Lloyds CEO António Horta Osório told a conference that his bank is the largest digital bank in the UK with more than 30 million digital customers; the bank plans to spend about $1.5bn annually on their digital strategy for the next three years; he also stated he thought partnerships between banks and fintech companies will become even more important and wants to work with them in a symbiotic relationship. Source.
The report is titled “Do Fintech Lenders Penetrate Areas That Are Underserved by Traditional Banks”; the report used account-level data from LendingClub and other US Banks with assets over $50 billion; according to the paper’s abstract: “We find that LendingClub’s consumer lending activities have penetrated areas that may be underserved by traditional banks, such as in highly concentrated markets and in areas that have fewer bank branches per capita. We also find that the portion of LendingClub loans increases in areas where the local economy is not performing well.” Source
Florida based Axiom Bank launched a new all digital account targeted at the unbanked; Axiom partnered with fintech company Malauzai to help design and launch their mobile app; "For many in our community, AxiomGo provides the first tangible banking experience that not only eliminates expensive fees, but also enables them to perform any banking transaction needed at any time of day,” says Ron Strand-Sorrell, the bank's chief operating officer, in a release reported by American Banker. Source.
Banks have started to implement behavioral biometrics more and more as it is seamless for customers and helps to better detect fraud; behavioral biometrics firms like BioCatch has provided banks with the type of security they like, customers cannot see if but it also is harder for criminals to spoof; BioCatch reviews more than 5 billion transactions per month and has about 60 million users in their system; another reason banks love this type of security is the privacy regulations are not as strict, the data is not personally identifiable and is based on type of actions. Source.
U.S. based growth investor, Motive Partners, recently opened their European hub in Canary Wharf, London as they see the market as one of the epicenters of financial services; this is the latest sign that London has not lost their attractiveness since Brexit; a few additional reasons for being a destination include experience with the new open banking regulations and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has been very supportive of fintech. Source.
American Banker shares several blockchain projects underway in financial services; Includes JPMorgan Chase’s open source ledger Quoram and initiatives from Northern Trust, ING and the DTCC; while there is a lot of interest in blockchain technology many initiatives aren’t in production; various perspectives are shared in the piece as to why adoption hasn’t taken off. Source
UK based digital bank Revolut launched disposable card numbers form within the app; the disposable nature of the number can help to reduce card fraud, one of the main areas of financial fraud; the move is part of a wider trend in banking to make the online shopping experience more secure and tailored to millennial customers; Revolut also allows users to freeze/unfreeze cards and disable functions like contactless and swipe payments. Source.
Cash flow is often a challenge for businesses; with Square’s Instant Deposit merchants can access bank deposits much faster for a 1% fee; Square hopes this will help attract even larger merchants and boost revenue; the service has already seen success in the US market. Source
The franchise will be in Seattle’s Central Region; Lendio franchises help businesses understand their financing options and apply for loans; Lendio currently has partnerships with more than 75 lenders across SBA loans, startup loans, equipment loans and commercial real estate; Lendio surpassed $300 million through the platform last year. Source