Global

The term ‘technical debt’ has been around a long time in software engineering. It shares some common characteristics with financial debt: You can accumulate it, you can ‘pay it off’.

The fintech scene in Asia is booming. In recent years, the region has developed rapidly, with a diverse array of startups and established banks transforming how financial services are delivered and consumed.

Payments in the Middle East are evolving. The payments landscape in the Middle East has stood at an important tipping point for some time.

The U.S. Treasury and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) both hit the headlines with fintech-related announcements. Treasury released a 222-page report on the subject of Nonbank Financials, Fintech, and Innovation, while the OCC almost immediately followed with the news that it would finally begin accepting National Bank Charter applications from fintechs, in line with Treasury recommendations.

How do I create the 5 year plan for 8 software releases a day? This is one of my favourite lines from an old school bank executive. It happened live on stage in front of 500 people when I made the point that challenger banks are now operating at 8 releases per day. It might seem nerdy, but why does it matter how often banks release new software?

The fintech ecosystem is currently going through an exciting phase. Startups that were once considered young and immature like Monzo, Revolut, or Airwallex have grown into established financial companies. At the same time, incumbent banks are getting better at engaging and investing in fintech. The two worlds are converging and sparking new opportunities for partnerships.

Bonjour! Comment allez-vous? France’s fintech star is rising. With over 1100 of them based in the capital alone, junior minister Cédric O has promised that Paris will eclipse London as the fintech hotspot in Europe in the near-distant future.

Asking the wrong questions will only ever lead to the wrong solutions. That’s why we lean into Jobs to be Done at 11:FS. It’s based on the notion that there’s no use in asking what the customer wants, because they don’t actually know. This is taken from our Unfiltered newsletter. Subscribe now for a no BS, uncensored analysis of fintech news and hot topics delivered to your inbox each fortnight.

11:FS has come a long way in a short time, and as the company has grown up, so must the branding. It's time to sit down, take stock of how we look and sound and fine-tune our identity.

We were lucky enough to catch up with Ben Metz, Head of Digital at Jack Henry. Here, he predicts who’ll come out on top in the banking war: the traditional players or the challengers, and what will decide who wins and loses.

Fintech has a big part to play in the fight against climate change and can help solve financial exclusion for millions worldwide. This article is the first in a trilogy on fintech for good. You can find the link to the second at the bottom of this one.

Take a peek behind the scenes of 11:FS Pulse. Keep reading to learn about the process 11:FS designers use to keep the Pulse product relevant, user friendly and ahead of the curve with a run through of the latest application of our design process.

I'm going to start with an unpopular opinion that we proposition design purists like to convince ourselves isn't true: sometimes it's ok to launch a clone.

Hot on the heels of Revolut’s mega funding round and newly minted unicorn status two weeks ago comes another piece of good news for the European fintech industry — Swedish commerce platform iZettle is set to IPO.