China’s Social Security Chairman Open to Blockchain Integration
China’s state #social #security system is reportedly looking to integrate #blockchain #technology as part of a bid to cut costs.
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Win 3 Tickets for The Swiss Crypto Finance 2.0 Conference
The #cryptocurrency #Bitcoin generates a lot of headlines – positive and negative ones. At our #conference we are discussing the the long-term capabilities of digital currencies and their impact.
#Blockchain, the #technology behind it, is arguably the most disruptive and the important discoveries of our age. But is Blockchain ready to go mainstream? How can this technology improve existing processes? What are the most interesting use cases and what are the impacts on other industries?
On September 13, 2016, leading experts are going to talk about these topics at Kunsthaus Zurich.
Win a FREE-pass to attend #Crypto ’16 by sending email to [email protected] with your full name.THREE lucky emails will be chosen and announce (via email) as winners on this Thursday, September 08
If you miss this give-away, #Fintech News readers are offered 25% OFF when registering with code “FinTech&8220;
SPEAKERS
Rik Willard
Agentic Group
Founder & Managing DirectorRik Willard is the Founder of Agentic Group, a global consortium of Blockchain and related companies in the US, France and the UK. He is the former co-founder and CEO of MintCombine, the world&8217;s first digital currency and blockchain think-tank that worked with CEOs around the world to map the use of blockchains and meta-assets in many major business sectors. He is one of AlleyWatch magazine&8217;s &8220;14 NYC People in Bitcoin You Must Know” and is featured on CNN and CNBC, with speaking engagements at Harvard Business School Club, Kaufmann Institute, Dow Jones Speaker Series and more.
Lucas Betschart Blockchain Source Co-Founder
Lucas Betschart is the founder of Blockchain Source, a consulting company focusing on applying Blockchain technologies in the real world. Being involved in Bitcoin since the early days he has a deep understanding of decentralized systems, cryptography and the technologies available today, to build or integrate with.
He is the founder and organizer of the Blockchain Meetup Zurich group, which connects and educates startups, corporates and enthusiasts and president of the Bitcoin Association Switzerland.
Fabio Federici
Skry
Co-Founder & CEOFabio initially founded Skry (formerly Coinalytics), based in Palo Alto, in 2014. Prior to founding Skry Fabio was enrolled at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Art in Switzerland, pursuing a Master in Business Administration. One semester into the program Fabio got handed the opportunity to take Skry and join the acclaimed 500 Startups accelerator program in Mountain View, California.
Save-the-Date: 1st InsurTech Conference is going to take place on November 1, 2016 (Kunsthaus Zurich). Get 20% off when registering with Code &8220;FinTech-Insur&8220;
The post Win 3 Tickets for The Swiss Crypto Finance 2.0 Conference appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News – FintechNewsCH.
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FinTech DACH News Rückblick der Woche 35
Fintech.Li präsentiert hier wöchentlich die wichtigsten #News rund um #Fintech in der Schweiz, Liechtenstein, Deutschland und Österreich.
Fintech DACH Top News
Haftpflicht Helden – ein dreiminütiger InsurTech-Quickie
“In der Praxis gibt es zurzeit kein vergleichbares Angebot im Markt. Unseren Vorsprung in Sachen Technik und Produktentwicklung wollen wir noch weiter ausbauen”, sagt Florian Knörrich von Haftpflicht Helden. Die App ist komplett auf Haftpflichtversicherungen ausgerichtet. Mehr erfahren
In der Schweiz werden sich zwei Sorten von Fintechs etablieren
Die Direct-Lending-Firma Swisspeers startete im August 2015. Das Interesse an massgeschneiderten Unternehmenskrediten steigt, wie Co-Gründer Alwin Meyer im Interview feststellt. Mehr erfahren
Banken kämpfen um die Hoheit über ihre Kundendaten
Alle Finanzen in einer App zu überblicken, ist für viele Bankkunden reizvoll. Für die Anbieter solcher Programme auch. Nun machen es erste Banken den Fintechs nach. Mehr erfahren
Schweizer FINTECH-Regulierungs RoundtableHerausforderungen von FinTech Unternehmen eine Anhörung der Behörden. Am Mittwoch, 24. August haben sich Mitglieder der FINMA, EFD, SIF und SECO mit den unterschiedlichsten FinTech-Unternehmern auf Organisation und Einladung der Swiss Finance + #Technology Association im Prime Tower in Zürich zum Thema FinTech Regulierung getroffen. Mehr erfahren
Regelbasierte Kundenansprache bei den Sparkassen: Neuigkeiten & Erweiterungen für die Internet‑Filiale 6
Früher war alles besser? Mitnichten – aber manches war vorhersehbarer. Bei Fragen rund ums Geld ging der Kunde in die Filiale. Und heute? Kunden haben längst Online-Banking für sich entdeckt. Mehr erfahren
Fintech Made in Switzerland
Im Fintech-Bereich läuft inzwischen viel in der Schweiz. Vielleicht fast zu viel – oder die Aktivitäten sind zu wenig koordiniert. Mit diversen Gesprächen mit Finanzexperten möchte der Autor Manuel Stagers das Fintech-Ökosystem beschreiben: Fintech made in Switzerland. Mehr erfahren
Wir können eine Superbank bauen
Sergio Ermottis Idee einer Superbank, einer kooperativen Plattform zur Senkung der Kosten, ist nicht neu. SIX-Chef Urs Rüegsegger verfolgt sie schon lange und sagt: «Wir können das.». Mehr erfahren
Licht ins Dunkel des FinTech-Verband-Dschungel
Menschen die in ähnlichen oder gar denselben Geschäftsfelder tätig sind, versuchen sich früher oder später zu Interessengruppen, Gilden oder auch Verbänden zu formieren. Obwohl man vielleicht in direkter oder indirekter Weise in Konkurrenz zueinander steht überwiegen die Vorteile einer gemeinsamen Organisation bzw. einer gemeinsamen Stimme in den meisten Fällen. Denn ein solcher Zusammenschluss eignet sich hervorragend für den gemeinsamen Erfahrungsaustausch oder auch, um politisch gemeinsam eine hörbarere Stimme zu haben als jede Person bzw. Unternehmen für sich alleine. Auch in der aktuellen FinTech-Welt ist das nicht anders. Mehr erfahren
Credit Suisse innoviert die IBAN
Die Credit Suisse wartet mit einer Weltneuheit auf: Die IBAN wird persönlich. Die Idee stammt von Mitarbeitern der Grossbank. Mehr erfahren
Digitalisierung ist für Sparkassen eine neue Chance – YOMO ist ein Beispiel dafürGeorg Fahrenschon, Präsident des Deutschen Sparkassen- und Giroverbandes, stellte auf der heutigen Handelsblatt-Jahrestagung “Banken im Umbruch” fünf Thesen in den Raum – eine davon zur Digitalisierung fanden wir so interessant, das wir Ihnen den Redeausschnitt im Original weitergeben möchten. Unter anderem geht es um YOMO, P2P-Payment in der Sparkassen-App und den neuen Antritt in Puncto Geschwindigkeit. Mehr erfahren
Lombard Odier wächst dank Fintech
Die Genfer Privatbank Lombard Odier hat im ersten Semester 2016 einen tieferen Gewinn erzielt als vor Jahresfrist. Die Kundengelder flossen verhalten, dafür boomte das Geschäft mit Fintech-Dienstleistungen. Mehr erfahren
Warum UBS-Präsident Axel Weber auf die Fitness-Branche schautWenn sich die Banken der Digitalisierung verweigern, verlieren sie ihre Kunden. Darum sollten sich die Finanzhäuser ein Beispiel an anderen Branchen nehmen, mahnt UBS-Präsident Axel Weber. Mehr erfahren
Deutschlands Nummer Zwei verpasst sich eine Digitalkur Im Juni hat Michael Mandel Großes angekündigt: Die Commerzbank werde zur Multikanalbank, so der Privatkundenvorstand. Die hauseigene Design Thinking-Agentur Neugelb soll die Commerzbank zum Fintech machen. Mehr erfahren
#BITCOIN / #BLOCKCHAIN News
Blockchain – vom Hype zur Ernüchterung
Macht die Blockchain die Welt zu einem besseren Ort? Wahrscheinlich ist das nicht. Von Dirk Elsner. Mehr erfahren
Switzerland Opens up to Blockchain Tech
Appetite for blockchain technology is growing worldwide as venture capital investment in Bitcoin and blockchain startups exceeds US$ 1.1 billion and major financial institutions begin trialing the technology for varied applications. Mehr erfahren
Blockchain-Technologie für Banken und Fintechs: Mehr als Bitcoin!
Blockchain ist nicht nur die Basis der Krypto-Währung Bitcoin. Blockchain ist weit mehr: Mit dieser Kombination aus Prozess und Technologie können Dinge jeder Art schnell und risikoarm gehandelt werden. Die Finanzdienstleistungsbranche erkennt bereits den disruptiven Charakter von Blockchain. Große und kleine Unternehmen experimentieren bereits mit den Möglichkeiten der Blockchain-Technologie, um ihre Wertschöpfungskette neu zu definieren. Mehr erfahren
Blockchain – what’s in it for insurance?
Insurers must look past the gloss and hype from other areas of finance adopting blockchain technology, and consider the real benefits and drawbacks of implementing these systems, says Thomas McCourtie. Mehr erfahren
Weltwirtschaftsforum mit streitbarer &8220;Staats-Bitcoin&8221;-These
Das Weltwirtschaftsforum beschäftigt sich schon seit einiger Zeit mit Bitcoin und stellt dabei durchaus die richtigen Fragen. Wie zum Beispiel in diesem Video über die Blockchain. Mehr erfahrenÜBERSICHTEN / INFOGRAFIKEN / STUDIEN
Charted: Blockchain use in governments
Blockchain has offered foolproof ways to secure services. The digital ledger records live transactions across a distributed network of computers. Records, once logged, are irreversible as any change will first have to be verified across the network.. Mehr erfahren
27 Most Valued World Fintech Unicorns
Business Insider Singapore, CBInsights, Funderbeam, and Crunchbase together have created the world’s fintech unicorns – fintech start-ups valued at over $ 1 billion. Mehr erfahren
13 Fintech Startups from Switzerland You Need to Know About in 2016Since coming under scrutiny for its longstanding privacy protections—a tradition that made Switzerland into a leading global financial center—the economy hasn’t had quite the boost it used to have from the industry. These top 13 Swiss Fintech startups are set to reinvigorate the region’s banking and finance space in 2016 with their innovative offerings. Mehr erfahren
41 International FinTech Accelerators & Incubators Nurturing the Future of the Financial Services IndustryAs the FinTech ecosystem grows in complexity and enrichment with technological advancements, #banks and corporations rush to seize the opportunity to harvest the best solutions available. Innovation hunters have been looking for opportunities in different ways, one of which is to set an accelerator/incubator, innovation lab or some sort of a startup program. Let’s look at some of the interesting FinTech-focused programs operating around the world. Mehr erfahren
Händlerkosten von Kreditkartenzahlungen im Online-Handel gehen um bis zu 60 Prozent zurückDie seit Dezember 2015 in Kraft getretene Regulierung der Interbankenentgelte für kartengebundene Zahlungsvorgänge (sogenannte „MIF-Verordnung“; MIF = Multilateral Interchange Fee) begrenzt die Entgelte für Issuer bei Kreditkartenzahlungen. Dadurch ergeben sich für Händler deutlich geringere direkte Kosten für die Akzeptanz von Kreditkarten. Mehr erfahren
6 Fintech Startups From Hanoi, Vietnam to WatchHo Chi Minh City has got a number of promising startups such as M_Service, one of the country’s first fintech startups to gain international recognition; Timo, Vietnam’s first and only digital “bank” powered by VP Bank; and LoanVi, Vietnam’s first peer-to-peer lending online marketplace for personal loans. Today, we take a look at Hanoi’s fintech startup community with a focus on some of the city’s most promising ventures. Mehr erfahren
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Financial Services Productivity
It’s a funny thing, #productivity. Very easy to define – producing more with less &8211; but more difficult to measure. Productivity is easier to define for a given company (revenue per employee for example), somewhat easier to compare amongst like minded companies in the same industry, more difficult to use as a metric across industries, complex when applied to #services as opposed to manufacturing industries and utterly bewildering when taking into account qualitative factors.
Productivity occurs when firms “innovate”. I use quotation marks because there are so many different ways to segment and qualify innovation. At meta level, innovation is the application of better technologies to an economic process &8211; a #technology being a technique or collection of techniques invented by man.
The narrative unfolds as such: a) we invent new technologies, then b) we innovate by applying these new technologies, and as a result c) we become more productive.
Over long periods of time this cycle benefits societies as goods and services in a given industry become better and cheaper. As an example and as a result of productivity gains, there are now less individuals engaged in food production and the cost of food in our daily budgets has plummeted. In other words agriculture has become vastly more productive.
Contrary to what many may think, the #financial services industry has always been a heavy user of technology. To name but a few, advanced telecommunications applied to financial services have facilitated cross border transactions, advanced computing has helped the securitization industry, advanced data science has helped intricate trade and investment strategies. I would therefore state that financial services firms, on the aggregate, have always been innovators.
Have they become more productive though? In absolute, or relatively speaking?
Looking at revenue per employee and operating income (OI) per employee as crude productivity metrics for 2015, Bank of America delivers $ 392k in revenue and $ 104k in OI per employee vs Facebook which clocks $ 1.24m in revenue and $ 435k in OI per employee. On the face of it, Facebook is vastly more productive than Bank of America. The comparison gets more interesting when adding Goldman Sachs with $ 1m in revenue and $ 240k in OI per employee and Visa with $ 1.23m in revenue and $ 796k in OI per employees. Obviously some financial services firms are more productive than others and rival tech giants such as Facebook. These comparisons are unfair though as the business models are vastly different. Still, firms like Visa &8211; other likes MasterCard or the CME Group come to mind &8211; are more technology-intensive companies while any bank &8211; with the exception of Goldman &8211; are less technology-intensive.
From an empirical point of view, we know a majority of consumers and entreprises are dissatisfied with their financial institutions. Quality of service as well as user experience are poor, services are slow and inefficient, products and services are costly. Even if it is difficult to gauge the qualitative and quantitative impact Wikipedia has had on our productivity, it is undeniable there has been a positive impact. Even though it is difficult to gauge the qualitative impact of the financial services industry on financial wealth and health in the aggregate, it is undeniable the impact has been in certain instances negative.
From a macro-industry point of view, Thomas Philippon, a professor of finance with NYU Stern School, recently wrote that, as per his analysis and research, the unit cost of financial intermediation had remained constant at 2% from 1886 til 2015, see here. This means that any intermediated asset has cost users 2 cents for every dollar AND has remained constant for well over a century! This is actually the greatest indictment of the financial services industry one could every come up with. Arguably, during this period the costs of many products and services in other industries have dropped while quality increased. Not so for financial services.
To be clear, financial services firms have been innovators and they have become more productive as evidenced by the massive profits the industry has experienced. Shareholders and employees have benefited. (Even after the 2008 financial crisis, financial services profits have reached record highs. The banking industry alone hit a record of $ 1 trillion in profits worldwide in 2014.) The costs of financial products and services has not decreased for the end users. Further, as profits were more than adequate, the costs of delivering products and services did not decrease either.
Innovation and productivity did occur, only for the industry itself though.
When taking into account the massive scale of the financial services industry &8211; between 15% and 17% of total GDP depending the economic cycle and the exuberance of financial markets &8211; this has to result in major challenges for any economy. The primary function of financial services is to optimally allocate capital. In other words the industry needs to help us spend money, send money, receive money, invest money, save money, insure, in the best possible way. If the process whereby all these activities is essentially &8220;rigged&8221;, economic activity suffers. There are obviously high level considerations &8211; fiscal, monetary and political &8211; when analyzing the efficiency of financial services, especially from a macro point of view. I only focus on technology, innovation and the resulting business models that can emerge once &8220;real&8221; productivity takes hold, as opposed to &8220;rent-seeking&8221; productivity.
One can argue that Venture Capital is one of the enablers of sea-changing innovation with the systemic application of new technologies. Indeed, the first wave of #fintech, emanating from the Silicon Valley and focused on backing direct to consumer models bent on competing against financial services incumbents was based on the oft successful VC/Entrepreneur strategy applied to other industries. That this first wave was not as successful as it was originally thought does not mean &8220;end-user centric&8221; productivity will not finally permeate financial services. On the contrary, it was a necessary first wave that shook the industry into action.
Whether incumbent will successfully reinvent themselves, startups will win meaningful market share or partnerships between incumbents and startups is the way of the future is opened for debate. What is not open for debate, is the unavoidable imperative towards finally lowering the marginal cost of delivering financial products or services and eventually lowering the cost of products or services (within reason as one cannot lower the cost of borrowing for example).
All the narratives unfolding under our very eyes &8211; digitization, platform as a service, chatbots, roboadvisory, alternative lending, APIs, cognitive banking or insurance, #blockchain, faster payments… &8211; are emanations of this unavoidable imperative.
I recently checked US financial services payroll on the Bureau of Labor and Statistics&8217; website. Interestingly enough the US financial services industry employed approximately 8.5m people prior to the 2008 crisis. Employment stands now at around 7.9m and is expected to grow to 8.4m by 2020. I am puzzled by this forecast as I expect financial services industry payrolls to continue to decrease in developed countries (US and Europe included) as more inefficiencies are weeded out of the system. (Facebook employs 14,500, Visa employs 11,300 while BoA employs 210,000; there is still much to do.)
No discussion about financial services productivity would be complete without mentioning regulation. Indeed, regulators can be viewed as having been complicit in the building of a rent-seeking industry. The rate of change of technology has accelerated to such a degree and consumer behaviors and expectations have changed to such an extent that financial services regulators cannot afford business as usual. Thusly the novel approach to innovation the Financial Conduct Authority has taken in the UK or the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Every regulator is now actively thinking or devising new ways of engaging the eco-system they regulate and this includes how innovation impacts these eco-systems.
The lesson here is everyone is breathing fintech, from service providers to incumbents to regulators and startups, as a vector to deliver productivity gains.
I want Thomas Philippon to run the numbers in 5 and 10 years from now, and I will be crushed if the cost of intermediating an asset will not have dropped to below 1%. How low can we go?
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California Pension Fund Considers Blockchain Opportunities
Board members of the #California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) recently took part in a discussion on #blockchain #technology.
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13 Hottest Finance And Fintech Startups in Europe 2016
WIRED Magazine has recently published a list of Europe&8217;s 100 Hottest Startups 2016. The list consists various #startups in e-commerce, #finance, AI, App, Mobile, Recruitment, etc. from #hottest cities such as London, Paris, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Istanbul, Barcelona… Out of 100 startups, 13 startups in #Fintech and Finance have made the list.
LONDON, UK
Property Partner &8211; Property Crowdfunding & Investment
Property Partner combines residential real estate crowdfunding with a secondary exchange upon which investors can trade their holdings. The company allows anyone to invest in an individual property of their choice, with as little or as much they wish, so they can own a share, receive rental income and access capital growth. Property Partner is the trading name of London House Exchange Limited, a company that is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Osper &8211; The Prepaid Debit Card for Kids 8-18
The branchless bank offers debit cards for 8-to 18 years-olds. Children can manage spending with an accompanying smartphone app, and parents can use the app to monitor spending and transfer (or withhold) pocket money. Founded by Alick Varma in 2012, the company is backed by Horizons Ventures and an array of entrepreneurs, including Samir Desai of Funding Circle
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
Qapital introduces a fun, automated way of saving money for specific goals. The totally free iPhone app is designed to help anyone reach savings targets by setting goals and applying rules to automate the saving. Qapital uses “If This Then That” IFTTT triggers to create a gamified savings system for millennials. Rules can be as simple as rounding up to the nearest dollar on everyday expenses or as interesting as rewarding yourself if you do certain things
AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS
BUX &8211; Casual Stock Trading
BUX wants to make everyone a stock trader. Released in 2014, its app combines &8220;virtua-money trading and a community&8221;, according to CEO Nick Bortot. It allows potentials investors to practise with digital currency before they spend real-world fund, with alerts sent when prices start to rapidly drop. Bortot claims the app has 450,000 registered users and is available in the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and the UK. Further European expansion is planned for the 31 people team.
HELSINKI, FINLAND
Moni &8211; Banking In Your Pocket
Founded by Basemotion mastermind Antti Pennanen, this fintech startup offer prepaid MasterCards so travellers can pay without charges, and a money-transfer app that allows interest-free loans between friends. Its profile soared in February #2016 when the Finnish immigration service announced it would use to make payments to some of Finland’s 50,000 refugees.
LISBON, PORTUGAL
CrowdProcess is a scientific computing company that owns James, an R&D tool used by many #banks to manage risk. James helps risk officers in banks manage risk better, reduce default rates and improve origination practices, using advanced scientific computing capabilities, including machine learning and advanced optimization. The company, founded in 2011 by CEO Pedro Fonseca, Sam Hopkins, and works with hedge funds based in New York and London.
ISTANBUL, TURKEY
A marketing tool that provides predictive algorithms for online businesses, Insider launched in 2012 and has 90 employees in 5 countries. &8220;There are personalisation tools which allow online businesses to create special content for each users. However, there are manual and integration takes ages,&8221; says co-founder and CEO Hande Cilingir. Insider‘s tools segment audiences automatically, for a monthly fee.
AloTech &8211; A Cloud Company
For companies running a call center operation that are frustrated with the high cost, complexity and difficulty of the conventional systems, AloTech is the web based, pay-as-you-go solution running on Google, which is low cost, fast, easy, scalable and with complete enterprise functionality able to be setup anywhere in the world in 10 minutes.
Parasut &8211; Financial Management Software for SMEs
The bookkeeping cloud platform made our 2015 list and has since doubled its customer base to 2,500. &8220;We signed a partnership agreement with Akbank, one of the largest banks&8221;, says co-founder Sean Yu. &8220;We&8217;ll integrate our application directly to online banking to enable seamless syncing of transaction data, make payments for invoices and payroll in-app, provide invoice factoring, credit and loans and other products in-app.&8221;
iyzico &8211; Virtual POS Service
TPayment platform iyzico has grown significantly since 2014. In 2015, it raised $ 6.2 million and entered the $ 400 billion Iranian market. It has more than 29,000 registered merchants (up from 3,000 in 2014) and has seen a 50% increase in the average number of transactions year on year. &8220;I am aiming to get as many smart and driven people as possible together, who will help us to become the payment champion of the Orient,&8221; says Marketing Manager a da Enen.
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL
FundBox – Fundbox: Overcome Cash Flow Gaps
Fundbox is a #technology company focusing on helping small business owners overcome occasional short-term cash flow gaps. Founded in 2013, the service uses big data analytics, engineering, and predictive modeling to help optimize cash flow for small businesses and freelancers with outstanding invoices. The company already raised $ 112.5 million from investors including Jeff Bezos and Ashton Kutcher.
By giving people the ability to exchange digital cash directly with one another Colu is creating a new way of thinking about money that encourages sustainable and equitable economic growth while supporting local businesses. Colu wants to digitalise ownership of real-world items &8211; from cars to concert tickets &8211; using the #blockchain. Founded in 2014, the company has raised $ 2.5 million in seed funding led by Aleph Venture Capital. It has partnered with Deloitte and is collaborating with Barbados-based startup to introduce a #Bitcoin-based &8220;Caribean dollar&8221;
BARCELONA, SPAIN
Kantox: Currency and Risk Management Solutions
Kantox is a foreign exchange service provider, offering SMEs and mid-cap companies a comprehensive solution to their foreign exchange needs, based on transparency, efficiency and value. Their transactions reached $ 1 billion, broke the $ 3 billion barrier in April 2016. It completed an $ 11 million funding round from Partech Venture, IDinvest Partner and Cabiedes & Partners in May2015, and released new software this year which automates FX transactions and payments.
The post 13 Hottest Finance And Fintech Startups in Europe 2016 appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News – FintechNewsCH.
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Startup of the Month: Lykke, a Next-Gen Zero-Commission Trading Platform Powered by Blockchain
#Bitcoin and #blockchain #technology has gotten a major boost in Switzerland as Richard Olsen, the co-founder of OANDA and a former CEO of the North American FX Brokerage, is looking to harness the power of the technology to disrupt digital currencies and assets #trading.
Lykke, Olsen’s latest venture, has just released a mobile app for Android devices, which follows its iOS counterpart released in June. The #Lykke Wallet lets users trade digital currencies and assets, and come with a number of innovative features including instant settlement, direct ownership and zero commission.
Through the app, users can track asset prices in real time, check their balances, transaction history and blockchain details for all transactions, move assets to any bitcoin wallet, deposit and withdraw bitcoins via QR codes with no fees.
“Lykke Wallet, currently in beta, aims to prove the concepts and the technology behind the new global marketplace,” Olsen said in a media release.
Signing up to Lykke is quite simple: you can use your smartphone camera to take pictures of yourself and your identification documents.
Lykke&8217;s technology
Founded in Zurich in 2015, Lykke aims at cutting out intermediaries in financial markets by allowing participants to transact in a peer-to-peer manner.
It uses a technology called ‘colored coins;&8217; tokens that represent assets. &8220;If a colored coin is hacked, the issuer can cancel the colored coin and issue a new colored coin,&8221; explained Olsen in a recent interview with Finance Magnates.
Another interesting feature is the #platform&8217;s use of multisignature (multisig) wallets, which require two signatures (one from Lykke, one from the client) to spend funds from a particular wallet.
The Lykke Exchange itself doesn&8217;t take custody of client funds but also holds one of the two needed private keys. If, for some reason, the Lykke Exchange goes down, there is a &8220;refund mechanism&8221; for the private key held by the company.
&8220;We have solved the cyber security issue that plagues bitcoin exchanges and offer restitution, which is more efficient than a depositor insurance scheme in #banks that is limited to specified amount of money,&8221; Olsen said.
Lykke is building a global marketplace where users would be able to trade all classes of financial instruments issued in the form of colored coins in order to enable direct ownership and immediate settlement on the blockchain.
In May 2016, Lykke closed a second seed funding round, welcoming new investors Marco Brockhaus and Carlo Koelzer, founding partner of 360T&8217;s Group Executive Board and member of Deutsche Börse Group Management Committee.
That same #month, the company announced the addition of Nick Szabo, a Bitcoin pioneer, into its Advisory Board.
Lykke is currently on an Initial Coin Offering (ICO) which it plans to begin in September.
&8220;Blockchain is an opportunity for all businesses – literally all businesses can embrace the technology and seize the opportunities, such as issuance of new instruments, explosive growth of transaction volumes, new types of banking, investment management and insurance products – these markets have huge potential,&8221; Olsen said.
&8220;Companies that close their eyes to the new opportunities are at risk – they will be latecomers and will have to restructure, when revenues nosedive – a bad environment to embrace new business models.&8221;
The post Startup of the Month: Lykke, a Next-Gen Zero-Commission Trading Platform Powered by Blockchain appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News – FintechNewsCH.
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Apple Pay: Innovation or Repetition
Payments : Part-1
Introduction – Mobile money as a network-operated platform for financial services is playing a huge role in many economies. Like in the past, the emergence of new services and infrastructure (bridges, railroads, electricity, telecommunications, internet, etc.) has had profound effects on human livelihoods. New ways of moving people, goods, reliable energy or access to information can lead to waves of innovation and have transformed markets as existing firms restructure and new firms emerge to capture available opportunities. For more details about my posts, subjects and relevance please read the disclaimer.
While it has often been described as a money transfer product, mobile money is a MNO service for storing and moving money by facilitating the exchange of cash and electronic value between various actors ranging from registered subscribers, businesses, the government and other financial service providers.
Let’s have an elaborate discussion on the Money Transfer System and the Mobile Payments Ecosystem.
Main Story – Apple (As per news 10 Million handsets sold in first 3 days) launching Apple Pay (NFC Solution) from a #technology prospective is neither a new offering nor a game changer. Without a doubt, this launch will set a trend for NBFTC (Non Banking Financial & Technology companies) on how to enter into payments and the so-called banking domain and eat the share. Unlike most of the MNOs which keep on focusing and growing the mobile network in positive way to penetrate this or can say isolated areas, millions of people are now able to connect via a mobile phone. As a result, mobile money has become a viable alternative to traditional bank accounts. The mobile payment relationship between the major #banks and Apple is, to put mildly, a delicate one..
If we compare the underlying hardware on handsets (like to like, apple to apple), the Nexus-4 which was released in November 2012 was exactly the same in terms of specification and most of us must have seen Facebook posts as “Welcome to 2012” and Japan’s FeliCa calls it “Welcome to 2004” as they did all (payment through NFC with fingerprints as signature, pulling money from credit cards and supported with wrist watch) that is claimed by Apple now in June 2004 for Japan and its still running very well even though this technology is still unavailable to most users. As a result, only tech-savvy early adopters have embraced NFC to date. Ultimately, the adoption of a de facto standard and the introduction of user-friendly NFC applications could enable the technology to cross the chasm to gain traction with the early majority and Apple trying to enable NFC-based Mobile Payments to Cross the Chasm.
On the contrary, moving away from the Americas and Japan, looking at Africa, according to ITU (International Telecommunications Union) news; 20% of the adult population in Africa does not have formal bank accounts making mobile money an effective alternative. Thanks to mobile money products, secure and reliable financial management options are now easily accessible. For example, governments – in sub-Saharan Africa especially – are using mobile money to pay pensions and grants.
Apple’s move has the potential to vastly increase mobile payment revenue, which would create a potentially highly lucrative market for banks. But the precise details of early negotiations have the potential to color the nature of those deals for years. As the smoke clears from round one, it appears that the banks chose to start by playing this game the Apple way.
The rise of mobile money – particularly in developing countries – is set to skyrocket but that doesn’t mean that traditional bank accounts will become obsolete. Rather, mobile money and formal bank accounts will work side by side (they have to if banks still need to survive) with many people making use of both simultaneously. While payment methods like cheques may become obsolete, traditional bank accounts will still serve a purpose. Bear in mind that mobile money products are actually owned and operated by banks, or affiliated to them in some way.
The New York Times has reported that Apple Pay could threaten some revenue streams for banks and CC-N (Credit Card Networks), as the technology giant looks to assume a more central role in the financial universe. The eager participation of banks and card companies suggests both Apple’s clout, and the recognition among financial institutions that they face broader challenges from upstart technology ventures, many of which are not as eager or willing as Apple to work with the incumbent financial industry.”
The article quoted James Anderson, the senior vice president for mobile product development at MasterCard, saying: “There are schemes that don’t respect and honour the payment networks. We want to invest in programs that respect our role in the ecosystem.”
The article further stated that banks are hopeful that they will make up for the lower rates by processing new types of transactions that are currently being done with cash or other payment methods. The big CC-N will not have to pay any costs for working with Apple. But some analysts warned this week that Apple Pay could, in the long run, push down the rates that both credit card networks and banks can charge merchants. Credit card fees are largely used to cover the costs of fraud, which are expected to go down with Apple’s fingerprint signature. (New York Times)
Rapid advancements in mobile technology are changing the way we live; from the way we connect with others to the way we manage our finances. Technological innovations have made certain aspects of our daily live that much easier. The advent of mobile money has awarded those who were previously unable to conduct monetary transactions an easy and affordable alternative to traditional bank accounts.
Prior to the emergence of mobile money, many people in developing countries were unable to open a bank account. Lack of infrastructure combined with minimal wages, meant that banking was out of reach for millions of people. The ‘unbanked’ were essentially stuck between a rock and a hard place. They needed money to travel to the bank, but without any way to receive their wages or subsidies from the government or employed family members; this was an impossible task.
Conclusion -: To conclude this article I pose the same question as always, where is the END and which is the way to go when it comes to Mobile payments is developing something existing to uncover the hidden gems already there is useful.
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Switzerland Opens up to Blockchain Tech
Appetite for #blockchain #technology is growing worldwide as venture capital investment in #Bitcoin and blockchain startups exceeds US$ 1.1 billion and major financial institutions begin trialing the technology for varied applications.
Perceived as the trigger to “a profound technological shift” by authors Don and Alex Tapscott, blockchain technology not only promises to help #banks save up to US$ 20 billion in infrastructure costs but could also disrupt other industries as well including insurance, healthcare, education and governance.
While Silicon Valley reminds a hotspot for blockchain development, hosting 30% of the world’s bitcoin and blockchain startups and attracting 51% of the total venture capital investment globally, according to CoinDesk‘s Q1 2016 State of Blockchain report, other locations around the world are working towards building a strong domestic ecosystem.
In June, 24 members of the Swiss Parliament proposed a motion to reduce the regulatory burdens of blockchain startups. The motion, aimed at defining the term &8216;client deposit&8217; from banking bills, was rejected earlier this month, implying that FINMA, #Switzerland&8217;s financial watchdog, would consider blockchain and bitcoin startups as being qualify as banking businesses, according to a report by Startupticker.ch.
Switzerland is exploring other options including creating an entirely new license category for financial innovators carrying out some banking activities but with limited acceptance of client assets and no lending activity, as well as a license-exempt area, also referred to as a &8216;regulatory sandbox.&8217;
On January 01, 2016, FINMA revised its Anti-money Ordinance for businesses dealing with new payment methods and virtual currencies. Regarding virtual currencies, the authority equated them with money-transmitting services.
Switzerland&8217;s Bitcoin and blockchain ecosystem
In recent years, the Swiss canton of Zug has welcomed a growing number of Bitcoin and blockchain startups settling and opening offices in the location. This has led to the emergence of the &8220;Crypto Valley&8221; nickname which today hosts the likes of Monetas, Shapeshift, Xapo and Blockchain Source.
Monetas is a software company focused on next-generation financial services, providing banks and firms with a platform that allows for safe, fast, and very low cost transfers of any asset. In October last year, the company announced a pilot for a nationwide transaction platform for Tunisia&8217;s postal services.
Shapeshift is a #cryptocurrency exchange platform that allows for instant trade.
Blockchain Source is a consulting firm specializing in blockchain #tech for the financial services industry.
Xapo provides users with a bitcoin wallet as well as a &8220;deep cold storage wallet.&8221; The company has raised US$ 40 million in funding so far. The company, initially based in Palo Alto, relocated its corporate headquarters to Switzerland in May 2015, citing the country&8217;s long history of neutrality and stability.
Alongside its vibrant startup community, Switzerland is also home to Nexussquared, a blockchain-focused incubator founded by former senior UBS banker Daniel Gasteiger and property specialist Daniel Grassinger that aims at &8220;establishing Switzerland as a nexus for blockchain technology.&8221;
In July, Nexussquared wrapped up the first edition of nexuslab, a virtual blockchain startup program co-organized with Startupbootcamp #Fintech.
PHOTO: Nexuslab Festival Finale by PIOTR PIWOWARSKI http://www.fotopi.ch, via Nexussquared
Eight startups presented during the nexuslab Festival finale in Zurich on July 07. These ventures included Agrello, an Ethereum-based platform for managing contracts and legal documents; Doqum.io, a peer-to-peer community system for digital documents; First Wallet, a payment system for content providers; and Taqanu Bank, a neo-bank that leverages blockchain technology to provide banking services to people who don&8217;t have a fixed address; among others.
The event gathered nearly 170 investors, industry experts and journalists. The presentations by the eight startups &8220;pointed to Switzerland&8217;s strong position as a blockchain hub,&8221; Nexussquared said in a media release.
&8220;From trading ownership in music as a form of alternative investment to a banking solution for refugees and creating and signing electronic contracts, festival attendees got a taste of how blockchain technology can be applied to develop tangible business models.&8221;
On September 13, the Finance 2.0 Crypto &8217;16 conference in Kunsthaus Zurich will welcome industry experts to discuss &8220;how cryptofinance will change the world.&8221;
Topics will include the use of blockchain technology in art and music, decentralized autonomous organizations, smart contracts, business applications for private and open chains, as well as international settlements using cryptocurrencies. Get an exclusive 25% Discount with Code &8220;FinTech&8221; .
Featured image: Chain and padlock by ifong, via Shutterstock.
The post Switzerland Opens up to Blockchain Tech appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News – FintechNewsCH.
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Schweizer FINTECH-Regulierung Roundtable
Herausforderungen von #FinTech Unternehmen eine Anhörung der Behörden.
Am Mittwoch, 24. August haben sich Mitglieder der FINMA, EFD, SIF und SECO mit den unterschiedlichsten FinTech-Unternehmern auf Organisation und Einladung der Swiss Finance + #Technology Association im Prime Tower in Zürich zum Thema FinTech Regulierung getroffen.
Einerseits ging es darum, die Geschäftsmodelle der FinTech-Unternehmen aus erster Hand kennen und verstehen zu lernen und gleichzeitig die grössten regulatorischen Herausforderungen und Hürden zu definieren, um den FinTech-Standort Schweiz noch besser fördern und unterstützen zu können.
Die älteren FinTech-Unternehmer stellen ein zunehmendes Verständnis für die speziellen Anliegen und individuellen Probleme einzelner Geschäftsmodelle und attestieren heute eine hohe Kooperationsbereitschaft und Effizienz bei Abklärungen mit den zuständigen Ämtern. Die Kommunikation zwischen FinTech und Behörden ist beiden Parteien wichtig und wird bereits mehrheitlich als konstruktiv empfunden.
Obwohl keine Unternehmer aus #Blockchain und Kryptowährung vertreten waren, nahm das Thema einen grösseren Teil der Diskussion ein. Hier kam der Wunsch nach mehr Aufklärung und regulatorischer Sicherheit von beiden Seiten auf. Es wird darauf verwiesen, dass hier noch ganz andere ungelöste Anknüpfungspunkte wie Mehrwertsteuer, wirtschaftliche Berechtigung usw. und schliesslich auch noch das Parlament darüber entscheiden muss.
Es sei zu bedenken, dass ein verfrühter parlamentarischer Vorstoss auch in die falsche Richtung gehen kann, wenn aus einer gewissen Unkenntnis heraus die neue Technologie verhindert wird. Es brauche hier noch mehr Aufklärung auch von Seiten der Anbieter.
From Pixabay
Auf der Lending-, und Crowd-Funding-Seite wurden diverse Beispiele aufgezeigt, weshalb die „20er-Regelung“ für Konsumenten ein Nachteil darstellt und dies für die Anbieter in der Folge grosse wirtschaftliche Nachteile mit sich bringt.
Auf der Investment-Seite wurden der Marktzutritt EU, der Kunden-Onboarding-Prozess mit doppelter Regulierung sowie die fehlende Standardisierung der Schnittstellen bei Banken als grösste Herausforderung und Wettbewerbsnachteil thematisiert.
Die Rechtssicherheit ist jedoch für alle FinTech-Unternehmer von zentraler Bedeutung. Ohne klare Rahmenbedingungen wird kein Risikokapital für innovative Projekte zur Verfügung gestellt, denn die erste Frage lautet häufig:”Und wie sieht das aus regulatorischer Sicht aus?&8221;
Abschliessend sind die Behördenvertreter zwar nicht auf einzelne Punkte konkret eingegangen, haben jedoch von einer bevorstehenden allgemeinen Deregulierung und Vereinfachung gesprochen. Man sei bereits an gewissen Themen sehr nahe dran.
Folgende Schmerzpunkte kamen zur Sprache:
- Marktzutritt EU / Reziprozität
- Rechtssicherheit (Bsp. AIA)
- Anknüpfungspunkt der Regulierung
- „20er-Regelung“ auf Schuldner-Ebene
- regulatorisches „Qualitätssiegel“ im Ausland
- Sprache / Verständnis Juristen / Berater
- Klassifizierung als Advisory unter FIDLEG
- standardisierte Schnittstellen bei Banken
- FINMA-Kommunikation mit Stakeholdern
Dieser Artikel erschien zuerst auf Investory
The post Schweizer FINTECH-Regulierung Roundtable appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News – FintechNewsCH.
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