Archie, a next-generation payments and data platform, today launches with a promise to support the UK’s businesses, including underserved small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), whilst educating consumers on the vast potential of Open Banking.

Founded by Graham Nyman and Bhavesh Nayi, who have an extensive background in digital transformation and technology, Archie offers a more inherently human experience in a jargon-heavy market, helping business owners and their customers to realise the full benefits of Open Banking and data sharing.

Archie’s platform powers a user-friendly solution that enables its partners, including SMEs and larger corporations, to create consent-driven payment and data experiences. Partners can set up these journeys in minutes, without the need for any coding and personalised to their own branding.

Small business owners can now add faster and more cost-effective Open Banking payments to their existing payment methods using ‘pay by link’ and QR codes, whilst Archie’s end-to-end solution identifies the benefits of Open Banking data to their specific business. This includes real-time balances and KYC services, but also transactional categorisation and merchant identification data that enables businesses to offer products and services that help customers manage their money better.

Recent research by Mastercard revealed more than two-thirds (69%) of small business owners in the UK believe there is a ‘cost of doing business’ crisis running in tandem with the much-publicised cost of living crisis. Archie is therefore a timely entrant to the Open Banking sector, giving business owners the ability to streamline their payment journeys and save up to 70% in transaction fees as they battle tough economic conditions.

Archie is also committed to educating consumers about the possibilities prompted by Open Banking and data sharing. A white paper created by the company to support its launch, ‘The Elephant in the Room’, has highlighted that whilst 82% of consumers would share their financial data in return for the right incentive, 78% are still unsure about what Open Banking actually is, and what it can achieve. And this is where the opportunities lie, if the benefits are communicated clearly.

Graham Nyman, Co-Founder, Archie, said: “Archie was conceived when Bhavesh and I were sitting in my garden during the pandemic. We were exploring Open Banking, and were frankly confused and turned off by the jargon. People don’t trust what they don’t understand, and this is the elephant in the room. The underlying issue stems from a lack of education by the industry, and this is something we’re seeking to address.”

“Archie is all about education and accessibility, both for Britain’s businesses and their customers, for whom data unlocks a host of possibilities. With our platform, SMEs can plug in and just pay for what they use. We think of ourselves as a speedboat on the cusp of innovation, moving swiftly ahead of the game – developing, iterating and releasing smart data products.”

Bhavesh Nayi, Co-Founder, Archie, added: “We have a passion-led, problem-solving and innovation-driven team. We’re mentors at heart, and by background, and we’re striving to illuminate society on the many benefits of Open Banking.”

“Britain’s businesses are understandably worried about their P&L. We’re providing the right tools to reduce payment costs whilst also providing data-driven insights that will help them better understand, and serve, their customers, increasing lifetime value.”

“Think about a company like Nike or Adidas. They have apps that track how far people run, how much they exercise and so on. If they were to use Archie data, it would also provide usable insights into a user’s spending behaviours. For example, they may have a monthly gym membership and be signed up to Apple’s Fitness+. Tracking this activity via the app, and data trends and behaviour from Archie, the likes of Nike could then reward their customers and provide lifestyle information that would enrich the customer’s life.”

GoLogiq, Inc., a U.S.-based global provider of fintech and consumer data analytics, has signed a mutual non-binding letter of intent to acquire Sydney-based CPG Research & Advisory, a leading global provider of independent investment consulting services.

CPG is expected to bring to GoLogiq more than 30 years of experience as an independent investment advisor and asset consultant. The firm provides comprehensive customized solutions to a broad range of institutional investors, including superannuation funds, insurers, local authorities, government agencies, sovereign funds, family offices and government institutions, and firms that service the wealth management sector.

CPG’s highly experienced team of financial specialists and analysts provide professional investment and wealth management advice to clients across Australia and internationally to countries such as Bahrain and New Zealand.

Under the terms of the proposed agreement, GoLogiq will acquire 51% of CPG in an all-stock transaction. GoLogiq would issue common shares to CPG shareholders valued at $15 million. The parties anticipate the acquisition to close in the second quarter of 2023.

“As part of a global-oriented public company, we see greater opportunities to accelerate our growth and attract a larger client base of major institutions across the Middle East, New Zealand and Australia, as well as enter new markets in S.E. Asia and North America,” stated CPG CEO, Andrew Vallner. “In addition to more favorable access to growth capital, we believe the prestige and transparency of a U.S. publicly traded company will open doors and provide a competitive advantage, as well as help us attract top talent from our industry.”

CPG will bring GoLogiq advanced research and advice capabilities powered by sophisticated research technology that is complementary to GoLogiq’s expanding Fintech platform.

According to Brent Suen, interim CEO of GoLoqiq, stated: “This proposed merger represents our first entrance into research advisory and asset consulting for large institutional investors. CPG’s growing international presence and advanced research technology complements and rounds out our global offerings of comprehensive Fintech products and services for individuals and SMBs. We also see tremendous opportunities to help CPG expand its client base into new markets.”

The CPG letter of intent follows GoLogiq’s recent acquisition of GammaRey, which brought to GoLogiq a profitable business driven by an estimated $20 million annualized revenue run rate and nearly $800 million in customer financial assets. It also introduced a pipeline of accretive and/or tech-enabling acquisition targets, including Nest Egg and now CPG.

GoLogiq recently announced it entered into a definitive $30 million merger agreement with Nest Egg, which will soon launch a new easy-to-use retirement investing app. The app offers a streamlined AI-powered solution for discovering, planning, and automating retirement savings, including investment products and services offered by Nest Egg's FINRA-licensed broker-dealer.

GoLogiq recently reported that it has begun the process of applying to list on a senior U.S. stock exchange. The listing would be subject to approval based on several factors, including satisfaction of minimum listing requirements. The company believes it meets the reporting, governance and quantitative requirements, including net shareholder equity and market capitalization.

While the company expects that the CPG transaction will be completed as anticipated, a definitive agreement has yet to be signed and no assurances can be given it will be executed or the transaction will be completed as described.

When mutually signed, additional details of the definitive agreement will be made available in a Form 8-K to be filed with U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on www.sec.gov as well as on the investor section of GoLogiq’s website.

Participants in the crypto derivatives market are holding less money at exchanges, onboarding with third-party custody providers and calling for greater regulation of crypto-native markets, the latest Acuiti Crypto Derivatives Management Insight Report has found. 

This quarter’s report, which is based upon a quarterly survey of the Acuiti Crypto Derivatives Expert Network, a group of over 70 senior executives from asset managers, hedge funds, sell-side firms, and proprietary trading groups active in trading crypto derivatives and produced in collaboration with Digital Asset Research (DAR) and Cloudwall, marks the first institutional study of how the institutional market has responded to the collapse of FTX in November 2022.

Over three-quarters of the Expert Network thought that there would be a permanent separation of exchange and custody functions as investors look to reduce concentration risk. Almost as many respondents predicted a heightened regulatory response while around a third predicted consolidation among native crypto markets, a shift of liquidity to onshore regulated markets or to OTC markets.

However, just 14% thought that the collapse of FTX would result in significantly lower institutional participation in crypto markets, reflecting the ongoing resilience of the industry as it goes through its challenging formative years.

Since the collapse of FTX, several crypto derivatives exchanges have published proof-of-reserves to reassure investors of their client fund management processes. However, 64% of the Expert Network said that they remained concerned with the quality of proof-of-reserves from most exchanges.

In addition, counterparty risk remained a key concern for the Network with 47% saying that they were very concerned with this risk factor compared with 31% for operational risk, 13% liquidity risk and just 6% for market risk.

DAR CEO Doug Schwenk said: "The survey results are enlightening and encouraging for the growth of the crypto derivatives market. We're pleased to help fuel this growth with our Counterparty Diligence offering." 

The report also found that the crypto derivatives community was increasing investment in risk management with almost half of firms planning an investment in the next 12 months. The findings also suggested a move away from inhouse builds as the quality and sophistication of third-party software available to the market continued to increase.

Kyle Downey, CEO, Cloudwall, said: "This survey offers significant, timely insights into the crypto derivatives market post-FTX. Cloudwall's Serenity digital asset risk platform offers a full suite of risk management and pricing tools for crypto derivatives traders to help support this growing market."

Other key findings in this quarter’s report include:

• There is strong demand for a volatility index in crypto derivatives markets but it should reference more than just BTC
• Optimism is high for a recovery in digital assets markets over the next three months with 75% of the Expert Network either quite or very optimistic about the quarter ahead
• Firms are lowering maximum exchange exposures and diversifying exposures across exchanges following the collapse of FTX

Will Mitting, founder of Acuiti, said: “This quarter’s report demonstrates the resilience of the crypto derivatives market as it recovers from an immensely challenging year. With every challenge the market has faced in its short existence, it has come back stronger and strengthened the foundations.”

Download full report here: https://www.acuiti.io/q1-2023-crypto-derivatives-management-insight-report/

tell.money announced that KYP, a leading real-time and proactive alerts risk intelligence platform, has been selected as their global data orchestration solution to manage their merchant and third-party relationships on an ongoing basis. 

KYP and tell.money have also entered into a strategic partnership to deliver Open Banking account providers with robust, real-time continuous risk monitoring of their partners and TPPs.

“The tell.money gateway is a dedicated interface for banks, FinTechs and other account providers, meeting their obligations under PSD2 with ease and at low cost. There are many suppliers in the market offering ‘single solutions’ on adverse media or PEPs/Sanctions but no one else currently takes the complete data set (DarkWeb, Adverse Media, Credit Scores, PEPs, Sanctions, Cyber Risk and Insolvency Checks) and delivers this in  an integrated actionable interface . By combining KYP’s Risk Intelligence Platform and tell.money’s gateway, we will be able to offer an even greater level of risk monitoring and assurity to our bank and FinTech clients. The KYP solution is available to all tell.money gateway clients as a stand-alone bolt on or value added managed service” comments David Monty, Co-Founder at tell.money

“We are delighted to be partnering with tell.money and we look forward to working with the tell.money team moving forward. The KYP platform addresses the urgent market need for continuous monitoring and proactive alerts of Merchant, TPP’s & partners providing actionable risk intelligence.  KYP is not an onboarding and transaction monitoring solution, but a real-time B2B on-going fraud, risk and reputational mitigation solution and we are excited to see how KYP will help protect tell.money’s growing client base globally” said Alan Nagle, CEO & Founder of KYP.

Appian (Nasdaq: APPN) today announced Appian Protect, a new set of security offerings providing trusted data monitoring and end-to-end encryption for cloud and mobile applications. Appian Protect gives Appian customers increased control over their security posture, with top-tier encryption capabilities, 24x7x365 monitoring, defence-in-depth data protection, and a host of industry-leading compliance accreditations.

Appian is committed to providing the most trusted platform for complete process automation. Customers using Appian Protect receive all the powerful security features embedded in the Appian Platform, including:
 • Data Loss Prevention (DLP) that alerts on or blocks abnormal user behaviour
 • Monitoring with security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR)
 • Real-time intrusion detection and monitoring
 • Comprehensive antivirus scans
 • Enterprise-ready authentication and authorisation with single sign-on (SSO)
 • Integration authentication
 • Inbound web API authentication
 • Row-level data fabric security with user access preview

Enhanced Appian Protect security features are available at the Essential, Advanced, and Enterprise levels. Through a tiered approach, each level offers heightened security and compliance capabilities to meet the desired security posture of any organisation.
 • The Essential level offers multiple private connectivity options, inbound and outbound AWS PrivateLink, trusted IP allow lists, and custom transport layer security (TLS) policies.
 • The Advanced level allows bringing your own key (BYOK) disk encryption, access to database encryption, log streaming, and additional business continuity and protection.
 • The Enterprise level offers white glove security consultations including site audit requests, an annual security questionnaire and an annual customer audit.

“Appian has an established track record of leading the industry in how sensitive and regulated data is handled, and in easing the burden for organisations needing to prove regulatory compliance,” said Michael Beckley, CTO and Founder, Appian. “Our investment in Appian Protect furthers our commitment to the industrial-strength security that enables our customers to achieve significant time and cost savings with confidence.”

Appian’s secure architecture complies with various federal and state standards and certifications including SOC 2 Type II, SOC 3, HIPAA, FDA 21 CFR Part 11, DoD Impact Levels 4 and 5 in US Federal, PCI DSS, FedRAMP, and HITRUST. Most recently, the company achieved State Risk and Authorisation Management Program (StateRAMP), Canada Protected B, UK Cyber Essentials Plus, and Spain’s National Security Framework accreditations.

Through the StateRAMP program, Appian has been deemed a viable solution to provide significant time and cost savings, improve security risk management, and enhance program transparency for mission-critical US state and local operations. The Protected B Cloud Security Assessment Program is a government-wide program in Canada that provides a standardised approach to security assessment and authorisation for cloud products and services. Cyber Essentials Plus certification is backed by the UK National Cyber Security Centre to help organisations demonstrate operational security against common cyber attacks and verifies security levels for enterprises and government agencies. The National Security Framework, or “Esquema Nacional de Seguridad” (ENS) High Certification, is a compulsory requirement for central government customers in Spain that establishes security standards that apply to government agencies and public organisations. 

The internationally-renowned Globee® Awards have awarded Sumsub’s all-in-one verification platform a gold winner in the 19th Annual 2023 Globee Cybersecurity Awards in the “Identity and Access Management” category.

The Globee Cybersecurity Awards recognize companies and professionals for their innovative approaches and effective solutions to ensuring security in the digital age. The awards cover various categories such as risk management, threat detection, cloud security, data privacy, and more. The program aims to raise awareness about cybersecurity issues and honour those who have made significant contributions in protecting organizations and individuals from cyber threats. For the 19th Annual 2023 Globee® Cybersecurity Awards, more than 250 judges from around the world representing a wide spectrum of industry experts participated in the judging process.

With Sumsub’s customizable KYC, KYB, AML and transaction monitoring solutions, businesses can orchestrate their verification process, welcome more customers worldwide, speed up onboarding, reduce costs and steer clear of digital fraud. Sumsub achieves the highest conversion rates in the industry—91.64% in the US, 95.86% in the UK, and 90.98% in Brazil—while verifying users in less than 50 seconds on average. With over 2,000 clients across the fintech, crypto, transportation, trading and gaming industries, Sumsub has a team of compliance experts ready to consult businesses on regulatory specifics worldwide.

“I would like to congratulate all the winners of the 2023 Globee Cybersecurity Awards for their outstanding contributions in securing the digital landscape,” says San Madan, President of Globee Awards. “Your hard work, innovation, and commitment to cybersecurity are essential to protecting our digital future. Your achievement serves as an inspiration to others in the industry and demonstrates the power of collaboration, innovation, and dedication. I along with my team are proud to honor your accomplishments and celebrate your success.”

“We are proud to be recognized as an industry player whose product has been named a Gold Winner by the Globee Awards,” says Andrew Sever, co-founder and CEO of Sumsub. “Behind this distinguished success are our product innovations and relentless drive to offer the best verification and compliance solutions to our global clients. We believe this recognition from the Globee Awards further validates our commitment to our customers and their security needs.”

Synalcom, one of France’s biggest electronic payment solutions and services providers, has merged with cutting-edge mobile-first payments fintech Qori to launch Sylq.  

The merger propels Sylq to the top of the payments industry as one of the  leading multi-channel players in the European market. The new firm will provide businesses with a unique integrated payments offering, supporting purchases by card, bank transfer and crypto currencies on any payment terminal or Android and iOS device, whilst also enabling remote and online payments. Sylq will supply, personalise, support and maintain terminals across Europe. 

Sylq is built on a strong foundation of extensive market-experience and technical know-how - thanks to the complementary strengths and unique propositions of the companies that created it.

Launched in 2007 by Tony Delalande, Paris based Synalcom has become a powerhouse in the French payments sector. The firm provides retailers, merchants, healthcare professionals and banks with a wide range of payment products and services, including a large variety of payment terminals and accompanying infrastructure. Synalcom currently supports over 20,000 businesses in France and has deployed over 230,000 payment terminals.

This extensive market reach provides Sylq with direct access to a large customer base, whilst Qori contributes a revolutionary fintech platform providing businesses with a cutting-edge payments experience. Sylq’s offering will be one step ahead of the competition, becoming the go-to payments platform for all European merchants.

Founded in 2021 by serial fintech entrepreneurs Alain Falys and Daniel Maurice-Vallerey, Qori has crafted a cutting-edge payments system that enables merchants to accept card, cryptocurrency and bank payments on any payment terminal or mobile device, via a single app utilising QR codes and NFC technology. The platform also allows businesses to effortlessly integrate loyalty incentives and rewards, enhancing customer retention. This offering combined with Synalcom’s market reach and full service approach will ensure that Sylq becomes the payments platform of choice for businesses and merchants across Europe. 

Commenting on the merger, Tony Delalande, President of Sylq, said:  “Sylq will revolutionise the European payments landscape, directly challenging Adyen and Stripe. As a brand new offering for businesses and merchants, Sylq combines pay by bank, payment by cryptocurrency and high-value card payments, whilst also integrating engagement and loyalty schemes in a revolutionary 4-in-1 mobile application and an e-commerce platform. Sylq provides merchants with point-of-sale terminals, payment platforms and assisted onboarding alongside 24/7 support in French and English. With over 150 employees and a customer-centric approach, Sylq is the market leading all-in-one business partner available in every European country.”

Daniel Maurice-Vallerey,  CEO of Sylq, said: “This is one of the most impactful mergers in the world of payments in recent times. As a cutting edge payments leader Sylq has the technology, client base, financial strength and leadership expertise to provide a unique offering to European merchants with unparalleled flexibility. Sylq will offer retailers three distinct types of payments both in-store and online, and facilitate reward engagement through one action saving businesses precious time and money.”

As one of France’s youngest and most innovative startups with a European focus, Qori has quickly established itself as a pioneering mobile payments platform. Qori’s technology allows brick and mortar and online merchants to cost-effectively accept payments through Open Banking, cryptocurrencies and card payments as well as enabling engagement rewards. The startup was founded by fintech veterans Alain Falys and Daniel Maurice-Vallerey, and offers cost competitive payment solutions, combined with highly effective customer engagement features.

Synalcom, founded by Tony Delalande in Paris in 2007, provides retailers, merchants, healthcare professionals and banks with a wide range of payment products and services. The company sells and rents a large variety of payment terminals and supplies the accompanying infrastructure. Supporting over 20,000 businesses with over 230,000 payment terminals deployed, Synalcom is a leader in the French payments industry.

Landon Glenn, CEO and founder of ASA, will be speaking at Fintech Meetup, demonstrating how ASA’s embedded fintech platform uses APIs to connect financial institutions with a marketplace of consumer-facing fintechs allowing customers and members to select and instantly access this technology without sharing PII. The session will be held on Tuesday, March 21^st at 5:25 p.m. PST.

“Bank-fintech partnerships have traditionally been extremely costly and burdensome due to complicated one-to-one vendor integrations,” said Glenn. “Instead, we have created a new form of open banking in which banks and credit unions become the gateway to a secure marketplace of fintech apps, driving digital adoption, deposits and loans as well as greater control and choice for account holders. I look forward to brainstorming and collaborating with other industry leaders at Fintech Meetup.”

ASA is one of five fintechs selected for The Solutions Spotlight. Each speaker will demonstrate, for seven minutes, how their solution is solving for a specific challenge or problem facing the consumer banking and personal finance industry.

Last year, ASA launched its patent-approved app, ASA Vault, in the Apple App and Google Play Stores, enabling partnership at scale by connecting financial institutions with customer-facing fintechs. The full pilot version includes an asset tracker that centralizes and aggregates all relevant accounts, assets, debt and identity data into a single location. Such functionality has attracted over 25 community financial institutions and fintechs to partner with ASA, delivering one-click access to the latest technology for customers, all without ever having to share PII data.