Clausematch, an award-winning technology company developing solutions for regulatory compliance and now a part of the Corlytics Group, is pleased to announce a partnership with RiskInk, a boutique risk management consultancy with unrivalled expertise in policy drafting.

With clients including HSBC, Mizuho, SMBC, Bank of the Sierra, Amherst Pierpoint (Santander), RiskInk is recognised as a leader in policy creation and development, providing documents that can withstand scrutiny from board members, executive teams, employees, clients, and regulators. RiskInk backs up this current thought leadership with publications in GARP (Global Association of Risk Professionals), PRMIA (Professional Risk Management International Association) and the RMA (the Risk Management Association).

This synergistic partnership will complement Clausematch's platform, which is at the centre of policy management, enabling businesses to collaborate, create, manage, and review various compliance documents in real-time, with a full audit trail and real-time insights. By forming an introducer partnership, both Clausematch and RiskInk will be able to benefit from the customer referrals of one another, highlighting the expertise and technology where applicable.

John Thackeray, Founder at RiskInk, says: "You can't underestimate what good policies mean for a business. They are the window into the corporate governance of the company. If policy and procedures are not documented then the implication is that the underlying task and controls do not exist. On a regular basis, I'm contacted by companies that neglected the importance of policy creation and maintenance. Moreover having policies that don't work, that aren't followed can be worse than having no policies at all. RiskInk completes this remediation quickly and at a high standard, much like a surgical strike."

Claudia Coutinho de Somma, Account manager at Clausematch, commented: "We're delighted to start our collaboration with RiskInk. Good policy writing is what sits at the core of compliance and policy management. The audience should be made fully aware of the purpose of the policy, who it affects, its principal terms and conditions, the situations in which it applies, and how it should be properly carried out. At the same time, as a result of constant regulatory change and multiple internal factors, policies and procedures also frequently go through considerable revisions. The use of technology here is crucial. This partnership is  an excellent opportunity to empower customers with professional solutions to these challenges."

"Absolutely thrilled by the opportunity to partner with a recognized leader in policy management automation. As opposed to Clausematch, who work throughout regulated industries, at RiskInk, we have been focusing on the low-hanging fruit by dealing with financial services. This partnership presents us with fresh chances for growth and development in other industries, applying the same techniques and consistent standards of policy and procedure writing," Thackeray added.

Clausematch has a proven track record as a RegTech global leader and has been actively growing its partner network. Earlier this year, the company signed partnership agreements with Solitaire in the Channel Islands, the Connector in Benelux and Várri Consultancy in the Middle East.

Kandle.xyz, a crypto fantasy GameFi project from Singapore, has announced a USD 1.7 million seed round led by Saama. The funding will be used to develop the platform further and expand its user base, featuring their flagship product ‘Crypto Fantasy Leagues’ - a game that allows players to choose crypto coins as their battle tokens and face off against other players in a battle of the portfolios. Kandle has established its presence in Indonesia, Vietnam, Nigeria, and India and plans to expand its footprint across Asia and North America. 

The seed funding round was led by Saama, with participation from PointOne Capital, Cloud Capital, Good Capital, Founder’s Room, Seeders Fund, and Mr. Sumit Gupta (CEO- CoinDCX), amongst other individual investors in the gaming and financial services industry.

Kandle.xyz offers innovative fantasy games using crypto coins, where players compete to win rewards. Kandle.xyz plans to release its project roadmap on token issuance, token utility, and a Play-and-Win model that looks promising to reimagine the Play-to-Earn ecosystem. 

In a statement expressing his excitement, Kandle's founder, Jaideep Yadav, said, "There is a massive opportunity at the intersection of gaming and crypto, and we're excited to be at the forefront of this evolution in crypto fantasy gaming. Super grateful for the unwavering support of our investors as we forge ahead in bringing the vision of Kandle to fruition. " 

He further added, “Instead of focusing on project tokens, we’ve taken the time to build a fully functioning sustainable gaming product based on sound gaming principles. By intermarrying gamification and web3 with a successful product trial, Kandle plans to integrate smart contracts to ensure that games are transparent, secure, and fair.”

Mr. Ash Lilani, Managing Partner at Saama – the lead investor in the seed round – expressed his enthusiasm, stating, "We were impressed by the innovative approach of the Kandle team in combining gaming and crypto. As the crypto industry continues to evolve, we must make it safe and free from the fear of outsized risk for the next tranche of users. Kandle’s gamified approach does exactly that – it offers a unique and timely tool for users to engage with crypto without taking direct exposure to any of the coins.”

Mr. Sumit Gupta, CEO of CoinDCX and an investor in Kandle, shared his confidence, stating, "I firmly believe that Kandle has the potential to emerge as a leading player in the crypto gaming industry, and I am excited to support their ongoing innovation and growth."

Speaking on the occasion, PointOne Capital’s GP, Mr. Mihir Jha, added, "Kandle not only has the potential to disrupt the traditional crypto trading industry, but they have also brought to market a new line of product that meets the needs of existing novice crypto traders and the next batch of web3.0 users. Super excited to be a part of their journey as Kandle soars to the moon.”

Kandle has already garnered a significant following among early adopters who seek an alternative to the volatile world of crypto trading. Over the past months, the platform successfully completed beta testing, attracting a staggering 80,000+ players during its soft launch. 

Kandle has launched exciting games ranging from Crypto Fantasy Leagues to Play-2-Earn format. There are more exciting games in its product roadmap based on user feedback. An industry first, Kandle is at the cusp of crypto trading skills and fantasy gaming.

NCR Corporation, a leading enterprise technology provider, today unveiled the names for the two companies that will form after its planned separation, expected in the fourth quarter of 2023. Selecting company names is a key milestone in NCR’s previously announced plan to separate into two independent, publicly traded companies.

“The digital commerce business will be called NCR Voyix, which is a nod to the ever-present vision, innovation and partnership that NCR offers its customers as we work with them in their voyage to succeed,” said NCR CEO Michael D. Hayford. “NCR Voyix will leverage NCR’s industry-leading software to continue transforming, connecting and running global retail, hospitality and digital banking technology platforms.”

In speaking with thousands of stakeholders to finalize each company’s name, it became clear that "NCR" is a proven badge of experience and service that customers, industry analysts, and employees encouraged NCR to retain. For the digital commerce company, the "Voyix" name demonstrates the concept of a voyage, which is how customers describe their journeys with NCR. The company is with them every step of the way, ever-present to unify technologies and guide customers toward their visions. The inclusion of "x" is purposeful — representing the actionable insights delivered to customers and the visual manifestation of the company’s ability to “link” the digital and physical worlds.

“The new name for the ATM business, NCR Atleos, reflects the strength of the NCR brand and our success in helping banks and retailers create best-in-class solutions, within and beyond the branch or across their map of expansive networks,” Hayford said. “This business will build on NCR’s leadership in solutions that enable customers to meet global demand for ATM access while leveraging new ATM transaction types, including digital currency solutions, to drive market growth.”

As with NCR Voyix, constituents surveyed encouraged the company to retain the NCR name in some way. "Atleos," for an atlas or map, speaks to the company’s focus on expanding transactions and access worldwide. "At" also nods to the company’s past and present history with automated tellers, which combined with “eos,” or the dawn of a new era, speaks to NCR’s drive to scale ATM as a Service (ATMaaS), interactive tellers and future innovations.

NCR conducted a thorough naming process with global consultancy Interbrand that included surveys, research and the engagement of thousands of stakeholders including employees, customers, investors and industry analysts.

“We took the responsibility of renaming a company with more than 130 years of history very seriously,” said CMO Jennifer Personette. “The strength of both brands, which build on our existing positive brand value, is evident in the recent momentum of the business and customer feedback. I am also proud that we chose names through a process that included feedback from 12,000 employees who expressed their pride in NCR.”

Previously, the company’s Board of Directors announced that current NCR Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Tim Oliver is designated as CEO of NCR Atleos and David Wilkinson, executive vice president and president of NCR Commerce, is designated to lead NCR Voyix.

AMLYZE, a leading RegTech company specializing in anti-financial crime solutions for FinTechs, neo-banks and crypto businesses, is pleased to announce the launch of its latest solution, the Screening Module, designed primarily to help financial institutions' to identify and mitigate risks associated with global sanctions.

Over the past two years, the world has witnessed an unprecedented increase in the number of sanctions imposed by regulators around the world.

According to Open Sanctions, the open-source international sanctions database, the European Union sanction list has increased the number of sanctioned individuals and organizations by 142% in the last two years, from 4,445 to 10,740. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has served as a catalyst for an increased international response, with numerous countries imposing sanctions and embargoes to condemn these actions.

Since Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, only the EU itself has imposed sanctions on 1,800 individuals and entities linked to Russia, according to a report by the European Banking Authority (EBA). These measures are unprecedented in scale and scope, says the EBA.

As financial institutions grapple with the complex challenges posed by this evolving landscape, AMLYZE has developed the Screening Module to enable organizations to effectively identify and mitigate the risks associated with global sanctions.

The launch of the AMLYZE Screening Module underscores the company's unwavering commitment to developing comprehensive and future-proof AML solutions. As the regulatory landscape continues to evolve, AMLYZE remains at the forefront, enabling financial institutions to achieve compliance, mitigate risk and maintain the integrity of the global financial system.

The standard version of the new module has integrated more than 65 different datasets on sanctioned persons, entities, and politically exposed persons (PEPs) with the possibility of connecting negative media lists from global leading dataset providers. 

“AMLYZE’s core team is made of former regulators and experienced anti-financial crime experts, so we are committed to delivering innovative solutions that enable financial institutions to navigate the ever-changing regulatory landscape. With the launch of our Screening Module, dedicated to sanctions, PEPs and adverse media screening, we aim to address the critical need for robust and efficient sanctions compliance tools. By leveraging advanced technologies, we provide our customers with enhanced capabilities to detect, monitor and manage the increasing risks associated with sanctions compliance", - said Gabrielius Erikas Bilkštys, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, at AMLYZE. 

Key features of the Screening Module include:

•    Up to 60% reduction in the number of noisy returns
•    Over 40 different parameters available for tuning
•    More than 65 data sources leveraged for the most accurate level of cross-referenced results
•    An average of 500 milliseconds response to ensure the fluidity of all of operations
•    At least 37 lists of sanctioned entities designated by different countries and international organizations to choose from
•    At least 8 lists of PEPs collected from more than 250 countries in total
•    Easy installation and customization through API connection
•    Ability to use the Screening Module as a standalone product or as an integrated part of AMLYZE broader AML software solutions 

IDEX Biometrics is partnering with a leading Azerbaijani bank to bring biometric payment cards to Eastern Europe, revolutionizing the payment experience in this rapidly expanding market. The bank operates across Azerbaijan and collaborates with a network of international banks and institutions serving multinational and domestic companies as well as individual customers.

The Azerbaijan payment market has demonstrated remarkable progress over the last decade, reaching a market size of $6.3 billion in 2021 and projected to grow at a CAGR of 28% by 2025.  As electronic payment acceptance continues to surge, banks have been at the forefront, launching innovative loyalty programs, contactless, and mobile payments. Anticipating the next market break-through, Azerbaijan is now poised to introduce cutting-edge and next-generation contactless cards with biometric authentication.

”IDEX Biometrics is thrilled to bring biometric payments cards to the Azerbaijani market, reasserting the growing demand for biometric solutions in Eastern Europe,” says Catharina Eklof, Chief Commercial Officer at IDEX Biometrics. “We are excited to contribute to enhancing digital banking solutions and improving the payment experience in this rapidly expanding market.”

Tracxn, a leading global SaaS-based market intelligence platform, has released its FinTech - India Semi Annual Funding Report - H1 2023. The report, which is based on Tracxn’s extensive database, provides insights into the Indian FinTech space.

India has retained its position as the third-highest funded FinTech industry in H1 2023, after the US and UK, similar to the previous year. India is also the third-largest FinTech ecosystem in terms of number of companies next to the US and UK. The number of FinTech companies in India is twice more than China and Canada. FinTech startups in India have received the highest funding compared with any other sector in the country.

Indian FinTech Startups raised a total of $1.4 billion in H1 2023, a massive drop of 67% from $4.3 billion raised in H1 2022. However, the funds raised in the first six months of 2023 dipped only 6% from $1.5 billion in H2 2022. 

This funding decline in H1 2023 is largely due to the downward trend in early-stage investments, which plunged 81% and 68% from H1 2022 and H2 2022, respectively. Seed-stage funding in H1 2023, too, saw a decrease of 38% and 70% from H2 2022 and H1 2022, respectively. Late-funding in the first half of 2023 grew 66% from H2 2022, but fell 62% from the same period last year.  

The FinTech startup ecosystem raised funds worth $1.18 billion in Q1 2023, contributing to more than 84% of the funds raised in the first half of 2023 The funds raised in the first three months of this year is also 2X higher than the funds raised in the previous quarter (Q4 2022). Meanwhile, Q2 2023 was the least funded quarter since 2021. 

Payment, Alternative lending and Internet-first Insurance platforms were the top-performing segments in the Indian FinTech sector in H1 2023. Payment startups accounted for 55% of the total funding received in the FinTech sector in the first six months of 2023. Funding in the payments segment has increased by 3X compared with H2 2022. Funding in payment startups is witnessing growth on a global scale, and was the highest-performing segment in the US FinTech space as well. 

The Indian FinTech space witnessed seven $100 million+ rounds in the first six months of 2023. No new unicorns were recorded during this period, compared with four in H1 2022. 

There were no new IPOs in this sector in H1 2023, as against two each in H2 2022 and H1 2022.  There was a slight uptick in the number of acquisitions, which rose to 19 in H1 2023 from 13 in the second half of 2022, but still lower than 26 in H1 2022.

Peak XV Partners, AngelList, and Y Combinator were the top investors in the Indian FinTech space. IPV, Blume and Titan Capital were the top investors in seed-stage rounds, while Elevar Equity, TPG and Peak XV Partners were the top investors in early-stage rounds. OP Finnfund Global Impact Fund I and Avataar Ventures were the top investors in late-stage rounds.

Among Indian cities, FinTech startups in Bengaluru raised $949 million in H1 2023, 2.5x higher than the next two cities on the list - Mumbai ($218 million) and Jaipur ($150 million). The companies based on Bengaluru accounted for 67% of the funds raised in the Indian FinTech segment in the first half of 2023.

Despite being the third largest FinTech ecosystem on a global scale, the Indian Fintech startup ecosystem has been witnessing a funding drop similar to the global trends and H1 2023 has been the least funded half year since 2021. 

However, the increased investor interest in FinTech startups in this region can be attributed to the higher adoption rate of FinTech solutions in India, compared with the global average. Multiple initiatives by the government, like the introduction of UPI, ease of banking policies, introduction of India’s Digital Rupee are accelerating the growth in this segment.

The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) today announced that Swee Lian Teo will be stepping down from its Board of Directors on the 31st of August.

Ms. Teo has served on the DFSA’s Board for six years.  As the Chair of the Board’s Risk Committee and as a member of the Governance and Nominations Committee and Emirati Working Group, she has played a key role in the innovative and progressive regulation the DFSA continues to deliver to an ever-diversifying financial community.

Fadel Al Ali, Chairman of the DFSA said “On behalf of the Board, we thank Swee Lian for her exemplary service.  We greatly appreciate the insight and expertise that she has provided in her role as a Board Member for the DFSA, supporting Dubai’s growth as a major international financial hub.” 

Global broker, Fxview, offers comprehensive trader education on a wide range of financial instruments to support beginner traders.

Globally recognised and regulated brokerage and a part of Finvasia Group, Fxview is a leading destination for traders starting out. Fxview offers a wide variety of financial instruments for traders to choose from, including over 400 stocks, 70 forex pairs, 11 indices, 8 commodities and 5 popular cryptocurrencies*. Fxview also provides beginners with education and market information, including a vast forex glossary, video tutorial library, the latest market news and insights and free webinars from market experts.

Fxview is committed to enabling informed market participation for everyone through cutting-edge trading tools, flexible platforms and comprehensive educational resources. Fxview is consistently adding to their education centre and informing traders with current market moves and insights. This assists traders of all experience levels to identify possible trading opportunities for their instruments of choice.

Fxview provides services to clients in over 180 countries and is registered with/ regulated by various regulatory bodies worldwide, including the FSCA in South Africa and the CySEC in the EU.

The Evolution of Trading

The modern capital markets as we know them, were initially established to facilitate fund management for banks in the early 20th century. The space quickly turned into one that could easily be manipulated by those with huge investment capacity. This led to the creation of regulatory bodies worldwide to ensure investor safety and to stabilise the capital markets. In the latter years of the 20th century, technology-enabled innovation introduced electronic trading. This opened the financial markets for retail investors, who had access to information and opportunities on par with institutional investors.

The speed of evolution accelerated in the 21st century, with retail investors becoming a significant part of the forex, commodities, equities and now cryptocurrency markets. Fxview was established in 2009 with the aim of easing entry to trading and providing world-class conditions for anyone who wished to participate in the markets. Forex, the most traded decentralised market, is also the most popular one among retail traders. Fxview allows traders to make the most of the opportunities offered by this market through comprehensive educational resources and trading via Contracts for Difference (CFDs). Fxview’s superior customer service makes the journey smooth and friction-free for beginners.

Why Trade CFDs

CFDs are derivative instruments that allow traders to use leverage to expand their market exposure. This allows traders to participate in their chosen markets without the need for a large capital base. With CFDs, traders do not own the underlying instruments. They only speculate on the future price of an asset. This allows them to make the most of opportunities in both rising and falling markets. 

However, traders must remember that trading with leverage amplifies both profit and loss potential by enhancing market exposure. This is why experienced traders use leverage wisely and implement appropriate risk management measures when placing orders.

Powering Traders with Multiple Instruments

By offering multi-asset trading from a single platform, Fxview also offers traders to seamlessly diversify their portfolio and manage risks.

Forex: Fxview provides access to a total of 70 different forex pairs for trading, including major, minor and exotic pairs.

Commodities: The most popularly traded CFD commodities, such as precious metals, oil and gas, are available for trading 24/5.

Stocks: Traders can choose from 400+ global CFD stocks, including giants such as Apple, Amazon, Sony, Target and many more.

Indices: The most traded global CFD indices, including the Nasdaq, S&P 500, Nikkei 225 and DAX 30, can be traded to gain diversified exposure to the stock markets.

Cryptocurrencies: Fxview offers resources to trade popular CFD cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and Ripple.

Trading Terminology Every Trader Should Know

Familiarising oneself with market terminology eases the understanding of market reports and analyses. Fxview offers a vast forex glossary to help beginners with financial jargon. Here’s a snapshot of this abundant resource pool:

Leverage: Expressed as ratios, such as 1:100 or 1:500*, this is capital borrowed from the broker to enter a position.

Pips: The smallest price movement in the forex market is known as a pip. This price change is quoted to the fourth decimal point for most currencies, except the Japanese Yen.

Margin: This is the minimum capital a trader needs to maintain in their trading account to open a position or keep an existing position open. It is the difference between the full value of the position and the leverage used.

Stop Loss: One of the most popular risk management techniques, it involves setting a price level at which an open position will be automatically closed to limit losses.

Why Beginners Prefer Fxview

Fxview is a leading global broker with almost 15 years of experience in the financial markets. Fxview offers a comprehensive array of trading tools to power informed trading for beginners and experienced traders. 

Fxview’s best-in-class trading conditions include:

• Zero-cost funding with multiple currencies and the most popular funding methods

• Ultra-low commissions and tight spreads

• Deep liquidity for lightning-fast order execution

• Unmatched trader support over the phone, via email and chat 24/5

• Bonuses*

Fxview brand e has won multiple awards for its products and services, including the “Best ECN/STP Broker” at UF AWARDS MEA 2023 and “Best Multi-Asset Broker Africa” from the Financial Achievements in Markets Excellency (FAME) Awards. 

Learn more about the educational resources offered by Fxview before starting your trading journey.

* Offered via Orivest (Pty) Ltd FSP 50410 (Fxview Global)"

Risk Disclaimer: CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage"

As spiralling interest rates and inflation threaten to push ever wider swathes of UK consumers deeper into financial discomfort and distress, leading fintech experts and tech-savvy lenders empower millions of consumers to unlock holistic financial data to gain fairer access to the right financial products.   

TotallyMoney, the personal finance app which helps over 5 million UK consumers improve their credit scores and move their finances forward, has selected data intelligence platform Bud Financial (Bud) to power its new service which empowers consumers to proactively stay on top of their finances, using AI models to analyse their full financial data made available by open banking.  

Bud’s deep AI capabilities will enable TotallyMoney to use real-time open banking data to generate predictive insights and arm its customers with proactive bill and payment tracking, helping them stay on top of outgoing and upcoming payments. Using Bud’s AI and data intelligence platform, TotallyMoney will further help its customers stay on top of their bills and payments so they can build, improve and protect their credit score. 

Bud’s AI-trained models take into account 12 months of consumers’ latest banking data, identifying regular payments such as utility bills, subscriptions, rent and so on, and generate a dynamic breakdown of upcoming payments. TotallyMoney uses Bud’s data intelligence services to generate insights which help customers plan ahead and understand in advance the impact of their financial decisions on their credit score. Customers are alerted to how specific payments might influence their credit score, and they can track regular outgoings and avoid slipping into overdraft or missing payments. The new service is offered free to TotallyMoney's customers.

TotallyMoney is a purpose-driven fintech with a focus on the UK's 20 million financially under-served adults. The free app puts customers in control of their own data so it works for them, not against them, offering personalised plans, products and insights to help unlock a life of more choices. TotallyMoney partners with both leading and specialist lenders to offer an expansive inventory of products designed to help the financially under-served access best-matched loans, credit cards and mortgages.

TotallyMoney first integrated Bud’s platform in January 2023, to supercharge affordability and eligibility assessments for pre-approved loans, by taking into account wider, better, and more accurate data. Using Bud's platform and open banking data, TotallyMoney has additionally enabled its lending partners to achieve significant efficiencies in the time to process loan applications: 75% of loan applications are processed in 15 minutes or less (versus 80% of applications processed in 60 minutes or less with credit bureau data alone).

Alastair Douglas CEO, TotallyMoney, says: “For decades, credit report data has remained largely unchanged, having not kept up with social and economic changes. The information is slow to update, and therefore doesn’t provide a fair representation of somebody’s ability to manage and repay what they borrow — having implications for both customers and lenders. By integrating open banking data, powered by Bud, we’re bridging the financial inclusion gap for the 29 million UK adults who are classified as under-served or financially fragile. Banks now have better insights to assess a customer's eligibility, while our latest feature helps customers manage their money and protect their credit score, helping them unlock a life of more choices.”

“AI is enabling businesses and lenders to generate unique customer insight based on their data. Now, by combining a number of models, we’re able to help our clients treat their customers as individuals. At Bud, we bring together data, internal and external, and help our clients understand who their customers are. Whether institutions are looking to create better lending outcomes or make every customer interaction data-driven, we’re here to deliver proven returns. We're proud to enable TotallyMoney to build smart money management tools for their customers. Supercharging affordability and driving financial resilience is what we do,” adds Ed Maslaveckas, CEO and Founder of Bud Financial.