News

Newsletter, 03 April – 17 April 2015

Number26 Grabs $10.6 Million To Bring Its Bank Of The Future To Everyone

It feels like Number26 opened its doors yesterday, but the young startup just raised a $10.6 million Series A round (€10 million) from Peter Thiel’s Valar Ventures, with Daniel S. Aegerter and existing investors Earlybird and Redalpine also participating.

http://www.gruenderszene.de/allgemein/number26-peter-thiel?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=daily&utm_term=number26-peter-thiel&utm_date=2015-04-16

Die (bisher) wichtigsten Investitionen des Jahres 2015

In aller Kürze lassen wir an dieser Stelle noch einmal die wichtigsten, interessantesten und größten Investitionen, also Finanzierungsrunden, des laufenden Jahres Revue passieren. Dabei geht es unter anderem um Delivery Hero ((287 Millionen), Kreditech (200 Millionen US-Dollar) und Hellofresh (110 Millionen Euro), die alle sehr großen Summen eingesammelte haben.

http://www.deutsche-startups.de/2015/04/15/startup-investitionen-2015-quartal/

TransferWise eröffnet Büro in Berlin

TransferWise boomt – 58 Millionen US-Dollar gab es kürzlich von Andreessen Horowitz und Peter Thiel. Mit dem Geld will das Payment-Startup auch Deutschland erobern.

http://www.gruenderszene.de/allgemein/transferwise-buero-berlin

UK launch of digital bank Fidor hamstrung by payments providers

A German digital bank is planning to launch in Britain, once it is granted access to the payment system. Fidor Bank had planned to open in the UK last month, but it has been held up by the difficult payments infrastructure.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/banksandfinance/11513405/UK-launch-of-digital-bank-Fidor-hamstrung-by-payments-providers.html

Kreditech wurde erpresst

Nach dem spektakulären Datendiebstahl bei Kreditech wurde das Unternehmen offenbar auch erpresst. Bei der Aufarbeitung der Affäre soll ein neuer COO helfen. Es gibt da dieses Imagevideo von Kreditech, das Hamburger Fintech-Startup stellte es vor wenigen Monaten auf YouTube.

http://www.gruenderszene.de/allgemein/kreditech-erpressung-neuer-coo?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=daily&utm_term=kreditech-erpressung-neuer-coo&utm_date=2015-04-11

Fintech-Branche setzt auf IDnow bei der Online-Legitimation

Fintech-Startups bringen die Bankenlandschaft in Bewegung. Vorreiter der Branche wie Auxmoney, Vaamo, Decimo, iwoca, Number26 und Smava mit Kreditprivat setzen auf IDnow als Partner für die sichere Online-Legitimation ihrer Kunden. Die Kundendieser Fintech-Anbieter  können sich nun per Videochat ausweisen und den zeitaufwändigen

http://www.idnow.de/

Wirecard to Enable Mobile Payments for Kairos Watches

Today, the technology and financial services provider Wirecard AG and Kairos Watches Ltd. announced a collaboration in the field of mobile payment services for wearables.

http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/wirecard-to-enable-mobile-payments-for-kairos-watches-499655801.html

Das Fintech Ökosystem in New York entdecken

Swiss Global Enterprise und seine Partner Alp ICT, swiss made software, ICTswitzerland, Swiss Finance Startups und finteCH Zürich bieten Start-ups und Schweizer Unternehmen aus dem Bereich Fintech die Möglichkeit im Rahmen einer Reise den New Yorker Fintech Cluster zu entdecken.

http://www.startupticker.ch/en/news/april-2015/das-fintech-oekosystem-in-new-york-entdecken?utm_source=newsletter139&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter139%23.VSmGM_CwKNo

Big “Innovations” by Cashcloud: New App Design, New Functions, New Staff Members

Development leap by cashcloud SA: The mobile eWallet of the FinTech Company based in Luxembourg has from now a completely new design and offers a wide range of new functions.

http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/big-innovations-by-cashcloud-new-app-design-new-functions-new-staff-members-499019051.html

Money app (Payfriendz) uses social media to verify users

The Payfriendz smartphone app launched last summer. Now the company is kicking off a marketing campaign focused on the UK student market. It has also teamed up with Veridu, using the company’s social identification platform to vet the identity of users by analyzing an individual’s social media footprint. –

http://www.secureidnews.com/news-item/money-app-uses-social-media-to-verify-users/

Independent Research Firm’s Big Data Predictive Analytics Report Cites RapidMiner as “a Rock-Solid Enterprise Solution With Cloud Capability”

RapidMiner, the industry’s easiest-to-use Modern Analytics platform for Big Data, announced today it has been positioned by Forrester Research as a Strong Performer in “The Forrester Wave™: Big Data Predictive Analytics Solutions, Q2 2015”1 report.

http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/independent-research-firms-big-data-predictive-analytics-report-cites-rapidminer-as-2005992.htm

Sapphire Innovation relies on Crossing-Tech

Crossing-Tech, a Swiss Independent Software Vendor specialized in application integration, announced a new partnership with Sapphire Innovation, a young Swiss provider of Cash Management solution. The partnership will allow Sapphire Innovation to speed-up its integration within heterogeneous IT landscape.

http://www.startupticker.ch/en/news/april-2015/dasfgadg?utm_source=newsletter139&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter139%23.VSmHj_CwKNo

Like banking before it, insurance industry faces competition from peer-to-peer newcomer

… Founded in 2010, Berlin-based Friendsurance has rapidly established itself in its domestic market. The company enables individuals to cover uninsured motor losses and personal liability cover by being able to pool resources with other cost-conscious consumers.

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/comment/article-3016964/BEN-GRIFFITHS-Like-banking-insurance-industry-facing-competition-peer-peer-newcomer.html#ixzz3X2AOugPm

German Central Bank Survey: 41% Know ‘Niche Phenomenon’ of Bitcoin

While Germany has become a hostile environment for Bitcoin in the EU, its central bank has revealed its engagement with cryptocurrency in 2014 in a consumer survey. The results, which went into compiling Deutsche Bundesbank’s report on Payment Habits in Germany 2014, showed that of the 2,000 people who responded to the survey, 28% had heard of Bitcoin overall.

http://cointelegraph.com/news/113893/german-central-bank-survey-41-know-niche-phenomenon-of-bitcoin

FinTech hebt ab: VC-Kolumne von Andreas Thümmler, Acxit Capital Partners

Fintech ist derzeit zu einem der spannendsten Subsegmente im Technologiemarkt avanciert. Seit der letzten Finanzkrise ist klar, klassisches „Bricks and Motar Banking“ und riesige Monokulturen im Banken- und Versicherungswesen haben keine ewige Halbwertszeit mehr.

http://www.vc-magazin.de/finanzierung/venture-capital/item/3229-vc-kolumne-von-andreas-th%C3%BCmmler-acxit-capital-partners

Die führenden Fintech-Köpfe der Schweiz

Wer den Schweizer Finanzplatz trotz der epochalen Veränderungen im Dornröschenschlaf sieht, täuscht sich. Fintech, Finance 2.0 und die Digitalisierung definieren die Branche. finews.ch nennt die wichtigsten Entscheider, Entwickler und Initianten in diesem Umfeld.

http://www.finews.ch/news/finanzplatz/17849-fintech-schweiz-oliver-bussmann-francisco-fernandez-remo-schmidli-thomas-jakob-christina-kehl

The five most influential people in the future of banking

After endless stomach-churning FinTech ‘hotshot’ lists, here’s one focused on those with a heart for banking. I’ve shot it with ‘FinTech’ hangers on — those people and publications that pimp themselves out by romanticising those folks associated with the trendy term. It’s reached the point that #FinTechPeeps are getting more hype than the technology itself.

https://medium.com/@HappyDaysInBali/the-five-most-influential-people-in-the-future-of-banking-65f4ddf40e34