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  • user 3:36 am on September 24, 2016 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , bitcoin, , , , , ,   

    Top Digital Fintech Heads for Switzerland on Who is Who in Handelszeitung 

    These following names are #Fintech experts who are proudly named in the Who is Who and also be a part of Top #Digital #Heads for #Switzerland featured in the newspaper #Handelszeitung.

    Olga FeldmeierOlga Feldmeier – Managing Partner at XAPO ltd

      

    Olga is a part of the management team of Xapo, a Silicon Valley based startup, which is a global leading player in the #Bitcoin industry. Olga’s background is in financial services industry: she was a strategy advisor for #banks at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and at Barclays Capital.

     

    Andreas_KubliAndreas Kubli &8211; Group Managing Director &8211; UBS Switzerland AG

      

    Andreas Kubli is Managing Director at UBS Switzerland AG Zurich. Since 2013 he has held the Head of the Multichannel Management & Digitization position at UBS Switzerland. Prior to this, he was leading Strategy and Business Development UBS Switzerland. Before his entry into UBS he was a partner with McKinsey & Company. Andreas Kubli has a masters in Corporate Law from the University of Law in New York as well as licentiatus juris form the University of Zurich. Andreas Kubli is an authorized attorney at law in Zurich as well as in New York.

     


    Christian KönigChristian König &8211; Founder of Fintech News Switzerland

      

    Chris is a Fintech Specialist with 15 years Investment Banking experience. He consults Fintech and Investment companies around the world (Singapore, Vietnam, Switzerland) with his company Finanzpro Ltd and is specialized in Financial Products, Social Media and Content Marketing. He is also the organizer of the Fintech Vietnam Meetup and is regular Fintech Speaker, a Fintech Mentor and a Digital Finance Lecturer. On top of that he runs several Blog projects such as Fintechnews Singapore, Fintechnews.ch and other award winning Finance Blogs. He holds a Master in Banking&Finance from the University in St.Gallen and is Certified Inter. Investment Analyst.


    Daniel GutenbergDaniel Gutenberg &8211; General Partner of VI Partners

      

    Daniel Gutenberg is General Partner of VI Partners, a Swiss venture capital firm. He joined the company in 2003. Subsequent to selling Gutenberg Communication Systems AG to the Telindus Group in the year 2000, Daniel Gutenberg became a very active business angel and investor in numerous startups. His focus is on #Technology and he has been taking board assignments for various public and private Companies as well as for YPO Young Presidents’ Organization, a network of young global business leaders. He also acts as the president of the Swiss Technion Society and as a member of the Circle of Investors of BrainsToVentures. Daniel Gutenberg was awarded as business angel of the year in 2011 (SECA).


    Marc P. Bernegger    Marc P. Bernegger &8211; Serial Web Entrepreneur &
    Fintech Investor

      

    Marc P. Bernegger is a serial web entrepreneur and fintech investor. Aged 20, Marc co-founded the party platform usgang.ch (trade sale to Axel Springer) and he is a founder of amiando (awarded by the World Economic Forum as Global Technology Pioneer in 2010; trade sale to XING). He is Ambassador Switzerland at FinLeap, was partner at the listed investment company Next Generation Finance Invest (today Ayondo Holding) and venture partner at Orange Growth Capital. Marc was awarded as «100 most successful people under 40 in Switzerland» by BILANZ in 2015


    patrick comboeufPatrick Comboeuf &8211; Director of Studies &8211; CAS ‘Digital Leadership’

      

    Patrick Comboeuf is a senior (digital) executive with a strong track record on both the corporate and academic side. He was Director E-Business at SBB orchestrating their digital channels (> CHF 400 Mio of revenue p.a.) from 2006 to 2014. As a leader of a team of 50-odd experts he was the driving force behind a vast array of digital transformation initiatives like SBB Mobile (ticketing/timetable) – with 5,4 million users the most downloaded app in Switzerland, their intra-preneurial startup programme SBB Digital as well as the company’s headline making social media presence to name a few. He’s a regular blogger and keynote speaker at conferences on topics like Mobile Commerce, Digital, Service Business, Customer Experience and how to create a sustainable digital lifeline for dinosaurs in the corporate world.

     

    Urs HäuslerUrs Haeusler &8211; CEO of DealMarket

      

    Urs is CEO of DealMarket &8211; the global Private Equity Platform providing a comprehensive platform for fundraising and deal flow management. Based on his online expertise and global network Urs is valued as senior advisor for entrepreneurs and corporates alike. He also is the owner of Haeusler Management & Ventures, an internet business consulting firm, since 2008. Urs also supports early stage tech start-ups as a Business Angel.

    who is who

    Featured Image: Pixabay

     

    The post Top Digital Fintech Heads for Switzerland on Who is Who in Handelszeitung appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News – FintechNewsCH.

    Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News – FintechNewsCH

     

  • user 3:36 am on September 24, 2016 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , bitcoin, , , , , ,   

    Top Digital Fintech Heads for Switzerland on Who is Who in Handelszeitung 

    These following names are #Fintech experts who are proudly named in the Who is Who and also be a part of Top #Digital #Heads for #Switzerland featured in the newspaper #Handelszeitung.

    Olga FeldmeierOlga Feldmeier – Managing Partner at XAPO ltd

      

    Olga is a part of the management team of Xapo, a Silicon Valley based startup, which is a global leading player in the #Bitcoin industry. Olga’s background is in financial services industry: she was a strategy advisor for #banks at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and at Barclays Capital.

     

    Andreas_KubliAndreas Kubli &8211; Group Managing Director &8211; UBS Switzerland AG

      

    Andreas Kubli is Managing Director at UBS Switzerland AG Zurich. Since 2013 he has held the Head of the Multichannel Management & Digitization position at UBS Switzerland. Prior to this, he was leading Strategy and Business Development UBS Switzerland. Before his entry into UBS he was a partner with McKinsey & Company. Andreas Kubli has a masters in Corporate Law from the University of Law in New York as well as licentiatus juris form the University of Zurich. Andreas Kubli is an authorized attorney at law in Zurich as well as in New York.

     


    Christian KönigChristian König &8211; Founder of Fintech News Switzerland

      

    Chris is a Fintech Specialist with 15 years Investment Banking experience. He consults Fintech and Investment companies around the world (Singapore, Vietnam, Switzerland) with his company Finanzpro Ltd and is specialized in Financial Products, Social Media and Content Marketing. He is also the organizer of the Fintech Vietnam Meetup and is regular Fintech Speaker, a Fintech Mentor and a Digital Finance Lecturer. On top of that he runs several Blog projects such as Fintechnews Singapore, Fintechnews.ch and other award winning Finance Blogs. He holds a Master in Banking&Finance from the University in St.Gallen and is Certified Inter. Investment Analyst.


    Daniel GutenbergDaniel Gutenberg &8211; General Partner of VI Partners

      

    Daniel Gutenberg is General Partner of VI Partners, a Swiss venture capital firm. He joined the company in 2003. Subsequent to selling Gutenberg Communication Systems AG to the Telindus Group in the year 2000, Daniel Gutenberg became a very active business angel and investor in numerous startups. His focus is on #Technology and he has been taking board assignments for various public and private Companies as well as for YPO Young Presidents’ Organization, a network of young global business leaders. He also acts as the president of the Swiss Technion Society and as a member of the Circle of Investors of BrainsToVentures. Daniel Gutenberg was awarded as business angel of the year in 2011 (SECA).


    Marc P. Bernegger    Marc P. Bernegger &8211; Serial Web Entrepreneur &
    Fintech Investor

      

    Marc P. Bernegger is a serial web entrepreneur and fintech investor. Aged 20, Marc co-founded the party platform usgang.ch (trade sale to Axel Springer) and he is a founder of amiando (awarded by the World Economic Forum as Global Technology Pioneer in 2010; trade sale to XING). He is Ambassador Switzerland at FinLeap, was partner at the listed investment company Next Generation Finance Invest (today Ayondo Holding) and venture partner at Orange Growth Capital. Marc was awarded as «100 most successful people under 40 in Switzerland» by BILANZ in 2015


    patrick comboeufPatrick Comboeuf &8211; Director of Studies &8211; CAS ‘Digital Leadership’

      

    Patrick Comboeuf is a senior (digital) executive with a strong track record on both the corporate and academic side. He was Director E-Business at SBB orchestrating their digital channels (> CHF 400 Mio of revenue p.a.) from 2006 to 2014. As a leader of a team of 50-odd experts he was the driving force behind a vast array of digital transformation initiatives like SBB Mobile (ticketing/timetable) – with 5,4 million users the most downloaded app in Switzerland, their intra-preneurial startup programme SBB Digital as well as the company’s headline making social media presence to name a few. He’s a regular blogger and keynote speaker at conferences on topics like Mobile Commerce, Digital, Service Business, Customer Experience and how to create a sustainable digital lifeline for dinosaurs in the corporate world.

     

    Urs HäuslerUrs Haeusler &8211; CEO of DealMarket

      

    Urs is CEO of DealMarket &8211; the global Private Equity Platform providing a comprehensive platform for fundraising and deal flow management. Based on his online expertise and global network Urs is valued as senior advisor for entrepreneurs and corporates alike. He also is the owner of Haeusler Management & Ventures, an internet business consulting firm, since 2008. Urs also supports early stage tech start-ups as a Business Angel.

    who is who

    Featured Image: Pixabay

     

    The post Top Digital Fintech Heads for Switzerland on Who is Who in Handelszeitung appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News – FintechNewsCH.

    Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News – FintechNewsCH

     

  • user 7:35 am on September 22, 2016 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , bitcoin, , , ,   

    Blockchain will change the World?! 

    blockchaincoin3

    What can we do with #blockchain?

    What does blockchain provide us?

    How to apply blockchain?

    Can we afford not to answer these three fundamental questions?

    Introduction. There is a widely accepted perception that the potential impact of blockchain for society is huge and a game changer for many industries. Almost all major #banks are involved in some kind of research on blockchain. There is something going on. We apply Socratic questioning; a good question is more valuable than a good answer. Three related good questions are proposed that must be answered well before we can do any new and valuable things with blockchain. Because, without good research questions good R&D is not possible.

    What can we do with blockchain? The first question is well answered in more detail by some visionary authors who describe the new things, products and services, and the impact on business and society on many areas. In financial and government services there are the promises of a better production of existing services. In short, “doing the same things in a better way”. There is also a new dimension, “doing totally new things” using disruptive business models. There are plenty of these examples based on social media. Blockchain is closely related to social media, communication and to documents, as will be shown in later blogs. So it is reasonable to expect that blockchain may have an impact in all these areas.

    There are more urgent reasons to apply blockchain. Experts agree that the world financial system of transactions is a geopolitical battlefield for state sponsored cyber crime. Blockchain promises a radically new way to realize resilience to cyber crime and a reduction of costs due to a reduction of complexity. A much more resilient and robust world financial transaction system can be and must be realized.

    What does blockchain provide us? This question is answered today by a number of good articles on the inner construction and working of blockchain, mainly for #bitcoin(s). This is fine and we can trust our fellow engineers and cryptographers to provide us good solid blockchain platforms. However, this is not our prime interest, we are interested in what blockchain provides us as a black box, without knowing its inner construction and working. Some authors state that it is “trust-less authenticity”, or “trust-less consensus”, or use comparable terms. Since this is new and enables those new services, the trust-less authenticity is the new paradigm. So, the term ‘blockchain’ refers here to ‘trust-less authenticity’. The new paradigm is enabled using good software engineering and cryptography but these are not the new paradigm; they provide us the new paradigm trust-less authenticity. What trust-less authenticity is must be understood and described well enough (very well). Then, and only then, we can make any good use of it from an engineering perspective, for example building robust and fault tolerant world financial systems. So far any good specifications have not been found in the literature. To answer this question well, we need a high quality conceptual specification of blockchain’s trust-less authentication. This is a subject for later blogs.

    How to apply blockchain? The third question is about the application of blockchain’s trust-less authenticity – and we must understand this first – as a key component to construct and produce the new services and new financial service providers. No good answers to this engineering question have been found in the literature so far. The answer consists of three major parts and a conclusion.

    The first is that we have existing services (products) that we would like to produce in a better way. We also see that a range of totally new services is possible. We must start by describing the functional qualities of our services ‘well enough’. What is the value of our service to our customers, as seen by our customers? We must ask them because it is highly subjective. We need this functional specification because we must check, validate, that our actual production meets these functional specifications. If our actual production does not match the functional requirements, it will not provide the desired value for the customers, and we are in deep trouble with a dissatisfied customer.

    The second part is that we must specify the construction of the services in an appropriate way. The term ‘appropriate’ is not vague; it means also a truthful, coherent, concise, consistent and comprehensive specification. Without a good specification of the construction of the services we are not able to find out how toproduce the services in new enterprises. As said already, we must check, validate that if we construct our service in this way, it meets the functional requirements for the customer.

    The third part is the observation that services are produced by enterprises. An enterprise must be well designed to produce the services, based on the construction specifications of the service. Example: an automotive production line is very carefully designed and tuned to produce a specific car type. If another type of car must be produced, the production line must be redesigned, adapted, tuned in many places. If the production line must produce radio’s, the whole production line must be redesigned from scratch. These enterprises must be specified also in an appropriate way, otherwise we cannotconstruct these enterprises and let them operate well in production.

    These answers show that if we use the special qualities of a new component in our services, blockchain’s trust-less authenticity with all of its benefits, the construction of our services must be totally redesigned from scratch. We produce the same service, same functional specifications, but in a different way. And, if we produce services in a totally new way, we must redesign and rebuild our enterprises also from scratch. The conclusion is that the application of blockchain typically demands a totally new (re)design, from scratch, of the construction of the services and therefor theconstruction of the financial service enterprises. In other words; if you want to apply blockchain well, it is better to redesign the services and rebuild the whole enterprise from scratch.

    Is this about #Fintech? Yes and No. Yes, because it is innovative, based on two new paradigms (one is blockchain – trust-less authenticity) and the benefits will probably most visible in financial services. It’s most valuable benefit for society is likely a robust and fault tolerant world financial system. No, this is not some new potentially disruptive financial service. It is how to apply blockchain well, better than state of the art technologies, using better engineering.

    Can we afford not to answer these three fundamental questions? The three questions are interconnected and are also umbrella questions for many more detailed questions – see below. Without an appropriate answer the next question cannot be answered. So, without three appropriate answers we cannot deliver the new services. To provide appropriate answers to the three questions we need also better engineering methods for enterprises and their supporting IT systems, which is in the domain of the discipline of enterprise engineering, based on another new paradigm.

    Blockchain will #change the World..?! No, not if we continue the old way of doing things. Looking at the state of the art in IT systems development [much literature] in for example financial services, we observe that these IT systems are too expensive, have been developed over many years using trial and error methods, resist agility, are increasingly difficult to maintain and have a limited functional value (business-IT alignment). If we continue to work in this way, we will realize similar bad results. 

    If, as some visionaries are rightfully saying, we are going to machine to machine financial services in production chains, then we need really much better engineering.

    Future blogs. The following future blogs discuss the answers to the three fundamental questions, based on good engineering. Subjects include:

    • How to build more robust and fault tolerant financial enterprises and their information systems? “Keeping the cyber criminal out”, enhanced by “Once the cyber criminal is inside, make sure he cannot do much harm”.
    • What is trust-less authenticity (precisely)? What does it guarantee? How and when is it created? By whom? How should blockchain be embedded in business procedures?
    • What is business procedural risk or systemic risk. What are the causes? How to identify, mitigate or eliminate procedural risk, at design time or in production?
    • What is total factual knowledge of the enterprise operation – containing digital fingerprinting, total audit knowledge, communication and commitments made, documents produced?
    • What do the new blockchain platforms provide us, and what not?
    • How to specify new blockchain based services in an appropriate way? For whom? Customer’s identity?
    • How to engineer enterprises, addressing governance, risk, compliance (GRC), efficiency and effectiveness issues?
    • How to construct IT systems that support the operation of enterprises and support the new blockchain platforms?
    • What is communication between human actors and how does it relate to commitments, intentions, contracts, obligations, rights, permissions, authorizations and delegation? What are social media and chatbots doing?
    • What are ‘documents’; what do they contain, represent, do, how are they designed and produced?
    • How does enterprise engineering support the application of blockchain’s trust-less authenticity?
    • What is the enterprise operating system? How does it work? What does it do? How is blockchain supported?

    The new discipline of enterprise engineering is based on the (quite) new paradigm of communication and commitments between human actors in social systems, enterprises. It is ‘solid’ engineering, just like electronics, aviation, mechanical engineering, no place for BS or hype. Enterprise Engineering must provide good answers to these questions.

    [linkedinbadge URL=”https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-j-h-van-kervel-0615671″ connections=”off” mode=”icon” liname=”Steven J.H. van Kervel”]

    The author, Steven J.H. van Kervel, Ph.D. computer science, is with Formetis Consultants BV in The Netherlands. Formetis develops methodologies, tools and software systems for the engineering of enterprises with supporting IT systems, applying blockchain #technology.

    Formetis participates in the CIAO! community of scientists and engineers on the field of enterprise engineering.

    Formetis seeks partnerships to bring this technology to the real world.

    Contact: [email protected]

     

  • user 4:18 pm on September 18, 2016 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: bitcoin   

    Currency in Virtual Reality 

    aaeaaqaaaaaaaakeaaaajguwymq4zmm4ltuyowetngnlms1hmjlhltg1nwmyzddlndy0za

    How might currency work in a virtual reality?

    Of course, I’m just conjecturing here. As you surely have seen, the VR revolution is churning along nicely, but the concept of VR currency hasn’t been wholeheartedly explored just yet.

    VR money (kind of like a #bitcoin) could be accumulated through trade of services, sale of objects, privileges, and properties, similar to how it is in the real world. The limits of what can be bought or sold will depend on what the architects of that world allow to be brought in. The want to make a presence, virtually, and communicate with the rest of the world (just as in social media platforms) will likely account for a lot of how money is spent & received initially in addition to general categories of information sharing and entertainment. For example, VR users that go to virtual events might spend virtual money to attend, those that speak/perform/etc receive virtual money, and those that moderate the event (kick obnoxious people out, control sound, scenery, lights, etc…) might receive virtual money. It will equate to real dollar amounts… It’s just a matter of when someone will create a stable and flexible enough universe to support its expansion.

    The other night, Reggie Watts performed live (for the second time) in AltSpaceVR – a popular social VR platform. This is something I would be tempted to pay money for – an environment where Reggie Watts can interact with my presence; maybe not my exact body, but with my voice and digital body/head/arm/head/finger movements and personality. Ideally, I would pay for this event using money accumulated in the virtual world, but I’m assuming that the easiest initial move would be to ask people for real money in exchange for some sort of ticket/code.

    I imagine that I could work as a part-time programming instructor, or language instructor in VR to earn virtual dollars. What could you do as a service to earn money in virtual reality?

    [linkedinbadge URL=”https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachary-j-huberty-91943b78″ connections=”off” mode=”icon” liname=”Zachary J. Huberty”] is Lead Engineer at National Republican Congressional Committee

     

  • user 12:18 pm on September 18, 2016 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , bitcoin, , Florida,   

    Blockchain, Bitcoin In Space. Also, Florida 

    You might have seen Ripple’s news yesterday, but turns out that is not the only big development in #blockchain this week—it’s now exploring the final frontier. Yep, that’s right: blockchain in #space. If you don’t know, Ripple raised $ 55 million in funding yesterday, as well as adding seven new #banksRead More
    Bank Innovation

     

  • user 9:46 am on September 18, 2016 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: bitcoin, , , , , , ,   

    FinTech DACH News Rückblick der Woche 37 

    Fintech.Li präsentiert hier wöchentlich die wichtigsten #News rund um #Fintech in der Schweiz, Liechtenstein, Deutschland und Österreich.

    Fintech DACH Top News

    KlarnaPayPal im Visier: Klarna veröffentlicht erstmals Nutzerzahlen in Deutschland
    paydirekt hat es vorgemacht – den Vergleich mit PayPal. Nun will sich auch Klarna (unter dem neuen Chef Marc Berg) mit dem Zahlriesen vergleichen. So habe man, wenn man Klarna und Sofort-Überweisung zusammenrechnet, 15 Millionen Kunden bei Klarna plus 21 Millionen Kunden bei Sofort-Überweisung. Mehr erfahren

     

     

    cashpressoCashpresso startet: in 10 Minuten zum Dispo-Kredit
    Wiener FinTech cashpresso bietet unabhängigen Dispo – bis zu € 1.500 – direkt am Smartphone. Kontoeröffnung komplett online, abgeschlossen in 10 Minuten. Kreditrahmen frei verfügbar und sofort zur Auszahlung bereit. VC Fonds Speedinvest, Hansi Hansmann, Runtastic Gründer und Stefan Kalteis investieren. Mehr erfahren

     

    Paymit_Twint

     

    Twint: Der Konter gegen Apple Pay steht
    Die helvetische Antwort auf die digitale Brieftasche von Apple hat grünes Licht von den Wettbewerbshütern erhalten. Das ist auch ein Achtungserfolg für die Post-Tochter Postfinance. Mehr erfahren

     


    Interaction_Partners_500
    Schweizer Startup will Broker-Monopol brechen
    Zwei Schweizer Analysten und ein Investor-Relation-Spezialist entwickelten eine «Dating»-Plattform, um Investoren und Firmen zusammenzubringen. Jetzt legen sie los, wie finews.ch erfahren hat. Mehr erfahren

     

     


    Smoove-SavedroidSavedroid angetestet: Mit Smooves (flexiblen Sparregeln) automatisch Geld zurücklegen
    Auch in Zeiten von Nullzinsen ist Sparen immer noch der beste Weg, sich seine kleinen und großen Wünsche erfüllen zu können. Nur braucht Sparen etwas, das längst nicht jeder hat: Disziplin. Und hier kommt Savedroid ins Spiel. Mehr erfahren

     

     

    Andreas_KubliDie UBS bietet Apple die Stirn
    Im Wettbewerb der E-Wallets will die grösste Schweizer Bank gegenüber Apple nicht klein beigeben. Digitalisierungs-Leiter Andreas Kubli erklärt gegenüber finews.ch, warum die UBS auf die helvetische Twint-App vertraut. Mehr erfahren

     

     

    Vontobel

     

    Vontobel globalisiert digitale Plattform
    Die Bank Vontobel bietet ihre 2015 lancierte digitale Plattform für Privatkunden nun auch weltweit an – und das ist nicht alles. Mehr erfahren

     

     

    n26 number26Gehypte Banking-App N26 startet Überweisung per Siri
    Künftig lässt sich mit N26 auf dem iPhone per Sprachsteuerung und im Messenger Geld verschicken. Damit gelingt dem Berliner Startup ein Angriff auf die P2P-Apps. Mehr erfahren

     

     


    Glarner KantonalbankGlarner Kantonalbank eröffnet Kreditfabrik, hypomat.ch wird für Hypotheken-Laufzeiten bis 15 Jahre ausgeweitet
    Die Glarner Kantonalbank (GLKB) treibt die Industrialisierung der Bankprozesse weiter voran. Sie lanciert eine Kreditfabrik zur Verwaltung und Abwicklung von Finanzierungen. Zudem bietet die Bank unter der Marke SOFTLINK die vier Module Hypothekenvergabe, Dokumentenerstellung, Hypothekenverwaltung und Vermögensverwaltung zur Lizenzierung an. Mehr erfahren

     

    GFT-digital-banking-lab-Sant-Cugat-1014-350x219GFT Digital Innovation Labs/ Digital Banking: Fidor schließt Innovationspartnerschaft mit GFT
    Fidor und GFT Technologies wollen gemeinsam mobile Finanz- und Banking-Apps entwickeln und ebenfalls den damit verbundenen Vertrieb verstärken. Dies sei ein erster Schritt, um die nächste Generation des digitalen Bankings innerhalb eines starken Netzwerks gemeinsam zu gestalten, heißt es. Mehr erfahren

     

    swisspeers.chSwisspeers: Eine Schweizer Crowdlending Platform für KMU
    Das Unternehmen Swisspeers mit Sitz in Winterthur hat eine neue Online-Plattform für Peer-to-peerFinanzierung initiiert, die Investoren und kleine und mittelständische Unternehmen (KMU) mit Finanzierungsbedarf zusammenführt. Dieses Finanzierungskonzept zielt darauf ab, die Innovationsfähigkeit von KMU zu unterstützen und die Schweiz als Wirtschaftsstandort zu stärken. Mehr erfahren

     

    4-format2101Bald wechseln wir Konten wie Handyverträge
    Aufgrund steigender Gebühren kann sich mittlerweile jeder vierte Bankkunde vorstellen, sein Girokonto zu wechseln. Gut, dass Banken Sparer ab kommender #Woche innerhalb von zehn Tagen kostenlos wechseln lassen müssen. Mehr erfahren

     

     

    ubsBald liest die UBS ihren Kunden die Wünsche vom Gesicht ab
    Und das im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes: Die Grossbank trägt sich mit dem Gedanken, eine entsprechende Software konzernweit einzusetzen.. Mehr erfahren

     

     

     

    Bildschirmfoto-2016-09-14-um-10.58.01-620x407Fairr.de schließt Millionenrunde ab
    Schon einmal hat Transamerica Ventures in ein deutsches Fintech-Startup investiert: Vor zwei Jahren beteiligte sich der New Yorker VC an Auxmoney. Nun folgt das zweite Engagement. Zusammen mit der IBB Beteiligungsgesellschaft steckt Transamerica Ventures eine Millionensumme in das Berliner Fintech Fairr.de. Wie hoch das Investment genau war, wollte das Startup auf Nachfrage nicht verraten. Mehr erfahren

     

    AXA-Friendsurance-KNIP-GetSafe-800-e1473844834747-350x339Versicherer AXA arbeitet ab jetzt mit den InsurTechs Friendsurance, GetSafe und Knip zusammen
    AXA schließt Vertriebs­part­ner­schaften mit den digitalen Ver­sicherungs­maklern Friendsurance, GetSafe und Knip und hält Ausschau nach Partnern zur Entwicklung zukunftsfähiger Ver­sicherungs­lösungen. Kommen die Makler jetzt unters Messer? Mehr erfahren

     

    Yomo-516-350x218Kostenloses Yomo-Konto zulässig: Bundeskartellamt gibt grünes Licht für die Sparkassen-App
    Die Haspa (Hamburg) und die Sparkassen Berlin, München, Bremen, Köln-Bonn, Esslingen-Nürtingen, Paderborn-Detmold planen Yomo („Your Money“) – eine Smartphone-App, die n26 (ehem. number26) Konkurrenz machen soll (wir berichteten). Mehr erfahren


    BaloiseBaloise schafft neue Abteilung für Digitalisierung
    Nun nimmt sich auch der Versicherer Baloise dem Thema Digitalisierung verstärkt an und gründet dafür eine neue Abteilung. Geleitet wird diese von einem Kernphysiker, der schon mehrere Jahre für die Baloise tätig ist. Mehr erfahren

     

     


    2-format2101Neues KfW-Digitallabor: Tausche Anzug gegen T-Shirt
    Wenn eine Bank etwas auf sich hält, braucht sie eine digitale Ideenschmiede. Auch die staatliche KfW will mitmachen – und hat ein Digitallabor gebaut. Doch mit alten Gewohnheiten zu brechen, ist gar nicht so einfach. Mehr erfahren

     


    cringleAxel Springer investiert: 1 MIO € Media-Deal für Cringle

    Wir sind unglaublich stolz Euch mitteilen zu können, dass wir mit Axel Springer einen starken strategischen Investor gefunden haben. Im Rahmen einer Media for Equity-Investition beteiligt sich Axel Springer mit 1.000.000 Euro an Cringle. Fürs uns bedeutet das, dass unsere P2P-App mit Hilfe von Print- und TV-Werbung für eine größere Masse beworben werden kann. Mehr erfahren

     

    #BITCOIN / #BLOCKCHAIN News


    hackr.io_tutorials_online-kurse_teaserSecurity-Experten: Bitcoin und Co. befördern Cybercrime
    Die durch Cybercrime angerichteten Schäden sollen sich bis 2021 auf sechs Billionen US-Dollar verdoppeln – befeuert durch die Popularität von Bitcoin und Co., warnen Security-Experten. Mehr erfahren

     

     

    rtr4lhc8-e1473213296741There’s a $ 500 billion remittance market, and Bitcoin startups want in on it
    At just over six years old, Seoul-based KakaoTalk has more than 170 million registered users on its flagship chat app, and enjoys nearly 93% market penetration in South Korea. But when the $ 2.9 billion company made its first-ever overseas investment this spring, it was a surprising one: a 40% stake in Satoshi Citadel Industries (SCI), a Manila-based Bitcoin startup with no connection to messaging. Mehr erfahren


    Feldmeier_OlgaOlga Feldmeier: «In der Schweiz bin ich bald nicht mehr alleine»
    Die amerikanisch-stämmige Bitcoin-Firma Xapo mit Hauptsitz in Zug wird derzeit nur von Olga Feldmeier gemanagt. Doch das wird sich bald ändern, sagt sie im Gespräch mit finews.ch. Mehr erfahren

     

     

    NikolajsenNiklas Nikolajsen: «Banken werden bald Bitcoin-Konten anbieten»
    Laut dem Bitcoin-Suisse-Gründer werden auch traditionelle Geldhäuser in Kürze auf die Kryptowährung lautende Konti anbieten. Gegenüber finews.ch kündigte der «Finanzpirat» noch mehr an. Mehr erfahren

     

     
    Lykke Wallet_iOS_and_AndroidBlockchain Marketplace Lykke Begins Crowd Sale; Looks to Raise 1.5M CHF
    Lykke, a Swiss startup seeking to build a global marketplace powered by blockchain #technology, has begun its Initial Coin Offering (ICO) campaign as the company looks to raise CHF 1.5 million. Lykke seeks to sell 30 million Lykke coins at the price of 0.05 CHF each. Lykke coins represent ownership of Lykke, an exchange for trading financial instruments built on top of blockchain technology. Mehr erfahren

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    Blockchain Veterans Unveil Secure Smart Contracts Framework
    Developed by Smart Contract Solutions, the open-source Zeppelin project aims to offer a community-driven framework for secure, audited code. The goal is to prevent the unintentional loss of funds, a danger perhaps best illustrated by the collapse of ethereum’s biggest smart contract, The DAO. Mehr erfahren

     

     

    640x360Mit Blockchain zur Disruption
    Die Blockchain-Technologie muss zwar noch einige Hürden überspringen, dennoch steht fest: Wird ihr Potenzial ausgeschöpft, steht ein neues Business-Zeitalter ins Haus. Sind Sie dafür bereit? Mehr erfahren

     

     

    ÜBERSICHTEN / INFOGRAFIKEN / STUDIEN

    Titel-hays-studie-branchenreport-banken-2016-800-350x495Studie von Hays und PAC: Digitalisierung – gefragt sind Generalisten statt Nerds
    Für die digitalen Themen setzen Unternehmen stärker auf Generalisten und Umsetzer statt auf kreative Köpfe und Nerds. Dies zeigt eine Studie von Hays und PAC “Banken im digitalen Wandel” auf, für die 290 Entscheider aus den Branchen Pharma, Automotive und Banken befragt wurden. Mehr erfahren

     

    Studie_Kosten-der-Kreditkarte-800-Titel-ibi-research-350x248ibi-Studie zu Interbanken­entgelten(MIF): Kreditkarte ist jetzt das günstigste Verfahren bei Online-Zahlungen

    ibi research (Regensburg) hat sich in der Studie “Gesamtkosten von Zahlungsverfahren im E-Commerce – August 2016: Ergebnisse zu den Kosten von Kreditkarten nach der MIF-Verordnung” mit der Frage beschäftigt, in welchem Umfang sich die Regulierung in einer Senkung der Gesamtkosten bei der Kreditkartenzahlung im deutschen Online-Handel niederschlägt. Mehr erfahren

     

    Fintech EVENT Hinweis

    Zum Abschluss noch Informationen in eigener Sache von Fintech.LI.

    ‎FinTech‬ Konferenz Liechtenstein 2016

    Das Programm zur Fintech Konferenz in Liechtenstein finden Sie auf der Homepage.

    Fintechnews Leser erhalten einen exclusiven Discount von 20% mit dem Code “fintechnews20”.

    The post FinTech DACH News Rückblick der Woche 37 appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News – FintechNewsCH.

    Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News – FintechNewsCH

     

  • user 3:40 pm on September 17, 2016 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: 'Downside', bitcoin, , Defending, , Upside   

    The Upside of the Internet: Defending Bitcoin’s ‘Downside’ 

    BlockCypher’s Josh Cincinnati critiques a recent NYTimes article that suggested #bitcoin‘s immutable ledger of transactions is its weakness.
    CoinDesk

     

  • user 11:35 am on September 17, 2016 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: bitcoin, , , ,   

    How to start with blockchain – helpful resources you should know 

    aaeaaqaaaaaaaakyaaaajddjm2rkntrkltblmzetndzmnc1imwzmlwm4ndywote5ndk3yg

    More and more regularly I am asked about good ways to #start looking at #blockchain in more detail. Inspired by Arno’s reading list I decided to share my own version.

    While there is obviously a gargantuan amount of information available, not everything is equally suited to do the job. Especially if you are new to the topic or don’t sport a technical background. Additionally blockchain meanwhile features a certain span and so does the interest and perspective of people looking at it.

    The following should help to point in a good direction and give you the necessary foundation to understand better what you don’t know. So you can ask the right questions afterwards.

    The Basics:

    Here is a list of the fundamental resources to warm-up.

     

    The Industry and Line of Business Perspective:

    Now if you are more interested in use cases and scenarios where blockchain could be applied this information will help. There are far more reports and analysis out than anybody can read in a reasonable time frame though.

    • The best report to cover Financial Services – if you are not from the industry – is by far and large the UBS whitepaper “Building the trust engine”. It is even an entertaining read by report standards.
    • The World Economic Forum published the most comprehensive research so far. While it is with a Financial Services focus I highly recommend at least skimming through it until something catches your eye. This is at least a year worth of work by six people and the report shows it.
    • Goldman Sachs spreads the topic across industries and gives detailed insights that also covers case studies from utilities, real estate and reputation management.

     

    The #Technology Perspective:

    Here is the section for the techies amongst you that would like to understand the mechanics and information technology at work.

     

    Self-Assessment:

    Here is a basic list of topics for you to assess your level of understanding after you covered some or all of the above.

    • Where does blockchain originate from and what is the relationship to Bitcoin?
    • How did blockchain evolve over the last years?
    • What are the differences between public, private and consortium blockchain?
    • What are criteria for scenarios where each of the above would be the ‘best’ technical solution?
    • Why blockchain was picked-up by Financial Services first and is most prominent in that industry?
    • What are smart contracts and how could they be used?
    • What happened during THE DAO incident and what implications did it have to the concept of smart contracts? Here is a hint.

    Do you have any more resources that you think are helpful to get started with blockchain? Post them in the comments along with a brief statement why you believe they help.

    [linkedinbadge URL=”https://www.linkedin.com/in/raimundgross” connections=”off” mode=”icon” liname=”Raimund Gross”] is Innovation Manager | Digital Change Agent | Futurist at SAP

     

  • user 7:35 am on September 17, 2016 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , bitcoin, , , ,   

    No Banking, No Bitcoin 

    aaeaaqaaaaaaaal0aaaajgu1y2ywmzeyltvkyzmtndlkmi1izdg5lteyyji4zjblogq0zg

    [TBT + ICYMI. When I published this exactly three years ago last week, the “denial of #banking services” issue was only known to those of us working in Money Services Businesses. Renamed as “derisking,” it has now become a global phenomenon that is affecting both #banks and non-banks, and has no end in sight.]

    Last Friday’s news that the Internet Archive Federal Credit Union (IAFCU) had shut down Tradehill’s account must have sent chills down the spine of every virtual #currency entrepreneur.  If it didn’t, it should. The IAFCU was supposed to be one of the few, if not the only, #Bitcoin-friendly financial institution in the U.S. rescuing virtual currency exchangers from ‘banking oblivion’.  At this point, we can only speculate about the true causes of this unfortunate situation, and we certainly hope it gets resolved favorably, promptly and permanently.

    Let’s hope it’s another case of entrepreneurial immaturity, as that would be the lesser evil compared to other potentially more devastating ones.  However, with all due respect to the parties involved in this particular case, there is, in general, a fine line between immaturity and stupidity; one that cannot be ignored in a nascent industry that is riddled with risks, and in which a few bad apples could set the entire industry basket back by years.  My point is: Are convertible virtual currency exchangers doing their homework?

    News flash 1 to virtual currency exchangers: you are financial institutions!

    Being a financial institution requires a heightened degree of governance –organization, discipline and control– as well as excellent stakeholder communications.  Even if exchangers choose to partner with a licensed financial institution rather than to obtain their own licenses, a famously daunting and onerous process, they have to remember two things: (1) they still are financial institutions in the eyes of the government, which means they will need to comply with most federal AML regulations, and (2) by extending their licenses to them, their principal partners will be taking on additional risks which, by virtue of the halo effect, could have repercussions in their own existing operations and banking relationships.

    In today’s environment, where even non-financial accounts are being closed, how do you think an existing master account depositary institution will react when they find out that their corporate client will be partnering with a Bitcoin exchange?

    No Compliance, No Banking

    This corollary to the main title has been a well-known necessary, yet not sufficient, condition in the money transmitter industry for a long time.

    News flash 2 to virtual currency exchangers: There is a strong correlation –and even causality– between being a money transmitter and being unable to obtain and maintain a bank account.

    Having opened, been denied, maintained, and lost dozens of bank accounts in dozens of countries within several money services businesses over the past decade, this is what it all boils down to: No compliance, no banking; no banking, no business.  I know that many in the space would prefer things to be different, but TODAY these are the rules of the game.

    When FinCEN officially declared on March 18, 2013 that certain ‘convertible virtual currency’ operators were money transmitters, crypto-preneurs fitting this definition had to add the following two items to their long list of problems to be solved:

    1. How to legally operate in or service citizens of the United States, which has an archaic, convoluted licensing regime
    2. How to build formally and substantially sound internal policies, procedures and controls (collectively, programs) to comply with applicable regulations of various kinds, including anti-money laundering, anti-terrorist financing, privacy and consumer protection

    Applying for and expecting to be granted the luxury to maintain a bank account before completing both of the above is naïve and unrealistic.  And it gets worse, even when exchangers have checked the boxes on the two items above, a third condition will be required: the revenue must be large enough to outweigh the bank’s internal risk management costs.  I’m sorry if I’ve burst anyone’s bubble, but that has been the story of our lives in the money transmitter industry for a long time.

    Tough Choices

    As if dealing with the myriad risks and adoption challenges inherent in the #technology itself was not enough, ‘convertible virtual currency’ operators have been confronted with decisions so tough that many may soon be out of business –either because they chose to ignore the FinCEN guidance and its attendant obligations, or because they chose to take them as seriously as expected.  The former would get them in trouble with the law.  The latter, too deep in the red.

    The good news is that, in spite of the tight budgets and the limited options, it is possible to obtain and maintain bank accounts in the United States.  It just requires a lot of hard work, and it all starts with a fundamental cornerstone: a world-class risk management and compliance program.

    This challenge can be approached in various ways.  There are a lot of smart and experienced lawyers that can help understand the details of what must be done.  In general, however, they will not be able to help much with how to make it all work within the unique confines of a company, operation and product.  In my experience, nobody better to build a solid, sustainable, risk management program than one’s own internal engineers and product owners with the full support of an enlightened leadership.

    What are you waiting for, crypto-preneurs?  Are the stakes not high enough?

    [linkedinbadge URL=”https://www.linkedin.com/in/juanllanos” connections=”off” mode=”icon” liname=”#Blockchain/#Fintech/Compliance Executive & Advisor“]

     

  • user 11:36 am on September 16, 2016 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , bitcoin, , , naive   

    Naivety is Alive and Well in FinTech 

    aaeaaqaaaaaaaac-aaaajgu4mmyyn2vlltqzytetndyzmy05nda4lteymzu4otk5zty0mw

    I’m at the excellent Banking Disrupted conference in Palo Alto. After a day of presentations and meetings, I’m left with several positives and one negative. The positives include:

    • Several initiatives focused on providing banking services for the underserved (not just loans)
    • Some realism about the likely timely for significant #blockchain implementations
    • An excellent panel on #FinTech for Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs)

    The negative? There is still naivety about FinTech’s need to be subject to financial regulation. Several speakers clearly get it. But there are a few, who are attracting significant funding, who still seem to feel they can step around regulation, or leave it to the #banks. It isn’t going to work like that!

    For example, one speaker talked about doing cross-border payments through #Bitcoin as a medium of exchange. His belief was that since he isn’t actually doing the payment (he is facilitating conversion to and from Bitcoin which the banks would do) his company wouldn’t be subject to AML rules.

    Whether or not FinTech companies sell to banks, integrate with banks, sell to banks or go it alone, they are part of the overall regulatory infrastructure. Why? Because regulation is designed to protect society. This protection relates to our money – ensuring it isn’t lost, that we aren’t misinformed about risks, that we’re treated fairly, etc. It also relates to protection from the funding of illicit and terrorist activities. Everyone who is involved in financial flows, everyone who manages money on behalf of others in any way, has a responsibility to provide reasonable protections.

    FinTech, this includes you! 

    Graham Seel, a 30 year banking veteran, runs BankTech Consulting. He is an expert in commercial banking, and provides strategic innovation consulting to banks. He also works as a fractional Customer Success Executive to Fintech firms, facilitating their partnership with banks.

     

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