Technology

For many businesses, including banks, the office has moved into employees’ homes as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown, unleashing a slew of new, concerning security risks. How can banks, which need to safeguard their confidential documents perhaps more securely than any other firm, shore up their cyber-shields? An IT expert from a leading UK cloud-based challenger business bank provides several indispensable suggestions to stay safe while working from home.

Customers aren’t easy to please, as financial-services firms discover when they attempt to balance their clients’ needs for convenience and security. Are the two goals mutually exclusive? Fortunately, they are not in today’s age of digital solutions. Fraud prevention can work in tandem with customer-experience enhancement if a company’s teams work together. What actions can firms take to guarantee their delivery of products and services is both satisfying and safe?

Artificial intelligence, once the subject of science-fiction novels, is today regarded by financial institutions as a must-have. But the AI uptake can be challenging. How can banks turn this trendy buzz-term into a vital component of their day-to-day operations? The embarkation point is to begin the five steps toward making AI innovation a reality. From data to teams, the necessary resources are there to propel a bank into AI actualization.

The pandemic has prompted financial institutions to adapt fast, but the UK’s financial sector was already embroiled in a Brexit-induced metamorphosis. Although crises spawn revolutionary transformations, the sector’s need to transform digitally and accommodate regulations was in place beforehand. COVID-19 shifts the goalposts while offering opportunities for Britain’s fintechs to use their new-found freedom to innovate their way into a more prosperous future in which clients’ evolving needs are met.

In the banking world, where handling money safely and securely is a foundational element of the entire industry, having the public’s trust is a nonnegotiable element of success. The financial industry had to scramble to rebuild this trust after it took a hit during the Great Recession

It’s certain that the framers of the Constitution of the United States were not thinking internet when they penned the supreme law of the land. But many parts of it, especially the First and Fourth Amendments, have grown in significance in the Digital Age. The First protects the citizen’s right to free speech; the Fourth, his or her right to privacy. Are both rights still secure in today’s interconnected world?

It’s not been an easy ride for the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) over the past couple of years – economic uncertainty, increased regulation and an ever-pressing need to cut costs and grow revenue has taken its toll. And with innovation continuing to buffet the workplace, upending business models and increasing customer demand, it’s no surprise that CFO turnover is on the up.

Cyber-hackers are using increasingly sophisticated and complex malicious software that can make early detection of fraudulent activity difficult. To protect themselves, financial institutions need not only technological excellence but also effective training mechanisms to promote vigilance among their workforce. While cybersecurity software is extremely useful, cyber-protection must begin at home, with knowledgeable staff who are equipped to recognise and thwart cyber-breaches. This can be accomplished only with constructive staff cyber-training.

Technology is bringing an assortment of benefits to consumers and their banks but also a slew of new or heightened risks. In the UK, regulatory authorities are addressing the looming threats by rolling out proposals related to Operational Resilience (OpRes). UK financial firms will be expected to adhere to new rules during the second half of 2021 and need to start preparing as the journey to compliance will be arduous.

As the world becomes more digitally intertwined, competition between its major economies grows more combative, as evidenced by the US-China trade battles and legal actions. No sector is more impacted than frontline information and communications technology, in which much of today’s warfare between the two heavyweights rages. At the inception of a new year and a new decade, is there reason to hope for cooperation toward shared growth and prosperity?