Long reads

Search
clear
clear
Banking in 2024: Lending crunch, fintech shake-up, and the rise of smart money management
Andrew Harris

Andrew Harris Head of Product, Marketing and Customer at Jenius Bank

Banking in 2024: Lending crunch, fintech shake-up, and the rise of smart money management

Funding challenges, constricting markets and the emergence of new, innovative money management tools will create challenges and opportunities in the banking industry this year. As economic headwinds intensify, consumers and financial institutions alike must remain nimble to navigate these effectively. As we look ahead, these are the hurdles and op...

/predictions

What are eSIMs and what can they do?
Sehrish Alikhan

Sehrish Alikhan Reporter at Finextra

What are eSIMs and what can they do?

eSIMs are a recent trend that have taken the world by storm. Short for embedded Subscriber Identity Module, eSIMs are designed as an alternative to the physical, plastic SIMs that you slot into your phone. SIMs hold your mobile number and allow you to send texts and receive calls on your phone. SIMs ease the process of changing your phone, but can ...

/devops

UK AI regulation: The Data Protection and Digital Information Bill
Chris Holmes

Chris Holmes Peer at House of Lords

UK AI regulation: The Data Protection and Digital Information Bill

Lord Christopher Holmes presented the following speech for the House of Lords on March 21, 2024. I believe if we are to secure the opportunities and control the challenges of artificial intelligence, it's time to legislate AI systems that are principles-based, outcomes-focused, input-transparent, and permissioned, that are paid for and understood. ...

/regulation

Embracing modernisation: Revolutionising the lending landscape with technology
Rashmi Sharma

Rashmi Sharma VP of Engineering at Mambu

Embracing modernisation: Revolutionising the lending landscape with technology

The lending landscape stands at the crossroads of tradition and innovation. As the VP of Engineering at Mambu, I've been immersed in the transformative journey of modernising lending practices. In collaboration with Microsoft, we have explored the changing dynamics of this space in our lending report, and the pivotal role of technology in reshapin...

/cloud

What’s the outlook for challenger banks in 2024?
Ian Rand

Ian Rand Chief Executive Officer at Monument

What’s the outlook for challenger banks in 2024?

From the throes of the financial crisis back in 2008, challenger banks burst onto the scene seeking to shake up the market. Over the last 15 years or so, we have seen new players become established institutions in the UK banking space - such as Monzo and Starling – and other players aiming to follow suit. Businesses who adopt a digital-first philo...

/retail

What’s AML? Understanding anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing
Dominique Dierks

Dominique Dierks Content Manager at Finextra

What’s AML? Understanding anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing

In banking, AML (anti-money laundering) describes legally recognised rules and activities that financial institutions perform in order to combat money laundering. AML is closely attached to CFT (counter-financing of terrorism), and AML regulations tend to combine money laundering (source) with terrorism financing (destination). What are the main t...

/crime

2024 is the UK's landmark year for stablecoin regulation
Arjun Lakhani

Arjun Lakhani Managing Associate at Linklaters LLP

2024 is the UK's landmark year for stablecoin regulation

The UK has already made some important strides to regulate the cryptoasset sector over the last few years, focusing on consumer protection and anti-money laundering initiatives. This includes the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) prohibiting the sale of crypto-derivatives to retail consumers, the application of the Money Laundering Regulation...

/regulation

What is the current landscape for VC investments in fintech?
Maximilian Schausberger

Maximilian Schausberger Managing Director at Elevator Ventures

What is the current landscape for VC investments in fintech?

Following the record-breaking highs of 2021, as we have all observed, the year of 2022 has been hit by a downturn in both the public and private capital markets. In 2023, the European venture capital market exhibited signs of recovery, although the overall deal value for early-stage investments is still projected below the highs of the previous ye...

/startups

How is generative AI democratising the availability of banking services?
Dominique Dierks

Dominique Dierks Content Manager at Finextra

How is generative AI democratising the availability of banking services?

Generative AI’s potential is vast, and there are opportunities for this technology to improve customer experience, enhance decision-making, increase colleague productivity and streamline processes. However, there is a need for oversight and ethical considerations – as there is with all types of AI – such as addressing inherent bias in data and ens...

/devops

BNPL – are we nearing extinction in Europe?
Dominique Dierks

Dominique Dierks Content Manager at Finextra

BNPL – are we nearing extinction in Europe?

In an unexpected move, NatWest has announced the closure of its buy now, pay later (BNPL) service less than two years after its launch. While citing a “clear demand” from customers for BNPL products at the initial launch in 2022, the bank now revealed that their service did not have the desired impact and uptake remained low as customers instead ...

/payments

Why savvy job seekers are looking to regtech
Amanda Kavanagh

Amanda Kavanagh Contributor at Jobbio

Why savvy job seekers are looking to regtech

Lax controls in crypto and fintech companies resulted in global fines of $5.8bn last year, eclipsing fines to the entire traditional banking system by a considerable amount. According to fintech software leader Fenergo, fines in the traditional banking group amounted to $834m comparatively. Of that $5.8bn sum, $4.3bn was the well-reported US crim...

/people

Generative AI and AI outlook 2024: Customer journeys, fraud and legislation
Níamh Curran

Níamh Curran Senior Reporter at Finextra

Generative AI and AI outlook 2024: Customer journeys, fraud and legislation

Artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI saw an immense boom in 2023, with some calling it the technology’s breakout year. What was once viewed as something of science fiction is coming closer to reality, with the abilities of the software developing at pace. Yet how is the technology going to progress throughout the year in the financial tec...

/payments

Welcome to Finextra. We use cookies to help us to deliver our services. You may change your preferences at our Cookie Centre.

Please read our Privacy Policy.

Accept