Wirecard, the global innovation leader for digital financial technology, is collaborating with HERE Mobility, to jointly develop integrated B2B2C payment and mobility services. HERE Mobility is the mobility unit of HERE Technologies, a global leader in location platform services owned by automotive companies including Audi, BMW and Daimler. HERE Mobility operates an open and competitive smart mobility marketplace for all transportation services. Over 2 million vehicles are connected to HERE Mobility’s Marketplace across Europe, Latin America, and the US.

Wirecard and HERE Mobility will collaborate on a variety of projects aimed at capitalizing on the payment and geolocation services both companies already offer, including innovation cases in the area of predictive mobility services. Wirecard sees “Commerce on the Move” as a new megatrend and expects a transaction potential of over EUR 10 billion per year via its platform when all services are rolled out.

An initial project will be to integrate HERE Mobility’s Marketplace into boon.PLANET, Wirecard’s digital banking and payment app. As a result, boon.PLANET users will be able to search, book and pay for rides using the embedded HERE Mobility Marketplace without leaving the boon.PLANET app.

Wirecard’s intelligent digital platform will be able to process customers’ geolocation and mobility profiles for additional value added services. Additional projects include offering mobility services with an integrated payment flow for merchants in the travel and leisure industry, including airlines, hotels, restaurants and stadiums. Furthermore, the companies plan to work together in the area of personalized data solutions for businesses and end-consumers leading for example to predictive ride services. It is also planned for Wirecard to act as payment service provider for HERE Mobility.

The cooperation comes at a time when MaaS (Mobility-as-a-Service) solutions, such as platforms where users can book public and private transportation services without the need of a personal vehicle, are entering the market on a global scale. According to Statista, the mobility services market in Europe is expected to surpass EUR 400 billion by 2030. In China, that figure is set to exceed EUR 580 billion.

“We are excited to enter into a strategic alliance with Wirecard and benefit from the digital payment expertise they bring to the table,” commented Liad Itzhak, SVP Head of Mobility at HERE Mobility. “Combined with our smart mobility solutions, we see our joint projects with Wirecard as having an enormous potential to revolutionize mobility services on a global scale.”

“As mobility services become a part of consumers’ daily lives, and the personal vehicle takes the back seat, we find it essential to be at the forefront of this mobility revolution,” added Michael Santner, VP for Strategic Alliances at Wirecard. “Both Wirecard and HERE Mobility will bring the best of their platforms to this cooperation, and we look forward to launching new and exciting projects.”

PayNearby, India’s leading hyperlocal FinTech network is on a mission of building an eco-system that will redefine access to financial services for the underbanked. As part of this mission, the company has added a critical extension to its bouquet of services with the launch of its own network of Micro ATMs. The new offering has been launched for their retail touchpoints across the country. The company has tied up with National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and Equitas Small Finance Bank for this initiative.

With the launch of Micro ATM business terminal, PayNearby has strengthened its product portfolio of money withdrawal services. Now along with Aadhaar enabled money withdrawals, PayNearby retailers can also offer cash withdrawals through debit cards. This has enabled a small kirana store to become a full-fledged customer touch point for ATM like services.

A customer can simply walk to his nearest PayNearby shop (say, a grocer or a mobile recharge shop) across 16,722 PIN codes in the country and withdraw cash by swiping his debit card and entering his PIN. If they don’t have a debit card, they can use their Aadhaar number and finger print to withdraw cash. On completion of the transaction, the customer receives a confirmation from their bank via SMS besides a receipt from the retailer. In addition to cash withdrawals, customers can also request balance enquiries at these retail touch points.

A handy low cost machine, that processes card transactions seamlessly, PayNearby’s Micro ATM is a cost effective and a smart cash management tool for small retail stores and traders who deal in large chunks of cash on a daily basis. With the new offering, retailers on PayNearby’s network can efficiently use the money available in their drawer.

The company has commenced a nation-wide launch by getting the service activated on its retail network comprising of more than ~750,000 retail touch points across the country. The company aims to add over 1 lakh POS enabled Micro ATMs in the first year of its launch.

Commenting on the launch, Mr. Anand Kumar Bajaj, Founder & CEO PayNearby said, “Considering its USPs such as portability, affordability and low maintenance, Micro ATMs can very effectively drive financial inclusion while curbing down the infrastructure costs incurred especially in rural India where a full-fledged ATM becomes unviable.

Considering the depth of the PayNearby network, the launch of Micro ATMs will help us play a very critical role towards the twin objective of ‘digitising cash’ and ‘giving banking access to the underbanked’. This will also enable our retail partners to earn more income.

Besides rural India, our Micro ATMs are also ideal for urban areas where a majority of ATMs are not linked with Aadhaar or don’t have access to finger print. Furthermore, it will be useful in the country’s deep interiors and states like Assam and North East where Aadhaar number penetration / onboarding are still minimal resulting in lack of AEPS offerings.”

The Confederation of ATM industry (CATMi) has announced its plans to shut down nearly 50 per cent ATMs due to high maintenance cost of software and equipment upgrades. PayNearby empowers retailers at the first mile to offer digital financial/non-financial services to last mile, across its merchant points and aims to reach 50,00,000 retailers in near future. The company is currently the leader in Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS) with 33% market share.

Ingenico Group (Euronext: FR0000125346 - ING), the global leader in seamless payment, has partnered with Newpharma, the Belgian e-pharmacy business, to deliver a payment experience that meets the security needs of online pharmaceutical buyers and supports its ambitious growth plans.

Newpharma was established in 2008 with the ultimate goal of bringing the pharmacy industry online – and transforming one of the world’s oldest professions. Four months after its first sale, Newpharma received authorization to sell non-prescription medication online. Now non-prescription medication accounts for 15% of Newpharma sales, with a large proportion of those sales coming from France and the Netherlands.

With much demand coming from beyond its domestic market – and due to the potentially sensitive nature of e-pharmacy purchases – Newpharma required a payments provider that could promise flawless processing of international sales and the protection of personal information.

Ingenico ePayments’ platform allows Newpharma to tailor the payment experience to the requirements of international markets, including language, currency and preferred payment method. This guarantees an easy-to-use, secure and smooth checkout process for customers, which ultimately reduces basket abandonment rates and protects consumer data.

Commenting on the partnership, Jérôme Gobbesso, CEO of Newpharma, said: “Because the pharmacy sector is the most demanding in terms of customer requirements, it is essential for us to have a stable and secure platform. And that is what we have managed to put in place thanks to Ingenico ePayments.

 “We are very happy with our payment partner, although most of the time we don’t need to think about it since everything works as it should, without a glitch.”

 Benoit Boudier, Managing Director, SMB Online Europe at Ingenico ePayments, added: “We are thrilled to support Newpharma’s rapid development. Data security is particularly important to Newpharma customers, so we’re pleased to give them peace of mind when shopping online by providing a secure, PSD2-compliant payment environment powered by the trusted Ingenico brand.”

With ambitious plans of revolutionizing the pharmaceutical industry, Newpharma has already experienced exponential growth and had to relocate three times and expand twice in just eight years.

Moody’s Analytics Knowledge Services today announces its rebrand as Acuity Knowledge Partners (“Acuity”) following the completion of its management buyout from Moody’s Corporation, supported by the European mid-market private equity investor Equistone Partners Europe Limited (“Equistone”). Acuity, a leading provider of bespoke research, analytics and automation technology to the financial services sector, has also appointed Philip Gore-Randall as Non-Executive Chairman.

Under its new brand identity and with Equistone’s backing, Acuity will continue to provide market-leading customised knowledge services to a growing, blue-chip client base of over 300 financial services firms globally, in domains such as investment banking, investment research, private equity & consulting and commercial lending. The business is headquartered in London and operates from 9 locations worldwide, employing a specialist workforce of subject matter experts supported by its proprietary suite of Business Excellence and Automation Tools.

Philip Gore-Randall will serve as Acuity’s new Non-Executive Chairman, bringing to bear his extensive experience of working in senior positions within large multinational organisations and advising private equity-backed businesses. After spending the first 25 years of his career at Arthur Andersen, culminating in his appointment as Global Managing Partner and COO, Philip subsequently held roles including COO of Aon UK Ltd and then of HBOS plc (where his responsibilities included overseeing the company’s integration into Lloyds). He has served as Chairman at businesses including ERM Group, Equiom Group, Fircroft Engineering Services, Forensic Risk Alliance and RAK Logistics.

Robert King, CEO of Acuity Knowledge Partners, commented: “We’re delighted to have completed the process of establishing ourselves as an independent company and launched the new Acuity brand. Under our new identity, our focus will remain on providing our clients across the financial services industry with the best-in-class bespoke services delivered by our exceptional teams around the world. We also welcome Philip to the business. With his addition and Equistone’s support, we are well placed to continue investing in our staff and our technology capabilities and to build on our success to date by growing Acuity further.”

Philip Gore-Randall, Chairman of Acuity Knowledge Partners, said: “I’m very pleased to be joining Acuity at this exciting juncture, as it moves forward as an independent business with a proven track record of serving a global client base of blue-chip financial institutions. As Chairman, I’ll be working with Robert and his talented team, as well as Equistone, to maximise the opportunity presented by growing demand within the global financial services sector for offshore, specialist services.”

Tim Swales, Partner at Equistone Partners Europe, added: “We were excited to back this business and management team on account of its impressive leadership, strong market position and the compelling growth drivers for providers of bespoke research and analytical support. Following the completion of the deal, we look forward to working with Robert, his management team and Philip to bolster Acuity’s standing as an independent business committed to enhancing output and providing operational benefits for its customers.”

ONPEX, a leading provider of multi-currency IBAN accounts, has partnered with UK-based regulated eMoney institution (EMI), AltPay. The partnership will enable AltPay to offer efficient and affordable payments solution to its existing customers, while helping the EMI to achieve its ambitious growth plans for 2020 and beyond.

This new collaboration will allow AltPay to provide its customers with an improved selection of financial services, being fully facilitated and provided by ONPEX. These include; cross-border SWIFT and European SEPA payments, as well as access to multi-currency IBAN account issuing. As a result, AltPay’s customers will be able to trade seamlessly across borders, transact and receive funds in up to 25 currencies globally.

AltPay provides SMEs from various industries with alternative solutions to classical banking and payment services. To integrate these new solutions into its current product offering, the company will be making use of ONPEX’ API-driven modular platform. This approach allows AltPay to build its own financial services by simply picking and choosing the financial features needed.

Through API-connectivity, AltPay can seamlessly integrate the selected features into its existing infrastructure and offer these services to its customer base.

Before working with ONPEX, AltPay faced the challenge of finding cost-efficient and reliable suppliers that would help integrate services necessary to its infrastructure and product offering. With ONPEX, it has found a partner with a scalable and modular platform that provides the necessary means to expand the EMI’s business.

Artjoms Dozorcevs, founder and CEO of AltPay, explained: “ONPEX was recommended to us by several trusted sources. With its efficient and easy-to-use universal solution, it will be helping us achieve a sustainable organic growth rate, while increasing the quality of the services we provide to our customers. Its solutions are cost-efficient and convenient, enabling our customers to trade across the globe, whether it’s within the EEA, Asia, or the USA.”

Christoph Tutsch, CEO at ONPEX, added: “The partnership has been mutually beneficial. We are confident we can help the company reach its growth plans. So far, the integration phase is going smoothly. We aim to generate a higher customer flow for AltPay when ONPEX’ solutions are available to its customer base.”

LexisNexis® Risk Solutions announced that it has been named category winner for Financial Crime - Data in the Chartis Research RiskTech100® – an annual evaluation of the leading global risk technology providers. This marks the second year in a row that the company was named top of the category. LexisNexis Risk Solutions was also again ranked 16^th in the RiskTech100®, the most comprehensive independent study of the world’s major players in risk and compliance technology.

“LexisNexis Risk Solutions is once again a winner in the Financial Crime – Data category, providing key information to help its customers across industry and government assess, predict and manage data risks,” said Rob Stubbs, Head of Research at Chartis. “LexisNexis Risk Solutions’ use of data to manage risks and uncover opportunities, such as using physical and digital identity data, was instrumental in our naming them again the winner for Financial Crime (data).”

The LexisNexis Risk Solutions integrated financial crime solutions deliver a 360-degree view of consumer and business risk that enables customers to quickly focus resources on relevant risk, improve investigation precision and achieve more effective, end-to-end compliance across the customer lifecycle.

“The risks that businesses face literally evolve day by day and are greater than ever,” said Daniel Wager, vice president of market planning, LexisNexis Risk Solutions. “Our ability to offer an expansive breadth and depth of global risk intelligence, including global sanctions, enforcement actions, Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs), state-owned enterprises, registration lists and adverse media, sets us apart. It’s an honor to be recognized again by Chartis Research with this prestigious award and ranking.”

FT Slingshot, a new programme for Indian FinTechs, has launched at Hong Kong FinTech Week.

Rapyd, a global Fintech-as-a-Service company, announced today its partnership with key players of Singapore’s payments ecosystem to provide a single “Singapore Platform” to enable businesses to go “cashless”, in line with the country’s vision of becoming a smart digital nation and a center for Fintech innovation.

Sberbank and SberCloud have unveiled Russia’s fastest supercomputer, the Christofari, named after Nikolai Christofari, the first customer of the nation’s first savings bank.

The supercomputer was presented by Herman Gref, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board of Sberbank, and David Rafalovsky, CTO of Sberbank Group, Executive Vice President and Head of the Technology Block of Sberbank, at the International AI Journey conference on AI development and use.

The computational capacity of the Christofari supercomputer will be made available to users of SberCloud, Sberbank’s cloud solution, making the design and use of artificial intelligence algorithms as fast and convenient as possible.

The architecture and computing power of the Christofari supercomputer let stakeholders train models based on deep neural networks in record time. The use of supercomputer resources will improve the efficiency of problem solving in a wide range of areas, like natural language processing, computer vision, automated decision-making, risk assessment and management, fraud detection, predictive analytics, creating voice assistants and chat bots, etc. The supercomputer can be used by research, commercial, and government organizations operating in various sectors of the economy, such as oil and gas, banking, telecommunications, retail, chemical, healthcare and others.

David Rafalovsky, Executive Vice President, CTO of Sberbank Group, Head of the Technology Block:

“Businesses, government, and scientific organizations need high performance computing powers of a supercomputer to work with AI algorithms. The cloud makes it available for companies of any size, so even a small startup can get an enormous computing capacity, just like a major corporation, with no need to create or grow its own IT infrastructure, or employ specialists to maintain it. The second key value is the speed of model learning and high performance computing, which is unprecedented for Russia. This cuts time to market for products and services, while also speeding up the accomplishment of tasks for businesses and science, as some machine learning tasks cannot be completed without large computing resources like that. It means that the presentation of the supercomputer on the Russian IT market will unlock the creation of completely new AI solutions and technologies.”

Sberbank and SberCloud together with NVidia created the supercomputer based on NVIDIA DGX-2 high performance nodes featuring Tesla V100 computing accelerators. The performance of the supercomputer under LINPACK tests reached 6.7 PFLOPs. The NVIDIA DGX-2 is the world’s highest performing system to tackle the most difficult AI and HPC tasks. The special-purpose computer to speed up new types of neural networks coupled with a scalable architecture helps to efficiently work with big and complicated models. This accelerates the learning process of neural networks several-fold.

The capacity of the supercomputer will be made available to clients starting December 12, 2019.