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Finovate Blog
Tracking fintech, banking & financial services innovations since 1994
There’s still one more day to enjoy FinovateSpring. But as far as the live demo portion of our program is concerned, the Best of Show celebrations have begun. With that in mind, please join us in congratulating the winners of Best of Show at FinovateSpring 2023.
1Kosmos for its technology that automates user onboarding for workers and customers, protecting against stolen and synthetic identities while eliminating ATO and fraud.
9Spokes for its technology that unlocks the potential of open data, giving financial institutions a powerful set of tools to engage business customers.
Flybits for its personalization platform that enables financial institutions to deliver best-in-class personalized digital banking experiences.
QuickFi for its 100% digital, self-service equipment financing platform that enables business equipment financing in minutes.
SAVVI AI for its technology that helps any FinCo team build and deploy AI apps in minutes. No data scientists, pre-existing data, or custom infrastructure required.
Wink for its biometric payments and identity platform that enables users to say goodbye to passwords and fraud – and say hello to secure and simple authentication.
On behalf of the entire Finovate team, we want to thank all of our demoing companies, our partners, and our sponsors. We also want to express our gratitude toward our attendees in the fintech and financial services industry who bring so much positive energy to our events. We look forward to seeing you again next year right here in San Francisco for FinovateSpring 2024!
Notes on methodology:
1. Only audience members NOT associated with demoing companies were eligible to vote. Finovate employees did not vote.
2. Attendees were encouraged to note their favorites during each day. At the end of the last demo, they chose their three favorites.
3. The exact written instructions given to attendees: “Please rate (the companies) on the basis of demo quality and potential impact of the innovation demoed.”
4. The six companies appearing on the highest percentage of submitted ballots were named “Best of Show.”
5. Go here for a list of previous Best of Show winners through 2014. Best of Show winners from our 2015 through 2023 conferences are below:
In 2022, global fines for failing to prevent money laundering (AML) and other financial crime surged more than 50 percent, totaling more than $2 billion in the banking sector alone. With the ever-increasing complexity of AML regulations and the global nature of financial services, financial institutions are investing more resources into compliance and due diligence to protect their businesses.
Join us for an engaging conversation about the complexity of Know Your Business (KYB) and Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations and discover how a single, integrated identity platform can help streamline the process of truly knowing the entity and the people you are doing business with.
If you missed the keynote address from Sam Everington, CEO of Engine by Starling Bank at FinovateEurope earlier this year, here are some highlights that will make you feel as if you were in the room.
During his address titled, “From payments to core platforms: How can banks leverage data and technology to meet changing customer,” Everington relayed his experience at Starling Bank, detailing how the newcomer has remained competitive by using customer data in context to not only create a better user experience, but also cut costs.
Everington discussed the shifting expectations of consumers, who now anticipate a digital-first experience similar to those offered by big tech companies. Additionally, because customers seek fair, reasonably priced, and affordable services, in today’s current cost of living crisis, it is key that banks keep their costs low in order to retain consumers’ appetites.
Cost, in fact, was a big part of Everington’s keynote. He emphasized the potential cost savings for banks by increasing the use of technology and enhancing user experiences. He acknowledged that in the banking sector, technology is often viewed as a cost center and technology investments are primarily driven by cost reduction.
“In banks especially, technology and technology investment decisions are all about the business case,” Everington said. “Technology is a cost center to be controlled, and technology investment is by and large a cost reduction exercise.”
In his keynote, Everington identified real-time and flexible systems as essential elements needed to meet customers’ ever-changing financial situations, which can fluctuate multiple times a day. Banks need to proactively understand their customers, be aware of the products and services they hold, and respond promptly to any changes.
To address these needs, Starling Bank developed Engine, a technology platform that supports their operations. Engine offers flexibility, comprehensiveness, scalability, and reliability. These features not only enhance the customer experience but also ensure compliance with U.K. regulations.
Ultimately, Everington emphasized the importance of banks having an innovative platform that allows them to adapt and meet the evolving needs of their customers.
With FinovateSpring only days away (May 23 through May 25), this week’s edition of Finovate Global will showcase those innovators demoing at the event that are headquartered outside the United States.
There’s still time to register and join us in San Francisco, California for our annual Spring fintech conference. Visit our FinovateSpring 2023 hub today and get your ticket today!
9Spokes
Founded in 2012 and headquartered in New Zealand, 9Spokes unlocks open banking and data, giving financial institutions a powerful set of tools to engage SMB customers. LinkedIn.
FinTech Insights by Scientia
Founded in 2016 and headquartered in London, U.K., FinTech Insights by Scientia offers a competitive analysis tool for banks and fintechs to help them create compelling digital banking experiences. LinkedIn.
FINTEQ
Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Poland, FINTEQ removes credit risk from the supply chain, giving suppliers a healthy and sustainable trade finance alternative. LinkedIn.
Flybits
Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Flybits offers a personalization platform that enables financial institutions to deliver best-in-class personalized digital banking experiences. LinkedIn.
Fundica
Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Montreal, Canada, Fundica is a government funding platform used by some of the largest financial institutions in North America to acquire clients at scale. LinkedIn.
Horizn
Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Horizn helps financial institutions maximize the impact of digital and accelerate returns on digital investments with customers and employees. LinkedIn.
HyperSwitch
Founded in 2022 and headquartered in India, HyperSwitch is an open source payments switch designed to make payments fast, reliable, and affordable. LinkedIn.
Kani
Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Newcastle, U.K., Kani offers end-to-end reconciliation and reporting, automating the back office for payments companies and fintechs, and ensuring accuracy and compliance. LinkedIn.
Lucinity
Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Reykjavik, Iceland, Lucinity combats financial crime with innovative GenAI technology for smarter and faster FinCrime compliance. LinkedIn.
PayTic
Founded in 2020 and headquartered in Charlottetown, Canada, PayTic is a SaaS platform that automates and manages all key aspects of program management: network fees, reconciliation, reporting, and fraud. LinkedIn.
SESAMm
Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Metz, France, SESAMm specializes in big data and artificial intelligence, providing analytics from more than 20 billion articles and messages using NLP. LinkedIn.
Here is our look at fintech innovation around the world.
Real estate-focused insurtech Obie announced it received $25.5 million in funding.
The Series B investment brings Obie’s total raised to $39 million since it was founded in 2017.
Obie’s embedded insurance tool helps change the way insurance for landlords and real estate investors is bought and sold.
Insurtech company Obieannounced a Series B round today. The company will use the $25.5 million investment to help change the way insurance for landlords and real estate investors is bought and sold.
Today’s round brings Obie’s total equity raised to $39 million, following the $10.7 million the company raised in its 2021 Series A round. Battery Ventures led the investment, which also saw participation from Brick and Mortar VC, DivcoWest, and real estate funds and investor groups.
“We’re excited to have the ongoing support of our investors as we continue to build insurance products that drive efficiency and change the way insurance is bought and sold,” said Obie Co-founder and CEO Ryan Letzeiser. “This funding supports the future of embedded insurance, as we expand our partnerships across industries and offer additional insurance products to clients.”
Obie was founded in 2017 to improve the way insurance was bought and sold in the real estate investing industry by launching an embedded insurance option. The company’s embedded insurance solutions underwrite investors by pulling more than 1,000 data points from multiple databases. Additionally, it creates a better user experience by offering instant, bindable quotes via its partner platforms, such as Baselane, Awning, and Marketplaces Homes.
Obie has grown 300% over the past two years. And with 18 million real estate investors across the U.S., the company expects to continue that trajectory. Earlier this month, Inc. Magazine named Obie to its 2023 Best Workplaces List.
Payroll connectivity platform Argyle announced that it has onboarded more than 35 new customers year over year.
The New York-based company also unveiled the latest edition of its platform, Argyle 2.0.
Argyle made its Finovate debut last May at FinovateSpring 2022.
Payroll connectivity platform Argyle is crediting its new customers – more than 35 of them – for doubling the number of customer verifications the company has facilitated year over year. The announcements from the New York-based firm arrive as the company unveils the latest edition of its technology, Argyle 2.0.
“We’ve packaged five years of learning and innovation into our next-gen platform to continue automating critical workflows, reducing business risk, and providing exceptional experiences,” Argyle founder and CEO Shmulik Fishman said. “The growth of our company over the past year echoes the demand for real-time access to reliable, direct-source data.”
Argyle offers businesses direct-source data portability tools for mortgage, lending, banking, background, and tenant screening, among other use cases. With Argyle 2.0 the company seeks to change the way businesses are able to retrieve and use income and employment data – a key factor in expanding access to financial services. Lake Michigan Credit Union VP of Mortgage Strategy John Harpst praised the company’s technology for its ability to provide “a complete picture for the member without the concern that we missed important information that could affect the outcome of their loan approval.”
Argyle’s new platform also features updates to Argyle Link, Console, and API. Argyle Link is the platform’s front-end interface which enables consumers to connect their accounts and share income and employment data with service providers in real-time. Argyle Link also supports the manual upload of income documents. The company notes that it covers more than 210 million U.S. consumers and 95% of Fortune 1000 companies. This enables Argyle to achieve a verification “hit rate” that is 5x better than other solutions.
Founded in 2018, Argyle made its Finovate debut at FinovateSpring 2022. At the conference, company co-founder and COO Billy Marsden demoed the latest design update of Argyle’s platform. The redesign helped increase transparency, decrease drop-off rates, and improve the overall look at feel of the technology for end users.
Argyle has raised more than $77 million in funding, according to Crunchbase. The company’s investors include Bain Capital Ventures and Checkr.
This is a sponsored post by Kate Firuz, Product Director, PayTic
It seems that every day, a new credit, debit, or prepaid card product hits the market, each one with more bells and whistles than the last. While this is fantastic for the card holders who are collecting points and tapping their way into cash back, the work and procedures that are required to maintain the program remain largely archaic. Manual invoice reviews (or lack thereof), manual data reconciliation, and you guessed it, manual dispute filing can result in millions of dollars wasted a year and missed growth opportunities, even for small to medium size programs.
Card programs are a result of the partnering between three key players – the card network, the issuing processor, and the sponsor bank (BIN Sponsor). Only with this tri-party handshake can a fintech, credit union, or bank launch a new program, either via physical or virtual cards. So, what does it take to ensure that the program is a success? That it brings value to card holders and share holders alike.
The key to longevity, and ironically where most card programs are the weakest, is in data management. When more than one party is involved in even a single transaction, creating a transaction system-of-record to keep everyone in sync can be a challenge; and when millions of transactions run through a card program every single day, you will quickly find that you have a program that will not scale. When the data doesn’t align, and the story looks complicated, it means three things for card programs:
Excessive operating costs
Compliance and data reporting challenges
Inefficient dispute processing
Every month, the card networks send an invoice, billing the card program for their activity and any additional services they may have. This sounds simple enough, but mixed in with the standard line items, are often non-compliance penalty fees levied against the program. You may wonder how card programs that under-go so much vetting can act in a non-compliant way – the truth is that most of them are not even aware of the issues. The non-compliance fines are often related to data reporting and improper reconciliation. There is one simple fact that all programs must know – if your reported numbers don’t match the network’s numbers, there’s a fine for that. These “numbers” refer to a very specific set of reporting requirements including transaction count, credits, debits, chargebacks, and fraud cases just to name a few. Remember that every single action runs through at least 3 parties – the network, the issuing processor, and the core banking – each with their own file types, reporting cadence and data structures. Our clients, who represent a range from fintech to credit unions and traditional banks, have all struggled to align their data without the help of an automated system to match and parse data.
Let’s summarize the situation – in addition to customer service, dispute resolution, fraud monitoring, AML and KYC, a card program is responsible for ensuring that all their data is accurate and reported on time. When this doesn’t happen, fines result in higher than necessary invoices, and complicated invoices mean that the fines can go unnoticed, allowing the cycle to perpetuate for years.
The last, yet critical piece impacted by poor data flow is dispute management. No card program can function without proper fraud and dispute handling procedures. The data required to locate, investigate and submit a transaction for a dispute follows the same path as any transaction, plus the additional layers of going to the acquiring bank and merchant for their input. The traditional dispute lifecycle takes at least 45 days and is riddled with blind spots as the claim enters the review process. When access to transaction meta-data is available in real time and therefore the right questions are available to the processing agent, a dispute can begin and end within a matter of a few days, and usually in the favor of card program. The result of the dispute then needs to be updated in the card programs ledger, accounting system, and quarterly report. Again, delays in processing lead to delays in reporting and result in fines – the theme of the situation is quite clear!
More and more issuing institutions are turning to 3rd party technology providers that can break through the noise and paperwork of payment program management. Automated systems that can collect, analyze, organize, and produce exceptions in seconds are showing financial institutions a freedom and confidence that was once thought impossible. With the burden of data management lifted, card programs can focus on growth and card holder value, instead of manual back-office work.
Visit the PayTic booth at FinovateSpring 2023 to learn how our automated invoice, data and dispute modules mean time and money saved instantly for your card programs.
Tyro Payments enables in-person, contactless payments for its users.
The new functionality is made possible courtesy of an integration between Apple’s Tap to Pay on iPhone and Tyro BYO App.
Tyro Payments made its Finovate debut at FinovateSpring 2017.
Australia-based Tyro Payments announced today that its customers in-country can now accept in-person, contactless payments. Courtesy of the new Tyro BYO App, the company’s customers will be able to seamlessly and securely take advantage of Apple’s Tap to Pay on iPhone contactless payment acceptance technology.
“Tap to Pay on iPhone is a fantastic simple and secure way for new or existing Tyro customers to accept payments using only their iPhone, anytime, anywhere – without the need for additional hardware,” Tyro CEO Jon Davey said. “We are excited to provide this new offering to our customers, providing greater flexibility when staff are working on-site or on the move.”
Tap to Pay on iPhone only requires an iPhone and the Tyro BYO app in order to accept contactless payments. These payment options include Apple Pay, contactless credit and debit cards, as well as other digital wallets. To use Tap to Pay on iPhone, users simply need to hold their Apple mobile device (iPhone or Apple Watch) near the merchant’s iPhone. Payments are completed securely using NFC technology. PIN entry, with multiple accessibility options, is also available. Tap to Pay on iPhone users also benefit from Apple’s commitment to privacy and security insofar as Apple does not store card numbers on the mobile device nor on its servers.
Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Sydney, Australia, Tyro Payments made its Finovate debut at FinovateSpring in 2017. At the event, the firm demoed its first lending product, Smart Growth Funding. This offering became the first lending solution released by an Australian challenger bank. In the years since then, Tyro has grown into a leading paytech with more than 600 employees; more than 66,000 customers; and more than $150 billion in transactions since inception. Going public in 2019, the company celebrated its 20th year in operation in February.
“From Australia’s largest EFTPOS provider outside the big four to streamlined business lending and banking products, I’m proud of how Tyro is powering the future of payments and business, both now and into the future,” Davey said.
The acquisition will help Ripple enter into the crypto custody market, enabling clients to custody, issue, and settle any type of tokenized asset.
Both BNY Mellon and NASDAQ have made recent moves in the crypto custody market.
Blockchain-based payments network Rippleannounced its latest acquisition this week, picking up digital asset management solutions company Metaco for $250 million.
The move will help Ripple enter into the crypto custody market, which is expected to reach $10 trillion by 2030. Specifically, it will enable Ripple to expand its offerings, providing customers the technology to custody, issue, and settle any type of tokenized asset.
“Metaco is a proven leader in institutional digital asset custody with an exceptional executive bench and a truly unmatched customer track record,” said Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse. “Through the strength of our balance sheet and financial position, Ripple will continue pressing our advantage in the areas critical to crypto infrastructure. Bringing on Metaco is monumental for our growing product suite and expanding global footprint.”
Founded in 2015, Metaco helps non-traditional financial institutions securely build their digital asset capabilities. The Switzerland-based company’s flagship offering, Harmonize, helps banks, regulated exchanges, and fintechs issue, store, trade, transfer, settle, and service digital assets. Metaco has more than 100 employees that serve clients in more than 15 countries.
Regarding today’s acquisition, Metaco Founder and CEO Adrien Treccani said, “This deal will enable Metaco to leverage Ripple’s scale and market strength to reach our goals and deliver value to our clients at a faster pace. We look forward to continuing to serve unprecedented levels of institutional demand with the utmost excellence in delivery, as our clients have come to expect.”
Today’s acquisition comes during a time when interest in the crypto custody space is heating up. BNY Mellon offers digital asset custody for U.S. asset managers, and NASDAQ is planning to launch crypto custody services for Bitcoin and Ethereum by the end of this summer.
Ripple was founded in 2012 and offers tools for global money transfers, CBDCs, and digital assets. Earlier this month, the company expanded its Middle East operations, opening a new office location in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).
FinovateSpring 2023 is only days away! If you have already registered for our annual spring fintech conference – May 23 through May 25 – great! We’re looking forward to showing you the latest innovations from many of fintech’s most exciting companies. We’re also happy to be returning to San Francisco, California – where there’s plenty of opportunity for both networking and leisure when the conference day is done.
And if you have not already registered, then there’s no better time than the present to visit our FinovateSpring 2023 hub and save your spot. To whet your appetite, here’s a look back at what the Best of Show winners from last year’s event have been up to in the time since taking home Finovate’s top prize.
Pictured: Leigh Gross, SVP, Sales and Business Development
Demoed Array’s financial enablement platform, specializing in embeddable tools and white label solutions, used by leading financial institutions. Demo video.
Updates since Spring 2022
Partnered with Jack Henry to offer consumers personalized credit and financial insights.
Teamed up with Alkami to helps banks boost digital engagement.
Integrated with Q2’s digital banking platform to offer products including My Credit Manager.
Demoed FinGoal’s insights platform that cleans, enriches, and analyzes personal financial data to better understand users and provide actionable insights. Demo video.
Pictured: Colm Bermingham, Director Sales | Steve Frook, SVP Global Sales
Demoed Horizn’s platform that helps banks globally accelerate digital banking knowledge, fluency, and adoption with both customers and employees. Demo video.
Updates since Spring 2022
Partnered with ebankIT to support digital transformation.
Won Best of Show at FinovateFall 2022 in New York.
Teamed up with Coventry Building Society to provide skill development for branch workers.
Pictured: Rob Frohwein, CEO | Troy Deus, Co-founder & Head of Experience
Demoed Keep Financial Technology’s innovation that solves the hiring and retention challenges of companies by introducing a new form of employee compensation called Cash Vesting Plans. Demo video.
Updates since Spring 2022
Raised $9 million in seed funding in a round led by Andreessen Horowitz.
Launched its Keep compensation platform and initial Keep Vesting Cash Plans.
Introduced KEEP Performing, adding defined goals to its platform.
NTT Data’s payments arm, NTT Data Payment Services, announced it has teamed up with risk analytics platform Facctum. The India-based payment company will leverage FacctView, Facctum’s anti-financial crime technology.
FacctView will help NTT Data Payments Services detect and assess sanctions, terrorism financing, and money laundering on its e-commerce platforms. In addition to protecting customers, FacctView’s technology also helps firms stay compliant. Because payment service providers are subject to increased regulation as fraudulent incidents increase, many have invested in risk screening capabilities.
“The payments ecosystem is facing a growing threat from financial criminals,” said Facctum Founder and CEO K.K. Gupta. “This is increasing the need for regulatory and compliance countermeasures. Leaders of PSPs have therefore recognized the vital importance of robust and resilient anti-financial crime technology to meet the challenges of regulatory change and ever-changing risks. I am humbled that NTT Data Payment Services has trusted Facctum technology to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of risk controls.”
Facctum’s FacctView leverages parallel processing technology and relies on a library of risk detection algorithms to detect financial crime risks on a comprehensive scale. FacctView also offers scalable, low-latency batch processing that supports bulk uploads and scheduled batch runs.
“Facctum technology is a great match for the needs of our high-growth and customer-focused PSP business in India,” said NTT Data Payment Services CEO Takeo Ueno. “Its addition to our anti-financial crime defenses shows our commitment to protecting customers and providing the highest standards of compliance effectiveness. This approach extends the capabilities of the business to provide continuous robust compliance whilst also improving the speed of services for customers.”
Facctum was founded in 2021 by former users and architects of financial crime compliance (FCC) technology. The London-based company has operations in Dublin, Johannesburg, Pune, and Bengaluru.
An alum of FinovateFall 2019, NTT Data offers a range of consulting, industry solutions, business process services, IT modernization, and managed services. The Japan-based company has made 26 acquisitions, including NTT Data Payment Services– then known as Atom Technologies. The company is publicly listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange under the ticker TYO:9613.
Solve Finance has partnered with credit analysis tool ScoreNavigator and home financing ecosystem Better.com.
The company’s Debt Optimizer is helping its customers understand their debt-to-income ratio (DTI), and ultimately qualify for financing.
The company is teaming up with Better.com to launch a feature to optimize consumers’ home-buying power.
Solve Finance recently unveiled two new fintech partners. The New York-based company has tied up with credit analysis tool ScoreNavigator and home financing ecosystem Better.com.
Solve Finance’s technology will help ScoreNavigator’s clients navigate their credit journey by looking at more than just their credit score. The company’s Debt Optimizer tool also shows them their debt-to-income ratio (DTI), a key metric in receiving a mortgage or refinancing an existing property.
“By partnering with Solve Finance, our members will get a complete analysis of their DTI, along with a plan to help them qualify for financing,” said ScoreNavigator CEO Rusty Bresse. “Solve Finance is making it easier for our members to navigate home finance by aligning incentives and automating the best possible borrowing outcomes with data and AI. We couldn’t be more pleased with this recent partnership.”
“Home affordability is especially tough in today’s environment, and we can’t wait to add a path to make the best-possible borrowing outcomes available to everyone,” added Solve Finance CEO Sean Hundtofte.
Solve Finance has also partnered with home financing platform Better.com by launching a feature to optimize consumers’ home-buying power. The new tool helps shift debt burdens and optimize up-front and monthly liquidity. Solve Finance reports it has been able to increase the mortgage users are able to afford by over 20%.
“This strategic alliance combines Solve Finance’s innovative financial technology and expertise with Better Mortgage’s innovative lending solutions,” the company said in a statement. “This partnership has significantly reduced the financial barriers to homeownership. This collaboration exemplifies Solve Finance’s commitment to driving financial inclusion and ensuring homeownership is attainable and affordable for individuals and families.”
This feature is currently in a pilot stage with mortgage lenders and homebuying platforms across the country. Ultimately, Solve Finance hopes to address consumers’ confusion about how much home they can afford in today’s interest rate environment and tackle financial exclusion in homeownership.
Solve Finance, which demoed at FinovateSpring 2022, was founded in 2021 and is headquartered in New York. The company’s Debt Optimizer tool, which is available as an API or as a direct-to-consumer platform, leverages real-time market and credit data to serve as a financial debt advisor and save users money.
