Category: Articles

This year, reports revealed that first-time buyers (FTBs) account for more than half (51%) of the nation's buying market for the first time since 1995 and with the average deposit for a first-time home now sitting at £33,000*, today new research has revealed that mortgages have as much impact mentally as they do financially on first-time buyers.

“We support people and businesses that work with cryptocurrencies and blockchain, and this move has been driven by demand from our clients. It’s a convenient way for many of them, particularly those in the fintech and technology sectors, to buy our services.” said Jon Wedge, Financial Services partner at BKL.

Recent statistics show that TSB, whose catastrophic IT transfer meltdown last year is still having lasting repercussions for clients, has come last in a consumer poll on the effectiveness of its online banking solutions. Staff Writer Hannah Stevenson explores how this is the direct result of the bank’s meltdown last year.

Over £20 billion of high net worth individuals’ investable wealth could be passed on to their loved ones every year, but as many as 80% of wealth manager’s don’t have an existing relationship with these beneficiaries. Digitisation is key to addressing this challenge.

Industries are constantly trying to keep up with the fast-paced landscape in which they operate, be it technological changes, customer demands or simply just making things easier for their consumers. But it is the speed at which the technological advancements have reached that has forced traditionally slow-moving financial institutions to heavily invest to remain relevant to their consumers and remain competitive in the marketplace.

Many of us feel awkward discussing our finances, but when studies show that three quarters of Britons were worried about their finances in 2018, it becomes clear that we can’t avoid the topic for much longer. Over half of UK adults attribute money worries to mental health issues, and the ever-growing anxiety about money needs to be tackled head-on. The question is, what’s gong wrong?

Despite the stereotype of the younger generation being frivolous with their money, it seems they are actually one of the savviest generations when it comes to turning a profit on their own. While they are hesitant to invest in stocks, millennials and generation Z are tapping into the hyper-short-term investment of fashion and beauty. For example, there’s a huge market for buying and selling trainers at the moment, or in vintage fashion.

Thanks to its impressive industry expertise, 4Stop, a leading fraud prevention provider, solves businesses riskbased approach through a modern, all-in-one KYB, KYC, compliance and anti-fraud solution at an international level. To celebrate the firm’s win in this year’s competitive FinTech Awards we profile it and share an insight into the innovative solutions it has to offer, speaking with members of the senior team to understand the true value of this exceptional solution. Today

By Manuel Rodriguez, Fraud Solutions Manager at SAS The range of potential payment services has expanded rapidly over the last few years. Increasingly, we all want the flexibility of being able to pay with new payment methods, from contactless through to Apple Pay, mobile wallets and beyond. Digital natives, such as millennials, don’t just want […]

According to a recent report by Kaspersky, the number of mobile financial attacks it detected in the first half of the year rose by 107%, rising to 3,730,378. Analysts at the company said they discovered 3.7 million mobile financial attacks from January to June this year and found 438,709 unique users attacked by mobile Trojan bankers. In […]

CAST, a leader in Software Intelligence, today released its annual global cloud migration report. The report analyzes application modernization priorities in financial and telecommunications firms. Findings show critical missteps mean cloud migrations are falling short of expectations in mature institutions, just 40% meeting targets for cost, resiliency and planned user benefits. Lack of pre-migration intelligence […]

FINANCE BUSINESSES MISSING THE MARK WITH GAMIFIED REWARDS 75% of finances businesses currently offer a gamified rewards system But only a minority of these are utilising the most effective kind of gamified reward Research reveals which types of gamified rewards have the biggest impact on motivation and productivity of financial industry workers. A survey of […]

The devaluation of China’s currency that is rattling global financial markets has revealed that Bitcoin is now becoming a safe haven asset. The analysis from the CEO of one of the world’s largest independent financial advisory organisations comes as investors piled into the Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies this week amid growing trade tensions between the […]

Immotion Group, the UK-based immersive virtual reality (“VR”) out-of-home entertainment group, announces, following the success of its recent VR installations into a range of high quality partners (“Partners”), that it has decided to focus its strategy predominantly on the roll out of its Partnership Model into high footfall locations. The visibility of higher margins and […]

Unlike other purchases, you don’t need to worry about saving loads of money to buy a car outright. In fact, Vindis, who are also VW service providers, have detailed various finance options available to you when getting your hands on your next set of wheels when it’s new — other than buying the car outright […]

Online loan application launch expands digital support for dealers Santander Consumer Finance (SCF) is set to launch its online loan application platform with e-sign capability in a significant expansion of its support for dealers. Selected dealers have started testing the system which will be rolled out across the country within the next month for partners […]

Occasionally, some companies may find themselves not being able to make ends meet when it comes to their bills and creditors. When long-term financial obligations become impossible to meet, it may be time to register your business as insolvent. Doing so will force your company into insolvent liquidation; striking it from the Companies House register. […]

Accountancy practices are facing an increase in cyber risks as criminals switch their focus to ‘softer target’ smaller firms. Joe Collinwood, CEO at CySure explains why accountancy firms are targets for hackers and what steps they can take to minimize their exposure. When it comes to cyber crime, small accountancy practices are not exempt from […]

Maktoum bin Mohammed: “Strong performance by DIFC highlights the international financial institutions’ confidence in Dubai”   Total number of companies currently operating in the DIFC stands at 2,289 – a 14 percent increase year-on-year and a 7 percent increase since end of 2018 Over 250 new companies, a 10 percent increase from the same period […]

Thinking about starting a new business? Female entrepreneurs will face more obstacles than their male counterparts Women face more obstacles when starting a business, meaning they need more support in order to succeed, reveals new research from ESCP Europe. Females and males experience the support provided by the ecosystem for their start-up activities very differently. Women […]

Capital on Tap will turn to Marqeta’s modern card issuing platform to power its card offering, used by UK small businesses to better access capital. Capital on Tap, one of the UK’s fastest growing companies, announced today that it is partnering with Marqeta, the leading global modern card issuing platform, to power payment processing for […]

Founded in August 2015, Catana Capital is a quantitative asset manager based in Frankfurt that offers innovative asset management based on a unique combination of data, experience and modern technology. The company runs a revolutionary new type of strategy which invests according to independent trading signals generated from big data analysis, combined with artificial intelligence […]

Azizi Bank has swiftly become one of Afghanistan’s largest commercial banks with a presence across 31 of the country’s 34 provinces. From the outset, the bank has sought to become a stalwart on the global financial market, driving technological innovation in the sphere. On the back of this approach, Azizi Bank was named the ‘Best […]

Swaper is a P2P loan marketplace offering an easy investing in pre-funded consumer loans from Poland, Spain, and Denmark in cooperation with Wandoo Finance Group. Launched in 2016, Swaper began life from the idea to build better financial products and to offer many different financial products. When the platform was initially under construction, the firm’s main […]

When it comes to offshore banking solutions, would-be clients can certainly feel overwhelmed with the plethora of choices available. Yet, over the last couple of years, Belize has become a go-to for many investors looking for security, stability and new investment opportunities. Here, Luigi Wewege, Senior Vice President of Caye International Bank, writes on the […]

Employers are largely unprepared for changes to off-payroll working in the private sector, which are due to come into effect in April 2020. That is according to new research from recruitment trade body, the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo). The new rules mean that changes to IR35 legislation, which were introduced in the public […]

There is a financial inequality gap between men and women in developing countries and their economies and there has been no sign of improvements in recent years. There is no discernable gender gap in high-income economies. 69% of adults. Which is a total of 3.8 billion people around the world have a bank account or […]

By Jonathan Amponsah CTA FCCA, The Tax Guys One of the key ways to reduce your tax bill is to claim all legitimate expenses you incurred for the business. But the general rule that says you can claim all expenses incurred wholly and exclusively for the purpose of your business is not as straight forward […]

Xolo (formerly known as LeapIN), the online platform for launching and running one-person businesses anywhere in the world has announced the completion of $6.8m (€6m) Series A funding, and a launch revolutionary form of entrepreneurship. The launch of the “virtual company” service will enable millions of professional freelancers around the world to radically reduce the […]

By Mark Hepsworth, CEO Asset Control  As London Fintech Week kicks off, regulation in banking and finance, and the pressure and challenges it places on many traditional financial institutions high on the agenda. Regulation including MiFID II, SFTR and FRTB helps drive fintech growth as banks look to partner with specialist providers who can provide […]

This morning, WeSwap, the award-winning peer-to-peer currency exchange platform, announces that in tandem with the launch of a £2.3 million funding round on leading investment platform Seedrs, it has hit 500,000 users. This raise will support the Series B investment round led by IW Capital, WeSwap’s lead investor, who has invested an additional £3.7 million […]

Pimberly looks to expansion and sets sights on $10 million target SaaS firm helps companies manage all forms of product data Manchester – Pimberly, the Manchester-based SaaS Product Information Management (PIM) and Digital Asset Management (DAM) platform provider, has moved into scale mode, investing to accelerate growth and achieve an ARR target of $10 million. […]

By Tiffany Carpenter, Head of Customer Intelligence Solutions at SAS UK & Ireland How intelligent decisioning solutions can help you stay relevant in the era of digital banking Fierce competition, advances in technology, and consumer expectations for hyperpersonalised services are forcing the financial services sector to evolve. To adapt to rapid market developments, many banks […]

Before starting a business in a foreign jurisdiction, it is important to follow a number of steps that will ensure a good understanding of the local company formation principles and laws as well as the cultural or business particularities. Opening a company in Dubai will be different from starting a business in Germany and investors […]

Millions of people around the globe lack power, credit and internet which result in them being unbanked. Being unbanked means not having access to the services of a bank or similar financial organization.The challenges are manifold; from not being able to receive deposits from an employer, to no credit history and being excluded from lending, to lacking the ability to safely save money or transfer money.

We’re always on the lookout for ways to save money, especially after our bank balances have taken a hit over the festive period. Of course, there are the traditional ways of saving such as budgeting and setting aside a certain amount of funds each month. But, without overly restricting your leisure activities, what everyday changes […]