Finextra Research: Latest fintech news, analysis, interviews, features and opinion by industry experts

CBDC infrastructure in 2023 – scapegoats, politics, and interoperability

Níamh Curran Senior Reporter at Finextra

CBDC infrastructure in 2023 – scapegoats, politics, and interoperability

The potential progress of CBDC remained in the headlines throughout 2022. Towards the end of the year, it was announced that the central banks of Sweden, Norway, and Israel collaborated with the Bank of International Settlement (BIS) to investigate how CBDCs can be used for international retail and remittance payments. The Bank of Canada also par...

11 January 2023 /crypto

Cryptocurrency sustainability: how do we solve a problem like Bitcoin?

Níamh Curran Senior Reporter at Finextra

Cryptocurrency sustainability: how do we solve a problem like Bitcoin?

Bitcoin uses significant amounts of energy, more than any other cryptocurrency. If cryptocurrencies are to be taken seriously in the wider financial world, it is important that the energy consumption of Bitcoin is not conflated with all cryptocurrencies. While estimates on this vary, the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) has found th...

08 December 2022 /crypto

The Future of Digital Banking in North America: How vulnerability will lead to better protection

Níamh Curran Senior Reporter at Finextra

The Future of Digital Banking in North America: How vulnerability will lead to better protection

This is an excerpt from Finextra’s report, 'The Future of Digital Banking North America 2023'. Digital banking is now very much in the mainstream, with the World Bank reporting that two-thirds of adults globally make or receive digital payments. However, with the successful rise of digital banking in North America, vulnerability has become a commo...

24 October 2022 /retail

The Future of ESGTech: Driving sustainability and ethics

Níamh Curran Senior Reporter at Finextra

The Future of ESGTech: Driving sustainability and ethics

This is an excerpt from Finextra’s report, 'The Future of ESGTech 2023'. Although regulatory and governmental action towards sustainability has been taken with examples such as the EU taxonomy for sustainable activities and numerous net-zero pledges made in recent years, “differences in the concept of materiality and the classification of sustaina...

11 October 2022 /Sibos

Rebundling: What do fintechs really think?

Níamh Curran Senior Reporter at Finextra

Rebundling: What do fintechs really think?

Client-stickiness is something all fintech firms strive for. A recent trend has emerged in which fintech firms are becoming a ‘one-stop-shop’ for the full financial lifecycle, aiming to achieve customer loyalty by offering a full range of products and services. These players are taking previously unbundled services, and rebundling these offerings ...

07 September 2022 /payments

The Future of Digital Banking in the UK: Retaining top digital talent

Níamh Curran Senior Reporter at Finextra

The Future of Digital Banking in the UK: Retaining top digital talent

This is an excerpt from Finextra’s report, 'The Future of Digital Banking in the UK 2022'. The “talent drought” has been a key topic of discussion from fintechs and banks alike. As companies become more in need of talent, especially those providing the building blocks for an increasingly digital banking world, it is the problem of these instituti...

22 August 2022 /Sibos

Banks and fintech firms: The symbiotic relationship

Níamh Curran Senior Reporter at Finextra

Banks and fintech firms: The symbiotic relationship

Customers expect a lot more from their banks today. They anticipate a full digital experience that engages with them on an individual, personalised basis. Fintech firms have excelled in customer experience and are far better at providing tailored products and services than the banks, despite the latter’s advantages in infrastructure and inherited ...

11 August 2022 /retail

The Future of Digital Identity: Separating the digital from the individual

Níamh Curran Senior Reporter at Finextra

The Future of Digital Identity: Separating the digital from the individual

This is an excerpt from Finextra’s report, ‘The Future of Digital Identity 2022: Inclusive, secure, fit for purpose.’ The majority of the world's population now has some form of digital identity. These can come from our own social media presence, but also our banks and the companies we use. “We are not in control of the number of identities we have...

27 May 2022 /identity

How banks can inspire consumers to make sustainable decisions

Níamh Curran Senior Reporter at Finextra

How banks can inspire consumers to make sustainable decisions

Banks have a crucial role to play in promoting sustainable lifestyles among their customers. Information such as transactional data can now be leveraged to distribute sustainability advice and product recommendations to end-users. This approach doesn’t just make sense for the planet and institutions’ net zero journeys – it will prove beneficial fr...

29 March 2022 /sustainable

Is ‘big cloud’ too big to fail? What cloud concentration risk means for the future of banking

Níamh Curran Senior Reporter at Finextra

Is ‘big cloud’ too big to fail? What cloud concentration risk means for the future of banking

In the financial services industry, banks can no longer operate in the digital world without cloud technology. Adoption of the cloud has many organisations shifting focus from on-premise solutions to cloud models due to its flexibility, reliability and security. The cloud also removes the burden of maintaining and updating systems, allowing banks ...

04 February 2022 /cloud

The Future of ESGTech: Goal 12 - Responsible consumption and production

Níamh Curran Senior Reporter at Finextra

The Future of ESGTech: Goal 12 - Responsible consumption and production

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. This is an extract from Finextra's The Future of ESGTech 2022 report. Focus target 12.6: Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle. The focus of this Goal is the “mat...

31 January 2022 /sustainable

The Future of ESGTech: Goal 11 - Sustainable cities and communities

Níamh Curran Senior Reporter at Finextra

The Future of ESGTech: Goal 11 - Sustainable cities and communities

Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. This is an extract from Finextra's The Future of ESGTech 2022 report. Focus target 11.5: By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product c...

28 January 2022 /sustainable

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