Blockchain

TL;DR None of the challenger banks use blockchain, the guy who’s leading the most popular smart contract platform (Ethereum) say’s it’s a bad idea. So, I mean read on…but. No, don’t use a blockchain or smart contracts for the love of god.

It’s been an incredible year for fintech, but one thing’s for sure. 2019 is going to be an even wilder ride.

As a uni student, it drove Ollie Purdue crazy that his bank couldn’t provide him with basic info to help manage his financial life. How much money was he likely to have at the end of the month? Could he cut back on work and have more fun – or did he need to increase his hours to pay the bills? At age 20, he founded Loot to create a better banking experience that used data in a smarter way. In episode 232 of FinTech Insider, Ollie, CEO of Loot, shares the story behind his company, including how he got bank execs to talk to him when he was still in school.

When the world’s most famous VC firms move you should pay attention. a16z is the firm most synonymous with Silicon Valley, big tech and venture capital. Now they’re coming to crypto with a $300m Fund. If crypto is dead, then maybe now crypto is much much more interesting than it was 6 months ago. After the winter comes the spring…

Offering customers access to cryptocurrencies is fast becoming a must-have feature for fintechs in the banking and investment segments. Startups are racing each other to launch the broadest range of services possible in this space.Revolut has today taken another step forward in this arena by adding XRP and Bitcoin cash to the range of cryptocurrencies customers can buy, hold, and sell within its app.

The modern day Delivery Lead has evolved in recent years and now the position has a whole host of new challenges to deal with. 11:FS Head of Delivery Adam Davis explores what that really means.

It’s a bank holiday so none of you should even be reading this but if you are kudos on being as dedicated to fintech as 11:FS. You can catch the full Fintech Insider take on the news today at 4pm on the podcast here. We’re doing something a little different in today’s blog. Let us know what you think in comments below or at Fintech Insider News. Fintech Insider hosts Ross and Sarah sat down with Sameer Gulati, Head of Policy and Regulation at Innovate Finance, Kathryn Harris, Innovation Lead at Lloyds, and James Hurley, Enterprise Editor at The Times to discuss the news, including one worrying report.

Banks that take deposits and make loans have been around for over 600 years, which pretty much makes it as mature an industry as you can get. Surely banking is more like 99% complete than 1% done?

TL;DR 2017 was the year that Bitcoin entered mainstream consciousness, from prime time news slots to wall to wall coverage on business networks. Bitcoin was the story in financial services and fintech this year. 2018 will be the year crypto has to grow up; it’s make-or-break time. Are you positioned to take advantage if it continues to grow?

TL;DR The rollercoaster won’t stop anytime soon, we’re going to focus much more on cryptography and far less on the “currency” part (for now…).

While at Money 20/20 in Las Vegas, Sam Maule, our Managing Partner of 11FS North America caught up with Amber Baldet, an Executive Director at JP Morgan, and the Programme Lead for Blockchain Centre of Excellence.

Sam Maule interviewed Brad Garlinghouse, the CEO of Ripple at Ripple’s own event, Swell, in Toronto, for Blockchain Insider.

Organisation design is essential in building a strong working culture. Getting it wrong can cause a domino effect of problems and inefficiencies across a business.

I was at a big bank’s conference the other day and was intrigued at how often the subject of cryptocurrencies and bitcoin came up.

I do not profess to be, as way too many in the tech industry do today, a blockchain guru or subject matter expert. I leave that designation to 11:FS co-founder Simon Taylor. Simon is the MacGyver of the blockchain community. Give him a stapler, a can of Bud Lite, Duct Tape, and a flashlight, and he will somehow concoct a DLT smart contract solution for a client. A solution that can actually be delivered and that addresses a real business case.