Lincs Inspire, which helps people in North East Lincolnshire lead more active and healthy lives through sport, culture and entertainment, is creating a healthier future for itself after implementing a cloud-hosted financial solution from Advanced*. The social enterprise is using a suite of services to ensure its financial and reporting structures are fit, agile and shape a mobile workforce in keeping with its active ethos. 

Lincs Inspire manages five sporting facilities, four libraries, a live entertainment venue, arts and sports development services, and a public archive function. In 2015, it became an independent not-for-profit entity, separated from North East Lincolnshire Council (NELC), and required an affordable and fully integrated financial system that would enable it to successfully operate as an independent and self-reliant service provider. With Advanced’s solution, staff will create efficiencies through greater automation of the company’s key financial processes whilst meeting the specific financial reporting requirements that underpins its status as a registered charity.   

“We needed to gain ownership of our own financial and procurement processes, and at the same time wanted to ensure reporting adhered to SORP** requirements, as well as benefit from non-recoverable VAT functionality. It was also important to give our staff the right tools to do their jobs efficiently, and in a more instinctive and user-friendly manner,” said Ian Gooderham of Lincs Inspire. “Advanced also offered the added advantage of bringing together all elements of the integrated software solution from the one supplier.”

The integrated solution comprises OpenAccounts, Advanced’s finance and procurement system with eBIS workflow, V1’s software for automating the purchase-to-pay processes, as well as Intuitive Dashboards, used for graphical dashboard reporting.

The system is hosted in the cloud by Advanced, giving employees secure access to the right information from any device at any location. Given the multiple facilities and sites that Lincs Inspire operates, there is a need for people across all departments to handle vital data, resulting in many forms and processes that impact the financial running of the business, such as sales invoices, timesheets and expenses. The eBIS workflow, which seamlessly integrates into OpenAccounts, provides a simple interface for finance managers, and makes it easier for them to manage and access information across the wider workforce without the need to repeatedly enter information – saving time and reducing the charity’s carbon footprint. 

“Although not-for-profit organisations may have different drivers as commercial organisations, this still brings a raft of financial reporting requirements and a pressure to deliver tight control over financial resources. Our solution will positively impact the running of this social enterprise, ensuring they deliver best value to the local community as a result of greater financial control. Furthermore, being future proof, it will allow for expansion into new business opportunities,” comments Jon Wrennall, Chief Technology Officer at Advanced.

Lexmark International, Inc., a global imaging leader, today announced that it has been awarded a place on the highly competitive Crown Commercial Services (CCS) Framework Agreement. The RM3781 framework offers public sector and central government customer solutions for printer/copier, managed print and records information management services.

• Awarded in partnership with YPO and Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation (ESPO), the milestone enables Lexmark to deliver a fully outsourced service focused on supporting centralising, securitising and standardising office outputs in the UK.
• This framework has been developed with the objective of meeting the increased customer demand for digital solutions and to provide organisations with the tools to not only increase efficiency but also to realise cost savings. 
• Specifically Lexmark will deliver customers with the capability to digitise workflows and cut carbon footprints. Through the optimisation of a more flexible print strategy, customers will have the opportunity to discover more efficient approaches to the entire printing operation across their organisation.
• The new CCS framework has been designed with the intention of becoming the principal procurement agreement across the public sector, including central and local government, police authorities, NHS bodies and universities. 

Niu Solutions, the leading provider of IT consultancy and infrastructure services, today announces a new partnership with the British Banking Association (BBA) that will strengthen the services it offers the financial services sector.

By joining the leading trade association for the UK banking sector as an Associate Member, Niu will become part of a network of more than 200 member banks operating across 180 international jurisdictions. This partnership will allow Niu to gain key market insights on a range of issues affecting the banking community, so that it can ensure its services are relevant, with particular regards to changing security and compliance measures.

Niu will also be looking to work closely with the Challenger Banks, which helps to create a level playing field for competition and reduce the barriers to growth that many challenger banks face. Membership will also offer Niu a platform to share advice and case studies with today’s newest entrants and challenger banks.

Peter Gee, Managing Director at Niu Solutions, said:

“The BBA has the largest and most comprehensive policy resources for banks in the UK, representing members both domestically and on a global stage. Joining its growing network offers Niu the opportunity to enhance our own links in the financial services sector, widen our reach and share our technical know-how and experiences to help banks solve the digital challenges they face today.

“In response to increasing international regulation, the spotlight is firmly on financial services firms. Recognising this, the BBA is dedicated to ensuring the regulatory approach supports competition and protects banking customers whilst allowing innovation to thrive. This is closely aligned to our objectives, and through our membership, we will use our own experiences of helping leading firms overcome barriers to innovation and achieve the highest security and compliance standards to support BBA members.”

Jason Cole, Commercial Director at the BBA, said:

“We are very pleased to welcome NIU as an associate member. We are looking forward to working with NIU as they seek to provide IT consultancy and infrastructure services solutions to the banking sector.

intec, major European provider of xDSL, Ethernet and IP measurement technology, is presenting its high-end ARGUS^® multifunction testers at CeBIT, the world's largest information technology and telecommunications trade show. All visitors are invited to experience the testers' performance on an actual street cabinet in live demos at intec's booth in hall 12.

The focus at CeBIT is on the successful All-IP tester ARGUS^®162. The tester has measuring solutions for VDSL2 profile 35b - the new VDSL with frequencies up to 35 MHz, also known as Super Vectoring - as well as for G.fast. The G.fast modem simulation (FTU-R) supports ITU-T G.9700/9701 with up to 106 MHz (profile 106a) and Time Division Duplexing (TDD), in which the DPU defines different downstream and upstream bandwidths. For measurements in hybrid fibre cablings (FTTB, FTTC, FTTH, FTTdp), the ARGUS^®162 is equipped with an SFP slot which can be used with the appropriate SFP module for fibre-based Ethernet circuits or GPON as required. The ARGUS^®162 also offers test functionalities for the most marketable and  rolled out  technologies, from ISDN and POTS to PRI/E1, ADSL2/2+ and VDSL2 Vectoring right up to GPON, LTE and Gigabit Ethernet. If needed, the ARGUS^®162 can also be extended for copper and triple play tests (Data, VoIP, IPTV).

In order to meet market demands any given time, the functionality of the ARGUS^® product family is constantly being expanded. For example, starting with Model ARGUS^®151, all testers are able to update via the cloud, send test results to the cloud or load and install pre-defined configurations. Additionally, the ARGUS^®165 has an SHDSL interface and can also, among other things, perform RFC2544 throughput tests.

 Aquila Capital is expanding its portfolio in the Nordics with the acquisition of its first project in Finland, a wind farm with an installed capacity of 14.4 MW on the coast near Kokkola.

The Windpark Ykspihlaja includes four Nordex N131/3600 turbines and is in one of Finland’s most favorable locations with an average wind speed of 7.7 meters/second. This will generate a capacity factor of 43%, which is above average for wind projects.

Ykspihlaja is the third project that Aquila Capital has acquired on a turnkey basis with OX2, one of the largest wind developers in Scandinavia. As a seller and general contractor, OX2 is responsible for completing the park by the beginning of 2018 and the ongoing technical on-site management.

Susanne Wermter, Head of Special Infrastructure Investments at Aquila Capital, said: “This transaction represents the realization of another project from our Scandinavian pipeline and our first in the popular Finnish wind market. The Ykspihlaja wind farm is one of the last projects to benefit from the expiring Finnish green energy support scheme, from which it will receive a state-guaranteed, fixed-market premium on the electricity price in the first 12 years of operation.”

Paul Stormoen, CEO for OX2 Wind, adds: “We are pleased with our excellent cooperation with Aquila Capital and that we are able to announce our third deal together in just a few months." 

Roman Rosslenbroich, CEO and Co-Founder of Aquila Capital, said: “Due to the high demand for renewable energy infrastructure, a deal pipeline of attractive target investments is a decisive success factor for investment managers. The long-standing cooperation with leading market participants such as OX2 is therefore of great importance for the sustainable positioning of Aquila Capital in the Nordics.”   

The acquisition increases Aquila Capital’s track record in the ​​wind sector to about 1,000 MW. With regards to the Nordics, Aquila Capital has implemented renewable energy projects with a total installed capacity of more than 800 MW since 2011.

Businesses are failing to prepare for a future led by Artificial Intelligence (AI), virtual reality, augmented reality and holograms, Servion Global Solutions has warned. While automation has played a role in customer experience for some time, industries are reaching a tipping point – not only are intelligent machines on the verge of taking over, but consumers want them to. Indeed, Servion predicts that, by 2025, AI will power 95% of all customer interactions, including live telephone and online conversations that will leave customers unable to ‘spot the bot’. At the same time, consumer expectations that businesses use visual technologies such as virtual and augmented reality, and holograms, are set to skyrocket. Businesses that fail to prepare for this future now face a severe risk of being left behind by their competitors.  

“Quite simply, everything has become commoditised – with organisations struggling to compete on price and product offerings, delivering a better customer experience has become the only differentiator,” commented Shashi Nirale, SVP&GP EMEA at Servion Global Solutions. “Businesses are realising that keeping customers is more profitable than acquiring new ones. If customers aren’t satisfied, the business can suffer a deathly blow to its bottom line. Consumers today already expect automated tills at the supermarket, automatic answers to simple queries on the phone and online, and automated payment at the car park – by the next decade they will expect so much more. Businesses that can only offer the option of struggling against a simple, automated chatbot or answering service will soon find themselves left by the wayside.”

Gartner has predicted that, by 2020, customers will manage 85% of their relationship with the enterprise without interacting with a human. However, in the following decade, even these simpler apps and automated systems will be replaced with advanced AI technologies designed to improve the overall customer experience by being proactive, anticipating customer needs and engaging on an emotional level. Ultimately, only five percent of customer interactions will require human involvement at all. At the same time, technologies such as holograms, virtual and augmented reality, are already seeing a boom in popularity. Interactions such as viewing a holiday rental property in virtual reality; solving technical issues through augmented reality; or greeting shoppers and demonstrating products by hologram will become not just luxuries, but part of the expected customer experience by 2025.

“Businesses that don’t adopt these technologies will become irrelevant in less than a decade,” said Sameet Gupte, CEO of Servion Global Solutions. “The challenge is not deciding whether to adopt, but how to do so quickly and successfully. Success means integrating all communications channels, and being able to add more as they appear. To do this, businesses need to take a holistic view: bringing all communication channels, data and technologies together in a single ‘hub’ that controls all customer interaction. By taking this approach, organisations can ensure they have control over the customer experience, whether it takes place in person or with an AI in virtual reality. Ultimately this means a better customer experience and a business that is ready for the future.”

In light of International Women’s Day (08/03/17), here are the five women who should definitely receive an honourable mention for bridging the gender inequality gap within the fintech sector:

1. Marta Krupinska, Azimo

Marta is the General Manager & Co-Founder of Azimo, which seeks to disrupt the world of money transfer. Originally from Poland, she speaks five languages, and in her day-to-day role, Marta oversees Azimo’s operations and is responsible for decisions across the business.

2. Sophie Guibaud, Fidor Bank

Sophie is currently the Vice President of European Expansion at Fidor Bank, a digital-only, challenger bank. She oversees the launch and roll-out of the bank into new markets, including the UK in September 2015. Previous to this she was instrumental in the launch of HelloFresh UK, a Rocket Internet backed e-commerce company.

3. Meaghan Johnson, 11:FS

Meaghan is the Director of Research and Co-Founder of 11:FS, a global research and advisory firm, specialising in fintech. Before launching 11:FS in 2016, Meaghan provided competitor intelligence and benchmarking research for dozens of global financial institutions throughout her career.

4. Devie Mohan, Burn Mark

Devie Mohan is the Co-Founder and CEO of Burnmark, a fintech research company created in partnership with FinLeap, which launched six months ago. She is also the market strategist and UK co-ordinator for FinLeap, and a prominent speaker, adviser and mentor in the industry.

5. Liz Lumley, Startupbootcamp

Liz is the London Managing Director of Startupbootcamp FinTech, the accelerator focused on financial innovation. She has over 20 years experience in the fintech space and previously was special projects editor at Finextra. She is responsible for running the accelerator programme in London as part of the rapidly expanding global team.

Kodak Alaris Information Management (IM) recently announced a strategic alliance with document capture solution vendor ITESOFT-Yooz Group. The partnership will provide organisations with a comprehensive solution for automated invoice processing, focused on customer needs and specifications.

The partnership will combine Kodak Alaris’ award-winning range of scanners with Yooz cloud-based Accounts Payable Automation solution. By leveraging the value of intelligent capture in accounts payable automation to reduce costs, eliminate processing errors and improve cashflow, accounting departments can become more effective and productive.

Yooz speeds up the entire accounts payable process. Its high performance recognition technologies deliver the highest level of automation and accuracy, however in order to ensure speedy straight-through processing rates, the quality of the scanned image is paramount.

“Sophisticated capture technology plays an important role when it comes to enabling organisations to stay ahead of the curve, which is why many of our customers specify Kodak scanners, because of their reliability, image quality, optical character recognition (OCR) accuracy and productivity.” said Jas Bharj, Marketing Manager at ITESOFT. 

“Digital transformation across all sectors has made traditional paper-based, manual approaches to accounting practices unsustainable. The combination of fast, efficient and feature-rich Kodak scanners with Yooz - an all-in-one solution that integrates seamlessly with any financial system, ERP or accounting package, and is easy to set up and customise, will be a core asset for any business,” said Steve Mulroy, Portfolio Marketing Manager, Information at Kodak Alaris.

Kodak Alaris holds the most Pick awards out of any scanner manufacturer tested by Buyers Laboratory LLC (BLI), the leading provider of independent test-based analytical information and competitive intelligence for the global digital imaging industry, and scooped the Scanner Line of the Year award two years in a row.