All articles by Franchesca Hashemi
Franchesca Hashemi
Apple Pay UK made available to Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland customers
Lloyds Banking Group now offers Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland account holders’ access to Apple Pay. The announcement comes two months after the first UK high street banks confirmed their roll out of the smart payment method.
Distributed ledgers are off the starting block(chain)
The blockchain landscape is a muddy-morass of crypto-jargon that changes everyday. It cannot be defined because, quite simply, nobody is aware of its full potential. Franchesca Hashemi examines a report delivered by Innovalue about the technology’s wide ranging applications and why it has a place in the financial sector
Blockchain- industry comment
As banks exit high-risk remittance countries, will money transfer operators emerge as FX modernisers? Blockchain-inspired technology, while in its infancy, could be the answer. The World Bank and CGI comment on tightening remittance regulations, high fees and blockchain derivatives
Everyone is talking about Blockchain
Well, everyone in the financial world anyway. Since its inception in 2008, bitcoin and its core infrastructure, the blockchain, have divided opinion. The decentralised monetary system was once viewed as a threat to banking culture. Nowadays, blockchain is the next big thing.
Ripple Labs’ protocol is a hit with legacy banks
Ripple Labs’ services are in high demand. This bitcoin-inspired company operates an open-source distributed ledger system that could ease the global flow of money. Franchesca Hashemi speaks to Nilesh Dusane, vice president of sales and client relations at Ripple Labs, about legacy banks’ interest in Ripple technology, as well as financial security, and cryptocurrencies
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Blockchain: From Bitcoin’s underworld to the fore in finance
Blockchain is back on the agenda. It is a ledger of digital transactions that is distributed between different participants. The technology has a myriad of uses, from cost effective FX transfers to programmable money. Franchesca Hashemi analyses a report delivered by Innovalue and Locke Lord about the blockchain
Digital-first disruptors set on lowering cost of global remittance fees
Remittances prop up the world’s most fragile economies. Yet the high fees associated with sending money abroad have created an opportunity within the FX market, and digital-first disruptors are seizing it. Franchesca Hashemi quizzes Xendpay’s CEO, Rajesh Agrawal, about the viability of his ‘pay what you want’ money transfer model
Manchesters Oyster-style ticket system in disarray after contractor admits it cannot deliver
Greater Manchesters transport chiefs have dropped the firm responsible for installing tap-to-pay technology after a series of delays
83% of UK customers feel tricked by foreign exchange services
More than 8 in 10 people feel tricked or taken advantage of by banks allegedly charging hidden fees in foreign exchange transactions, according to research from TransferWise, the international money transfer platform.
Bringing financial services out of its shell
Financial institution brands have been known to lack social media foresight for a number of reasons such as regulatory concerns and unimaginative marketing. Franchesca Hashemi examines a report delivered by Innovalue on how to engage effectively in the rapidly growing environment of digital consumption