Finastra customers can now consume Active.Ai’s conversational AI retail banking app via the FusionStore. Banks and credit unions will be able to quickly deploy AI avatars to engage their customers and members 24x7 in the banking channel of their choice.

"Voice and messaging are greatly transforming client engagement in financial services,” said Ravishankar, Co-Founder and CEO of Active.Ai. “We are already working with Finastra customers globally, and we look forward to delivering these experiences at scale using FusionFabric.cloud capabilities."

Active.Ai helps banks and credit unions supercharge customer support by creating intelligent virtual assistants, bringing automation and insightful customer engagement while reducing support costs. Its conversational banking technology uses advanced natural language processing (NLP) and machine intelligence to enable customers to have natural dialogues over messaging, voice or IoT devices.

Key features of the app include:

·         Pre-built workflows, pre-trained datasets, and pre-certified integration with Finastra for balance queries and fund transfers

·         Highly customizable features including business rules, custom responses, branding

·         APIs available for extending features

·         Supports iOS, Android, Web apps, Facebook virtual agent and skills for Alexa and Google

Active.Ai currently services millions of monthly conversational banking sessions in 10 countries across five continents, with a very high accuracy rate. Finastra’s North American customers can now take advantage of this proven and scalable solution using pre-built integrations.

“Conversational banking is the next big thing in consumer banking, but financial institutions aren’t expected to become experts in AI in order to offer these services to their customers,” said Eli Rosner, Chief Product and Technology Officer, Finastra. “At Finastra, we are championing ‘innovation through collaboration,’ bringing our clients easy access to innovative and fully-vetted fintechs that provide the capabilities they need. For financial institutions, that means consuming the latest technologies available in the market which connect to your core Finastra systems through FusionFabric.cloud. For fintechs, it’s the ability to distribute their apps to the more than 9,000 financial institutions that use Finastra solutions, and implement with ease.”

Active.Ai will be showcasing the One by Active.Ai app at Finastra Universe New York on March 4^th. Visitors to the demo pod can learn more about how it is bringing conversational AI to retail banking, as well as how Finastra’s FusionStore can bring this powerful capability to your institution.

The German developer of specialised software b-next has concluded the past fiscal year with an important business deal. A major Moscow-based bank has decided to monitor their future trading activities using an installed surveillance platform developed by b-next. For the software provider, this achievement marks an important step in entering the Russian market.

The Moscow-based bank that b-next was able to attract as a new customer for their compliance solution has about 400 subsidiaries. Therefore, it is no understatement to say that b-next’s first attempt at gaining a footing in the Russian market was highly successful. Stefan Fabisch, CEO and majority shareholder of b-next, is particularly proud of this achievement:

‘This new business relationship brings me great joy, as I have had close personal and professional relations with Russia for the past 20 years.’ According to Wolfgang Fabisch, this new contract is the result of effective teamwork characterised by trust and sustainability. ‘The teams under our Chief Sales Officer Stefan Queck and our partner Refinitiv have done a great job,’ says the CEO. By leveraging the strengths of all participants, it was possible to provide a new customer with top-of-the-line compliance technology.

When the contract was awarded to this international partnership, the customer highlighted the importance of the quality seal ‘Made in Germany’. ‘Quality, customer focus and service orientation were crucial selling points,’ says Fabisch. This new contract will ensure the company’s worldwide success as business in Eastern countries is becoming increasingly important.

One of b-next’s current objectives is to enlarge its customer base in Russia. The chances of achieving this goal seem excellent. Chief Sales Officer Stefan Queck is convinced that the Russian market holds great potential for b-next. ‘Our compliance solution is highly efficient and has been used by large international companies in the financial market and the energy market for years. The Russian market is ready for our product’.

About b-next

b-next AG is one of the world’s leading providers of corporate software in the capital markets trading surveillance and compliance sector. The corporation has around 70 employees. Its customer base in the finance sector includes, among others, renowned banks, brokers, supervisory bodies and energy suppliers. In the 30-year history of the company, several hundred customer projects have been successfully carried out. b-next is represented by its own branch offices in Germany, Great Britain and the United States.

The slogan ‘SECURE | PROTECT | COMPLY’ stands for the company’s powerful and comprehensive solutions covering the entire spectrum of compliance requirements in the capital markets. b-next’s products help companies meet regulatory requirements and manage operational risks.

The major value driver for b-next are the development of innovative, cloud-based applications as well as the use of artificial intelligence, in particular for a strategic approach to compliance.

Open Banking Expo returns to Toronto on June 9, 2020 to prepare delegates for likely legislative action as a result of the second phase of the Government’s Open Banking consultation. The agenda is now live at https://www.openbankingexpo.com/toronto/#agenda.

This year’s event is again headlined by Equifax Canada. More than 220 C-level delegates are expected to attend from the financial services sector to exchange ideas and insight into their plans, predictions and preparations for when consumer-directed finance is implemented in Canada.

Open Banking Expo’s Toronto event will provide delegates with unique access to Open Banking innovators, disruptors and visionaries on an agenda geared up for healthy debate, analysis and opinion as the market prepares for the largest digital transformation in a generation. Confirmed speakers include:

Banks

• Dave Forestell, Vice President, Office of the CEO, Scotiabank
• Rizwan Khalfan, EVP, Chief Digital and Payments Officer, TD Bank
• Mayank Mishra, Managing Director, Global Head Digital, Citi
• Andrew Moor, Chief Executive Officer, Equitable Bank
• Rami Thabet, Vice President- Digital, Royal Bank of Canada

Use cases

• Hetal Popat, Open Banking & PSD2 Director, HSBC UK
• Ali Niknam, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, bunq
• Todd Clyde, Chief Executive Officer, Token

Associations

• Kristy Duncan, Chief Executive Officer, Women in Payments Association
• Martha Durdin, President & Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Credit Union Association

Agenda highlights include an executive panel debate featuring leaders from CIBC, Royal Bank of Canada, TD Bank and Scotiabank, who will explore the current rate of evolution and what the Open Banking roadmap might look like as the Government prepares to consult on implementation.

Exclusive to Open Banking Expo, a senior Government representative will reveal its plans for implementation, data security and its stance on a potential Open Banking roll-out.

Furthermore, the event is flying in transatlantic use cases from HSBC UK, Dutch neobank bunq, and Europe’s leading Payment Initiation Service Provider (PISP) Token. They will reveal the highs, lows and challenges of their Open Banking journeys so far.

Managing Director of Open Banking Expo, Adam Cox, comments: “We are delighted to return to Toronto this June. Based on feedback last year, delegates want more use cases to prepare themselves for imminent legislation. We have therefore secured the time of some of the pioneers of Open Banking across Europe and the Nordics, and we are looking forward to welcoming them to reveal their experiences. This year Finance Canada will be on hand to give delegates up-to-the-minute insight into their progress and findings, and the CCUA will address the opportunities Open Banking will create for credit unions.”

Cognizant (Nasdaq: CTSH) has been named a Leader in business process services (BPS) for life sciences companies by consulting and research firm Everest Group. In the Life Sciences (LS) Operations – Services PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2020, Cognizant was noted for its investments in digital technologies and significant client base, as well as revenue and employee count buoyed by several multi-year and multi-segment client engagements.

Analyzing the market share, strengths and areas for improvement of 24 global service providers, Everest Group found Cognizant to be a Leader. Cognizant's service portfolio and cost-efficient, automation-driven capabilities in the pharmacovigilance segment were cited as examples of its value against competitors. Additionally, the report recognized Cognizant's acquisition of Zenith Technologies, which strengthened the company's IoT capabilities and demonstrated it as a leader in embedding advanced technology within operational platforms.

Cognizant's Shared Investigator Platform (SIP) was also recognized as an important asset to its business offerings. SIP launched in 2016 and is one of the first multi-tenant, single sign-on platforms enabling clinical trial information, operations, administrative documents and tasks to be shared across sponsors and their sites. While operational processes can account for 45% to 75% of the time and cost of clinical trials, the Cognizant-hosted platform's secure, common workspace for enhanced collaboration provides a faster, more cost-effective means to manage clinical trials among stakeholders. This can result in breakthrough therapies and drugs being made available sooner. As the industry's premier open collaborative platform for clinical trial management, SIP has been adopted by multiple large pharmaceutical companies and has been proven to enhance clinical trial efficiencies and execution.

"The life sciences industry is at an inflection point where enterprises are realizing the value of partnering externally to not just improve costs but also bring about innovation," said Manu Aggarwal, Vice President at Everest Group. "Cognizant's strong portfolio in clinical operations and pharmacovigilance complemented by its continuous investments in solutions, platforms and automation/AI is helping buyers enhance operational efficiencies and realize more value."

"The life sciences industry is evolving at a rapid speed as technology becomes more integrated into the development of new therapies," said Srinivas Shankar, Senior Vice President and Global Head for Cognizant's Life Sciences business. "These platforms and customer momentum helped fuel our double-digit growth in life sciences in 2019. Cognizant's continued investments in industry-shaping assets are emblematic of our commitment to helping clients achieve meaningful business outcomes and increased operational efficiencies. This investment, combined with our deep domain expertise, is transforming processes such as drug development, manufacturing and commercialization to ultimately bring life-saving drugs to patients faster."

To view an extract of the Everest Group PEAK Matrix Report, visit: https://www.cognizant.com/Resources/everest-group-peak-matrix-for-life-sciences-operations-service-providers-2020-focus-on-cognizant.pdf

Learn more about Cognizant Life Sciences Technology Solutions: https://www.cognizant.com/life-sciences-technology-solutions

Moneythor, an award-winning provider of data driven digital experiences for banks and fintech firms, and Nihon Unisys, the leading supplier of digital banking integration solutions in Japan, today announced that they have partnered to provide personalised digital banking solutions to Japanese financial institutions.

Founded in 2013, Moneythor provides personalised and actionable recommendations, insights and nudges powered by real-time data, machine learning and behavioural science techniques to leading banks and large fintechs, such as DBS, Standard Chartered, Orange Bank and Manulife Bank.

Headquartered in Singapore, the software company also has offices in Paris and London and launched a Japanese subsidiary in June 2019 in response to the rising needs for digital banking solutions in the country.

Nihon Unisys was established in 1958 and has a strong background in providing effective and timely IT solutions. The group provides powerful and innovative solutions and support to enterprises across multiple industries including financial services, manufacturing, energy and government.

The partnership comes at a time of disruption in the Japanese banking market, with many leading financial institutions looking for cost-effective and transformative digital banking solutions as they move away from traditional channels in order to drive customer engagement and increase profitability.

Commenting on the partnership, Olivier Berthier, CEO & Co-founder of Moneythor said, “We are delighted to partner with Nihon Unisys to bring personalised and data-driven digital banking solutions to the Japanese market. By pairing Nihon Unisys’ best-in-class integration solutions with Moneythor’s unique built-in transaction data analytics and nudge engine, we will be able to bring highly engaging experiences to a wider pool of Japanese banks and customers in a cost-effective and timely manner.”

“At Nihon Unisys we strive to connect first class partners with leading financial institutions and by partnering with Moneythor we can do just that. Moneythor is the market leader in providing personalised digital banking solutions and we look forward to bringing their digital innovation to Japanese financial institutions.” Said Yuji Takeuchi, Corporate Officer, Strategic Business Unit – Neobank.

Financial infrastructure provider, Banking Circle, which announced it had secured its Banking Licence at the end of February, has added another member to its Executive Board, bolstering its banking expertise.

Marie-Anne van den Berg brings more than 30 years’ experience in roles across the business and operational units of multiple banks in Germany and Luxembourg. She also brings an extensive network of contacts across the European banking and fund industry. She is a Certified IDP at INSEAD and a Certified ILA Director, and has acted as an Independent Director since January 2017, holding various mandates in CSSF regulated banks, Investment Managers and funds as well as in unregulated structures in Luxembourg.

Anders la Cour, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Banking Circle commented: “We are delighted to welcome Marie-Anne to our Executive Board. As a financial infrastructure for payments and banking, Banking Circle is giving financial institutions access to real-time payments regardless of borders and regardless of size. This means payments and banking businesses will be able to seize market opportunities in the new economy without having to commit to significant investment in their own internal infrastructure.

“We are a growing business with bank branches already open in the UK, Germany and Denmark as well as our Luxembourg HQ. And with our Banking Licence we anticipate significantly extending our range of services and our global footprint in the coming months and years. Marie-Anne’s extensive experience and industry contacts across the international banking sector will allow us to fast-track our expansion, delivering our ground-breaking solutions to a wider range of financial solutions providers.”

Marie-Anne van den Berg added: “As a certified international Independent Director I have worked with many banks, investment managers and funds. My previous experience will be invaluable in my new role at Banking Circle, which has just gained its Banking Licence from the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF).

“I very much look forward to working with the rest of the board to create the best strategies to take the business forward and deliver added value, both to existing partners and those we have yet to work with.”

The UK’s first digital mortgage broker, Trussle, announced today the appointment of Ian Larkin as Chief Executive Officer.

ChartIQ, a financial technology company that delivers software to help the finance world work smarter, today introduced Finsemble 4.0, the latest release of the company’s desktop integration platform.

SberCloud, the cloud platform of Sberbank Group, and Huawei, the leading global provider of information and communication solutions, have agreed on strategic partnership that will provide access to SberCloud.Advanced for Russian and foreign users.