage building. It cements Plymouth and the South West as a hub for creative and digital technology, and will help to create jobs, collaborative research and offer amazing experiences for the local community. I am delighted the Heart of the South West LEP was able to support this project with nearly £500k from the Unlocking Growth Fund.”

For the last six years, Plymouth’s pioneering Real Ideas Organisation, which is also responsible for the rejuvenation of the nearby Devonport Guildhall and also runs Ocean Studios in the Grade I listed Royal William Yard, has been completely re-imagining and transforming the building as the new, globally significant dedicated centre for the rapidly-emerging immersive sector. 

This coming weekend, the Real Ideas team will also throw open the doors and showcase the radical transformation to their surrounding Devonport neighbours and the communities of Devon and Cornwall.  There will also be the opportunity to have a tour of the Grade II listed building, take part in some creative digital activities and enjoy food and drink from the on-site café. Due to COVID restrictions only those with a pre-booked ticket will be able to attend the opening weekend. 

Lindsey Hall, of Real Ideas said: “We are delighted to be able to open the Market Hall to the public and share this incredible, imaginative and pioneering immersive space with all our neighbours and friends, especially the world-class immersive dome, to all our visitors for free.  This is a place for our extended Plymouth, and surrounding Devon and Cornwall, communities to connect, gather and share new experiences so we are thoroughly delighted to welcome everyone in this open-doors opportunity.”

Lindsey continues: “If the excitement of today wasn’t enough, tomorrow will see the unveiling of the commemorative blue plaque bearing the name of Sir Joshua Reynolds, linking a hugely significant figure of the past to this building of the present and future. It is wonderful to be able to honour this notable figure who carried out his work on this very site and simultaneously celebrate the all-important relationship between people and place.” 

The Market Hall joins the growing Real Ideas campus of spaces including Ocean Studios and Devonport Guildhall in Plymouth and CSpace in Newquay.