IT for financial services

More intel emerges on WhisperGate malware that hit Ukraine

Security experts have been poring over the WhisperGate malware with which alleged Russia-backed entities targeted Ukrainian government websites Continue Reading

PwnKit bug endangers Linux distributions worldwide

Qualys researchers share intel on a memory corruption vulnerability in a program installed by default on every major Linux distribution Continue Reading

Prepare, but don’t panic, over supposed Russian cyber threat

A fresh alert from the US Department of Homeland Security may have IT security teams jumpy over the possibility that their organisations could be targeted by Russian state actors Continue Reading

Ikano Bank’s team of robots exceeds 2021 targets

How the Swedish bank’s robotic automation project reached its time-saving target with time to spare, automating 168 processes, creating an in-house RPA team and embedding automation in every department’s thinking Continue Reading

MoonBounce firmware bootkit shows advances in malicious implants

MoonBounce firmware bootkit shows evident technical improvements over others, making it a more dangerous threat to organisations. It is being used by Chinese state-backed actors Continue Reading

Advantages of traditional banks are weakening amid digital challenge, says FCA

Weakening of the advantages enjoyed by traditional banks over the years is “driven by digital innovation and changing consumer behaviour”, says regulator Continue Reading

Zopa Bank hits £1bn deposits in just 18 months

Bank has seen rapid growth since its launch and has set ambitious targets for the next 12 months Continue Reading

Danish digitisation partnership delivers plan to government

Public-private collaboration submits plan setting out “how Denmark can take advantage of the opportunities presented by digitisation moving forward into the future” Continue Reading

Twelve million jobs to be lost to automation in Europe by 2040

Millions of current jobs in Europe will be carried out by robots as software robots automate processes Continue Reading

The race to quantum computing

In this week’s Computer Weekly, researchers are racing to create the first commercially useful quantum computer – we look at one of the European candidates. Cyber security is one of the greatest risks facing the global economy, warns the World Economic Forum. And we examine the role of employee experience in hybrid working. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Nordic fintech to use Google-inspired core banking from Thought Machine

Nordic fintech Lunar is modernising its banking platform as it sets out to expand free of the limitations of its current systems Continue Reading

Amazon puts UK Visa ban on hold

Online retail giant Amazon continues to allow UK Visa credit card payments as negotiations over fees with the card provider continue Continue Reading

Microsoft veteran turns her attention to levelling up IT industry for women

Diversity goes beyond balancing the internal workforce and should include working with partners that also have diversity as a core objective, says Gavriella Schuster Continue Reading

Ikano Bank’s team of robots exceeds 2021 targets

How the Swedish bank’s robotic automation project reached its time-saving target with time to spare, automating 168 processes, creating an in-house RPA team and embedding automation in every department’s thinking Continue Reading

Microsoft fixes six zero-days in January Patch Tuesday update

A larger than of late Patch Tuesday update from Microsoft comes as defenders continue to grapple with Log4Shell Continue Reading

Dutch cyber volunteers receive major funding boost

The Dutch Institute for Vulnerability Disclosure has received a $100,000 donation to expand the scope of its work Continue Reading

Almost half of Log4j downloads still dangerously exposed

Whether by error or design is unclear, but a great many IT teams are still exposing themselves by downloading outdated, insecure versions of Apache Log4j Continue Reading

Banks accused of neglecting customer security measures

Which? singles out Metro Bank, Virgin Money and TSB over insecure online banking processes Continue Reading

New supercomputer opens doors for researchers in Sweden

More than twice as powerful as its predecessor, a new supercomputer ushers in new opportunities for researchers who rely on artificial intelligence and machine learning Continue Reading

Record amount invested in UK fintech last year, but female founders still overlooked

Last year the UK financial technology sector attracted the most investment ever following a slowdown in 2020 Continue Reading

Which? raises concerns over buy now, pay later schemes

The ease of use and increased availability of buy now, pay later schemes masks the risks, says consumer protection champion Continue Reading

How far has Saudi Arabia come with open data?

While clearly on the right path, Saudi Arabia still has a lot to do before it reaps the full benefits of open data Continue Reading

Google buys Siemplify in first phase of cyber investment

Once integrated into Google Cloud, Siemplify’s platform will serve as the basis for deeper security development at Google Continue Reading

Fintech players get cosy in Luxembourg

Luxembourg aims to play a larger role in the rapidly growing global fintech market Continue Reading

Top 10 Nordic IT stories of 2021

Computer Weekly selects some of the biggest Nordic tech stories of 2021 Continue Reading

Vulnerabilities to fraud are increasing across the board

As the pandemic continues to affect how we work, socialise, shop and conduct business, so it has increased opportunities for digital fraud and cyber crime. Jason Lane-Sellers explores the latest LexisNexis Risk Solutions ‘Cybercrime report’ Continue Reading

Is the IT sector beset by fear-mongering?

The arms race between hackers and security teams has led to a plethora of new technologies, but it can be hard to differentiate between sensible cyber purchases and those that are promoted by exaggerating risk Continue Reading

A trial relying on computer evidence should start with a trial of the computer evidence

Learning from the Post Office Horizon scandal - the most widespread miscarriage of justice in recent British legal history Continue Reading

Top 10 financial services and fintech stories of 2021

Computer Weekly selects 10 key stories from the financial services IT sector over the past year Continue Reading

Large organisations turning to digital currencies for stored value

Gartner predicts a major acceleration in the use of digital currencies over the next couple of years Continue Reading

IT services spending recovery to get renewals boost in 2022

IT services and BPO deals worth $18.5bn globally up for renewal next year, adding fuel to already-expected high growth Continue Reading

Security Think Tank: Reframing CISO-boardroom relations

Security learning is a career-long process, so as 2021 draws to a close, participants in the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank sum up the most important cyber lessons they’ve taken away from the past 12 months Continue Reading

HSBC fined £64m for automated transaction monitoring failures

Bank hit by multimillion-pound fine for failures related to its transaction monitoring, which failed to spot potential money-laundering activity Continue Reading

Barclays selects HPE GreenLake to host 100,000 workloads

Bank sees a need to provide more personalised digital experiences, and GreenLake is providing the IT infrastructure to help it get there Continue Reading

Nationwide Building Society moves website to Azure cloud

Building society’s tech teams work with consultancy Contino to implement new website using the chaos engineering method Continue Reading

After Log4j, December Patch Tuesday piles on the pressure

December’s Patch Tuesday update from Microsoft contains several critical CVEs, but this month all attention is focused on the fall-out from Log4Shell, and burn-out is becoming a real issue Continue Reading

AIB signs up to z15-powered transformation

Irish bank has continued its investment in IBM z-series hardware and the Red Hat software portfolio to help it achieve its digital transformation goals Continue Reading

UK government to take ‘whole-of-society’ approach to cyber

Second iteration of the UK’s National Cyber Strategy broadens its focus to build a ‘whole-of-society’ security posture Continue Reading

Which? tells banks to stop rushing branch closures

Consumer rights protector says banks should pause branch closures until they can ensure people have access to cash and services Continue Reading

Multibillion-dollar quantum opportunities if error rate recedes

Management consultant McKinsey discusses a potential $700bn opportunity in the pharma, finance, automotive and chemicals sectors Continue Reading

Almost half of networks probed for Log4Shell weaknesses

Close to half of corporate networks have already been actively targeted by individuals seeking to exploit the critical Log4Shell Apache bug Continue Reading

What is Log4Shell, and why are we panicking about it?

It’s been described as a ‘design failure of catastrophic proportions’ that threatens the very fabric of the digital world. Find out what the Log4j2 Log4Shell panic is all about, and what you should do about it Continue Reading

Channelling Nordic startup innovation towards global survival

Nordic startup innovation offers global organisations the green light towards sustainability Continue Reading

What are the challenges associated with the MITRE ATT&CK framework?

Businesses sometimes struggle to use the MITRE ATT&CK framework effectively. Learn more about some of the challenges, and how to overcome them Continue Reading

2021 another record-breaker for vulnerability disclosure

More than 50 CVEs were logged every day in 2021, more than at any time since records began, while ethical hackers continue to prove their value Continue Reading

Most consumers expect banks to cover losses to scams

Consumers expect banks to cover losses to cyber crime, as the number of attacks grows Continue Reading

CIO interview: Nicola Wadham, Financial Ombudsman Service

CIO Nicola Wadham brings Computer Weekly up to speed on the Financial Ombudsman Service’s IT challenges and successes Continue Reading

Zopa to focus on banking after closing peer-to-peer lending

Peer-to-peer lending pioneer Zopa to focus on its banking operation after the closure of its original business Continue Reading

Former TSB CEO joins money-sharing fintech

Paul Pester teams up with fintech heavyweights to target multibillion-pound money-sharing market Continue Reading

Security Think Tank: Attackers leveraging the supply chain

Security learning is a career-long process, so as 2021 draws to a close, participants in the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank sum up the most important cyber lessons they have taken away from the past 12 months Continue Reading

Fintech boss fires 900 staff on one Zoom call

Better.com boss used a Zoom call to tell 900 people they no longer had a job Continue Reading

APAC banks gear up on cloud, but challenges remain

Public cloud spending by financial institutions in the region is rising even as they grapple with legacy IT challenges and cost concerns Continue Reading

IT Priorities 2022: Pandemic’s long tail for cyber buyers

Pandemic response has been top of mind for cyber leaders these past 18 months, and as Covid-19 turns two, the TechTarget/Computer Weekly IT Priorities 2022 study shows buyers are still focused on how Covid has upended the workplace Continue Reading

European finance firms increase open banking spend

Financial services firms are increasing investment in open banking capabilities, with improvements to payment initiation and onboarding capabilities expected Continue Reading

Consumers say supermarkets among best at social engagement

Many types of business have improved their online interactions with consumers as a result of the pandemic, with consumers claiming supermarkets are among the most engaging Continue Reading

Virgin Money adapts offices to fit flexible and collaborative working

Virgin Money is repurposing its offices to fit a future where staff will work from home and visit offices to collaborate Continue Reading

Bank of Ireland fined €24.5m for business continuity failures

Bank of Ireland hit with multi-million euro fine by central bank following an investigation Continue Reading

Millions of credit card details for sale on dark web for as little as 75p

The credit card details of millions of people from across the world can be bought by criminals using the dark web for as little as $1 Continue Reading

Security Think Tank: Think people, processes and systems

Security learning is a career-long process, so as 2021 draws to a close, participants in the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank sum up the most important cyber lessons they’ve taken away from the past 12 months Continue Reading

A ‘whole of society’ approach to cyber may be on the horizon

Nominet Cyber managing director David Carroll reflects on the NCSC’s latest annual review amid 2021’s fast-evolving threat landscape Continue Reading

Cloud-based Redwood becomes latest challenger bank to make a profit

Cloud-based business bank becomes the latest of the new wave of challengers to achieve profit Continue Reading

Swedish researchers are patiently developing a useful quantum computer

By 2028, the Wallenberg Centre for Quantum Technology in Sweden expects to have a useful quantum computer Continue Reading

UK bank branch cull continues as TSB condemns 70 more

TSB’s branch closure programme gathers pace as dozens more high street premises are shuttered Continue Reading

HP patches bugs in over 150 printer models

More than 150 HP multifunction printers are at risk of compromise through a series of newly disclosed vulnerabilities, one of them wormable Continue Reading

Second Mizuho executive quits after IT problems

IT failures have forced the CEO of Japanese financial services group to step down Continue Reading

Three latest trends and developments around the Mitre ATT&CK framework

Framework is set to receive important updates to help organisations and businesses evolve their cyber security. Learn more about what it offers Continue Reading

UK consumers warned of increase in credit card application fraud

There has been a sharp rise in fraudsters using stolen personal details to open credit card accounts Continue Reading

Societe Generale accelerates data and artificial intelligence strategy

French investment banking giant increases its focus on data and artificial intelligence as digital transformation matures Continue Reading

Men’s Mental Health Month: How fintech can reduce anxiety around debt

Umer Suleman of ethical investment firm Wahed explains how financial technology can reduce anxieties associated with debt Continue Reading

Four-day week introduced for staff at digital bank

UK’s Atom Bank brings in four-day working week for employees with no salary reduction Continue Reading

Upcoming holidays prompt ransomware warning from authorities

Ransomware gangs know how calendars work, and may target their attacks around major holidays to take advantage of more people being off work, according to a new alert Continue Reading

How Axa drives digitisation forward

Digital transformation is not a one-shot project – it’s a continuous and evolving process that requires a mindset change in IT management Continue Reading

Government to legislate to make APP fraud reimbursement mandatory

UK payments regulator wants to reduce the huge sums of money lost to authorised push payment fraud and is calling on the banking and tech industries to play their part Continue Reading

Amazon to stop accepting Visa credit cards in UK due to high fees

Online retail giant Amazon will stop accepting UK Visa credit card payments from January next year Continue Reading

Blueprint for future high street shows tech’s role in creating thriving communities

Technology will play an important role in creating thriving communities after Covid-19 lockdowns renew interest in local high streets Continue Reading

Can UAE become a world leader in AI?

The UAE has launched multiple programmes as it bids to be a world-leading location for artificial intelligence innovation Continue Reading

UK government proposes new rules for digital supply chain security

Proposals could see IT service providers legally required to adhere to the NCSC’s Cyber Assessment Framework, among other things Continue Reading

CaixaBank system normal after migration of millions of customer accounts

Spain’s CaixaBank has successfully completed the migration of millions of Bankia customers to its systems Continue Reading

Cost reduction is still the biggest driver of banks’ cloud adoption

More than 80% of banks now have a clear cloud strategy following a injection of urgency during the Covid-19 pandemic Continue Reading

CaixaBank to complete IT integration of Bankia in two days

Spanish bank embarks on a massive migration of customer accounts following merger Continue Reading

Finance ombudsman overturns more than three-quarters of bank decisions on APP fraud

The financial services ombudsman is siding with customers in over 75% of complaints against banks that refuse to repay losses to authorised push payment fraud Continue Reading

Bank of England loses 161 computing devices in three years

Bank cannot account for phones, laptops and tablets that have gone missing over the past three years Continue Reading

Financial Conduct Authority chooses Aiimi for improved information discovery

The Financial Conduct Authority has awarded a three-year contract to UK enterprise search firm Aiimi to enable the regulator’s staff to find documents more easily and collaborate better Continue Reading

Traditional banks could get revenue boost if they copy digital challengers

Traditional banks could see huge sales increases if they adopted the business models of their digital challengers Continue Reading

Digital surveillance of remote workers may increase enterprise risk

From productivity tools to security threats, we explore how digital surveillance is forcing remote workers towards shadow IT Continue Reading

How to manage endpoint security in a hybrid work environment

The future of the workplace is clearly hybrid, but this has untold implications around endpoint security. How can businesses overcome these? Continue Reading

Standard Chartered picks Starling Bank tech for product launch

Standard Chartered able to quickly launch new product through fintech platform Continue Reading

Blockchain technology will help banks will cut cross-border payment costs by $10bn in 2030

The use of blockchain technology in cross-border payments will save global banks $10bn in 2030, according to research Continue Reading

Singapore ups ante in AI with sectoral programmes

Singapore launches two national AI programmes to bolster adoption of AI by financial institutions and the public sector Continue Reading

CME Group signs 10-year cloud and product innovation deal with Google

CME Group, one of the world’s largest financial derivatives exchange operators, has signed a multi-year infrastructure migration deal with Google Cloud Continue Reading

Technology spending reaches record levels, fuelling jobs boom

Spending on IT has reached its highest levels for a decade but a shortage of skilled IT professionals could dampen growth Continue Reading

Inside Krungsri Bank’s open API journey

Thailand’s Krungsri Bank has been harnessing open application programming interfaces to enable its partners to build new services in a strategy that has won over customers from rival banks Continue Reading

Women grossly underrepresented in global fintech

Women are CEOs at less than 6% of global financial technology firms and even fewer hold top tech jobs Continue Reading

Security Think Tank: SASE – marketing buzz or the future of security?

SASE architectures promise to prevent multiple types of cyber attacks, but deciding whether SASE is right for your organisation will require understanding whether SASE is a fit for your use cases in IT Continue Reading

Quarter of people don’t plan to visit a bank branch again

A quarter of people have no intention of visiting a bank branch again after experiencing the benefits of digital banking when branches were closed during Covid-19 lockdowns Continue Reading

HSBC standardises on DevOps platform

HSBC to standardise and automate software development through CloudBees platform Continue Reading

Payments through open banking could end card dominance

Payments made through open banking will eat into those made using cards as the next five years sees an acceleration in adoption Continue Reading

TechUK slams government gift to big banks that will disadvantage fintechs

The government will put challenger banks at a disadvantage through its reduction in the bank profit surcharge, says TechUK Continue Reading

TSB opens 100-seat tech centre in Scottish capital

TSB has opened its latest tech centre in Scotland while IT services provider CGI announces the creation of hundreds of UK tech jobs Continue Reading

Retail tech community reacts to BNPL regulatory proposals

Regulation is coming to the buy now, pay later market, but what does it mean for a retail tech community increasingly embracing these solutions? Continue Reading