Insights

The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is stepping up its efforts to protect retail investors by  encouraging caution around “inappropriate high-risk”. As a result, the FCA released a discussion paper seeking market views on the classification of high-risk investments, the segmentation of the high-risk investment... read more

Don't miss this exciting behind the scenes look at the UK Fintech Strategic Kalifa Review. Ron Kalifa, OBE, was invited by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to lead this independent Fintech Strategic review for the UK. Join us on May 13 at 1.30pm BST for the livestream. Register for your complimentary spot here. Discussion points include: ... read more

The Securities Exchange Commission (SEC)’s latest accounting and reporting considerations for Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) will improve the maturity of the market, according to Betsy Cohen, chairman at FinTech Masala. However, Cohen said fintech SPAC activity had slowed down following the regulator’s announcement... read more

Retail banks have found themselves at the centre of the digital disruption shaking financial services. As well as direct competition from challenger and neobanks entering the sector, they also have to contend with the likes of Facebook, Amazon and Google and their peers looking to expand their already sizeable footprints into the banking space.... read more

We’re five months away from the final regulatory deadline set by the Financial Conduct Authority for card issuers, payments firms and online retailers to implement Strong Customer Authentication (SCA). SCA is a regulatory requirement brought in to protect consumers and businesses from fraud, and to make online payments more secure. In... read more

Moving to remote working has created new headaches for hedge funds through the risk of a “single point of failure” in a portfolio manager’s tech setup, according to Lance Smith CEO and co-founder of Imagine Software. Smith says that as traders moved away from the office, with its multitude of servers to keep staff online, and... read more

On April 22, US Fintech Ally announced a partnership with Microsoft to advance quantum computing in the financial services industry. The strategic relationship will leverage the latest research on quantum-inspired algorithms to understand how it can be applied in a broader commercial use. On April 21, London-based financial services company... read more

The increased demand for contactless payments during the pandemic meant financial institutions had to pivot quickly to asses market structures and what features and products to prioritise, according to Sajni Shah, co-head of product at Starling Bank. The first quarter of 2020 saw a larger shift towards digital payments in 10 weeks than in the... read more

While markets have broadly recovered from the shock of the coronavirus pandemic, uncertainty about the future and volatility has remained. At Bobsguide, we’re looking to hear from market participants to understand how volatility is affecting the outlook for investment banking in 2021. Your contribution to this survey will be crucial in... read more