Alternative lending’s leading founders and chief executives give their predictions for the sector in 2017 January 12, 2017 The road was slightly bumpy for alternative lenders last year. Authorisations for the Innovative Finance Isa were delayed, there was further Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) probing, disappointing results hounded a good handful of the UK’s largest platforms and Goldman Sachs made its foray into the market with in-house platform Marcus. But provided the regulator continues [...]
Here’s some of the best (and weirdest) new technology from CES 2017 January 11, 2017 Audio The Doppler Labs Here One wireless earphones returned to CES this year. A more practical alternative to the rather silly Apple AirPods, they’re controlled with an app via Bluetooth and can bionically enhance your hearing in a given direction or block out external sounds, as well as the usual music playback features. If you’re [...]
Forget Brexit: London and Belgium are collaborating on fintech January 11, 2017 London's world-leading fintech sector is forging ahead despite Brexit with closer ties to counterparts in Belgium, the heart of European government. Belgium's finance minister Johan Van Overtveldt and a delegation of fintech experts are in London to build closer ties with the city and launch a new platform for fostering collaboration between startups and finance firms. "Brexit [...]
Here’s what iZettle had to say about an IPO January 11, 2017 Digital payments startup iZettle has landed further funding from top investors which values the Swedish firm at more than half-a-billion dollars and hired a finance chief, fuelling speculation of an IPO. But, the six-year-old startup which provides payment services for small merchants, said a public offering is just one option in the companies future and a decision [...]
Ditched auditor brought back to investigate Tesco Bank hack January 11, 2017 Tesco has turned to its former auditor, which it axed after more than 30 years in the wake of a profit blackhole, to investigate a cyber attack on its bank. PwC was brought in by Tesco Bank to investigate an attack in November which forced it to repay £2.5m to customers who had been targeted by [...]
Artificial intelligence and robots are one of the biggest technological risks to the world January 11, 2017 Artificial intelligence and robotics are one of the biggest potential risks to humankind of emerging technologies, according to a new report from the World Economic Forum. But, the development of such technology, which is expected to disrupt everything from the world of work to geopolitics, could also conversely bring the biggest benefits to the world. [...]
This noise-cancelling device means you can finally have office phone conversations in private January 11, 2017 Tired of leaping up from your desk every time you need to have a private phone conversation at the office? One company has unveiled the solution: a mask which absorbs your speech. The Hushme looks like a pair of headphones, but is designed to go around your mouth, absorbing noise so you can have conversations without your [...]
Spotify’s “Thanks 2016” campaign cues it up for a prosperous New Year January 11, 2017 In late November, streaming service Spotify launched a global advertising campaign under the banner “Thanks 2016: It’s been weird”. The campaign reflects on a turbulent 2016 by gently poking fun at the dubious streaming history of some of its users. One such example was the ad that featured on one of its UK billboards: “Dear 3,749 [...]
The spy who accelerated me: Meet the 7 startups fighting cybercrime with GCHQ January 11, 2017 Britain’s spymasters have selected seven startups to work “behind the wire” with the intelligence service in a bid to fight the growing threat of cyber attacks against UK business. A digital identification system which is secured via cryptographic technology and a system which uses neural networks to protect banks from being hacked are just two of [...]
Ready to get back on your bike? Here’s some top new cycling technology to enhance your daily commute January 10, 2017 Revolights 360 $199, revolights.com Front and rear mounted LEDs provide 360-degree visibility. Has the added side effect of making you look like you're in Tron. Ellipse Bike Lock $199, lattis.io The solar-powered Ellipse can only be unlocked with your smartphone and uses bank-level encryption to prevent Russian hackers from opening it. Theft alerts tell you [...]
