TS Imagine, the leading global, cross-asset class provider of trading, portfolio, and risk management solutions for financial institutions, today announces the appointment of Simarjit (Sim) Johal to Head of Asia Pacific (APAC), reporting to Rob Flatley, Chief Executive Officer. Sim will join TS Imagine’s Executive Leadership Committee and relocate to Hong Kong when he assumes the role in September 2023. 

TS Imagine has been operating in APAC for over two decades, with over 60 employees in Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, and Sydney working across development, data, product, sales, professional services, account management, client support, finance, and human resources.  

“We are proud of our longstanding roots in APAC, which continues to be a key growth region for us. Sim is a well-rounded, cross-functional leader with the energy to serve clients and motivate employees, and we believe the region will thrive under his leadership,” said Flatley.  

Sim was previously Co-Head of Professional Services & Account Management. Sim joined TS Imagine 7 years ago and has worked in numerous positions across the company including as a Product Analyst in Client Support, and as both EMEA and Global Head of Professional Services & Account Management. He joined TS Imagine from Imperial College in London where he majored in Physics, and where he now plays an active alumni role mentoring and recruiting students who are pursuing careers in financial technology. 

“I am excited to unlock the massive growth opportunity within TS Imagine APAC. Throughout my time at the company, I have always had the right combination of freedom and support to make an impact -- this rings especially true today and I am deeply grateful for this opportunity,” said Johal.  

Earlier this month, TS Imagine announced the launch of TS One, the essential solution for investing teams seeking to drive alpha and scale their business as they navigate any asset class and market.   

Billtrust, a B2B accounts receivable (AR) automation and digital payments market leader, has announced that it has been named the winner of a Silver Stevie® Award in the Environment, Social and Governance category in The 21st Annual American Business Awards®. Recipients in this category demonstrated their commitment to reducing pollution, CO2 output and waste, as well as achieving a diverse and inclusive workforce.

In recent years, Billtrust has taken significant steps in stakeholder engagement and has made investments in sustainability and diversity initiatives. It now supports over 2,600 customers in 36 countries, many of which use Billtrust’s solutions to reduce paper and emissions associated with inefficient billing and invoicing processes. The company’s eSolutions team exists to accelerate digital adoption and, in 2021, it hit a significant milestone by campaigning on behalf of its customers to eliminate 301 million paper invoices and 22 million paper checks from manufacture, distribution and disposal.

In 2022, Billtrust also introduced a sustainability award at its annual customer conference and created an environmental sales calculator for its sales teams to help educate customers on the impact of Billtrust products. The company strongly believes its commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) is critical in fulfilling its vision to retain exceptional talent and lift up the communities in which it operates. The brand works to continually advance its DEIB efforts in a range of areas, including introducing a supplier diversity program and introducing seven Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). Finally, in 2022, Billtrust launched its year-round community impact program, Billtrust for Good, to donate $100,000 and volunteer 2,500+ hours to community partners worldwide.

“We are especially proud to receive the Silver Stevie Award in this category, as it recognizes our efforts as a global company to focus on both our culture and our climate,” said Sunil Rajasekar, Billtrust CEO.

The American Business Awards are the U.S.A.’s premier business awards program. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations – public and private, for-profit and nonprofit, large and small. More than 230 professionals worldwide participated in the judging process to select this year’s Stevie Award winners. Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word meaning “crowned,” the awards will be presented to winners at a gala ceremony at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York on Tuesday, June 13.

Digital wealth platform Yield App has partnered with Volt, the leading global real-time payments gateway, to offer additional GBP and EUR on-ramps via FPS and SEPA Instant.

Yield App customers can now buy cryptocurrency in real-time directly with their bank, thanks to the integration of Volt’s pan-European open banking solution. With connections to over 1,800+ banks across the continent, this streamlined two-step process enables customers to authorise transactions with just face ID or biometric authentication from their banking app.

Building upon the foundations of legacy payment solutions, open banking-powered on-ramping has emerged as the faster, easier and more secure way to invest, offering an enhanced payment experience fit for the digital age.

The partnership is a strategic move by Yield App to ensure its customers have a seamless experience when accessing the platform’s full suite of products, which bridge the gap between traditional finance and decentralised finance through crypto structured products and its core earn offerings.

Gero Piskov, Card and Payments Manager at Yield App, said: “It’s time for the industry to embrace open banking solutions so that retail crypto investors aren’t left outside in the cold. As advocates of the latest payment technologies, we’re thrilled to partner with Volt to provide our customers with fast, secure and seamless transactions directly from their banking app. By integrating additional payment options on Yield App, our customers can unlock the full potential of their digital assets.”

Kat Marangos, Volt’s VP Strategic Accounts, said: “Purchasing crypto is a perfect use case for open banking, which is safer and more convenient than cards or manual bank transfers. Our partnership with Yield App will showcase this in an environment that offers users a whole new level of returns from their crypto assets. We look forward to bringing this proposition to a new generation of retail investors.”

Banked Ltd (“Banked”), the fintech company building a next-gen global payment network, today announced the appointment of Lisa Scott as its CEO for European operations. The company aims to be the leading provider of alternatives to mainstream payment methods, and as CEO of Banked Europe, Lisa will be responsible for managing strategic relationships, developing in-market strategy and driving regional growth and expansion.

“I am excited to announce Lisa as our new CEO of Banked Europe,” said Brad Goodall, Global CEO and co-founder of Banked. “She is a dynamic, values-driven business leader with extensive expertise and industry experience and is an invaluable asset to our team as we continue to expand our business across Europe. I am confident Lisa is the right person to drive the strategy for the next evolution of Banked across the region and establish the company as a leader in the pay by bank space.”

Lisa joined Banked in 2021 as an accomplished product, marketing and commercial strategist serving in a dual capacity as CMO and CPO. She brings a strong track record with her wide range of expertise and success in building engaging products, improving portfolio performance and driving customer engagement.

“Banked is building a payments network that does more for everyone,” said Lisa Scott. “I have been hugely impressed by the incredible progress that Banked has already made over the past few years and the talented team we have in place. I am excited to lead the next stage of its growth journey throughout Europe.”

With over a decade of experience at PayPal UK overseeing product marketing and go-to-market strategies for consumer and financial products, and having served as head of loyalty credit cards at Lloyds TSB, head of business development at Airmiles and finance manager at British Airways, Lisa brings a wealth of experience to the role.

Banked Europe is committed to delivering innovative payment solutions that meet the evolving needs of businesses and consumers across the continent all while optimizing for the local user experience. Lisa's appointment is a major step forward in achieving this goal.

Founded in 2018, Banked is building a new global payment network that is reimagining mainstream payment methods and the current infrastructure facilitating digital payments around the world. Unlike other popular payment methods, consumers do not need to create an account or pass any login information to Banked – they simply choose their existing bank at checkout and are connected to their mobile banking app to biometrically authenticate the purchase. Total checkout time for a first-time user is typically under 30 seconds and no financial details are shared with Banked for a secure experience.

For merchants, costs are significantly lower and transactions take place in real time and settle instantly. The market for pay by bank payments is growing rapidly. Allied Market Research recently predicted the market will reach $43 billion by 2026 in Europe alone. Banked is dedicated to providing payment solutions that are easy to use, secure, and reliable.

UK-based FinTech Stubben Edge Group (the Company) and SAGE are pleased to announce a new competition for small and medium-sized businesses in the UK to win a pop-up shop space on Oxford Street, one of London's most iconic shopping destinations. The competition, being run through Stubben Edge subsidiary, smallbusiness.co.uk, is part of the Group’s ongoing commitment to supporting SMEs across the UK.

The competition is open to all UK-based SMEs, regardless of industry or sector, that have been trading for less than five years. The winners will receive a fully equipped pop-up shop space on Oxford Street for a period of four days, marketing and promotion support with the set-up, promotion across the smallbusiness.co.uk website to drive awareness and encourage consumers to support the campaign, an interview to be featured on smallbusiness.co.uk with each winner and a Sage Accounting six-month free trial. The space will be located in a prime location, providing unparalleled exposure and access to foot traffic.

Chris Kenning, CEO of Stubben Edge Group said "Stubben Edge is proud to partner with Sage on this exciting opportunity for UK SMEs, which are the backbone of the UK economy, and we are committed to supporting them in any way we can. This competition is a fantastic opportunity for business owners to boost their brand and showcase their offering on one of the world's most famous shopping high streets."

UK’s Small Business Commissioner, Liz Barclay, said: “Small businesses from all sectors are crucial to their communities, wider society and the UK economy. Competitions like this help increase the understanding of just how significant small businesses are in terms of ideas, innovation, creativity and jobs. As a judge I want to see the story of that creativity unfolding and learn about the impact beyond the shop itself”.

Entry for the competition is completely free. Prospective businesses must complete a brief competition form proposal outlining their business story to date, the products or services they offer, and what winning the competition would mean to the business. The form can be found here. The deadline for entries is May 21st, 2023. Entries will be reviewed by a judging panel including broadcaster and UK Small Business Commissioner, Liz Barclay, Toks Aruture (Founder and CEO of the Baby Cot Shop), Ryan Panchoo (Owner of Borough 22) and Kirsty Waller (Vice President of UKI Performance Marketing for Sage).

Epilepsy Action, the UK’s leading member-led epilepsy charity, has selected AccountsIQ, the award-winning accountancy SaaS provider, to improve management reporting and enable access to real-time data for better decision-making and resource allocation.

Alongside the commitment to supporting a better life for everyone affected by epilepsy, the national charity contends with complex financial management challenges, including multiple sources of income, stringent controls over spending and restricted fund requirements. With the added challenge of the cost-of-living crisis and an increasingly difficult fundraising environment, Epilepsy Action needed complete visibility of income and expenditure to continue supporting the estimated 633,000 people living with Epilepsy in the UK.

To unlock that visibility, the charity has chosen to partner with AccountsIQ who are already trusted by over 100 non-profit organisations worldwide, many of whose operations span multiple global legal entities.

“We need to be absolutely on top of our financial position. We need complete visibility of what income and expenditure we have coming down the line to make the best decisions for the people who rely on our services,” said Tony Spinks, Director of Corporate Services with Epilepsy Action.

The non-profit organisation had previously relied on Sage50 Accounts software, however, as the charity outgrew its start-up status and expanded to 70 staff, it needed a mid-market cloud accounting solution, like the one from AccountsIQ, to cater to the specific needs of the charity sector and deliver a much more granular level of reporting.

Utilising business intelligence and market-leading reach, AccountsIQ charity software has unlocked end-to-end visibility into all of Epilepsy Action’s financial data, from donors, trustees and management, to operations, trading entities and regulators, offering a superior, up-to-the-minute reporting experience with extended analytical dimensions. The AIQ software has been proven to meet the most complex accounting and consolidation requirements for the sector, enabling charity finance managers to automate and streamline workflows for modern, transparent reporting.

“AccountsIQ is easy to use. Automating processes is already saving us a huge chunk of time but there’s lots more time saving to come. It’s this combination of time saving and financial visibility that will allow us to do more data analysis and really add value to our organisation. Everything we wanted is starting to happen,” added Spinks.

Ever since implementing AccountsIQ software, the Epilepsy Action team has noticed significant time saving, particularly around the purchasing processes which used to be very manual. The charity benefits from all the transactional processes running smoothly and is looking further at where it can make even more efficiency gains.

Tony Connolly, CEO at AccountsIQ commented: “Charities typically have more complex accounting needs, which means they often struggle to find key functionalities and real-time, multi-dimensional consolidated reporting software without compromising on the cost-saving aspect. We’re delighted to have ticked all the boxes for Epilepsy Action and taken the pressure off their finance team, and look forward to continuing to build upon our partnership.”

Clu, a skills-based inclusive hiring platform, today announces an investment round of £1.2million to further progress its goal of becoming a major player within the Talent-Tech market, which is forecast to reach $30 billion by 2033¹. 

Since it began trading in last year, the London-headquartered company has disrupted the rec-tech market by securing skills-aligned work for nearly 7,000 people, onboarded over 10,000 users, creates 33,000 role matches a week and has a predicted revenue of £12 million by 2026. 

In 2022, investment in HR tech increased by 44% from the previous year, with the sector now worth £25 billion globally and is growing at a CAGR of 13.6% year on year. Meanwhile, outdated hiring practices are costing companies on average £2.5million a year², demonstrating the instant need for change in the HR tech space. 

Clu has created a new category in talent-tech that streamlines candidate attraction and qualification which ultimately improves hiring experience and the time required to hire. The SaaS recruitment platform provides unparalleled access to diverse talent supported by real-time data to optimise accuracy, engagement, and experience in the hiring process, generating hundreds of skills-aligned job applications per week for employers with an average application to interview conversion rate of 60%, compared to the industry standard of 5-8%. 

The product’s design principles are neuro-inclusive and accessible with a core focus on upskilling and confidence building for hiring teams and job seekers. Workforce management company CXC Global is the most recent major company to use the system and to secure the official Clu’d Up verification, showing its commitment to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. 

With over 50 job centres across London and Essex using Clu, and expansion plans in Northwest England underway, the company is already building a strong case for adoption in the government sector, which they aim to launch across Europe in 2025. They plan to become the Human Resources Information System (HRIS) bolt-on of choice for inclusive talent lifecycle management, underpinning its key differentiator. 

Clu was founded by tech entrepreneurs Joseph Williams and Cayelan Mendoza and its impressive team of advisers include tech industry heavyweights Maggie Lower, NED of Grindr, Kia Christian, VP of People Ops at Google and Lalitha Stables, SVP Public Sector Sales for EMEA at Salesforce. 

Emily Foges, Chair at Clu, said: “After years of mounting social pressures around diversity, companies are now being held publicly accountable for their engagement and treatment of diverse talent. However, most leaders still aren’t clear on what it takes to build a high-performing, diverse workforce. 

“Job boards and filtering software are exacerbating the problem. This one-to-many advertising model floods the talent market with poorly articulated jobs, presenting hiring managers with insurmountable volumes of unsuitable applications, severely increasing time to hire and resulting in over 70% of employees not having the right skills for their jobs.  

Joseph Williams, the company’s Co-Founder and CEO said: “It is not enough for HR teams to focus on automation to solve the biased recruitment problem. Without improved experience, accuracy and inclusiveness at the core of new hiring processes, employers will continue to struggle to maintain a diverse workforce. Clu’s market-leading and unique hiring methodology is the solution to this burning societal issue as we are transforming the talent lifecycle and ultimately driving positive socio-economic mobility for marginalised groups.” 

He concludes: “Clu’s process redesign has the potential to solve the retention crisis, upskill the workforce and reduce HR-related revenue waste, whilst aiming to add one million socially mobile people to the workforce over the next ten years.” 

London-based Residence Club, The Other House, has partnered with cloud-based purchase-to-pay (P2P) automation provider, Yooz, to simplify its accounts payable (AP) process into Sage Intacct.

With Yooz, invoices emailed from suppliers are now automatically recorded, analysed, and processed for payment within The Other House’s Sage Intacct accounting system without any need for human intervention. 

Backed by AI, Machine Learning, and Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology, the accounts payable solution allows The Other House finance team to make faster, more accurate financial decisions as well as adopt more secure processes.

The Other House is pioneering a new hospitality concept that is shaped through a residential lens rather than a conventional hotel approach. Located on leafy Harrington Gardens in South Kensington, the experience offers guests the perfect city spot they can call their “other house”, no matter how long they stay.

A quick, powerful solution that integrates seamlessly with Sage Intacct

After conducting extensive research, Ashley Slinger, Senior Finance Manager at The Other House, selected Yooz as its AP automation solution to address its financial reliability, integration, and user experience needs.

“The quality of integration with Sage Intacct ERP was key in our selection process. Prior to Yooz, the bookkeeper had no clear and overall vision of the AP process, whereas now we can see in real-time where invoices are in the approval flow,” Slinger said.     

“What’s more, the project management team was very reactive and professional, implementing the system in less than 2 months. Because the platform is so easy to use, staff only needed a few minutes of training, and they can now also benefit from the Cloud by being able to process invoices wherever and whenever they wish.”

Laurent Charpentier, CEO at Yooz said, “The powerful combination of Sage Intacct and Yooz means The Other House can get the most out of accounts payable automation. Not only is the invoicing management and approval process simplified, but it also brings a level of accuracy, speed, and security unrivalled by any other system on the market. This will help bring down the cost associated with manual accounts payable as well as streamline the supplier payment process - a win-win for both sides.”                        

Cogo - the carbon footprint management company that works with banks to help customers measure, understand and reduce their carbon footprint - and NayaOne - the Global Digital Transformation Platform for financial services firms - are today announcing the launch of a new partnership which will fast-track the process for banks and financial institutions to integrate carbon footprint management tools into their banking apps.  

Some of the largest institutions globally that access NayaOne’s Digital Transformation Platform, will now be able to conduct ‘sandbox testing’ of Cogo’s carbon footprint API to ensure that it can seamlessly integrate with their own organisations’ technology. This will considerably reduce the “test and learn” phase which is typically required when introducing new functionality. 

Emma Kisby, Cogo CEO, EMEA: “Banks can play a significant role in tackling the climate crisis by helping customers to understand and lower their personal impact, which is directly linked to their spending habits. 

“This new partnership will help to bring the carbon tracking experience to life for banks. NayaOne’s business model is very agile and trusted by banks around the world so it will allow us, at pace, to demonstrate and prove that our technology can work effectively for their bank and provide confidence in rolling out to customers. 

“We don’t have the luxury of time with the climate crisis, so reducing our potential speed to market and getting banks to see the immediate value for their customers is a game-changer.” 

At present Cogo works with 16 banks globally. Cogo expects to expand its portfolio of banking clients as a result of being part of the NayaOne ESG Use Case. The partnership is already proving effective with one of the world’s largest banks within the NayaOne community signing up for a sandbox test. 

SIX, the global financial information provider, and FlexTrade Systems, a global leader in multi-asset execution and order management systems, have announced the integration and availability, as of now, of global real-time market pricing and reference data from SIX, into the Spark cloud-based EMS solution.

With this integration, traders using Spark EMS can access and stream real-time global market data across multiple outputs, including desktop, browser, and API. Further, the new offering using SIX API, combined with the one-click deployment of FlexTrade’s cloud-based EMS solution, delivers a compelling off-the-shelf trading solution that can help to reduce time-to-market for new fund launches.

Shai Popat, Head Product & Commercial Strategy, Financial Information at SIX, commented: “SIX remains committed to providing high-quality, in-depth, and broad coverage of global market data using leading technology. SIX API has been developed to meet the challenges of an evolving marketplace, with flexible commercial models, and is part of our investment in a strategic technology program. The close partnership we have developed with FlexTrade enables us to meet market demands quickly, ultimately benefiting our mutual clients. We are thrilled to be working with the FlexTrade team.”

Adi Prnjavorac, General Manager, Spark EMS, stated: “We are delighted to announce SIX as the latest partner offering available within the Spark ecosystem. Delivering choice to our clients and prospects with out-of-the-box integrations to a selection of market-leading propositions, such as SIX, is at the heart of the Spark EMS offering. It ensures our clients can reduce time to market when new business requirements arise, delivering a competitive edge. Our new integration with SIX is ready for client deployment, and we look forward to further developing the partnership.