Peter Thiel invests in Kreditech
Der deutschstämmige Paypal-Gründer und Multimilliardär Peter Thiel investiert wieder in seinem Heimatland: Laut einem Bericht der Nachrichtenagentur Reuters beteiligt sich Thiel an der aktuell laufenden Serie-C-Finanzierungsrunde für das umstrittene Hamburger Scoring-Startup Kreditech mit einem zweistelligen Millionenbetrag. CEO Sebastian Diemer bestätigte das Investment auf Facebook mit den Worten: „Gut: Peter Thiel steigt bei Kreditech ein. Schlecht: Sollte noch gar nicht an die Öffentlichkeit.“
http://www.gruenderszene.de/allgemein/kreditech-peter-thiel
Esurance.ch: 10% Growth per Month
Der seit Ende 2013 aktive Online-Versicherungsbroker esurance.ch analysiert und vergleicht Versicherungen sowie Krankenkassen und platziert die Kunden dort, wo das beste Angebot vorliegt.
http://www.startupticker.ch/en/news/june-2015/esurance-ch-zehn-prozent-wachstum-pro-monat
Hamburg: Germany’s new FinTech hub? 2nd Study of FinTech in D.A.CH
While Berlin and Frankfurt were competing to become Germany’s FinTech hub, Hamburg is now in lead – going by disclosed FinTech funding volumes in 2014 and 2015 (YTD). This and other key results from the study were shared at the 5th FinTech Forum last week in Vienna, where 16 startups from the D.A.CH & CEE region presented. The complete study, including 200+ startup profiles, expert contributions from founders, VCs etc. is available here:
http://www.fintechforum.de/studie/
Netcetera partners with Contovista and launches mobile financial assistant
The Swiss software company Netcetera is expanding its lead on the mobile banking market in Switzerland and adding a personal finance management (PFM) module from Contovista to its mobile banking app.
Avuba dismisses its users
Berlin-based peer-to-peer payment provider Avuba dismissed its users. In an email sent out yesterday the startup stated that its service will run out by the end of August. New plans have not been released.
5. Fintech Forum, Wien: Sieben entscheidende Minuten für “junge Wilde”
Laut Samarth Shekhar, Gründer des Fintech-Forums, stehen mittlerweile mehr als 200 junge europäische FinTech-Firmen im Wettbewerb um Investoren und Kunden für ihre Dienstleistungen. Jedes davon tritt zudem gegen etablierte Finanzunternehmen – vor allem Banken, Versicherungen und Zahlungsverkehrsspezialisten an. Und natürlich machen die Innovatoren auch einander Konkurrenz, denn ihre Angebote sind häufig ähnlich bis gleich.
PayPal acquires money transfer firm Xoom for $890 million
The online payments service is buying an emerging player in international remittances. PayPal has acquired money transfer company Xoom for $890 million to expand its digital payments business in prelude to splitting from parent, eBay.
https://fortune.com/2015/07/01/paypal-acquires-money-transfer-firm-xoom-for-890-million/
Swissquote first Swiss bank to launch Apple Watch app
Swissquote Bank, Switzerland’s leading online bank, today announced the launch of the first mobile banking and trading application developed by a Swiss bank for the much anticipated Apple Watch, ahead of its official Swiss release date, the 26th of June.
http://www.finextra.com/news/announcement.aspx?pressreleaseid=60265
Challenger finance firms taunt banks over legacy IT at SAP services conference
Banks are lumbered with legacies that make it difficult to react to market changes fast enough to compete – and a new set of competitors like to taunt them about it.
7 Predictions for the Future of Finance
Innovative technology is reshaping financial services by putting pressure on traditional business models, says the World Economic Forum, and is set to cause profound changes to the structure of the banking, insurance and asset management industries.
http://thetally.efinancialnews.com/2015/06/seven-predictions-future-finance/
Forget Self-Driving Cars, Get Ready for Self-Banking Cars
Mobile banking could, in the not-too-distant-future, include motor banking. As manufacturers increasingly equip automobiles with Internet access, financial institutions are closely studying connected cars to understand what a future saturated with such vehicles could mean for their business.
Wirecard Launches Mobile Checkout Development Platform for Retailers
Wirecard Group today announced the launch of an innovative mobile checkout development platform for retailers. Wirecard’s new retail payments platform enables retailers to increase the appeal and functional scope of their own app by integrating open- and closed-loop contactless payments, peer-to-peer gifting, offers and merchant loyalty functionality.
Mobile banking biometrics gains traction
Banks are rapidly adopting biometrics as an authentication method for mobile services and are willing to cooperate to provide customers with a common interface, according to a survey from the Mobey Forum.
http://www.finextra.com/news/fullstory.aspx?newsitemid=27545&topic=mobile
Greeks rush to bitcoin in lieu of euro
With bank doors slammed shut, frantic Greeks are turning to online trading platforms to see if the digital money bitcoin is a better bet than the euro.
http://www.wmur.com/money/greeks-are-rushing-to-bitcoin/33833916