1. Banking-FinTech Cooperation: from good idea to emerging trend (partnerships, APIs)
2. Ecosystem: from VC investment to consumer use cases and growth
3. Payments: mobile adoption, “faster” development
4. Cryptofinance: from bitcoin to blockchain to smart contracts
5. Regulation: the Empire Strikes
For the first time, more are mobile-banking than going to a branch
One in ten consumers, roughly 25 million people, used mobile banking for the first time in 2015, according to the Wall Street Journal.
FinTech came knocking in ‘15: how will banks answer?
The warnings of FinTech startups arrival have finally caught the attention of C-Suite bankers. American Banker has a recap of banking’s response blockchain technology, embracing cloud computing and comfort with APIs. Jay Reinemann, managing director the venture arm of BBVA, presents the Spanish banking group’s Five FinTech Trends of 2016.
Lessons learned: how can emerging FinTech startups succeed at compliance
Think FinTech startups operate with impunity? Think again. Pointing to Ripple Labs and PayPal as cautionary tales, Sandra Freeman looks into how startups can brace themselves for regulations in a in a LinkedIn piece.
Bitcoin pessimism and optimism
Bitcoin is failing as its community of developers is rife with conflict, and a number are losing faith in the cryptocurrency, reports The New York Times DealBook. At the same time, regulators in New York are leading the way in bitcoin’s mainstream acceptance, and signs point to 2016 as the year for bitcoin to flourish, according to Wired.com. has nearly 30 companies aiming to simplify money movement for businesses.
Ethereum will arrive (and 15 other blockchain predictions for 2016)
Will financial industry insiders switch from saying “blockchain” and “distributed ledger” for “Ethereum”? That’s one of 16 predictions Andrew Keys puts forth in a piece for CoinDesk.
FinTech growth poised to disrupt banking industry
Results from the first EY FinTech Adoption Index, reported in The Financial Brand, examines use of FinTech services in savings, investments, payments, borrowing, and insurance. The survey of 10,131 consumers in Australia, Hong Kong, and other countries shows where adoption rates are highest and what audiences are the most FinTech savvy.
Movie Bonus: Academy Award nominee The Big Short gets it right
Reviews of the film adaptation of Michael Lewis’ book The Big Short are mostly positive. Investor and Forbes columnist Barry Holtz asserts the film gets the main points leading to the crisis correct and gives the movie 80 out of 100. Read his take on it here.