Why People are Going Crazy Over Bitcoin and Other Digital Currencies

Bitcoin and other virtual currencies are on a tear this year, surpassing the returns seen in stocks, bonds and most other investments. The price of bitcoin has tripled since the beginning of the year, surging above $3,000 for the first time Sunday before dropping by more than 10 percent the next day. Returns for ethereum — a lesser known but quickly growing cryptocurrency — have been even more dramatic: It’s gained nearly 5,000...

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Could Google give fintech apps a needed boost?

Google Chrome Mobile FinTech AppFintech companies that have developed products for the under-served have a big challenge — reaching their intended customers. Google and the Center for Financial Services Innovation are hoping to change that. The tech giant and CFSI, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting financial health, have been collaborating on ways to help customers wade through financial apps in the Google Play store. They are also trying to guide developers on building...

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How to Build Great Products in the AI World

AI ProductsWhen technology and human ingenuity gets together, everybody in society profits. If you look at graphs of GDP / capita over long time periods (850 years+), the trend is always upwards. The only things that drag this progress down are severe periods of sickness (like the black death) and widespread war (such as WW2). Overall though, technology makes everyone healthier and richer. At this point in our society’s history – technology has...

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Microsoft’s AI writes code by looting other software

Artificial Intelligence CodingArtificial intelligence has taught itself to create its own encryption and produced its own universal 'language'. Now it's writing its own code using similar techniques to humans. A neural network, called DeepCoder, developed by Microsoft and University of Cambridge computer scientists, has learnt how to write programs without a prior knowledge of code. First reported by the New Scientist, the system works by taking lines of code from existing programs and combining...

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Adobe Is Building An AI To Automate Web Design. Should You Worry?

AI Web DesignAdobe, one of the world’s largest and most powerful software companies, is trying something new: It’s applying machine learning and image recognition to graphic and web design. In an unnamed project, the company has created tools that automate designers’ tasks, like cropping photos and designing web pages. Should designers be worried? The new project, which uses Adobe’s AI and machine learning program Sensei and integrates into the Adobe Experience Manager CMS,...

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Deep Dive: Payments

Credit Card Digital PaymentNinety percent of Americans have used a credit card, but far fewer understand the underlying systems enabling their payments. So let’s dive in to see what happens when you swipe your card! Suppose you purchase some carrots from the grocery store. You take out your credit card to complete the purchase, and see a logo with “Visa” on it. That’s the card association. You’d usually see one of the four...

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Report Warns of Small Biz Loan Dangers

Small Biz Loan Dangers If you run a small business, you’re likely seeing a flood of offers for easy-to-get loans–through direct mail, popup adds, even TV ads promising fast money to pay your bills or buy new equipment You’re not alone. Alternative small business lending has exploded in the last few years as a new industry emerged, referred to as “fintech” (for financial technology). “It’s been the wild west,” said Karen Gordon Mills, co-author of...

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New Type of Banking Licence to Serve FinTech Startups

new finTech startup banking

US FinTech Sector Set to Grow as OCC Provides Avenue to Test

The OCC (Office of the Comptroller of the Currency), which is a sub-branch of the U.S. Department of Treasury, last year stated that it would look into granting financial technology (FinTech) companies with Special Purpose National Bank Charters. Since that declaration, it has now begun to actively engage players in the industry to...

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Banking UX Design Challenges and Opportunities in 2017

fintech-financial-technology-digital-staffing User Experience (UX) in banking is about human feelings, impressions and behaviours while using banking digital interfaces. For my UXDA agency the aim of banking UX engineering is to create financial services that matches users’ needs with banking capabilities and are easy and pleasant to use. So, let’s outline some general Do’s and Don’t’s in banking UX for 2017 and reveal how UX can help banks to enhance their customer involvement next...

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How Will Trumps Presidency Affect Silicon Valley and Tech Business

Silicon Valley Fintech UX Design Staffing

Policies Expected to Impact Global Trade, Fintech, & Immigration

Trump is set to join a handful of American presidents who have assumed power with a business background making their case for competency. This means that various sectors of the market will most likely be affected by whatever policies the president elect pushes forward, particularly the tech economy and Silicon Valley tech staffing. Read More...