Wisedocs, machine learning software-as-a-service (SaaS) for medical record review, indexing, and summarization closes $9.5M USD ($12.7M CAD) in oversubscribed Series A financing. The Series A is led by Information Venture Partners, an early-stage B2B fintech investment firm; and by Thomson Reuters Ventures and ManchesterStory.

Connor Atchison, Founder and CEO of Wisedocs, states, “This latest financing round proves the success of our most recent technological advancements. The claims ecosystem has long remained a siloed and slow-moving machine. With the improvements in automation, intelligence, and centralization that Wisedocs enables, the claims process will be an efficient experience for companies, team members, and claimants alike.”

This financing round follows Wisedocs’ successful 2022 $4.1M oversubscribed Seed round. Series A further enables Wisedocs’ successful expansion of its team, product, and sales territories. Wisedocs launched in the United States in 2022, followed by the opening of a new American headquarters in Florida to support a growing US customer base. Wisedocs is poised to accelerate exponentially in 2024 following a successful 2023, which saw the company more than double its growth in customer base, alongside an incredible 3.5X growth rate. 

“We are proud to lead Wisedocs’ Series A round,” notes Jane Podbelskaya of Information Venture Partners, investor, and newest board member at Wisedocs. “The unique way in which the company is applying AI to analyze medical claims, an overwhelming demand for Wisedocs’ solution from various insurance industry players, and the CEO’s noble mission to improve lives of insurance claimants is what makes us particularly excited about this company. This round enables its continued growth and expansion.”

Leveraging state-of-the-art Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) to build its latest product suite enables the entire claims ecosystem to manage the claims process within an intelligent technology platform. Large-Language Models (LLMs) are key to Wisedocs’ understanding, analysis, and generation of content for medical records. With the 2023 launch of its game-changing Summaries platform, further artificial intelligence products can be launched to support insurance carriers, healthcare providers, law firms, and third-party administrators (TPAs) for the claims industry. 

“Wisedocs has developed a game-changing solution that applies generative AI to insurance claims processing and summarization," stated Tamara Steffens, Managing Director, Thomson Reuters Ventures. "We are excited to work with them to bring this solution to our legal customers.”

The insurance industry has long suffered from manual, slow processes that impact claimants and the claims ecosystem - from the insurance companies involved to the legal teams and medical practices. 

“The insurance industry knows the plight of their practice and workers, as well as their claimants as it pertains to processing claims effectively, efficiently, and accurately,” begins Matt Kinley, Founding Partner at ManchesterStory. “It is no surprise that Wisedocs has successfully integrated its AI technology into the claims ecosystem at such a fast adoption rate. Its technology is a welcome change to how claims are processed.”

From exponential customer engagement, Wisedocs grew to support all facets of the claims process by creating a platform that allows for AI timeline view, search, filter, summarization, and more on extensive medical records. This allows claims to be processed faster and more accurately within a secure platform.

Acronis, a leading provider of cyber protection, today announced it has become a member of the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association (MISA), an ecosystem of independent software vendors (ISV) and managed security service providers (MSSP). MISA members have integrated their solutions with Microsoft security technology to build a better defense against a world of increasing cybersecurity threats.

Acronis advocates for natively integrated applications and services commonly used by service providers to boost productivity and efficiency. Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud is an advanced single, integrated solution that reduces complexity and provides unmatched integrated protection from ever-evolving cyber threats. It also encompasses the Acronis Ecosystem of more than 200 integrations with third-party vendors.

"Over 20,000 MSPs use Acronis to protect and manage their customers' endpoints, applications, and data," said Gaidar Magdanurov, President at Acronis. "Most of them are Microsoft CSP Direct or Indirect Resellers who seek synergies between Microsoft, Acronis, and other vendors to meet customer security and data resiliency requirements. With today’s announcement of Acronis’ Cyber Cloud Protect integrated with Microsoft Intune, MSPs can now manage customer endpoints with Microsoft Intune and deploy Acronis managed security and backup services quickly and easily to their customers, all from a single agent and interface.”

The integration between Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud and Microsoft Intune allows partners to deploy Acronis agents and apply protection plans based on Microsoft Entra ID groups through Microsoft Intune, which adheres to Microsoft best practices. Acronis partners can now seamlessly explore integration options directly through the MISA partner catalog, aiming to provide MSPs with a more accessible experience for efficiently enabling an integrated ecosystem.

Acronis’ collaboration with MISA demonstrates the quality of its integration with Microsoft Intune, showcasing a long-term commitment to the Microsoft relationship. MISA enables close collaboration between members with the shared goal of improving customer security. Each new member brings valuable expertise, making the association more effective as it expands. Joining this ecosystem reinforces Acronis’ dedication to cybersecurity.

“The Microsoft Intelligent Security Association has grown into a vibrant ecosystem comprised of the most reliable and trusted security software vendors across the globe,” said Maria Thomson, Director, Microsoft Intelligent Security Association. “Our members, like Acronis, share Microsoft’s commitment to collaboration within the cybersecurity community to improve our customers’ ability to predict, detect, and respond to security threats faster.”

Partners who are interested in learning more, visit the MISA Partner Catalog: Microsoft Intelligent Security Association.

Xceptor, the intelligent automation platform for financial markets, and KPMG UK have joined forces to partner on tax solutions for financial services. Working together, Xceptor and KPMG will offer a compelling combination of best-in-breed tax expertise and innovative technology that will strengthen existing tax services and future-proof tax processes as regulatory and client needs evolve.

The new alliance will offer both firms’ clients improved and extended services from day one, with longer-term plans for expanded product offerings and service enhancements that successfully merge the expertise of both firms. This is particularly important as the regulatory environment continues to change, including the increased focus on moving towards a completely digitized tax process.

Xceptor’s powerful platform transforms operational tax processes, removing the burden of data management and complex, challenging workflow processes. KPMG’s expertise will strengthen and future-proof this offering now, and as it evolves to meet new requirements. KPMG clients will benefit from Xceptor’s data automation and technology to accelerate the digitization of their tax processes and to streamline and improve their tax-related workflows, incorporating sophisticated AI and data automation tools.

Stuart Tait, Partner and Chief Technology Officer, Tax & Legal, KPMG UK, said, “Our alliance with Xceptor will help to dramatically streamline and accelerate the work of our tax teams, meaning employees will have more time to spend on the most challenging client issues. The tax landscape is becoming increasingly complicated with more regulatory updates; our alliance with Xceptor will enable KPMG to help clients keep pace with those changes and provide them with cutting-edge tax solutions.”

Paul Duffy, Xceptor Tax Product Lead comments, “Working with KPMG is an extraordinary opportunity that will facilitate incorporating their extensive, global and specialist tax expertise into our tax solution to benefit both our customers and theirs. We are creating a solution that leverages the power of our data automation platform alongside best-in-class tax expertise to streamline, enhance and future proof tax solutions for financial services. This is the ideal combination of technology and expertise and we’re extremely pleased to be bringing this to the market.”

Xceptor and KPMG expect to significantly expand the combined offering over the coming months with additional solutions for new regulations, most notably in the build-up to the widely anticipated EU FASTER directive, and over time will build additional solutions including tax information services and a corporate tax solution."

SIX, the global financial information provider, is delighted to announce the launch of the new SIX Reference Rate Crypto and SIX Real-Time Crypto Indices. These indices will serve as benchmarks for AsiaNext’s crypto derivatives trading platform as well as for institutional investors globally.

The new SIX Reference Rate Crypto Indices and SIX Real-Time Crypto Indices cover the major crypto assets Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH), giving a comprehensive snapshot of the market and its performance. Built on a transparent rules-based methodology, the indices foster clarity and consistency by sourcing data from multiple exchanges. The indices enable precise pricing, valuation and performance tracking, which support nuanced analysis and strategic decision making within the crypto market. The SIX Reference Rate Crypto Indices provide the BTC and ETH benchmark price in USD on an hourly basis, while the BTC and ETH SIX Real-Time Indices will be published every second.

AsiaNext, founded by SIX and SBI Digital Asset Holdings, is a digital asset trading venue for institutional investors, which focuses on regulation and operates under rigorous standards of corporate governance and internal controls across all its activities. AsiaNext’s fundamental objective is to provide institutions with a secure platform to execute their market strategies and seamlessly trade digital assets with confidence.

The partnership between AsiaNext and SIX bridges the traditional financial industry and the crypto ecosystem. By providing financial institutions with the governance, processes and tools they need to proactively measure and monitor the rapidly evolving and volatile crypto market, this partnership sets another key milestone for the crypto industry in moving towards more robust methodologies, fair and transparent valuation as well as product standardization.

Dr. Christian Bahr, Head Index Services, Financial Information, SIX states: "The introduction of these BTC and ETH Indices underlines our dedication to delivering sophisticated and well-tailored solutions for very specific use-cases, such as crypto derivatives trading. I am confident that these benchmarks will serve as an indispensable tool for AsiaNext and foster the creation of an ecosystem between derivative exchanges and institutional investors".

Sudeep Chatterjee, Head of Product at AsiaNext adds: "We are pleased to partner with SIX for an industry benchmark for the crypto market that underscores our commitment to providing institutional clients with robust crypto derivatives trading including standardized performance evaluation and timely risk management to help them make more informed investment decisions and meet regulatory requirements.”

The SIX Reference Rate Crypto and SIX Real-Time Crypto Indices are accessible for tracking and analysis through AsiaNext’s institutional crypto derivatives platform, as well as through the data feeds from SIX.

Visa, Worldwide Payment Technology Partner of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and Fibank, Official Partner of the Bulgarian  Olympic Committee announced a partnership to create unique debit and credit cards with the official design of the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024.

"The partnership between Visa and Fibank represents another step in our commitment to innovation and transformation in the world of fintech. Together with Fibank, we provide customers with the opportunity to carry with them not only the convenience of payments, but also a symbol of their connection with one of the most prestigious sports events – the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Our partnership reflects our constant commitment to innovation and our desire to create exceptional experiences for our users," shared Krasimira Raycheva, Country Manager, Visa, Bulgaria.

"As a result of our long-term partnership with Visa Bulgaria, together we decided to present to our customers a new generation of debit and credit cards. These cards not only stand out with their special design dedicated to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, but also send a clear message for our support to Bulgarian athletes and Olympians and Paralympians. We wish to emphasize the values and spirit that the Olympic and Paralympic Games carry within themselves - promoting tolerance and mutual understanding between nations. With the new and stylish design of the Visa cards offered by Fibank, each of our customers will have the opportunity to carry with him a piece of the emotion of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which will remind him that there are many more things that unite us," said Mr. Nikola Bakalov, CEO and Board Chairman of Fibank.

Credit and debit card designs will feature:

• Debit card - The embodiment of one of the most emblematic symbols of Paris and France – the Eiffel Tower, which rises proudly above the city of lights.
• Credit card (gold) – Depicting the majestic Arc de Triomphe, a symbol of victory and triumph.

Adyen, the global financial technology platform of choice for leading businesses, today announced that it is partnering with BILL, a leading financial operations platform for small and midsize businesses (SMBs), to deliver advanced acquiring and issuing experiences for BILL's accounts payable (AP) and accounts receivable (AR) solutions. The partnership started with Adyen for Platforms' card acquiring and has grown to also include card issuing capabilities, marking a natural progression across Adyen's platform offering.

"Adyen's partnership with BILL is a prime example of how we prefer to grow with our customers," said Blake Breathitt, SVP of Platforms and Financial Products at Adyen. "We are proud to be a part of BILL's focus on helping SMBs thrive as we scale our relationship into card issuing with a category leader in financial operations. With our licensing framework and embedded financial products, both integrated together, we look forward to being a part of BILL's robust ecosystem of card products and services."

Adyen's card issuing services have been incorporated into BILL's virtual card offering as part of BILL Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable solutions, enhancing BILL's suite of financial products and services. Adyen provides BILL with technology to drive further innovation and opportunities to help SMBs thrive through seamless payment experiences.

"Helping our SMB customers manage their cash flow means making their payments easy and secure," said Loren Padelford, BILL Chief Commercial Officer. "Because of their trust in BILL, our customers can easily make their payments and get back to running their business. We are pleased to work with Adyen to better ensure continued resiliency for our customers and their card products and services needs."

Wealth Dynamix, a leading provider of Client Lifecycle Management solutions, today announced Wealth Dynamix is available on Temenos Exchange, the partner ecosystem of integrated fintech solutions.

The Wealth Dynamix solution enables firms to support the full end-to-end client lifecycle, helping deliver more proactive, efficient, and engaging prospecting, onboarding, and relationship management, all while remaining fully compliant. Integration with the Temenos Suite enables a seamless and omnichannel approach across digital engagement to clients, end-to-end client and investment management, and a joined-up approach to operations across the front, middle, and back offices.

Temenos Exchange brings innovation to market faster, and at scale. The ecosystem offers pre-integrated and approved FinTech solutions that can be easily deployed on top of Temenos open platform for composable banking, enabling banks to accelerate the creation of new financial services, while reducing the costs of development.

Martin Bailey, Director of Innovation and Ecosystems, Temenos, said: "Temenos Exchange acts as an accelerator for fintechs and software developers, helping them develop, validate, and monetize new banking solutions. The integration with Temenos and joining Temenos Exchange means Wealth Dynamix can write once and be readily available to the thousands of banks globally that run on our platform."

Gary Linieres, CEO at Wealth Dynamix said: "Having already worked together on several joint clients, the formalization of this strategic partnership provides for Wealth Management & Private Banking firms full end-to-end solutions, covering the full lifecycle from the initial prospect, through to ongoing client relationship management."

"Wealth Dynamix availability on Temenos Exchange further extends our commitment to the banking community and enables Temenos customers to easily reap the benefits of Wealth Dynamix. We look forward to leveraging the power of the Temenos platform to help us achieve our business goals."

At Wealth Dynamix we work with wealth management firms and private banks to help create a seamless set of CLM capabilities, delivering our solutions across the whole CLM spectrum, or focusing on specific areas such as client onboarding and working with a firm's existing architecture.  

We use intelligent technology to free staff from 'administrative burden', by streamlining operational processes to allow them to focus on proactively providing exceptional client experiences to a broad clientele while ensuring cost-effectiveness, compliance, and scalability.  

Our solutions support the broadest range of firms, from 10-person boutique investment managers and UHNW multi-family offices to global mass affluent wealth managers and global private banks.

Bank of Ireland has announced a landmark investment of more than €60 million in a range of branch improvements, including the Bank’s largest single investment in ATMs in the last decade. Starting later this year, a new fleet of state-of-the-art ATMs will be rolled out to all branches throughout the Island of Ireland between now and 2027.

The new fleet (664 ATMs) has greater cash processing capacity and will slash energy use by more than half. The ATMs can be used for both withdrawals and lodgements and the majority will ‘recycle’ cash (i.e. cash deposited can be used for withdrawals). This maximizes ATM availability, supporting customers with better access to cash when they need it. The investment also covers five years of servicing and maintenance.

As part of this package of investment, during 2024 customer areas in 18 branches* will also be refurbished, access will be improved at some locations, and colleague facilities will be upgraded in at least 15 branches. Further branches will be refurbished in 2025 and these will be announced in the future.

Commenting on the investment in branches and ATMs, Susan Russell, CEO, Bank of Ireland Retail Ireland said:

“Like any other company, being profitable allows us to improve our business. Given the large number of customers which we serve, major re-investment is required every year. I’m really happy that this latest investment will see all customers across all countries benefit with the most modern and efficient ATMs, whilst also supporting our ESG ambitions through energy reduction.

“We are always investing to ensure customers have access to cash and other banking services in a modern and comfortable environment. Each year we refurbish many of our branches and that’s a constant, rolling project of enhancements.

“As a full service retail bank, with a presence in communities throughout the island of Ireland, we are committed to continually improving our services and the financial wellbeing of customers. This means re-investing purposefully in branches, contact centres, technology, ATMs and other infrastructure to ensure our customers have the most modern and efficient banking available.”

In addition to the €60 million investment in branch and ATMs announced today, a €36 million project for the Bank’s iconic College Green buildings will also commence this year. This is the largest single investment in College Green in more than 200 years and will improve facilities for customers and colleagues, undertake a range of repairs, upgrading, and restoration work, and significantly improve the energy efficiency of the complex.

Last year saw €11.5million invested in enhancements to our branch network – this included refurbishments to 21 branches, upgrading of cash services, improvement of colleague facilities, and installation of energy-efficient LED lighting across all branches.

Nexi, the European PayTech leader, has announced that its group-wide CO2 reduction goals have been approved by the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi). The SBTi is a partnership between CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project), the United Nations Global Compact, the World Resources Institute (WRI), and the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF). It urges companies worldwide to half their emissions by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

“The commitment to sustainability and the fight against climate change represents an absolute priority for institutions, wider society, and investors, but also for companies like Nexi, who can play an important role in improving the ecosystem in which they operate. In 2021, Nexi committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, ten years ahead of the target established by the Paris Agreement, in the framework of a wider process to integrate ESG targets in its business. Thanks to the transformative actions that will involve our whole value chain, from our facilities and data centers to the use of renewable energy and the mobilization of our suppliers, our business will become more sustainable and environmentally friendly, in the interest of all our stakeholders and with a positive impact on the whole industry,” commented Paolo Bertoluzzo, CEO of Nexi Group.

With the targets approved by the SBTi, Nexi commits to reducing absolute Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions - those generated directly by business operations - by 42% by 2030, starting from the 2021 baseline. The Group also commits to increasing its annual electricity supply generated by renewable sources from 51.7% in 2021 to 100% by 2030. 

Nexi is also committed to decarbonizing its supply chain by mobilizing its suppliers to adopt CO2 reduction targets. By 2027, this Scope 3 objective will involve two relevant areas of Nexi's supply chain:

• The procurement of goods and services, with 78% of suppliers involved, based on expenditure.
• The procurement of capital goods, with 70% of suppliers involved, based on their GHG emissions, starting from the 2021 baseline. 

Finally, in the long term, the Group is committed to achieving net zero by 2040, reducing absolute Scope 1, 2, and 3 GHG emissions by 90% and using carbon credits to offset the residual emissions.

Among the transformative actions already in place, Italy’s data center optimization project aims to reduce electricity consumption by 21.9% in 2024, compared to 2021, equivalent to about 3.7 million kWh per year. Reducing the energy consumption of the facilities and the cooling equipment and widespread technological modernization will contribute to achieving this goal.