Latest long reads: Finextra Research

Is ISO 20022 still important for financial institutions and their clients?

Scott Hamilton Contributing Editor at Finextra Research

Is ISO 20022 still important for financial institutions and their clients?

Is getting onboard with ISO 20022 important to you? That depends on your priorities: if you value accurate and standardised entry and management of payment and trade transaction communications and details, and you like to ensure your company’s payables and receivables are properly reconciled, it’s going to make all of that a much more simple and a...

21 July 2025 /regulation

What Australia’s Confirmation of Payee means for the future of fraud prevention

Madhvi Sonia Head of Content at Finextra

What Australia’s Confirmation of Payee means for the future of fraud prevention

July 2025 saw Australian banks unveil their version of scam fighting technology Confirmation of Payee, allowing names to be matched to accounts and preventing customers from being tricked into sending funds to fraudsters. Forming part of the Scam-Safe Accord – a joint initiative of the Australian Banking Association (ABA) and the Customer Owned Ba...

17 July 2025 /crime

Can reducing fossil fuel subsidies advance global climate goals?

Sehrish Alikhan Reporter at Finextra

Can reducing fossil fuel subsidies advance global climate goals?

Research from ZEW Manheim found that worldwide climate targets can be met by reducing subsidies for fossil fuels. The Paris Agreement aims to limit global warming to below 2°C to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Targets range from achieving net zero by 2035 to 2070 depending on the country, with most settling in the middle at 2050. The UK is aim...

16 July 2025 /sustainable

Sehrish Alikhan Reporter at Finextra

Solving modern KYC challenges

In today’s digital age, banking is expected to be seamless, frictionless, and to make it plain and simple: easy. However, with a constantly shifting regulatory landscape, increased demand for hyper-personalisation and desire to be digital – financial institutions have obstacles to overcome to keep up with consumer demand. A pain point in the digit...

15 July 2025 /retail

Why and how America’s midsize cities are leading the way in business payments

Scott Hamilton Contributing Editor at Finextra Research

Why and how America’s midsize cities are leading the way in business payments

“Go West (or maybe, Go South instead), young business!” is an appropriate hallmark slogan for post-pandemic small business payment and general population trends. Even if the US and its communities large and small have changed substantially - and the economic and political environment is dramatically different than in the days of this original quot...

14 July 2025 /markets

What sustainability-linked bank accounts are out there?

Sehrish Alikhan Reporter at Finextra

What sustainability-linked bank accounts are out there?

Due to the increasing pressure on big banks to meet net zero goals and fulfill environmental, social, and governance (ESG) requirements, a wave of sustainability-focused banking services have been released, seeking to help integrate green initiatives into consumers’ everyday lives. As Scott Hamilton detailed in an earlier Finextra long read on ES...

11 July 2025 /sustainable

How Ireland is shaping the circular future of European fintech

Chloé Wade VP International Financial Services UK at IDA Ireland

How Ireland is shaping the circular future of European fintech

As Europe’s digital finance ecosystem matures, innovation alone is not enough to ensure scalability, future growth and longevity. Regulation, customer expectations, user experience (UX), and social responsibility are raising the bar for all companies, including in financial services and amongst fintech firms. Firms capable of balancing growth with...

10 July 2025 /markets

Traditional banking vs. crypto banks: The road ahead

Franz Bergmueller CEO at AMINA Bank

Traditional banking vs. crypto banks: The road ahead

The rise of cryptocurrency since 2008 shook the world of traditional banking. What began as skepticism and denial has evolved into cautious acceptance, as institutions and retailers have seen the potential of crypto – not only as an asset class, but as infrastructure. Traditional banks are increasingly playing catch-up in a system that is being re...

09 July 2025 /crypto

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

What is robo advice?

Robo advice in the context of the financial services industry refers to automated investment advice available around-the-clock, over the internet. The process typically begins with an information gathering phase – often in the form of an online questionnaire – before which investments are automatically executed on behalf of the client, based on th...

08 July 2025 /wealth

Anuradha Raman Product Owner at Pay.UK

Confirmation of Payee five years on

Five years ago, the UK's financial landscape underwent a profound transformation with the introduction of Confirmation of Payee (CoP) . The service was launched by Pay.UK in 2020 to reduce the number of misdirected payments by verifying the account details of the intended recipient before a payment is made. Having since also demonstrated its effec...

08 July 2025 /devops

What is the real bitcoin inflation rate?

Martin Walker Research Fellow at Warwick Business School

What is the real bitcoin inflation rate?

"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean- neither more nor less." - Through the Looking Glass, Chapter 6, by Lewis Carroll One of the explanations for the value of bitcoin is based on its claimed anti-inflationary properties. The ultimate supply of bitcoin, unlik...

03 July 2025 /crypto

Is financial literacy still important? New survey says now more than ever

Scott Hamilton Contributing Editor at Finextra Research

Is financial literacy still important? New survey says now more than ever

Money – acquiring it and managing it safely and effectively - is causing more household stress now than ever, and not just among parents, but kids too. It’s not a huge surprise to hear this message arising from a recent survey of more than 1,000 full-time working parents of children 8-18. The study was conducted by Greenlight – an Atlanta-based co...

02 July 2025 /inclusion

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