Insights

Regulators issued fresh warnings on investing in cryptocurrencies after Bitcoin skyrocketed to a new all-time high last week. The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) cautioned consumers about the high risks involved in investing in cryptocurrencies. “Investing in cryptoassets, or investments and lending linked to them,... read more

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) latest charges against Ripple Labs Inc shows the regulator’s ambition to further supervise ongoing developments in the crypto space. But while increased regulation is expected following cryptocurrencies’ recent developments, the SEC’s latest move is an attempt to curb... read more

2020 was a year all of us are probably keen to forget. From an economic and business standpoint, the two extended periods of ‘lockdown’ delivered an unprecedented body blow across all commercial sectors. Hospitality and travel experienced an existential crisis, along with large swathes of retail suffering the most dramatic economic... read more

This is not a regular time - and, as Robert Frost said, "the best way out is always through”. Even now, insurers are following the path of technological progress, trying to keep up with the market. Many actions have already been taken, key trends are being implemented by the industry, so will 2021 bring about significant changes? Or can... read more

It is set to be a transformative year for payments say those in the industry. The pandemic will continue to have a huge impact, particularly in digital payments and open banking. While digital payments have grown over the past few years, they became an essential, as merchants and consumers reacted to the crisis. According to Visa, 77... read more

The rise of anti-money laundering (AML) related fines over the past few years shows regulators are homed in on tackling the problem, but current supervisory regimes lack efficiency when it comes to tackling the amount of fraud, according to market participants. “Banks spend billions on their compliance plan, and then they get fined on... read more

Starling Bank’s latest partnership is a “completely different vertical for us”, says Gareth Towler the bank’s marketplace product analyst. The challenger bank recently added PayPal’s iZettle to its Business Marketplace as part of its new strategy for deeper integrations. “From a marketplace perspective,... read more

As the fintech sector grows almost exponentially, so commensurately do the risks. The pandemic has created new threats, mainly through home working, but others have been mounting steadily for years such as Brexit, tougher regulation, cyber attacks and relentless competition in a sector that is by its nature turbulent.   The most immediate... read more

If we’ve learned anything from 2020, apart from how to bake the perfect sourdough loaf, it’s how to do things differently. Not many of us are where we thought we’d be at the beginning of this tumultuous year. Targets have been thrown out of the windows and KPIs ripped up like yesterday’s chip paper. Shopping habits... read more