EBANX, a company headquartered in Brazil that offers Latin American local payment methods to international merchants, enabling them to sell their products and services to Latin America, today announced that it has raised a $30 million investment from FTV Capital, with participation from Endeavor Catalyst Fund. Last year, EBANX processed $1.2 billion in cross-border transactions and achieved the milestone of helping over 30 million users from the region gain full access to major international e-commerce merchants. The company experienced an 80% average annual growth rate in all verticals served over the last three years and will continue to expand its highly differentiated e-commerce solution that drives vastly enhanced approval rates, increased sales, reduced fraud, and streamlined cross-currency settlement.  

EBANX will benefit from FTV’s strategic financial services network and experience scaling global, high growth companies across the fintech and payments ecosystem. FTV Capital is the first institutional investor in the company. As part of the transaction, FTV Capital principal Robert Anderson will join the company’s board of directors, and FTV Capital partner Chris Winship will become a board observer.  

“We started EBANX almost six years ago with a clear understanding that we had a wide-open ocean in front of us. At that time, nobody was doing what we were doing and all of our focus was dedicated to attracting new merchants to our platform. Integrate with EBANX and sell two to three times more within the region was, and still is, our mantra," explained Alphonse Voigt, co-founder and CEO of EBANX. "By 2019, there will be more than 150 million online consumers throughout Latin America, and we will be central to helping facilitate this expansion seamlessly. Backed by more than 300 ebankers (employees), Endeavor's know-how in high-impact entrepreneurship and FTV’s expertise with many years of payments industry experience and proven track record, we are fully poised to take EBANX to unprecedented levels of growth, serving merchants worldwide.”

Recent EBANX growth milestones include:

New products & licenses

• EBANX Account, a digital wallet used to track all EBANX payments and refunds, and make purchases via a prepaid virtual card;
• U.K. Electronic Money Institution (EMI) license (e-Money license) from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Partner integrations

• EBANX is one of the first payment companies to be fully integrated with Google Pay.

Geographic expansion

• Service offering expanding to Ecuador, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Bolivia in the first semester of 2018; current markets include Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru;
• New sales and IT office planned for San Francisco; current offices include Curitiba, São Paulo and London.

With its differentiated platform and customer focused approach, EBANX counts over 500 merchants as clients and has attracted global e-commerce brands such as AliExpress, Spotify, Airbnb, Udacity, Wish, and GearBest, serving them directly or through partnerships with global Payment Service Providers such as Alipay, Worldline and others.

“The EBANX management team has built an impressive operation that has capitalized on strong global e-commerce momentum and is efficiently solving a pain point for international merchants seeking to serve Latin American customers,” said Robert Anderson, principal at FTV Capital. “The company’s unique API integration streamlines payment acceptance, minimizing inherent cross-border friction and driving strong adoption by blue chip e-commerce brands. We are incredibly excited to be a part of this next phase of EBANX’s growth.”

Cisco Live - Over the next five years, strong growth in the number of mobile users, business digitization demands, Internet of Things (IoT) connections and mobile video consumption will place significant challenges on networks. The increasing traffic has yet to show an equivalent growth in ARPU. 

As service providers prepare for the next wave of network speed, extensive architectural transformation involving programmability and automation will be needed to support these capabilities and future innovations, including the evolution of enterprise services, 5G, and IoT. 

Orange knew it could reduce CapEx and OpEx by implementing new architectures on platforms ready for mass-scale networking and by automating a large number of tasks and operations. The company has taken the initiative to improve its business efficiency by deploying the Cisco® Network Services Orchestrator (NSO) software platform to its current and future network as a foundation for infrastructure programmability and automating method of procedure (MOP) operations and customer-facing services.

As a key technology enabler, Cisco NSO will help Orange and its subsidiaries realize new benefits, including:

• Providing a highly efficient abstraction layer between network services and the underlying infrastructure components, even in complex, heterogeneous environments
• Reducing service activation times from days to hours and dramatically increasing TTM for critical service offerings
• Automating its service lifecycles and reducing manual configuration steps by as much as 90 percent across the spectrum of mobile and enterprise networks, including zero-touch provisioning of network devices
• Empowering Orange teams along their journey toward SDN and NFV through use of an open, modern programmable platform
• Reducing failed service activations and network issues by removing risk of human error

"Cisco's model-driven approach to network automation and service orchestration is enabling Orange to drastically speed delivery of services across our entire lifecycles," said Christian Gacon, vice president, Wireline Networks and Infrastructure, Orange. "Global deployment of Cisco NSO also provides uniform configuration management tools and consumable network APIs for business applications and customer self-service portals."

"Visionary service providers like Orange recognize the value network automation and SDN offer to drive innovation in their markets," said Yves Padrines, vice president, Global Service Provider EMEAR, Cisco. "Cisco's network automation software and product portfolio enables carriers to simplify their operations through sophisticated data analysis and proactive control, helping them to continue delivering superior customer experiences without interruption."

Cisco is leading the disruption in the industry with our technology innovations in systems, silicon, optics, and security and our unrivalled expertise in mass-scale networking, automation, optical, cable access, video, and mobility. Together with our portfolio of professional services, we can enable service providers and media and web companies to reduce cost and complexity, help secure their networks, and grow revenue. 

 Trifacta, the global leader in data wrangling, announced $48 million in financing from new strategic investors, including Columbia Pacific, Deutsche Börse, Ericsson, Google, and New York Life along with participation from existing investors Accel, Cathay Innovation, Greylock Partners, Ignition Partners, and Ridge Ventures. This brings Trifacta’s total financing to $124 million to date. 

Building on the company’s more than 3x increase in customer count, the new funding will support continued development of Trifacta’s data wrangling platform and accelerate the company’s continued cloud and geographic expansion. According to IDC, the big data and business analytics market will be worth $210 billion by 2020, and the market for data wrangling technologies is anticipated to grow 2.5x faster than the market for traditional data preparation tools. In addition, Gartner reports that data preparation technologies will be used in more than 50 percent of new data integration efforts for analytics by 2020. 

“Data is bigger, it’s messier and it’s changing faster than ever before. Solving this requires customers to modernise their analytic stack to achieve better economics and improved agility. It has become essential to democratise the production of new data assets with self-service data wrangling in much the same way enterprises previously democratised the consumption of data with self-service BI,” said Adam Wilson, CEO at Trifacta. “At precisely this moment, Trifacta offers a mature platform built for big data, cloud, and self-service. We also offer the credibility of being the pioneer and the established leader in the data wrangling market.”

Company milestones from 2017 include:

• Customer adoption: GlaxoSmithKline, Bank of America, Royal Bank of Scotland, Commerzbank, PepsiCo, eBay, Enstar, Deutsche Börse, Centers for Disease Control (CDC), New York Life, BNSF Railway Company, and Nordea Bank.

• Supports deployments in popular cloud ecosystems: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and Microsoft Azure. The past six months have seen record growth for Trifacta’s cloud offerings, which have been adopted by more than 10,000 users across over 200 accounts. Trifacta also launched Cloud Data Prep on GCP in conjunction with Google, and is now listed in the AWS Marketplace and featured as part of the AWS machine learning competency. 

• Expanded the company’s technology, systems integrator and consulting partner ecosystem.Trifacta announced integration and joint customer success with a number of leading data cataloging vendors including Alation as well as a number of leading data science platforms such as DataRobot. Trifacta is also now embedded as the data wrangling standard within the Infosys Information Platform (IIP), Leidos Collaborative Analytics and Data Sharing Platform (CAADS), and Wipro Data Discovery Platform (WDDP). In addition to this, FICO now offers Trifacta as a high-end wrangling option as part of the FICO Decision Management Suite. 

Supporting quotes

“Investing in and partnering with Trifacta, an innovator with its leading data wrangling offering, helps us expand our capabilities in data-driven areas such as risk management, investment decision making and trading analytics meaningfully,” said Ankur Kamalia, MD & Head of Venture Portfolio Management and DB1 Ventures, Deutsche Börse.

“Trifacta’s cutting-edge technology, client success and vision position the company for continued growth,” said Paul McNamara, VP of Ericsson Ventures. “Ericsson is honoured to invest with Trifacta to help drive further momentum in data wrangling that will help our telecommunications customers to get actionable insights and create business value from their data.” 

“At New York Life, we're keenly focused on new analytics technologies to enhance our speed to insight,” said Joel Albarella, Head of New York Life Ventures. “As part of this effort, we’re investing in Trifacta for its forward-thinking approach to data wrangling.”

“Commerzbank is a leading international commercial bank and the second largest bank in Germany. As we embarked on creating a Big Data & Advanced Analytics division within Commerzbank, we knew that data wrangling technology would be a critical investment for its success; Trifacta was absolutely the right choice,” said Kerem Tomak, EVP & Divisional Board Member, Big Data & Advanced Analytics at Commerzbank. “Easy to use and integrate across a broad range of employees, Trifacta is a core part of our efforts to accelerate our analytics projects. As a result this will help us expand our existing efforts around data quality, fast response to ad-hoc requests, big data analytics monetisation for retail and corporate clients, and risk and compliance reporting.”

Gemalto, the world leader in digital security, announces its new Subscription ManagementDiscovery Service solution. This initiative sets new standards of freedom for all users of eSIM-connected devices, such as smartwatches, tablets, connected PCs and many more. It simplifies the customer's experience of connecting a device 'out-of-the-box' to the cellular network with the offer of their choice. Users simply select their preferred mobile operator, purchase a subscription which is instantly downloaded and activated over-the-air.

Operated by Gemalto, and leveraging its SAS certified environment, this service makes eSIM activation seamless and works for any device. In the case of devices sold independently from a mobile subscription, it removes the hassle of issuing a QR code for activation and automatically gives users the freedom to choose their network. For operator-branded devices, it automatically connects to the operator's back-end to activate the eSIM. This makes adoption of eSIM technology a lot simpler for end-users.

What does Discovery Service offer device makers and mobile operators? 

Based on the mobile industry's specifications the 'Root Discovery Service' concept, offered as a cloud service ^* by Gemalto enables manufacturers to market innovative devices with a straightforward connectivity set-up experience including the choice of mobile subscription. Mobile operators will have the opportunity to expand their business across a new population of connected devices.

 "The Discovery Service will boost eSIM adoption by OEMs and mobile operators as our solution facilitates the service deployment" said Benoit Jouffrey, vice president Connected & Embedded Solutions for Gemalto. "Part of our On-Demand Connectivity offer, this revolutionary service fits into our broader vision to enable a secure^* and seamless digital customer journey." 

^* Our service benefits from the security accreditation (SAS for eSIM) awarded by the GSMA.

BPCE, the leading French banking group, today announced that it has signed a partnership agreement with Meniga, the global leader in digital banking solutions. The agreement will see BPCE deploy Meniga’s technology across BPCE’s Banques Populaires and Caisses d’Epargne in France.

As part of its digital transformation BPCE will integrate Meniga’s technology to enhance their digital channels and introduce compelling new personalised services to better serve its customers. The first phase of the rollout will include Meniga’s award-winning Financial Activity Feed, real-time spending overview and data-driven personalised alerts and insights.

In light of the new EU Payment Services Directive (PSD2) coming into force this month, Meniga is well positioned to help BPCE capitalise on their transaction data and stay ahead in an increasingly competitive market.

François Pérol, CEO of BPCE said: “As we enter into an era of open banking, we look forward to working closely with Meniga to transform our digital customer experience. Meniga’s data-driven digital banking solutions will help accelerate our digital transformation journey and help us adapt to the ever-evolving needs of our customers”

Georg Ludviksson, CEO and co-founder of Meniga, said: “Meniga is excited to be partnering with BPCE. We have been very impressed by BPCE’s commitment to digital innovation and their clear focus on their mobile banking application through a simple and personal user experience.”

Meniga, a three times ‘BestOfShow’ winner at Finovate, European Fintech Awards winner and featuring on the exclusive FinTechTop50 list in 2014, 2016 and 2017, specialises in helping banks build personalised digital banking solutions based on personal finance data.  

Temenos (SIX: TEMN), the software specialist for banking and finance, today announced that it has appointed Emily Steele as President in North America, effective immediately. A seasoned executive in the North American market, Steele previously served as Temenos’ Chief Operating Officer (COO) in the region. In her new role, she will be responsible for the region’s P&L and lead the company’s North America field revenue and go-to-market efforts. Steele reports to Jean-Michel Hilsenkopf, Temenos Chief Revenue Officer and member of the Executive Committee.

Emily Steele is a senior leader with over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. As COO of Temenos in North America, Steele oversaw all day-to-day business operations for several divisions and market segments, including customer management, delivery, software development and compliance. She also spearheaded the sales organization for the Lifecycle software product. Steele joined Temenos in 2015 by way of the company’s acquisition of Akcelerant, a US-based financial software provider serving over 600 financial services institutions she joined in 2005 as Controls Director with a remit to define and implement new and improved processes for customer care, implementations and product development. By 2006, she was promoted to SVP of Customer Management; she became COO in 2010 and was subsequently promoted to President in 2012.  Emily Steele succeeds Jay Mossman, who will continue with Temenos in a strategic advisory role.

Emily Steele, President, North America, Temenos, commented: “The United States and Canada represent a tremendous growth opportunity for Temenos. We have a wide array of clients – from credit unions to Tier 1 institutions like Commerce Bank – and a strong pipeline across domestic core opportunities and in the digital banking space. We invest more in R&D than any other banking software supplier and have a world-class product that is proven and upgradable. We are committed to serving this market and we are best placed to take a leadership role in the North America marketplace.” 

FIME, a partner of Alhamrani Universal in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), has been selected by mada, the domestic payment scheme, to develop a state-of-the-art, bespoke cloud-based testing platform and certification process. 

For member banks, and points of interaction (POI) and payment instrument vendors, the new secure portal will make the certification process quicker, more cost efficient and convenient. This will smooth the development and launch of new payments products. As the project will fully automate and streamline the testing and certification process, the costs and resources required to manage the scheme will also be dramatically reduced for mada.  

The new self-service platform will operate 24/7 and enable stakeholders to:

• Log into a private, secure mada network.
• Create a certification project.
• Perform testing in-house on payment terminals and cards.
• Submit test logs to the cloud.
• Monitor validation progress in real-time.
• Completely remove the need to send hardware for certification.

“Our current certification processes are complex, as a result they can be time and resource intensive for everyone involved,” comments Ziad Al Yousef, General Director of Payment Systems Department at the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA). “By automating our systems and deploying them online, we can streamline the whole process, reduce certification time and give member banks and vendors the accessible service that they need to innovate. 

“All of this work ties into supporting the Saudi Vision 2030 goal of a cashless society. FIME’s expertise in supporting payment schemes made them stand out as the partner that could help us to realize this vision and deliver a truly world-class, testing and certification service.”

“This is certification for the digital age,” comments Lionel Grosclaude, CEO, FIME. “It is a hugely ambitious project that’s leading the way in our cloud-based strategy and will be the first system of its kind. Cloud-based certification puts banks in the driving seat and removes the logistical and administrative headache that schemes face when managing all of the testing themselves. We share mada’s laser-focus on efficiency and innovation. Its commitment to improving members’ user experience is commendable, and we look forward to sharing updates throughout the project.”

On March 28, Tel Aviv will host Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference Israel, a large conference dedicated to blockchain, cryptocurrencies and ICO. Speakers will discuss the future of the crypto industry, and blockchain companies will present their new developments.                                                               

Why Israel?

Blockchain community said that Israel is the startup nation. The country started to develop blockchain in 2015, and a year later, according to the audit company Deloitte, there were about 500 fintech startups.

In addition, according to the Bloomberg 2017 Innovation Index report, the economy of Israel is among the Top 10 most innovative world economies. It is not surprising, since the country allocates 4.25% of annual GDP to research and development.

Such a development of fintech is facilitated by the Israeli authorities. The country has a state incubator supporting startups. And Investment Law allows foreign companies to reduce the rate of tax deductions to 10%, which makes the state attractive for foreign entrepreneurs. In addition, the Israeli Venture Capital Industry ranked 5th in the world for venture capital availability.

Israel is also one of the countries where cryptocurrencies have no defined legal status, but are still subject to taxation. Israel Tax Authorities issued a statement saying that any business connected with cryptocurrency should pay taxes on profits. Thus, cryptocurrencies in Israel are in fact included into the legal field. In addition, the authorities have intentions to protect the interests of investors and entrepreneurs by controlling the ICO. To do so, the national securities regulator ISA has created a special committee aiming at finding out whether the securities legislation is suitable for ICO regulation.

Activities and participants

Guests of Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference Israel are entrepreneurs, developers, investors, founders of blockchain startups, lawmakers, marketers, miners, traders, lawyers and crypto enthusiasts.

The event will be held in the format of ‘conference+demozone’. The conference discussions will focus on the blockchain development in 2018. Being top experts, the speakers will share their experience of integrating blockchain into business, talk about the regulation of cryptocurrencies and tokens in Israel and abroad, as well as advise in which startups it is better to invest.

The demozone will bring together companies of the crypto industry from around the world, demonstrating their achievements and developments, as well as presenting their services.

Event organizer

The event is organized by the international company Smile-Expo, which has been carrying out events from the Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference network since 2014. Currently, its portfolio includes 16 countries. And Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference Moscow, held in November 2017, was the largest one in the CIS according to the Analytical Center under the Government of the Russian Federation.

Follow the news of the event and the program updates on the official website of  Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference Israel.

Econocom UK & IRL, a leading provider of digital transformation solutions, has appointed Ruth Glennon as its new Digital Strategy Director, signifying another positive step forward in the company’s ambitious growth plans. 

Glennon has more than 18 years’ experience in structuring financial solutions to support large technology and digital transformation projects. Prior to joining Econocom, she spent three years at Accenture as a Senior Executive Manager, where she was primarily responsible for business development and delivering innovative, transformational solutions to clients. Before that, she held the position of European Head of Sales for the technology division of Commonwealth Bank of Australia in the City of London, which included leading strategic partnerships with Barclays Bank and Nordea Group.

In her role as Digital Strategy Director at Econocom, Glennon will be working in collaboration with both new and existing strategic business partners to design new B2B solutions that complement Econocom’s existing offerings and offer the same standards as the best B2C experiences. She will also be working closely alongside the senior leadership team from a business development perspective to achieve the company’s ‘E for Excellence’ strategic plan, which aims to reach €4 billion in revenue by 2022.

Glennon says: “I’m thrilled to have joined Econocom as Digital Strategy Director for the UK and Ireland. Having spent many years specialising in business development, I believe it is crucial to be aware of the latest industry trends and recently Econocom has stood out to me as a company with an exciting future strategy. A strategy and approach focussed on helping companies to realise their digital transformation plans and to provide immersive customer engagement, and so to play a part in the evolution of the company at this point in time is exciting.”

Glennon assumed her new role at Econocom in October 2017, and is reporting into the company’s Managing Director for UK & IRL, Chris Labrey.

“Ruth really impressed us, both with the experience she has and her views for the future, and so we knew from a very early stage that she would be an ideal fit for us at Econocom,” said Labrey. “There are a lot of exciting technological developments happening right now — the like of mixed reality, machine learning, AI and much more — that could influence how we operate as a business and what we offer to our customers, and I’m sure Ruth’s input will be incredibly valuable as we continue to grow and expand.”