IT for financial services

Emirates NBD builds bank of future with Amazon Web Services

UAE bank is accessing the latest technology through a close relationship with IT giant Amazon Web Services Continue Reading

NatWest Video banking service adds fuel to a future without branches

Bank branches are no longer needed for that hum an touch Continue Reading

Podcast: The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload – Episode 18

In this week’s episode of the Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, Brian McKenna, Caroline Donnelly and Clare McDonald weigh up the technology credentials of some of the Conservative Party candidates, find out how Google Cloud is helping the Football Association to achieve its diversity goals, and why Sweden appears to be rowing back on its cashless society plans Continue Reading

Sainsbury’s Bank moves data to AWS cloud with Teradata UDA

Bank decided on a fundamental shift to AWS cloud, using Teradata’s Unified Data Architecture, after it was divested from Lloyds in 2013. Here’s how it built from a new ground zero. Continue Reading

Most of today’s enterprise blockchain platforms will need replacing in two years

Most blockchain platforms currently being used in enterprises will have to be replaced in the next couple of years, says Gartner Continue Reading

More than half of UK workforce lacks essential digital skills, says Lloyd’s

In the modern world, digital skills are becoming increasingly important, but a large amount of the UK workforce doesn’t measure up, Lloyd’s has found Continue Reading

2.3 billion business and consumer data files exposed online

In the year since the GDPR compliance deadline, the number of data files exposed online without adequate protection is up more than 50% due to misconfigured security controls, report reveals Continue Reading

Swedes need to keep a week’s cash under the bed

The Swedish population is being advised to keep enough cash at home to last a week in case of problems such as online banking crashes Continue Reading

No real change a year into GDPR, says privacy expert

A year after the GDPR compliance deadline, many organisations still have a lot of work to do to make real changes and shift focus away from fines to business value and gain, says PwC’s GDPR and data protection lead Continue Reading

CW Nordics: Nordea links up with IBM to meet fintech challenge

IBM’s €473m managed services contract with Nordea reflects an increasing trend among Nordic banks to outsource more of their IT to help meet the challenge of fintechs. Also read how a shortage of women in the boardroom is a problem in the Nordics but the tech sector points to a more promising future, and find out why the Norwegian government has launched a regulatory sandbox for the fintech sector. Continue Reading

Police shut down Bestmixer bitcoin laundering service

The Bestmixer cryptocurrency laundering service has been shut down by Dutch anti-fraud police with support from Europol after a tip off by cyber security researchers at McAfee, significantly disrupting cyber criminal money flows Continue Reading

IBM deal to drive Nordea’s IT-led transformation

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GoCardless migrates to cloud and gets Google engineering capability

Fintech has moved from an IBM infrastructure as a service to Google’s cloud platform Continue Reading

Hundreds of European retail banks will disappear as challengers scoop up customers

One in every 10 banks in Europe will no longer exist as digital challengers take customers from them Continue Reading

Fintechs should get out of London to open their eyes and grow

Call for fintechs to stop designing products for themselves and look outside the London bubble. Continue Reading

What the UK can learn from the Nordics when it comes to digital ID

The UK and other countries can learn from the Nordic region when it comes to digital identity Continue Reading

MoneySupermarket.com orchestrates data pipeline with GKE

The price comparison site has used container orchestration to split its machine learning data pipeline into parallel processes Continue Reading

UC Expo 2019: Experts talk up future tech in unified communications

Automation and AI are increasingly prevalent in unified comms, but do enterprises really need it? Continue Reading

Fintech’s role in reducing world poverty

Kosta Peric swapped a life innovating for banks to work on increasing financial inclusion in the developing world Continue Reading

Using fintech to fight poverty

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to find out how technology is fighting poverty by increasing financial inclusion. We examine how best to manage the challenges of Microsoft’s new plan for ongoing Windows 10 updates. And we find out how data innovation at Lloyd’s of London is supporting a wider digital modernisation at the 330-year-old insurance market. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Lloyds Bank creates 500 IT roles in Scotland

New recruits will support banking group’s digital transformation as it aims to give customers “Google-like experiences” Continue Reading

Danske Bank launches initiative to help SME customers with cyber security

Danske Bank launches initiative to support the cyber security efforts of its SME customers Continue Reading

École Hôtelière de Lausanne puts Amelia the robot at its core

When Switzerland-based hospitality school EHL began to automate processes, it was met with staff inertia, but that all changed after its benefits became clear Continue Reading

Identity custodians needed in digital era

Digital identity systems will fail if they do not take humans into account, warns identity innovator, suggesting that a ‘digital guardian’ could help overcome most of these challenges Continue Reading

GozNym bust underlines cyber crime threat

A criminal network using GozNym malware has been shut down in an international law enforcement operation, but others are still operating, underlining the need for vigilance, warns a security expert Continue Reading

Fujitsu sets out to restore trust in technology

Trust in technology, how to recapture it, and how to ensure AI doesn’t overstep its bounds were the big messages on the opening day of Fujitsu Forum in Tokyo Continue Reading

Nationwide invests in behavioural AI startup

Nationwide invests in a startup developing AI that can work out how it should change the way it communicates with different people. Continue Reading

UK pensions trust launches £1.5bn tender for digital services delivery

The National Employment Savings Trust wants its new supplier to build innovations such as data analytics to services provided via digital channels Continue Reading

Public sector outsourcing spend plummets

Private sector outsourcing dominated spending in the UK during the first quarter of 2019 Continue Reading

Electronic ID in the Nordics – a model for other countries?

Use of electronic identity schemes in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark is far ahead of other countries – but why? Continue Reading

Debugging bug bounty programmes

Bug bounty programmes have recently become a popular method of vulnerability management, but poor programme management can lead to development teams becoming overwhelmed and bugs being missed Continue Reading

Striving to be a good bank at Tandem Bank: Fintech Interview 21

Tandem Bank is using the latest technology to help people manage their finances and half a million have already taken up its offer Continue Reading

Reducing poverty through fintech at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Kosta Peric swapped a life innovating for banks to work on increasing financial inclusion in the developing world Continue Reading

Dutch businesses not yet implementing NIS Directive

Little urgency to comply with the Network and Information Systems Security Act, which seeks to protect the Netherlands’ vital infrastructure and digital services from cyber attack Continue Reading

Interview: Data takes centre stage at Lloyd’s of London

The 330-year-old insurance market is evolving its data efforts as part of a far-reaching modernisation strategy, focusing on artificial intelligence and driving employee data literacy Continue Reading

Deutsche Börse harnesses Microsoft cloud

German stock exchange signs deal with Microsoft that will not only benefit the exchange, but other organisations in the sector that are considering cloud migration Continue Reading

Fintech Tink gets UK expansion rolling with NatWest deal

Swedish fintech Tink gets its UK expansion going with NatWest deal Continue Reading

Open banking take-up in the Netherlands less than expected because government promoted GDPR so well

The Dutch government promoted GDPR so much to the public that take up of open banking has been low Continue Reading

Azimo safeguards its EU passporting rights with Dutch licence

Azimo makes Dutch office operational with licence and gaurantees itself the right to operate across EU after Brexit Continue Reading

Swedish government tells citizens to hoard cash in case of cyber attack

Civil Contingencies Agency says cash is needed in case of emergencies such as technology failures and cyber attacks Continue Reading

Co-operative Bank creates over 100 IT jobs in Manchester

The Co-operative Bank is looking for talent to support its digital strategy and previous banking and IT experience is not a necessity Continue Reading

Firms urged to embrace positive security trends to win cyber war

Modern cyber security challenges overshadow the information security successes of the past, but several positive trends are emerging as defenders come to grips with new threats, says Deloitte Continue Reading

Microservices introduce hidden security complexity, analyst warns

Microservice architecture – an approach to application development in which applications are built as a suite of modular services – simplifies development but complicates security, says KuppingerCole Continue Reading

Banks changing APIs at short notice highlights a failing of open banking standard

Why are the high street banks changing APIs so regularly and at such short notice? Continue Reading

NatWest owned fintech reaches £50m mark for SME lending

NatWest owned SME lending platform Esme Loans has lent more than £50m to UK SMEs over two years. Esme cuts the time it takes to apply for a loan to 10 minutes for SMEs, offering SMEs loans of up to ... Continue Reading

Middle East Interview: Bahrain fintech drive gathers speed

Bahrain wants to be a launchpad into the wider region for financial technology firms looking to scale Continue Reading

Danish financial services regulator launches sandbox initiative

FT Lab offers fintech startups a platform to test out their products in a secure environment Continue Reading

Get more proactive on cyber security, says ex Europol chief

Business needs to get more proactive, collaborative, resilient and analytical to manage cyber risks posed by cyber criminals down to acceptable levels, says former Europol chief Continue Reading

Chancellor Hammond regrets uncertainty of the elephant in the room in speech to the fintechs

Chancellor of the Exchequer addresses fintechs on day two of Innovate Finance Summit 2019 Continue Reading

Nearly half of UK IT pros report serious data breaches

Integration of security systems and employee training recognised as key ways to reduce the growing severity of data breaches Continue Reading

Fix the basics first, then worry about AI, advise experts

The freedom of the internet is at risk, with the cyber arms race and the industrialisation of hacking are set to continue as attackers move up the value chain to target trust mechanisms, threat experts predict Continue Reading

Danske Bank and IBM bring AI to banking IT

Artificial intelligence partnership is designed to reduce the risk of major IT outages and keep the bank’s customers happy Continue Reading

Bank of England governor speaks as maiden UK Fintech Week begins

The UK's first Fintech Week kicks off with Innovate Finance Global Summit Continue Reading

Mobile phones and health: is 5G being rolled out too fast?

European countries are rolling out 5G mobile communications at breakneck speed as they seek to gain a competitive edge over the US and Asia. But some scientists have raised questions about the effects of 5G mobile phone radiation on public health and are calling for a precautionary approach Continue Reading

Challenger bank Tandem migrates to AWS in one weekend

Customer migration to Amazon Web Services demonstrates challenger banks’ agility in moving quickly to the latest technology Continue Reading

WannaCry hero pleads guilty, urges others to stay on ‘good side’

Briton hailed as WannaCry hero finally pleads guilty to charges of writing and distributing malware, but urges security researchers to stay away from the “dark side” Continue Reading

APAC set for blockchain boom

Led by China, spending on blockchain technology in Asia-Pacific excluding Japan will surpass $2bn by 2022 Continue Reading

Middle East CIOs optimistic as budgets increase and digital transformations expand

Cyber security and risk management will see the biggest increase in spending, but digital transformation of businesses is a major driver of investment, survey shows Continue Reading

Third of people would allow tech platform to automatically move mortgage

Almost a third of people have such confidence in fin tech that they would allow a digtal platform to automatically move their mortgage to a better deal. Continue Reading

NatWest eases business payments with biometric authentication on mobile

NatWest is making it easier and safer for businesses to make payments of any size via a mobile app using biometric authentication technology Continue Reading

Security Think Tank: Seven steps to manage risk of catastrophic cyber attack

How should businesses plan to survive a potential cyber attack extinction event? Continue Reading

Singapore firms streamline operations, fend off disruption with cloud

Certis and financial institutions are among those in the city state that are turning to cloud services to gain a competitive edge Continue Reading

Consumers will ditch bank if online experience falls short

Would you ditch your bank or building society if its digital services didn't match up to Google? Continue Reading

Google Cloud CEO outlines plans to take firm even deeper into the enterprise

CEO Thomas Kurian used inaugural Google Cloud Next keynote to detail how infrastructure investments, supplier partnerships and simplified processes will be key to its plans to conquer even more of the enterprise market Continue Reading

Digital doppelgangers for sale to defeat anti-fraud tech

Security researchers have uncovered an online market selling digital identities to help cyber criminals to defeat anti-fraud technologies, as financial cyber crime becomes a bigger threat than ever before Continue Reading

Brexit turn off increases IT salaries in UK fintech as overseas experts become harder to attract

The fintech industry in the UK is growing fast but it could face difficulties attracting the right IT talent as a result of the Brexit turnoff Continue Reading

Security Think Tank: How to reduce the impact of a potential cyber extinction event

How should businesses plan to survive a potential cyber attack extinction event? Continue Reading

Is fintech making it too easy to mis-buy financial products?

Is fin tech making it too easy for people to mis-buy financial products? Continue Reading

Social inclusion unit aims to expand diversity in IT conversation

New unit at startup hub wants to explore how technology can be applied to address the barriers many people face in participating in society Continue Reading

National Savings and Investments makes £300m extension to Atos deal

UK government-owned savings bank adds three years to IT services contract with French supplier Continue Reading

Goldex is bringing Amazon-like usability to gold trading: Fintech interview part 19

An encounter between seasoned trading executive and archaic gold trading processes ignited Goldex Technologies Continue Reading

Researchers uncover US-based malware distribution centre

More than a dozen US-based web servers are operating as the malware equivalent of an Amazon fulfilment centre to target businesses, security researchers have found Continue Reading

Post Office to appeal judgment from first Horizon trial

The Post Office will appeal against some of the judgments from the first trial concerning the Horizon computer system used by subpostmasters Continue Reading

Fresh approach needed to reap cloud security benefits

Transitioning to cloud-based services offers businesses an opportunity to improve security capabilities, but only if they adopt a proactive cloud-native approach, says Palo Alto Networks cloud security expert Continue Reading

SuiteWorld 2019: Using technology to close the financial gender gap

The CFO from non-profit organisation Kiva explains how the organisation is using distributed ledger technology to close the financial inclusion gender gap Continue Reading

Most business decision-makers and knowledge workers happy to work alongside robots

Fears that automation will remove jobs for knowledge workers are reducing as opportunities emerge to upskill and eradicate mundane work Continue Reading

Goliath vs Goliath and the complexities of 5G intellectual property

Is Apple the good guy or the bad guy? It has violated patents and had its wrist slapped by the courts (bad), yet its products are still available for adoring fans to buy (good) Continue Reading

Four in 10 leading banks failing on email fraud protection

Top UK traditional and challenger banks risk exposing customers to email fraud, a study reveals Continue Reading

Cyber attacks increasingly exploiting supply chain weaknesses

Cyber attacks are increasingly characterised by supply chain attacks, counter incident response and lateral movement, research reveals Continue Reading

Thales completes acquisition of Gemalto

Multi-billion-euro acquisition gives Thales a global leadership position in digital identity and security Continue Reading

Fidor founder leaves as parent bank plots future

The founder of digital challenger bank Fidor leaves company as traditional banking parent company tries to sell business Continue Reading

Fintechs taking large chunk of SME lending sector

Alternative lending platforms targeting the SME sector have managed to get their message across to their customer base Continue Reading

Major shake-up of TSB IT after core banking system migration disaster

TSB has restructured its IT team to give its internal team control of its core banking system Continue Reading

Encryption adoption driven by new tech and compliance

The adoption of encryption is at its highest level yet, driven by the need to protect data generated by new digital initiatives, but still less than half of organisations are applying it consistently across the enterprise Continue Reading

Businesses losing out on early payment discounts due to outdated software

Chief financial officers need to upgrade their accounting software to benefit from discounts available for paying suppliers early Continue Reading

Azimo is stripping high streets and denting the universe: Fintech interview part 18

Cross border money transfer fintech Azimo is disrupting the high street Continue Reading

Nominet urges SMEs to register .uk domains to thwart squatters

The automatic right of .co.uk domain name holders to register the shorter .uk domains ends in June Continue Reading

Add Apple credit card to list of things you can do on your iPhone

Apple has announced a fintech service which will enable customers to turn their mobile phone into a credit card. From the summer customers in the US will have access to the Apple Card. There is an ... Continue Reading

Artificial intelligence making major inroads into Russian banking

Russian banks are identifying use cases for artificial intelligence, but the gradual adoption of the technology will require access to a deeper skills pool if it is to accelerate Continue Reading

NatWest launches female-focused crowdfunding programme

Consumer bank NatWest is backing female entrepreneurs through a crowdfunding programme Continue Reading

Firms urged to protect against spear phishing

Spear phishing attacks are sophisticated, targeted, costly and increasing in popularity among cyber attackers, a report warns Continue Reading

NatWest launches business virtual account platform

Features supported by a new system enable corporate customers to manage and segregate money, and are part of a wider digital transformation plan to enhance customer experience Continue Reading

Bank of England’s large IT spend partly due to use of manual processes and legacy systems

The Bank of England admits there is room for improvement when it comes to IT efficiency Continue Reading

Hear from some of the women shaping UK fintech

Find out what needs to done to increase diversity in fintech from some of the women shaping the industry Continue Reading

Nationwide uses natural language processing to discover what annoys customers

SAS has run a proof of concept at building society Nationwide, using artificial intelligence and natural language processing to determine how to improve customer correspondence Continue Reading

NatWest launches biometric card pilot

NatWest Bank is set to trial biometrics-based cards with 200 customers to verify contactless payment transactions over £30 Continue Reading

ICO data raises doubts over UK firms’ ability to manage breaches

Most ICO data breach reports late and incomplete prior to full GDPR implementation, FoI request data reveals, raising doubts about breach prevention, detection and response capabilities Continue Reading

Equifax defends against scathing Senate report

Equifax chief says firm did take cyber security seriously in a response to a scathing Senate report on the credit rating agency’s 2017 data breach, which experts say highlights failings around open source software Continue Reading

ICO head still in top three of DataIQ data leader list

The UK’s information commissioner remains in the top three data leaders after claiming top spot in 2018 in the DataIQ 100 list of most influential data leaders, but GDPR is not the only focus in the industry Continue Reading

Machine identities for sale on dark web, business warned

Academics and security professionals are warning businesses that certificates used to establish trust and privacy on the internet are being weaponised and sold to cyber criminals bundled with other services Continue Reading