Today IBM has reported that an industry-first initiative to build commercially available universal quantum computing systems. "IBM Q" quantum systems and services will be delivered via the IBM Cloud platform. While technologies that currently run on classical computers, such as Watson, can help find patterns and insights buried in vast amounts of existing data, quantum computers will deliver solutions to important problems where patterns cannot be seen because the data doesn't exist and the possibilities that you need to explore to get to the answer are too enormous to ever be processed by classical computers. 

IBM also announced today:

• The release of a new API (Application Program Interface) for the IBM Quantum Experience that enables developers and programmers to begin building interfaces between its existing five quantum bit (qubit) cloud-based quantum computer and classical computers, without needing a deep background in quantum physics.
• The release of an upgraded simulator on the IBM Quantum Experience that can model circuits with up to 20 qubits. In the first half of 2017, IBM plans to release a full SDK (Software Development Kit) on the IBM Quantum Experience for users to build simple quantum applications and software programs.

The IBM Quantum Experience enables anyone to connect to IBM's quantum processor via the IBM Cloud, to run algorithms and experiments, work with the individual quantum bits, and explore tutorials and simulations around what might be possible with quantum computing. 

"IBM has invested over decades to growing the field of quantum computing and we are committed to expanding access to quantum systems and their powerful capabilities for the science and business communities," said Arvind Krishna, senior vice president of Hybrid Cloud and director for IBM Research. "Following Watson and blockchain, we believe that quantum computing will provide the next powerful set of services delivered via the IBM Cloud platform, and promises to be the next major technology that has the potential to drive a new era of innovation across industries."

Nuoyuan Technology Development Co., Ltd. is an innovative financial technology service company under Hanfor Holdings, headquartered in Beijing. The company will participate in the upcoming LendIt USA 2017, to be held in New York between March 6th and 7th this year.

Ms. Guo Lu, President of Hanfor Holdings who has over 20 years of financial risk management in both Australia and China, is expected to share her insights on the latest developments in the global FinTech industry, the growing role of new finance and emerging markets, and provide her visions in the prospects of China's FinTech market.

Under the backing of Hanfor Holdings, Nuoyuan's parent company, Nuoyuan is a leading Chinese FinTech firm specializing in risk control based on the world leading FICO system and characteristics of Chinese market, to develop signature risk control system combines international professional experiences and local experimental adjustment. Up until now, the fund scale of Hanfor Capital Management has exceeded CNY 30 billion (USD $4.36 billion).

With its own professional financial modeling team, Nuoyuan has co-founded a "financial laboratory" with some big data companies, and introduces the world leading technologies including decision tree pooling, univariate analysis, multivariate analysis, out-of-sample validation, model calibration and stress testing, scores groups from different scenarios with models so as to predict, analyze the risks and keep such risks controllable.

Nuoyuan online, an online financing platform subordinate to Nuoyuan Technology, has now completed online transactions amounted to above CNY 5 billion (USD $726 million) and acquired more than 600,000 loyal users, which mainly involves scenario-based and consumer financial services.

Nuoyuan Technology cooperates with e-commerce platforms, providing installment loans and consumer credit services to end consumers. Meanwhile, Nuoyuan offers supply chain financing services to SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) and microenterprises, that fills out the market blank under the traditional financing system.

Today LG Innotek has confirmed its participation in Euroshop 2017, the world's biggest retail trade fair, held in Dusseldorf, Germany. The company aims to attract retail companies by showcasing various products and technologies such as the world's first commercialized ESL-based color lighting control solution and advanced location tracking solution. It can be developed into a "Smart Integrated Retail Management" platform by combining distribution with lnternet of Things (IoT).

This year's Euroshop marks its 18th exhibition. This is the world's biggest retail trade fair that receives participations from 2,500 distribution companies from about 60 countries around the world, and a total of around 110,000 visitors.

The ESL-based color lighting control solution, which LG Innotek is introducing for the first time in the world, automatically provides a colored lighting that is suitable for a product's sale, based on the product barcode registered in ESL.

This solution of a new concept, by its merge with ESL, overcomes the limit of the previously developed wireless lighting control system. Traditionally, retailers had to purchase and install a separate lighting control solution, and even configure the settings themselves for products' lighting control.

The company will also demonstrate an advanced location tracking solution that makes it easy to find product locations or trace movement flows of customers inside a store. LG Innotek has improved the tracking accuracy of the solution up to 50%.

The company also plans to showcase a lineup of other ESL products that boost the convenience of distribution businesses and store managers, including a full-colored LCD ESL and a reflective colored ESL without backlight powered only by batteries.

LG Innotek intends to meet the various needs of distribution businesses through this exhibition, by presenting products that combine its world-class wireless communication technology with its display technology. Also, the company plans to highlight its ability to provide a comprehensive lineup of various loT products, including sensor, LED lighting, and network security cameras.

NCR Corporation, a world leader in providing omni-channel solutions, showcases at this year’s EuroShop, how retailers can substantially improve sales growth by using the right technologies. A recent Unified Commerce Landscape Report from NCR, in partnership with research and analyst firm IHL Group, found that retailers who invest in technologies designed to create seamless shopping experiences, personalization and store transformation enjoy sales boosts of up to 100 percent and more.

Not surprisingly, omni-channel, digital store and digital transformation are the top three technology trends in Retail according to a study on IT trends in retail published by the EHI Retail Institute in February 2017. Anticipating these needs, NCR demonstrates solutions at this year’s EuroShop that help retailers fulfill their goals in the following areas:

Store transformation

Retailers are moving to a seamless checkout experience to eliminate wait times and friction at the checkout. NCR is showcasing the NCR FastLane Mobile Shopper powered by Revision. This innovative new application gives retailers the ability to offer consumers a scan-as-you-shop option using either the consumer’s own iOS or Android mobile phone or a store-provided device.

Russian Hypermarket Globus is the first customer to deploy the NCR solution with these handheld devices. Globus customers that are using the scan & go service simply scan products as they put them in their cart and conclude their shopping by scanning a barcode at one of the NCR self-checkouts provided in the designated checkout-areas. These consist of the NCR SelfServ 90 as well as NCR FastLane SelfServ self-checkouts. Both of these solutions were recognized by iF Design Awards 2017 for their ease of use and innovative, modern design.

Unified commerce

For general merchandise, fashion, department stores and specialty retailers in Spain, France, Germany, Denmark and Italy, NCR has introduced NCR Enactor, a platform-independent unified commerce software suite that includes a wealth of pre-packaged retail applications that span all current customer channels as well as store and estate management. Its extensive configuration options and scale enable retailers to introduce new features quickly and replicate the same seamless shopping experience across all stores and markets. With NCR Power Picking supermarkets and convenience retailers can take advantage of the growing trend of online grocery shopping by introducing click & connect services that are fulfilled in-store. The solution, which is part of NCR’s retail hub, leverages store level inventory and imports customers’ decision-making preferences, such as perishability dates or the ripeness of produce, through e-commerce applications. The solution translates online ordering in the workflow of brick and mortar shopping processes.

Digital Enablement

Leveraging the Unified Commerce Landscape report by IHL, NCR has developed a benchmarking tool that allows retailers to find out how they measure up against retailers that are already increasing sales by making the most out of their technology investments. Retailers can complete the benchmarking survey at NCR’s booth in hall 6, stand C09 or complete the form online and receive a customized report.

Mosaicoon is the platform connecting top brands and worldwide creators for the end-to-end realization of video strategies. Today the company has announced that it has become a Facebook Marketing Partner in the Content Marketing specialty, with a particular focus on video.

The company will serve as an asset for brands looking to quickly get high-performance video strategies to reach Facebook audiences. Among the 18 Facebook Marketing Global Partners, Mosaicoon is the first partner for content based in Italy.

Mosaicoon changes the way that companies produce and position their online video campaigns. By counting on a worldwide network of creators who can upload their video contents - either as ready videos or format to be developed - Mosaicoon makes available to brands an array of videos that can be sponsored by them and are immediately suitable for their video strategy, with guaranteed performances included. As companies can browse, purchase and build on pre-made professional videos instead of commissioning them by brief, Mosaicoon makes the video production process quick, simple and cost-effective. It simultaneously enables brands to accelerate and maximize their video strategy potential, while allowing creators to express their best by not feeling constrained by a brief. The traditional creative process is thus flip-flopped, bringing creators at the center while creativity becomes the engine, and technology serves as an activator of a new way of producing value - what Mosaicoon explains in defining itself as “Human Creativity Engine”.

Within Mosaicoon platform the process is extremely simplified. Creators, whether individuals or production houses, propose their video projects of diverse forms and lengths - from short movies to how-to - and suitable for different industries. Tagged with keywords associated with their content, with the support of Artificial Intelligence videos are made available to brands through a matchmaking algorithm which picks out relevant videos matching the values or themes a company wants to emphasize through a project. In addition, Mosaicoon introduces a pricing model called “CPVplus” which allows brands to only pay content per effective views rather than purchasing videos at a fixed price.

Through Mosaicoon, brand marketers now have a highly efficient video content engine to fully leverage Facebook's distribution assets.

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation has revealed today its new FA-IT Open Platform for factory automation based on edge computing. The platform boosts connectivity between factory shop floors and value chains via Internet of things (IoT) systems to enable the rapid collection, analysis, and utilization of data for smart manufacturing.

Key Features

1) Application development and connection to production equipment

Vendors can download the free development environment to create manufacturing applications for operation on the platform, including connecting the platform to industrial networks for the collection of data from diverse devices and production equipment. Mitsubishi Electric is also considering opening an online application store.

2) Simple data model construction for manufacturing sites

Users can design, manage and access equipment data models based on the Industrie 4.0 administration shell* without expert knowledge in subjects such as programming. Also, data can be effectively selected and analyzed.

* System for storing information on the design, operation, and maintenance of total equipment in factories

3) Connection with various clouds and IT systems

The cloud-connected platform can be used to link manufacturing sites with IT vendors’ own cloud-supported manufacturing-optimization services for supply chains, administration of multiple factories worldwide, and other applications

Mitsubishi Electric will continue developing the platform itself and applications for the platform through collaboration with IT companies and others, focusing on connection to increased equipment and devices, strengthening security measures, and incorporating artificial intelligence.

The platform will also be integrated with solutions based on Mitsubishi Electric’s e-F@ctory ecosystem for factory automation. 

Atom Bank, the UK’s first bank designed exclusively for mobile, has agreed terms for a further £83M in equity, which will bring the total capital raised by Atom to £219M. They have secured further capital from current investors including BBVA, Woodford Investment Management, Toscafund Asset Management and others reaffirming their commitment to Atom’s future.

After securing its banking license in June 2015, Atom Bank launched operations in April 2016, offering two market-leading Fixed Saver accounts and secured business lending for small and medium-sized enterprises (‘SMEs’). From the start, Atom set out to build a customer-driven bank, designed to meet their new needs and optimised for mobile technologies. Atom Bank recently launched its first mobile mortgage product, allowing borrowers to manage everything via an App. Atom plans to launch further products and enhancements to the App throughout 2017.

Atom aims to offer a great customer experience by using the best practices from leading digital firms and introducing them to the banking industry. Customers are able to open accounts using Atom’s mobile App, access their financial information in a simple way and take advantage of a range of unique tools that will help them get the most out of their money.

Commenting on the latest capital raise, Atom Bank’s Founder and Chairman, Anthony Thomson said: “We are very pleased with the response we have had from investors. Our customers benefit from the backing of highly reputable investors who are supportive of what we are doing. This is a great vote of confidence in our growth prospects and plans for the future.

With the work we have done so far we are just beginning to see how transformational our new approach to banking can be. There is so much more to come from Atom in the coming months and years”. Atom expects to announce further funding in the near future. 

Macquarie Capital (Europe) Limited act as financial advisors and Bond Dickinson act as legal advisors to Atom Bank plc.

Verifone, a global provider of payments and commerce solutions, received this year iF DESIGN AWARD, for Verifone Carbon, the company’s beautiful, flexible and integrated POS.

The prestigious iF DESIGN AWARD is awarded annually by Hannover-based iF International Forum Design GmbH, Germany’s oldest independent design organization. Verifone’s POS innovation won over a 58-member jury of independent experts, who selected Carbon for its innovative approach to point of sale technology, design elegance, and flexibility. More than 5,500 entries were submitted from 59 countries. 

“The point of sale is ripe for design innovation. I’m extremely proud of what the Verifone team has done to evolve the role of POS technology into something that is much more meaningful to merchant-consumer interaction,” said Glen Robson, EVP, Global Head of Solutions for Verifone.

“We have spent the past two years creating the next generation device platform to deliver Verifone’s solutions, and the result of this effort has been truly special products, such as Carbon. It’s the maniacal attention to detail in these products and the value they can deliver for our clients that make them worthy of the iF DESIGN AWARD.”

Glasgow based Encompass Corporation has been chosen to attend the Department of International Trade’s (DIT) first RegTech mission to New York. 

This mission offers British businesses the opportunity to explore the US market and NYC's financial services industry. It is taking place from 24-28 April the event will include five days of workshops, networking events and 1:1 meetings where UK companies can learn best practices about US expansion strategy and business development as well as network with top-level industry executives.  

A leading RegTech company, Encompass Corporation provides next generation KYC software for banking, finance, legal and accountancy.  

Encompass is one of 16 leading RegTech firms selected to take part in the mission and the only Scottish firm.   They will also pitch at an event during NYC FinTech week and have a booth at the Empire Startups Conference.

Francesca Lorenzini, based in DIT’s British Consulate office in New York congratulated Encompass saying “we’re delighted to welcome Encompass to the mission, they are among a group of RegTech firms leading the way in the U.K. and on an exciting trajectory toward the US market which we hope this engagement will support.”

Roger Carson, Co-Founder and Global Financial Sales Director, Encompass Corporation said: "This mission will be of enormous benefit to our businesses as we look expand globally, and into the North American market in particular. We're also delighted to have the opportunity to showcase the exciting developments in RegTech that are happening here in Scotland."

Sharon Hamilton, Head of Financial & Business Services, Scottish Development International said  "This is a fantastic opportunity for Encompass to showcase RegTech in Scotland to the world's largest digital economy." 

CSC, a global leader in next-generation IT services and innovative cloud solutions, and Virtual Clarity, a leading provider of IT-as-a-Service (ITaaS) transformation strategy and leadership, today declared about an agreement to jointly help enterprises accelerate their transformation to leading cloud environments, including Amazon Web Services, IBM Cloud, and Microsoft Azure.

Under the terms of the agreement, CSC will make an undisclosed investment in Virtual Clarity to accelerate the company’s leading transformation consulting services targeting the Financial Services, Insurance, Telecom, and Manufacturing industries. Virtual Clarity will become a Strategic Affiliate of CSC and will collaborate on joint go-to-market pursuits with CSC.

Virtual Clarity has significant knowledge and experience in helping global clients solve large, complex business problems and building lasting value for customers and partners. Its ClearTransformation service enables companies to accelerate business innovation, overcoming the inertia of legacy IT by transforming the traditional IT operating model to nimble IT-as-a-Service.

The Virtual Clarity relationship will enhance CSC’s ability to lead client transitions to the digital enterprise and reinforces CSC’s leadership in cloud transformation. Clients will benefit by combining the breadth and depth of CSC’s vendor-agnostic, next-generation technology solutions with Virtual Clarity’s business- outcomes consultative approach.

As more organizations are looking to operate their business in the cloud, they increasingly face challenges associated with managing complexity, cost and risk. The CSC and Virtual Clarity integrated approach will de-risk large-scale IT transformation programs while empowering clients to focus on growing their businesses with improved efficiencies at a scale not possible in traditional IT environments.

“We are excited to be partnering with CSC. This partnership will ensure that organizations can transform their business faster and safer than before, and at scale,” said Steve Peskin, chief executive officer, Virtual Clarity. “CSC delivers fantastic service solutions to enable what organizations need to finally make enterprise infrastructure frictionless and invisible to the business and unlock competitive agility.”