As with every other major industry and sector, the rapid proliferation and advancement of technological progress is changing the world of finance. But are we using available technology to maximum benefit? Are we adapting to the changing landscape as quickly and adeptly as we could? Speaking from the perspective of a digital influencer with 10 years of experience in the financial industry, I say that we can and must do better.
by Grace Reyes, President of AAAIM
In healthcare, high-tech functionality is marrying traditional models of care (as seen in the recent announcement between Apple and Aetna). In food and beverage, technology that will transform our retail food experience is currently being tested and fine-tuned. In the automotive sector, driverless cars are emerging from the ether of innovation. All around us, the progression of the digital revolution is changing the way we buy, live and think.
Experts are calling our current climate the fourth industrial revolution — the evolution of a phenomenon that began in human civilization around 1760 and has…
I know few CFOs who take the time to forecast the cash flow more than once a quarter, but in my book that’s a mistake. Cash flow forecasts are critical tools for monitoring the health of a company, and should be done monthly.
by Ed Gromann, CPO, Centage Corporation
Here’s why: Cash flow forecasts tell you whether or not you will have enough cash to fund the priorities the executive team and Board have set for the year. Let’s say your Board has set a top-level goal to grow revenue by 20% in 2019, and to meet that expectation, they have authorized the VP of Sales to expand the sales team. It will undoubtedly take time for those new sales representatives to get up to speed on the products you sell, and to make contacts with potential customers. In the meantime, the company…
Earlier this year, reports revealed that record levels of fintech investment had been seen in the UK since February 2018, reaching an all-time high of £2.6bn. The fintech sector itself is still relatively young, but as this industry matures, the trends and patterns in investment are inevitably set to change as companies look to scale up their businesses.
by Jonathan Dawson, Senior Manager, haysmacintyre
Supply and demand
Typically, investment in a particular industry is driven by the attitudes of those investing. When institutional, venture capitalist, high net worth and private equity investors see value in a sector, we then tend to see a trend towards increased investment in these industries, at all levels.
However, these increased levels of investment in the UK fintech sector over the past 12 months are likely to have been driven by the investees rather than the investors. The appetite from investors to secure equity in high growth and high potential technology businesses has been present for…
If you own a business, or ever strive to do so, you should know that accepting credit cards is pivotal for the long-term success of your business. This means that knowing the cost of processing credit card payments is vital to operating efficiently. Otherwise you may find that unexpected costs are eating away at your margins.
by Samantha Shattuck, Director of Brand Marketing, NAB
So exactly how much will credit card processing fees cost in 2019? The standard fees vary from 1.5% to 2.9% for swiped credit cards, and keyed-in transactions can have a much higher standard processing fee; we’re talking 3.5% to compensate for the increased risk. For your learning benefit, we’re going to break down what business owners should look out for regarding credit card processing fees, and give you some tips on how to reduce them.
Behind the scenes: how credit card processing works.
Processing a transaction for your customer might sound simple; the customer swipes or inserts the credit card…
Yes, a few years ago getting an accounting degree, spending afew years in public accounting, handling accounts receivables & payables and managing finance operations may have been the typical career path for a high tech CFO, but the world has changed significantly. The new age CFO has been elevated to new heights.
by Igor Sill
In the old days the CFO would compete for corporate resources so as to optimize company performance, but today’s organizations and market challenges have changed, considerably. Board of Directors and investors demand greater performance with higher valuation expectations along with market disruptive strategies. …
2018 was a banner year for fintech VC, with the lending segment consistently emerging as a leading repository for VC dollars. Over the last decade, fintech lenders have helped fill a void as big banks pulled back on making small business and personal loans in the wake of the “Great Recession.”
by Hussein Ahmed, CEO and Founder, Oxygen
Today, there are next-generation lending services for individuals seeking loans (based on FICO scores and verifiable employment status and income) and small businesses (based on business cash flow, assets and collateral). There are also payday lenders, which provide workers in traditional, full-time employment roles with earned wages before they are cashed out, but often at high interest rates.
However, there remains a clear void when it comes to servicing the unique needs of a rapidly growing segment of U.S. borrowers — freelancers, or gig economy workers. …
The pitfalls of cryptocurrencies have once again been laid bare, with the news that Canada’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Quadriga, has applied for creditor protection having been brought to a standstill following the sudden death of its young founder, Gerald Cotton.
by Richard Clayman, Associate, Peters & Peters Solicitors LLP
An estimated £105 million of digital currency is currently ‘lost’, believed to have been managed by Cotton from an off-line, encrypted “cold wallet”, which is, for now, inaccessible to Quadriga’s customers.
This story serves as a reminder of how far digital currency has to go before it can be considered a viable alternative to fiat currency. Nonetheless, the rise in popularity of cryptocurrencies since the creation of Bitcoin in 2009 continues to present challenges for civil justice all over the world. …
In 2015, the number of people investing in cryptocurrencies was estimated to be between 500,000 and 1,000,000 worldwide. In the last three years, we’ve seen the market cap of the original cryptocurrency (Bitcoin) grow from $6bn to $63bn, and the number of individuals investing in cryptocurrencies skyrocket with claims that a third of millennials in the UK have invested and one in five UK adults have considered investing in cryptocurrencies. This has become a challenge too big for HMRC to ignore and in December 2018, HMRC published its first detailed tax legislation for individuals who hold, trade or mine cryptocurrencies.
by Jon Dawson, Senior Manager, haysmacintyre
In their introductory paper, HMRC suggested that each case will be looked at individually to understand the true nature of the transactions and added that their views ‘may evolve further as the sector develops’. They went on to say that legislation will be drafted regarding businesses’ obligations in due course, but no indication of timing has been given, as of yet.
For most of those who own or have owned cryptocurrency, the tax treatment is relatively straight forward. Individuals holding cryptoassets for capital appreciation in its value, or to make a particular purchase will…
What separates P2P lending from banking? As it happens, not a lot. Mechanically they operate in essentially the same way. The main differences lie in four areas: scale, risk, reward, and control.
by Matthew Morgan, Content Executive, Agrud Technology
P2P lenders are usually of a smaller scale than banks, present greater risk to investors, but also have a much higher potential return. P2P gives full control to lenders regarding who they want to lend to and allow rates to be agreed between lender and borrower, entirely different to the tradition lack of transparency and control offered by banks. The gradient between P2P and traditional banking is, however, becoming increasingly ill defined. Many P2P lenders, especially in China, have been in trouble in the past for acting as underground banks, operating without licenses…
Bitcoin, and Blockchain, the technology on which it is based, have become something of buzzwords ever since Satoshi Nakamoto’s 2008 white-paper [1] introduced the concept of Bitcoin to the community. As this exciting technology finds wider adoption, many of us working in the IP field are turning their eyes as to how this technology may be patented so that innovation in this area can be encouraged and cultivated.
by Andrew White, Managing Associate, Mathys & Squire
It may come as no surprise that the number of patent applications being filed for Blockchain technologies is increasing at a (seemingly) exponential rate — 2900 have been filed in the period 2013–17, with 55.4% of these being in China, with the US following a close second. However, the number of filings we will be seeing in this area is predicted to increase even further — spurred on by an approx 280% growth in investment from 2017 to 2018 [2].
FinTech Weekly
FinTech Weekly is a news service for the FS industry. Our newsletter comes out weekly, wrapping up the most important insights and strategies from the past week
