IT for financial services

Ireland eyes Brexit-triggered tech investments

The organisation that champions Ireland to foreign investors has seen an increase in IT companies moving to its shores Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

IBM delivers Watson-powered voice assistant for consumer brands

Alexa and Google Assistant have taken residence in people's homes. IBM aims to give companies a way to deliver their own branded AI voice assistants Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Brexit is an opportunity to transform, says HMRC digital transformation director

HMRC’s digital transformation director Brigid McBride on Brexit opportunities, using AI and robotics to improve services, and growing the API ecosystem Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Innovate Finance Global Summit gets fintech ready for adulthood

Fintech is coming of age and faces all the challenges that growing up entails Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Where neuroscience meets technology

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how computer scientists are using data, cloud and virtual reality to understand the brain and improve mental wellbeing. We analyse newly published government documents detailing the early problems with the Universal Credit IT project. And we look at how emerging artificial intelligence techniques can help improve cyber security. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Customer experience must be digital focus for banks

Omni-channel technologies can help banks stand out from their rivals, but a good customer experience should be their goal Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

First Direct enables customers to pay by Siri

Customers of online bank First Direct can now use voice commands to transfer money through Apple’s digital assistant Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Employers face hiring crisis as AI replaces mid-skilled jobs

Artificial intelligence could replace two-thirds of existing jobs within 20 years, and employers will face growing difficulties recruiting skilled staff Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Cyber criminals using complex financial system, study shows

Cyber criminals are using a combination of new cryptocurrencies, gaming currencies and micro-payments to launder up to $200bn in ill-gotten gains, research has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

With auditability, deep learning could revolutionise insurance industry

The likes of Google may be pushing deep learning in artificial intelligence, but it may not be the best approach for regulated industries Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Kenyan solar supplier leans on IoT and fintech for new growth

Mastercard packed its stand at Mobile World Congress with new use cases for fintech in the developing world and launched a new partnership with Kenyan solar energy supplier M-KOPA Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Is paying for a bus using cryptocurrency really that shocking?

Is it that shocking that people will be paying for buses using cryptocurrency within seven years? Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Most people think cryptocurrency will be accepted on buses by 2025

Cryptocurrency is a mystery to many people, yet 55% of respondents to a survey expect shops and buses to accept digital money in seven years’ time Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Have traditional banks weathered the fintech challenge?

How will the financial technology-based challenger banks evolve as the traditional retail banking industry ups its digital game? Continue Reading

Unlocking digital change in criminal justice

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to the IT and digital chief at the Ministry of Justice to hear about tackling the challenges of digital transformation across the criminal justice system. European cities are trying to attract British IT talent as a result of Brexit – what does it mean for UK IT? And we take an in-depth look at the fintech sector in our latest buyer’s guide. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

BNP Paribas integrates Tink as part of PSD2 strategy

BNP Paribas Fortis is working with fintech company Tink to integrate software into its mobile app, which will enable customers to aggregate their finances Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Catwalk models be afraid there is a 98% chance a robot will take your jobs

It is not surprising that telemarketing jobs will be taken by robots but the fact that modelling jobs are 98% likely to be done by robots in 2035 is. Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Have traditional banks weathered the fintech challenge?

How will the financial technology-based challenger banks evolve as the traditional retail banking industry ups its digital game? Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Amazon bank could have 70 million customers in five years

Amazon could have more banking customers in the US than the UK has citizens within five years Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

How banks can make sense of digital disruption

Banks and financial institutions need to go back to basics, deconstruct their core banking processes and strive for zero defects in building applications, says the IT head honcho of Malaysia’s CIMB Bank Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

EC reveals plan to make Europe global fintech hub

The European Commission has unveiled proposals to boost the EU’s financial technology sector Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

CW Europe: Germany’s Lemoncat takes catering to the cloud

Business catering startup Lemoncat has taken advantage of the affordable cost of living in Berlin and is shaking up the catering sector by harnessing the Amazon and Salesforce clouds. Also in this issue, read how Moscow’s government is taking advantage of high penetration of broadband and mobile internet to expand innovative services under the Russian capital’s smart city programme, and how organisations in the Netherlands still have much to do to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation. Continue Reading

Tech City targets companies outside of London for next cohort in accelerator programme

Tech City UK has placed more of an emphasis on companies outside of the capital for its next accelerator cohort Continue Reading

By

• Zach Emmanuel, Computer Weekly

CIO interview: Kevin Hanley, head of innovation, Royal Bank of Scotland

Royal Bank of Scotland's head of innovation talks to Computer Weekly about creating and supporting change, bringing different technologies together, and how 2018 could be the year blockchain innovation comes to fruition Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

Denmark’s MobilePay expands in Finnish market through deal with retailer

Deal with Finland’s largest grocery retailer helps mobile payment service spread its reach Continue Reading

By

• Eeva Haaramo

Businesses warned not to ignore cryptojacking threat

Businesses should not ignore the threat of malware designed to carry out illicit cryptocurrency mining, warns NTT Security Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Wi-Fi provider uses big data analytics to drive customer experience

The self-styled “Uber of Wi-Fi”, iPass is using Databricks’ Unified Analytics Platform and machine learning to monitor its worldwide network and help its customers get the best experience Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The juxtaposition fuelling the challenger bank sector

Challenger banks are becoming the innovative digital arms of the traditional banks they set out to disrupt. Job done then? Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

World Economic Forum creates fintech focus group for cyber security

WEF consortium of companies will focus on protecting financial technology firms from cyber threats Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Banks more confident than other sectors in face of digital disruption

Banks have accepted the changes brought about by digital disruption and are confident that new technologies will be core to their business success, according to a survey by Fujitsu Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Amazon contemplating next move in banking sector

Amazon is in talks with a bank about setting up a current account that will appeal to young people Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Yorkshire Building Society implements cloud banking platform

Yorkshire Building Society is using a cloud-based banking platform built on Salesforce.com to automate manual tasks Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Bank of England chief calls for cryptocurrency regulation

Bank of England governor calls on cryptocurrencies to be regulated to protect financial system and reduce illicit activities Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Equifax ups breach figure by a further 2.5 million

Credit rating agency Equifax has increased the number of US records believed to have been compromised in 2017 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Vast majority of consumers unaware of Open Banking consequences, research finds

Research shows most consumers have little or no knowledge of the Open Banking regulation and how it will affect them Continue Reading

By

• Zach Emmanuel, Computer Weekly

Wearables join mobiles as high-growth payment methods

Banks must develop broad contactless payment strategies if they are to keep pace with consumer demand Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Are mobile wallets about to make contactless cards look outdated?

Mobile wallets look set to take root as consumers increasingly use their mobile phones to pay for goods and services Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Open Banking could bring an extra £1bn to UK economy

As a result of the Open Banking initiative, an additional £1bn could be available to drive the UK economy forward Continue Reading

By

• Zach Emmanuel, Computer Weekly

Post 2008 early challenger banks are now the challenged

Virgin Money was one of the earlier challengers to traditional banks and is now creating a digital bank to keep up with the times Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Virgin Money launches digital bank

Virgin Money is setting up a digital bank to expand into the current account and SME business account markets Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Main business objective of fintechs is collaboration with traditional finance firms

Fintechs put working with traditional financial suppliers as their most important business priority Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

NatWest opens four UK fintech hubs

NatWest has expanded its financial technology support programme at a time when entrepreneurs are more apprehensive than ever Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Cryptomining is top attack type, says Malwarebytes

Malicious cryptomining has been the top cyber criminal activity detected since September 2017, a report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

2018 could be year of mobile malware, says McAfee 

Security firm announces several mobile industry partnerships as its latest mobile threat report shows mobile malware is becoming increasingly popular with cyber attackers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Traditional banks have ridden the storm and are emerging from the other side smelling of fintech

Traditional banks have profited from fintech which was seen as a risk to their businesses Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

RBS’s first profit in a decade accompanied by major first for mobile channel

News of its first profit in 10 years might overshadow a major first for the Royal Bank of Scotland’s mobile channel Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Unprotected Kubernetes consoles expose firms to cryptojacking

A number of big companies have been targeted by crytojacking attacks, where cyber criminals hijack computing power to mine cryptocurrencies, but some have unprotected Kubernetes consoles in common Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

MPs run the rule over digital currency to identify risks and opportunities

MPs are taking a close look at the potential opportunities and risks associated with the UK adoption of cryptocurrencies and the technology that underpins them Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

First Direct pilots open banking platform

HSBC's internet banking platform is testing out its service that enables customers to put all their bank accounts, from multiple providers, in one place Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

CW Nordics: Nordics CIOs’ priorities in 2018

A select group of CIOs and analysts in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden give their views on the top IT priorities in 2018. As in 2017, digital transformation will continue to be a buzzword. Also read how Sweden is tightening up its cyber security defences as part of a wider national security strategy, and how Nordic banks cannot afford to slow their digital transformations as PSD2 comes into force. Continue Reading

Email attacks and incident detection top security challenges

Email inboxes are the weakest link in security perimeters, and companies struggle with detecting security incidents quickly and accurately, a report finds Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK organisations failing to take action against fraud

UK organisations are facing increasingly complex and costly incidents of fraud partly due to increasing cyber fraud, yet few are making use of the anti-fraud technologies available, a survey has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Nordic banks face digitisation decisions over PSD2

 Continue Reading

Lloyds Bank announces three-year digital transformation

Lloyds Bank has announced plans to transform how it serves customers through substantial digital investment Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Security leaders investing in automation and AI, study shows

Automation and artificial Intelligence are being used to defend against cyber threats, says report, but experts warn that these tools and technologies can be exploited by attackers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK fintechs preparing for the worst Brexit

UK Fintechs are implementing their Brexit plans and it means the UK is losing jobs now could be bypassed for future roles Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UAE makes artificial intelligence leap

The UAE is investing in becoming a global pioneer in the use of artificial intelligence technology in various sectors of its economy Continue Reading

By

• Alicia Buller

UK finance regulator collaborates with US counterpart on fintech

The FCA is working with a US finance regulator to support financial technology companies on both sides of the Atlantic Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Enterprise opportunities for smart speakers

In this week's Computer Weekly as voice-activated smart speakers grow in popularity, we examine how IT teams can use the technology in enterprise applications. Our latest buyer's guide looks at the latest developments in customer relationship management (CRM). And UK tech sector leaders tell Parliament why they are so worried about the industry's prospects after Brexit. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Take-up of chatbots will accelerate over next two years

Chatbots and artificial intelligence are becoming an increasingly important part of customer services Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

US sentences two Russians for huge data breaches

The US has sentenced two Russian cyber criminals who targeted major payment processors, retailers and financial institutions around the world, as the US joins the UK in condemning Russia for the 2017 NotPetya attacks Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

F-Secure warns against ‘evil maid’ attacks

Business people are being urged not to underestimate the importance of physical security for their laptops, which can be used as entry points by attackers if not adequately protected Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cash will remain in use in Eurozone for a very long time, says central bank

Cash seems set to survive the onslaught of digital payments, at least in countries that use the euro Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Technology spend growing at expense of trader salaries

Investment firms are spending a larger proportion of their budgets on software as data and artificial intelligence technology is seen to provide a competitive advantage Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Blockchain to give global LGBT community a louder economic voice

Blockchain will underpin a global platform that aims to give the LGBT community a more powerful economic voice Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Nordic banks plan common cross-border payment infrastructure

Banks in the different Nordic countries plan to move to a shared payments infrastructure Continue Reading

By

• Eeva Haaramo

Australia’s national payment system will ease peer-to-peer payments

New Payments Platform is expected to accelerate the decline of cash and cheques in Australia, as well as simplify invoicing for businesses through overlay services Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Cyber security awareness top priority in financial sector

Information security chiefs in the financial sector say cyber security awareness needs to be a top priority Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cryptocurrency mining consuming more electricity than Iceland’s homes

Cryptocurrency mining in Iceland could use more power than all the households in the country combined Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

How worried about Brexit are fintech companies?

Fintech companies could be the hardest hit tech firms in the UK if there is no good deal with the EU after Brexit Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

FS-ISAC enables safer financial data sharing with API

The global financial industry's body for cyber and physical threat intelligence analysis and sharing has published an API to facilitate safer sharing of consumer financial information Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Belgian police share Cryakl ransomware keys

The Belgian police have released free decryption keys for the Cryakl ransomware through the No More Ransom project Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK fintech faces biggest hit if Brexit deal goes sour

The UK's growing fintech sector could be hit very, very hard by a bad deal or no deal between the EU and UK Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Europe in the firing line of evolving DDoS attacks

The Europe, Middle East and Africa region accounts for more than half the world’s distributed denial of service attacks, a report from F5 Labs reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Norway’s government backs cyber defence mobilisation

Norway has accelerated plans to scale up its national security infrastructure against threats emanating from the cyber domain Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Teenager suspected of crippling Dutch banks with DDoS attacks

A large distributed denial of service attack on banks and other organisations in the Netherlands, first thought to emanate from Russia, is now thought to have been launched by a local teenager Continue Reading

By

• Tijs Hofmans

Mobile biometrics set to be game-changer in APAC

Telcos, financial institutions and other industry players risk losing market share if they do not keep up with the demand for security, convenience and mobility Continue Reading

By

• Lareinna Roxanne Lee and Quah Mei Lee

Stay of execution for RBS branches and free devices for some customers

RBS is offering free training and devices to some customers in Scotland to help them eventually live without bank branches Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Lloyds Bank cuts CIO workforce

Lloyds Banking Group is changing the skills make-up of its IT team to support demand for digital services Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK leads international crackdown on Luminosity spyware

Law enforcement agencies shut down international support network for a hacking tool that allowed cyber criminals to gain remote control of victims’ computers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Take care of security basics before automating

How can organisations evolve their security operations teams to do more automation of basic tasks and cope with dynamic IT environments? Continue Reading

By

• Greg Temm

Appeals court rules Lauri Love will not be extradited over US hacking charges

The lord chief justice, Lord Burnett, says 33-year-old engineering student Lauri Love will not be extradited to the US to face hacking charges, in a landmark legal decision, and the Crown Prosecution Service should bring proceedings against Love in the UK Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin & Julia Gregory

Buying cryptocurrency on credit is so risky Lloyds Banking Group won’t let customers do it

If you are a Lloyds Banking Group credit card holder that fancies a flutter on cryptocurrencies ,think again it's banned. Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

European Commission eyes blockchain opportunity

The European Commission is aiming to get the most out of blockchain technology in a wide variety of sectors Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Businesses urged to patch against cryptocurrency-mining botnet

Researchers have uncovered further evidence that cyber criminals are cashing in on the popularity of cryptocurrencies, with the discovery of a global cryptocurrency-mining botnet Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Security Editor

Dutch companies not ready for GDPR despite approaching deadline

Organisations in the Netherlands are racing towards General Data Protection Regulation compliance, but there is still much to be done Continue Reading

By

• Tijs Hofmans

Many businesses still using outdated security, says Troy Hunt

Too many businesses are using out-of-date approaches to security, a world-renowned cyber security author and trainer warns Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Security Editor

GDPR requests to take thousands of hours a month, says survey

A recent survey predicts organisations will potentially face thousands of customer requests about their personal information every month, with many unprepared for GDPR compliance Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Swedish banks embrace rapidly evolving chatbots

Artificial intelligence is playing an increasingly important business role for Sweden’s banks – and chatbots are the starting point for many Continue Reading

By

• Eeva Haaramo

Carillion not a like-for-like comparison with IT services firms, but an overt reminder

Although Carillion’s problems are unlikely to hit major IT services suppliers, its collapse is a reminder of the need to ensure good governance Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Davos: Cyber risks grow as countries turn towards protectionism

The cost of natural disasters is now at record levels, but the cost of cyber crime is far higher. The World Economic Forum hopes to persuade governments to work together on the problem, but with isolationist politics back in fashion, can it succeed? Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Millennials set to disrupt authentication, shows IBM study

Young adults are lax on passwords, but are more comfortable than older generations with biometric and multifactor authentication, an IBM study shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Security Editor

Hefty fines confirmed for CNI providers with poor cyber security

The government has confirmed that critical infrastructure providers with poor cyber security face fines of millions of pounds as the National Cyber Security Centre publishes new guidance for the industry Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Security Editor

Fintech based banks need more differentiation to convince consumers to ditch traditional players

New banks are putting too much importance on their digital usability as a way to win over coustomers Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Dark web Dream Market drives cyber fraud industry

An international operation shut down the AlphaBay and Hansa marketplaces in July 2017, but new ones have sprung up on the dark web, with one in particular helping to drive cyber fraud Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Security Editor

Mastercard sets biometric ID deadline for banks

Mastercard has committed to guaranteeing that every one of its customers will have access to biometric authentication services by April 2019 Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Interview: Kaspar Korjus, Estonian e-Residency lead

As the number of people signing up to become Estonian e-residents exceeds the country’s birth rate, Computer Weekly speaks to the man heading up the programme Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Will banking regulations create a new Big Bang?

In this week's Computer Weekly, we look at two important new financial services regulations, PSD2 and open banking, which promise to revolutionise the industry by opening up customer data. We ask security researchers to explain the Spectre and Meltdown processor flaws and how to tackle them. And we examine the NVMe protocol and its likely benefits for storage technologies. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

NRF 2018: Cryptocurrencies “won’t take off”, says Visa executive

Visa’s CEO, Alfred Kelly, told retailers at the 2018 NRF Big Show that bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies should be low on their list of priorities Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

IT of world’s banks is moving on from crippling regulation

Banks need to invest more in fintech and IT skills as they emerge from years of stagnation Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA