The Start-up Loans Company joins forces with NatWest and RBS
The Start Up Loans Company will join a handful of leading alternative finance firms in an exclusive partnership with a NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland programme designed to help businesses access alternative sources of finance. NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland programme Capital Connections helps SMEs access alternative sources of capital after being unable to secure traditional financial backing, with no commission paid as a result of any referrals.
The Start Up Loans Company is the first government-backed finance provider to join Capital Connections. Since launching in 2012, it’s lent £318m to help more than 48,000 individuals fund their early-stage businesses, creating more than 56,000 jobs.
Smarsh Adds Voice Archiving Offering with Acquisition of London-Based Cognia
Smarsh, which provides information archiving solutions for compliance, e-discovery and risk management, has completed the acquisition of Cognia, a cloud-based voice archiving, audio search and analytics. Smarsh will leverage Cognia’s intellectual property and development resources to offer its global customer base enhanced capabilities around mobile and fixed-line voice communication – alongside a market-leading range of electronic communications – within The Archiving Platform. The acquisition will expand the existing presence of Smarsh in Europe and is central to its MiFID II compliance solution for financial firms.
In addition to capturing incoming and outgoing communication from fixed-line recording solutions, Cognia uniquely captures voice content directly from leading mobile carriers. Carrier-direct capture is the most reliable and automated method for capturing content for archival, and is quickly and easily deployed with no device-resident software to deploy and configure.
APRA consults on changes to authorising new entrants to banking industry
The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) has released a discussion paper on proposed revisions to the licensing framework for authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADIs). APRA is consulting on proposals to introduce a phased approach to authorisation, designed to make it easier for applicants to navigate the ADI licensing process.
The phased approach is intended to support increased competition in the banking sector by reducing barriers to new entrants to be authorised to conduct banking business, including those with innovative or otherwise non-traditional business models or those leveraging greater use of technology. In particular, the purpose of the new Restricted ADI licence is to allow applicants to obtain a licence to begin limited operations while still developing the full range of resources and capabilities necessary to meet the prudential framework.
Blockchain adds Ether to consumer wallet
Blockchain announced the introduction of ether to its popular consumer wallet today. As one of the oldest and most established digital currency software providers, Blockchain continues to give its tens of millions of customers new ways to interact in the digital ecosystem. Now with the addition of ether, customers are able to explore another digital asset with the ease and security they’ve come to expect from Blockchain.
Managing multiple accounts is an added challenge for consumers. Since Blockchain wallets are non-custodial, customers have greater security and control over their funds than alternative platforms. Today’s integration offers a consistent product experience with a centralized dashboard with flexible tools for all users, whether a new beginner or seasoned investor. Customers can simply toggle between bitcoin and ether to manage and transact funds quickly and easily. Additionally, Blockchain has also integrated ShapeShift so trading bitcoin to ether and vice versa can happen all from one place.
