JP Morgan, Countingup, Kyckr, Natwest, Starling and HSBC in Banking

by | Dec 10, 2017 | Uncategorised

  • JPMorgan analysts have suggested that Bitcoin could join gold as a reliable way to store wealth. The report follows the bank’s chief executive and chairman, Jamie Dimon, warning that the cryptocurrency will ‘blow up’ in the future.
  • Countingup, a combined banking and accounting proposition targeting UK-based entrepreneurs which is set to launch in early 2018, has partnered with Hooyu to verify customer identity and prevent financial crime
  • Emma Technologies has started rolling out invites to join its closed beta. Emma, an app for Android and iOS, helps consumers avoid overdrafts, find and cancel subscriptions, track debt and save money, and claims it can save users up to £600 a year
  • Kyckr, a company that uses technology to provide compliance services, has appointed Benny Higgins, the chief executive of Tesco Bank, as its chairman. Mr Higgins announced in July 2017 that he was planning to step down from Tesco Bank.
  • NatWest has released a new full-page press creative with the strapline ‘More Ways to Bank’ which lists the channels customers can use to undertake their banking. The copy at the bottom of the ad states ‘The way you bank isn’t like it used to be’
  • Ratesetter has reported a £23m loss after writing-off a £14m investment in the advertising business, Adpod Ltd. Revenue increased by 38% year-on-year to £24m, while the number of active lenders increased by 42% and borrowers by 27%.
  • Starling Bank has been granted approval from the PRA and FCA to offer customers direct access to a wide range of financial products, including loans, insurance, mortgages, ISAs and other investment products. The new permissions enable Starling to deliver the next stage of its Marketplace proposition – access to other providers of financial services and products from within its mobile
  • Starling Bank has announced a partnership with mobile invoice and expense platform Albert. The integration will simplify the process of reconciling bank transactions with invoices by automatically matching the transactions from Starling Bank with the invoices sent from the Albert app
  • HSBC has said it will launch a robo-advice service in 2018, according FT Adviser. According to Dean Butler, the bank’s head of retail wealth, the bank has more than 26m customers who sit on cash savings and more than 3m customers who could benefit from the new service