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‘Cash is Expensive and Inefficient’: CEO of Azimo.
This week marks the 50th anniversary of the cash machine once again sparking the debate around cash and whether we are heading towards cashless societies across the world. Michael Kent, CEO of Azimo offers his view on the subject championing the importance of digitalisation of finance and the benefits of a cashless society.
“The Bank of England has recently estimated that it spends about £35-£40 million per year on replacing notes in circulation. Compared to the cost to the economy of producing and handling cash, it is clear that digital money costs do not have the same barriers.
It has been predicted that this year the number of UK contactless transactions will reach 9 billion. The ubiquity of electronic payment systems has steadily been growing and there has been a huge shift in consumer behaviour – at the expense of cash. This year a corresponding decline in cash transactions is expected – that’s a reduction of 15-30% in the UK.
While I believe it is expensive, inefficient and impractical to cling on to notes and coins, I don’t believe that cash is going to disappear just yet. Looking ahead to the future though, it’s likely we’ll see a society where we will no longer use cash, and funds will be instantly available to all via their mobile wallets. Given that it has been estimated that 6 billion people will have access to smartphones by 2020, and already people are more concerned by losing their phone than their wallet, it seems inevitable that we are moving towards this cashless society.
So, whether people like it or not, it seems that the time has come to let go of our notes and coins and get on board, because it may be slower than expected, but change is coming.”
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Checker, a global network that enables financial institutions to plug into stablecoins and digital asset liquidity, cross-border payments, treasury, and credit via a single API, announced today that it has raised $8M in funding from Galaxy Ventures, Al Mada Ventures, and Framework Ventures. Additional participants include strategic financial institutions, such as Bitso and Airtm in Latin America, DFS Lab in Africa, and Onigiri Capital, SNZ Capital and Velocity in Asia. Additional investors include fintech operators from Stripe, Tala, Flutterwave, Mesh, ComplyAdvantage, Superstate, and more.
SBS’s Digital Branch Mobilises UK Banking
SBS, the global financial technology company that more than 1,500 financial institutions rely on to digitally transform the way they operate, has launched Digital Branch, a cloud-native, tablet-based branch servicing platform that replaces legacy teller systems for UK building societies and banks. Now, institutions can keep branches economically viable and regulatorily compliant at a time when more than 6,000 UK bank branches have closed since 2015.
Federato Appoints Yogesh Sapre as Chief Revenue Officer
Federato, the AI-native platform that changes the way insurance work gets done, today announced the appointment of Yogesh Sapre as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO).
Zip US and InComm Payments Bring Flexible Payments to Gift Cards, Giving Shoppers a New Way to Pay
Zip (ASX: ZIP), the digital financial services company offering innovative, people-centered products for everyday Americans, and InComm Payments, a global payments technology company, today announced a partnership that brings installment buying to the gift card category. Through the integration, eligible shoppers can purchase popular gift card brands directly in the Zip app.
Huntington Bank Joins CHIPS® for High-Value Payments
The Huntington National Bank has joined the CHIPS® network, the largest private-sector U.S. dollar clearing and settlement system in the world, to clear and settle high-value domestic payments.
Wego Introduces Stablecoin Payments Through Partnership with Triple-A for Flights and Travel Bookings
Wego, the number one travel app and the largest online travel marketplace in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), has partnered with Triple-A, a global payment institution, to introduce stablecoin payments for travel bookings, further expanding the range of payment options available to travelers booking flights and other travel services.
FIX Releases DeFi Manual for TradFi
The FIX Trading Community, the industry association that manages the world’s trading language, the FIX Protocol, has released a comprehensive manual on digital assets and blockchain technology for finance professionals – Blockchain Basics.
Checker Raises $8M from Galaxy Ventures, Al Mada Ventures and Framework Ventures to Unify Fragmented Digital Asset Markets for Institutions
Checker, a global network that enables financial institutions to plug into stablecoins and digital asset liquidity, cross-border payments, treasury, and credit via a single API, announced today that it has raised $8M in funding from Galaxy Ventures, Al Mada Ventures, and Framework Ventures. Additional participants include strategic financial institutions, such as Bitso and Airtm in Latin America, DFS Lab in Africa, and Onigiri Capital, SNZ Capital and Velocity in Asia. Additional investors include fintech operators from Stripe, Tala, Flutterwave, Mesh, ComplyAdvantage, Superstate, and more.
SBS’s Digital Branch Mobilises UK Banking
SBS, the global financial technology company that more than 1,500 financial institutions rely on to digitally transform the way they operate, has launched Digital Branch, a cloud-native, tablet-based branch servicing platform that replaces legacy teller systems for UK building societies and banks. Now, institutions can keep branches economically viable and regulatorily compliant at a time when more than 6,000 UK bank branches have closed since 2015.
Federato Appoints Yogesh Sapre as Chief Revenue Officer
Federato, the AI-native platform that changes the way insurance work gets done, today announced the appointment of Yogesh Sapre as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO).
Zip US and InComm Payments Bring Flexible Payments to Gift Cards, Giving Shoppers a New Way to Pay
Zip (ASX: ZIP), the digital financial services company offering innovative, people-centered products for everyday Americans, and InComm Payments, a global payments technology company, today announced a partnership that brings installment buying to the gift card category. Through the integration, eligible shoppers can purchase popular gift card brands directly in the Zip app.
Huntington Bank Joins CHIPS® for High-Value Payments
The Huntington National Bank has joined the CHIPS® network, the largest private-sector U.S. dollar clearing and settlement system in the world, to clear and settle high-value domestic payments.
Wego Introduces Stablecoin Payments Through Partnership with Triple-A for Flights and Travel Bookings
Wego, the number one travel app and the largest online travel marketplace in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), has partnered with Triple-A, a global payment institution, to introduce stablecoin payments for travel bookings, further expanding the range of payment options available to travelers booking flights and other travel services.
FIX Releases DeFi Manual for TradFi
The FIX Trading Community, the industry association that manages the world’s trading language, the FIX Protocol, has released a comprehensive manual on digital assets and blockchain technology for finance professionals – Blockchain Basics.