Technology

Five best practices for fighting fraud

Fraud trends are ever-growing and ever-changing. Just when we have a handle on a current trend, a new one emerges. It’s important to be as vigilant as possible in identifying new trends, while at the same time not impacting your cardholders’ valid purchases. [Continue]

Remote meetings are here to stay; employees make them secure

In the mad rush to make workplaces remote, not to mention daily life, most of us fumbled our way through learning how to Zoom. Or, we quickly learned Google Meet or GoToMeeting. All of these platforms offer essentially the same service. But are they secure enough for bankers to discuss sensitive topics like home mortgages and wealth management with their customers? [Continue]

Tech-based property valuations need real data

Clear Capital is a Reno, Nev.-based real estate valuation and analytics technology company that has served mortgage lenders since 2001. BankBeat spoke to Kenon Chen, executive vice president of corporate strategy, about what valuation analytics look like in a changing marketplace. [Continue]

COVID-19 and the looming ransomware threat

In today’s uncertain workplace reality, C-suite executives at financial institutions seem to have an endless list of urgent priorities requiring their attention. Recent reports have shown that there is an urgent, evolving worry that financial institutions must confront: cybersecurity, and specifically, the threat of ransomware. [Continue]

Loyalty programs help banks differentiate

Engage People is a fintech startup providing rewards programs that link together customers, small businesses and banks. Len Covello, chief technology officer of the global technology provider, explains how reaching people with technology changes during and after the events currently shaking the world. [Continue]

Foreign fintech enters a crowded field

Community banks by definition are traditionally bound by geography that cloud banking deems irrelevant. Now foreign tech firms are reaching into the United States and jumping into the increasingly competitive field of all-things-cloud.  [Continue]

AI deployed as CRM tool for wealth managers

Practifi is a Chicago startup developing business management tools for financial institutions and wealth advisors. Adrian Johnstone and Glenn Elliott, Practifi’s co-founders, explain how customer relationship management tools might be applied to functions beyond the advisory realm. [Continue]

Fintech competition ramps up

Colin Walsh is on the cusp of accomplishing the audacious goal he set for himself four years ago: To open the first FDIC-insured fintech bank. Walsh, founder of Varo Money, Inc., just received FDIC approval for Varo Bank, N.A. The OCC will soon finalize the preliminary approval it gave the venture 18 months ago; by the end of this month, Varo plans to file for a holding company charter from the Federal Reserve. [Continue]

Banking core startup seeks to be an alternative

Neocova is a St. Louis-based fintech startup that has dropped in to the core provider market for community banks. BankBeat spoke with its founder and CEO, Sultan Meghji, about how a bank’s core can be improved. [Continue]

Messaging bots are the future of peer payments

Chatbots tend to be simpler to use than apps, are more visual and intuitive, solve a specific problem, and are typically built as an add-on to an existing application. Since we are more likely to send payments to people with whom we have regular contact, it would be helpful to combine a payment service with a messaging app. [Continue]