In recent years businesses have had to learn to live with uncertainty. New research that asked 100 SAP IT decision makers about the challenges they face today has found that 93% of organisations have been subjected to rapid change within the last 24 months. While this is hardly surprising given the global pandemic and Brexit, there are other factors that are creating enormous shifts, from ever evolving client expectations, to a surge in M&A activity.

The research from Ensono, a leading hybrid IT services provider and SAP on Azure specialist, found that IT teams are facing a myriad of challenges from every corner, each forcing a difficult balancing act about the company’s future technology strategy.

Key findings include: 

• COVID-19 & remote working: Unsurprisingly, COVID-19 and remote working topped the findings, with 76% and 60% respondents respectively pointing it as having an impact on their organisation. The effect of COVID-19 on IT departments varies significantly by sector; 89% of IT decision makers in manufacturing and production firms stated it has led to rapid change versus just 65% in IT, technology and telco.
• Brexit & multilateralism: The last two years have seen a reshaping of the global political order, affecting how UK businesses operate abroad. 43% of the surveyed said that Brexit, trade agreements and multilateralism have created major change in their organisations. This rises to 54% in business and professional services and 67% in manufacturing.
• Regulation & security: The research also reveals that the usual pressures of changes in the regulatory environment (31%) and the ever demanding and increasing risk around security breaches (23%) remain high on the agenda, with the additional burden of the ongoing effect of COVID-19 layered on top.
• M&A activity rebounded to the highest third quarter on record, as the total value of $5billion+ deals signed worldwide hit $456 billion in the three months to September. This resurgence of M&A after the record lows in Q2 added to IT decision makers’ stress, as they navigated the complex transition of people, processes, and technology that comes with any merger. IT leaders in manufacturing are feeling the pressure here the most, with 44 per cent stating this has led to rapid change in the last 24 months.

Other interesting findings include:

• 1 in 4 financial services, and technology companies have had to adapt quickly to digital upstarts shifting models.
• 21% IT decision-makers are having to change quickly to keep up with changing client and customer expectations, rising to 38 per cent in business and professional services.

Barney Taylor, Managing Director, Europe, Ensono, said: “As businesses have had to quickly adapt to the new working realities brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the IT department has been trusted to act fast and deliver so businesses can continue to move forward and safely address the needs of their team members and customers.”

“It’s important that digital transformation happening now and into the future continues to deliver to the business. CIOs need to ensure they are not innovating in a vacuum and are taking the necessary steps to ensure they are delivering not only to the business and shareholders, but ultimately to their end users.”

For more insights, you can download the full report, Overcoming the barriers to SAP migrations.

Has your organisations been subjected to rapid change in the last 24 months from any of the following?

Sky Guo, a founding member of OMFIF, and co-founder of Cypherium, an enterprise-focused blockchain platform facilitating interoperability between blockchain and central bank digital currency (CBDCs), has been invited by United Nations to discuss how the next-generation of foreign policy leaders can leverage emerging digital technologies to solve the world's most pressing challenges.

As one of the only delegates from the blockchain sector in attendance, Sky will be instrumental in ensuring the industry is accurately represented. Fortunately, being both a founder of OMFIF, the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum, the independent forum for central banking, economic policy and public investment, where he actively leads the discussion on CBDC interoperability, Sky is the perfect candidate for communicating the importance of cryptocurrencies and their place in the future of finance.

"I'm incredibly honored to be representing the blockchain and digital asset industry at the UN's 75th anniversary," said Sky Guo, co-founder of Cypherium. "Leading the conversation around digital assets and their potential role in the future of finance is critical. This is especially true as CBDC development continues at a record pace.”

"The time to instill interoperability between these instruments is now and getting this message across is paramount to their success and the success of the broader economy," Guo added.

The timing couldn't be more suitable. This year's annual meeting marks the 75th anniversary of the United Nations. The UN will commemorate the founding of the UN charter around the theme, 'The Future We Want, the UN We Need: Reaffirming our Collective Commitment to Multilateralism.' 

The world-renown alliance, comprising 193 nations around the globe, formed on the basis of unity and multilateralism — an ideal at the heart of Cypherium’s own goals.

This year's summit will encompass ideas of solidarity and unity and ruminate on forward-thinking political and intergovernmental actions to help expedite the UN's sustainable development goals (SDG). As part of it's SDGs, the organization aims to address challenges pertaining to poverty, economic growth, industry innovation, and infrastructure as well as many others.

With CBDCs likely leading the charge in the economic future and affecting many of these challenges, Cypherium's push for discussion around cross-chain compatibility has never been more important. With over 80% of the world Central banks actively devising a CBDC, ensuring interoperability between sovereign instruments is crucial to harness their potential and avoid the bottlenecks offered by the current system. All with the aim of facilitating a better system in which financial inclusion and efficiency win through.

Guo will be presenting as part of the UN75 dialogue organized by YPFP (Young Professionals in Foreign Policy), bringing together young professionals from a wide range of backgrounds and mid- to high-level diplomats and experts to discuss concrete ideas and steps on how the next generation of foreign policy leaders can work together to address global challenges.

The presentation is taking place online on Tuesday, 20 October (18:00-20:00 CEST | 12:00-14:00 EDT) here. 

NYMBUS®, a leading provider of banking technology solutions, today announced PeoplesBank has gone live with NYMBUS SmartLaunch™ to outsource the technology and remote full-service operations of its new digital-only bank, ZYNLO.

A competitive force in Massachusetts’ banking landscape with assets exceeding $3 billion, ZYNLO is PeoplesBank’s latest growth strategy to expand its digital reach and engage loyal new customers and revenue opportunities. Designed to simplify the banking experience, it offers a comprehensive range of convenient, flexible and secure digital financial products and services. In partnership with NYMBUS, ZYNLO was quickly accomplished without a core conversion or hiring new resources. NYMBUS provides all of the technical and operational resources required to run and market the new bank, along with 24/7/365 support.

“Only NYMBUS provided us a comprehensive strategy to quickly introduce a new digital-only effort,” said Brian Canina, Chief Financial Officer of PeoplesBank. “Backed by and running in parallel to our established institution with 135 years of experience in creating satisfied customers, ZYNLO delivers the ideal combination of digital banking convenience and security that today’s consumers depend on.”

A fee-free account, ZYNLO (www.zynlobank.com) features Zyng, a benefit that rounds up debit card purchases to the nearest dollar and deposits the difference into the customer’s savings account. ZYNLO is also matching those roundups 100 percent for the first 100 days, and then 10 percent after that for an added savings boost. Another popular feature is Early PayDay, which gives customers access to their direct deposit funds up to two days in advance of deposit into their account. An alert feature is also offered on ZYNLO accounts that provides customers with daily balance information as well as upcoming scheduled payments notifications, and all ZYNLO deposits are 100 percent insured through FDIC and DIF.

Previously, PeoplesBank chose NYMBUS to unify key aspects of the larger bank’s onboarding and CRM. The extended partnership with ZYNLO now supports PeoplesBank’s dual transformation strategies for business growth.

“The approach for banking innovation needs to involve less time and cost,” said Jeffery Kendall, Chief Executive Officer of NYMBUS. “Without disruption, NYMBUS is helping PeoplesBank and other partners to quickly and successfully modernize their existing institution while also innovate with new, dynamic digital banking experiences.”

NYMBUS’ cloud-based SmartEcosystem™ has been embraced by forward-thinking financial institutions that recognize the value of unifying all of their required banking functions into a single ecosystem for enabling a customer-centric banking experience. At the same time, it enables the institution to offload back-end processes to 24/7/365 remote support centers.

The NYMBUS SmartLaunch model is an extension of the SmartEcosystem and has gained tremendous momentum for providing the bundled technology, complete operational support, and full-service digital onboarding, marketing and integrated CRM solutions to stand up a fully-outsourced digital bank in 90 days or less. The legacy operation isn’t disrupted, no additional staff is required, and a virtual workforce with access to 100 percent of business functions is available for continuity of business.

Entrust, a leading provider of trusted identities, payments and data protection, today announced the Sigma® Instant Desktop Issuance solution, an innovative direct-to-card solution for instant physical and mobile ID issuance. Designed for both cloud and on-premise deployment, the Sigma solution sets the standard for simple, secure and smart instant ID solutions across enterprise, healthcare, government, higher education and financial institutions.

Today’s enterprises face a myriad of security challenges: From transitioning to digital operations during the pandemic, to managing the global rise in cyber-attacks, they must maintain a safe and secure flow of data − including the data stored on physical credentials. Within these organizations, Identity and Access Management professionals require a printing solution that is not only easy to integrate into their operations, but one that evolves to meet the growing needs of their company while assuring the highest level of data security. Sigma systems deliver a seamless user experience across the issuance process for desktop and mobile printing needs. It eliminates the frustrations of printer set-up with a modular design and an out-of-the-box implementation that takes less than 30 minutes for users to begin issuing identities.

Equipped with cloud-based APIs, Sigma systems bring issuance to the cloud without additional hardware — enabling instant printing for both physical IDs, badges and payment cards. Sigma systems are trusted IoT devices that help ensure organizations and their data are safe with an intelligent network and building connectivity for ultimate enterprise protection. With capabilities like tactile impressions, holographic and luster panel printing, Sigma printers make it highly difficult for counterfeiters to alter or recreate cards. Additionally, features like an inline magnetic stripe and smart card encoding secure your cards during the card printing process.

“With our Sigma platform, we’re proud to deliver a best-in-class desktop credential issuance solution that’s designed to work completely and securely within a cloud environment, allowing financial, enterprise, government, higher education and healthcare organizations to meet high-volume issuance demands without sacrificing security or ease of use. The Sigma system is ready to meet the issuance needs of today, and equally important, will evolve to meet tomorrow’s security and technology challenges with unlimited printing applications,” said Tony Ball, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Instant Issuance at Entrust. “Entrust has been a pioneer in direct-to-card identity issuance technology for decades, and our Sigma system takes it to a whole new level.”

Sigma systems offer the most advanced security architecture that keeps data protected at each step of the issuance process:

●       Encrypted connections: The connection and data sent between software and the printer are secure and encrypted. Sigma printers do not store customer data after successful printing is complete.

●       Secure boot: This feature prevents Sigma systems from booting up malware or other compromises are detected.

●       Trusted platform module (TPM): Organizations can store and manage user certificates and keys in the printer, allowing the printer to become a trusted internet of things (IoT) endpoint.

As large segments of the workforce continue operating remotely, Sigma systems are poised to meet the demands of a hybrid workforce with its physical and digital issuance platform. The Sigma system’s “Printer Dashboard” is available on mobile devices, allowing organizations to manage the printer from anywhere, without being tied to a desktop. Sigma systems also enable companies to pivot and move to a contactless ID Issuance experience, from online photo submission to validating the photo, printing the card, and ultimately  delivering the card to the employee. Furthermore, the on-premises instant ID solution features a mobile enrollment functionality for added flexibility to issue IDs at various locations within a facility. Sigma systems use intelligent instant ID technology to streamline printing and eliminate manual workflows — bringing simplicity, security and flexibility to the issuance process.

“Whether your requirements demand an integrated, secure on-premises solution or a system that can grow with a distributed workforce via a secure cloud-hosted Identity Management offering, the Entrust Sigma solutions can meet your needs,” said Joe Franco, Director of Sales at Capture Technologies, an Entrust channel partner. “They are browser based and mobile ready and able to be deployed without the need for a heavy client to be installed. The certificate based integrated security features should put to rest any concerns about using the cloud for identity issuance or your printing solution being vulnerable to network attack.”

For more information about Sigma visit: https://www.entrust.com/c/meet-sigma.

Huobi Global, the world's leading digital asset exchange, today announced support for the Australian dollar (AUD), British pound sterling (GPB), and Euro (EUR) through Banxa, an internationally compliant fiat-to-crypto gateway solution. The partnership allows users in Australia, UK, and the European Union to purchase cryptocurrencies with their official fiat currencies.

By integrating with Banxa’s payment solutions, Huobi is able to provide users with more flexibility and choice in payment methods, while also enabling a seamless user experience. Users can access the new fiat-to-crypto gateway directly from the Huobi OTC site and deposit AUD, GBP, or EUR to begin trading cryptocurrencies in just a few clicks. Funds can be instantly added to a user’s account using bank transfers, debit/credit card, and other preferred payment methods with zero fees.

“Our partnership with Banxa allows us to support three of the world’s most widely-used fiat currencies, marking a significant milestone in our global expansion,” said Ciara Sun, Vice President, Global Markets at Huobi Group. “With our newly expanded fiat gateway, we want to help accelerate crypto adoption by making digital assets much more easily accessible to the masses. This integration introduces a new point of access for users in Australia, UK, and the European Union looking to enter the crypto market.”

Domenic Carcosa, founder and Non-Executive Chairman of Banxa, said: “Huobi is a first mover heavyweight, with some of the most innovative products and services in the industry. As digital assets become mainstream and move toward mass adoption, regulation and transparency are key to building trust. That is why we’ve chosen to partner with Huobi.”

From the ‘Buy Crypto’ page on Huobi OTC, users can select the digital asset they’d like to purchase, choose their fiat currency, and enter the fiat value or asset quantity for purchase. After selecting their preferred payment method, which includes Visa and Mastercard transactions, users can purchase up to $20,000 USD worth of digital assets in a single transaction. The daily purchase limit is $15,000 and the monthly purchase limit is $60,000.

Users are also required to submit a one-time identity verification as part of the transaction process. Once completed and the payment approved, users can access their assets in their exchange account within a few minutes. From there, users can immediately select a trading pair and start crypto-to-crypto trading.

Sun added: “As we bolster our global presence and expand into new markets, we will continue adding new fiat on-ramps to give all users a frictionless onboarding experience. We recently set out on an ambitious new goal to empower 100 million households worldwide to own digital assets, so we want to ensure we make it faster, easier, and more secure for new users to get started.”

Leading experts from the banking, finance and investment industry will come together for an exciting andinformative two-day virtual conference called “Future Banks Summit KSA” schedule on 23-24 November 2020 from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM (KSA time), organized by Verve Management, a UAE based business intelligence and event company.

The virtual conference will focus on the future of financial industry in KSA driven by innovation and digital advancements with adoption of technologies such as AI, intelligent automation, Regtech, data analytics, cloud migration, cyber security, digital payment models along with tech-driven redefined business continuity planning strategies.  The session and discussions of the Future Banks Summit are focused on ‘Solutions and Answers’ to some of the most pressing issues the banking fraternity is facing in the current challenging times. In addition to the in numerous learning opportunities, participants will have an access to all the digital content online along with opportunities to schedule video meetings with peers, speakers and solution providers, addressing questions to industry experts, share their thoughts, participate in online contests, visit virtual booths, build contacts, collect points and win prizes and indulge in many more networking and interesting activities.

The event will feature local and international speakers, some of the key speakers includeAbdulazizAldahmash of SABB, Abdulmohsen Al-Mulhem of Bank AlBilad, Ali Alomran of Arab National Bank, Dr. Amer Alzaidi of Saudi Investment Bank, Angela Johnson De Wet of Lloyds Banking Group, Basil Al Alola of AlRajhi Bank, Faisal Al-Rashoudi of Bank Aljazira, Faisal M. Sibai of Public Investment Fund (PIF), Grant Niven of Banque Saudi Fransi, Millie Gillon of Standard Chartered Bank (Singapore), Mohammed AlDahlawi of Alinma Bank, Mohammed Ammar Shaheen of Bank Al Jazira, Saleh Al Shareef of The National Commercial Bank – AlahliNCB.

For more information about this event, visit www.futurebanksummit.com or email at info@verve-management.com.

Register now to get your complimentary VIP Pass at  https://bit.ly/2FhdwOn.

Fast growth fintech TradeCore today announces a partnership with Plato, supporting the payments business in bringing quicker, easier and more cost-effective payment transfers to customers.

TradeCore, which recently announced the UK launch of its new fintech platform, acts as a one-stop-shop for fintech start-ups looking to accelerate their go to market strategy, and will support Plato with its technological proposition, enable the payments provider to focus on product development and help reduce the time to launch. 

As consumers increasingly look to transfer funds to their family members, Plato has created a digital system that enables users to send money to their loved ones in just a few clicks. Users download the Plato app from the company’s site or app store and can then load funds via payment methods, including traditional bank debit cards, wire transfers or open banking into their Plato wallet. 

The system is much more efficient than pre-existing options, enabling users to transfer funds, and manage the recipient’s spending on mobile, in real time, at any time. Plato is different to traditional money transfer services in that it provides a physical debit card to the transfer recipients - accepted in over 35 million locations worldwide - linked to the Plato account. Users have immediate access to funds anytime, anywhere and can pay in stores, online as well as withdraw money at any supported ATMs.

The announcement comes during a period of sustained growth for TradeCore, which has built a name for itself by supporting emerging fintech startups slash time to market and reduce costs. Through its vast technological expertise and partner network, the business manages and deploys costly backend infrastructure on behalf of its clients, enabling them to focus on developing products and improving end customer experiences.

In recent months the business has been rapidly expanding its partner network to further develop the services it can offer to its fintech clients. Recent partnerships include ComplyAdvantage, a global technology company transforming financial crime detection, and TrueLayer, a leading technology company building financial infrastructure that’s open to businesses anywhere in the world.

Speaking about today’s partnership announcement Stefan Pajkovic, founder and CEO at TradeCore, said: “TradeCore understands the complexities and cost of getting a fintech market-ready, and we are delighted to have been able to support Plato in turning their proposition into a reality. The team at Plato are doing amazing work to make fund transfers quicker, easier and more cost effective for families, and we look forward to supporting their continued business growth in the months and years to come. Through our expertise and backend technology we can help the business continue to scale, enabling them to produce more products and evolve their proposition to meet customer needs.”

Masa Madden from Plato, commented: “Transferring money has historically proven cumbersome and expensive. Plato’s mission is to remove these complexities and expenses, creating a digital alternative that makes helping out your loved ones quicker, easier and more efficient.

“TradeCore has become an established name within the fintech space, and for good reason. The business has enabled us to bring our product to market much quicker than expected. Thanks to TradeCore’s Platform and their knowledgeable team’s support, we’ve built a word-class product meaning families are now able to seamlessly share funds and support each other in these most testing of times.”

Detected, the world’s first agnostic business verification platform, has closed its pre-seed funding round at £250,000. This first tranche has been raised from a number of prominent angel investors within the founding team’s network. Participants include:

• Rob Barnett - Former COO at RBS and current Managing Director of Southern Water
• Craig Sears-Black - Former MD of Manhattan Associates, current CEO of EV Cargo
• Carl Hartmann - Former Co-Founder and CEO of Temando, now Lyre’s Spirit Co. Co-Founder

Other investors include the former Managing Director of Citigroup as well as strategic partners in Europe, Middle East and APAC.

Rob Barnett said: “Detected delivers a pragmatic, quality solution to a real business issue. I am excited to have invested in this and the management team. Liam has secured a group of high-quality investors and I look forward to supporting this exciting new company as it grows.”

Craig Sears-Black said: “I am pleased to invest with Liam and the Detected team to support them on their journey. It is a proven team that has identified the route to solving a real and growing business problem that’s affecting B2B markets globally.”

Liam Chennells, Chief Executive Officer at Detected, said: “I am proud of what this group of people have achieved in such a short space of time, and all during a global pandemic. On the day we founded our company, we set our sights on the ambition that Detected would be involved in more than 50% of all B2B transactions by 2024. We have the team, technology and the early investors to continue our momentum towards that goal.”

Detected enables B2B buyers and sellers to trade with confidence. Platform and marketplace agnostic, Detected uses thousands of data points to confirm a buyer or seller’s identity, location, solvency and capability in seconds. This automated insight is refreshed month after month, eliminating the need for ongoing time-consuming and manual due diligence.

Detected builds trust between trading partners, solving the impatience conundrum associated with due diligence, and simplifying cross border trade. The company’s platform seamlessly integrates into any existing marketplace, business process or procurement system.

Peter Youell, Chief Technology Officer at Detected, said: “Our scalable platform is primed for rapid commercialisation and this funding will drive our growth. The pandemic has unleashed a surge of businesses procuring services, solutions and products online and now more than ever it’s vital for B2B buyers and sellers to have the data and insight required to trade safely and confidently.” 

This first wave of funding will be used to further develop Detected’s platform ahead of its impending launch in December. Committed customers range from B2B marketplaces and B2B marketplace software providers through to FTSE listed corporate entities. 

Detected was founded during the pandemic. At the time, Liam Chennells and Nathan Kelleher were helping companies overcome issues with their supply chain infrastructure, using their contacts and networks to source planes and boats to keep medical equipment and PPE moving around the world. As they helped buyers and sellers, the team encountered countless unscrupulous parties and cases of fraud. Detected is their solution.