I-Bytes Banking, Financial Services and Insurance

August Edition
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1. Financial Updates.....................................................1
2. Solutions Updates....................................................11
3. Rewards and Recognition Updates.......................26
4. Customer Success Updates....................................29
5. Partnership Ecosystem Updates...........................31
6. Miscellaneous Updates..........................................47
Table of Contents

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Financia

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Key Financial Highlights
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Solutions

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11
RBC Global Asset Management launches new suite of five global
portfolios designed to address home country bias
RBC Global Asset Management Inc. announced the
launch of RBC Global Portfolios, an efficient and
cost-effective way for investors to diversify beyond their
Canadian holdings in a single portfolio that is aligned to
their risk and return profile.On average, Canadians have
approximately 90%1 of their wealth tied to Canada. To
address this home country bias, RBC GAM Inc. is
introducing RBC Global Portfolios, which are actively
managed, tactically rebalanced and leverage the deep
investment expertise of RBC Global Asset Management’s
global investment teams. RBC Global Portfolios are
comprised of mutual funds managed by RBC GAM Inc.
(including Phillips, Hager & North Investment
Management), BlueBay Asset Management LLP, and
RBC iShares ETFs.
http://www.rbc.com/newsroom/news/2019/20190715-global-portfolios.html
Solution Description

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12
Sberbank launches Market online platform for changing coins
Sberbank announces the launch of a pilot B2B platform for exchanging coins
of the Bank of Russia. The platform provides its own separate segment of the
NDO Market marketplace on the SberB2B platform dedicated to the cash
industry. The segment will list lending organisations’ offers to exchange coins
for retail and other banks.Sberbank will be one of the first companies to offer
its services in several regions: Moscow and the Moscow Region, Nizhny
Novgorod, Perm, Izhevsk, and Saransk.NDO Market monetary platform is a
convenient tool for searching for and selling coins that helps balance their
circulation in the country. The platform is interesting for both lending
organisations with developed office chains and retail companies that accept
cash as payment. After registering, users can select the necessary assortment
of coins and a verified reliable supplier, and conclude an agreement on the
platform. The service ensures freedom of competition because it is created
jointly with participants of the cash market.
https://www.sberbank.ru/en/press_center/all/article?newsID=76b28117-78bb-415e-9a2a-40d4429b0f00&blockID=1539&regionID=77&lang=en&type=NEWS

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13
Sberbank launches information channels in Sberbank
Online
The Sberbank Online app now has information channels with
unique content. They are available in the Dialogue section,
where it is possible to not only send money in a convenient
way in chat format, but also read interesting posts.It is
currently possible to subscribe to five channels on different
topics: Finance and Technology (current news, analytics and
the most interesting launches in the industry), DomClick
(about housing, repair and interior design), Happy Parent (life
hacks for mums and dads, bringing up children), Simple
Investing (about investing for newbies and professionals), Own
Business (success stories of entrepreneurs and businesspeople).
The launch of new channels by the bank and its partners is
planned.
https://www.sberbank.ru/en/press_center/all/article?newsID=6756e4d1-16ab-4bd1-a559-d08cb21a9d49&blockID=1539&regionID=77&lang=en&type=NEWS

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Morgan Stanley Launches Encrypted Document Sharing
Portal for Clients in Collaboration with Box
Morgan Stanley announced the launch of a new wealth management
digital collaboration product, which allows for encrypted document
sharing between clients and Financial Advisors. The new platform is
powered by Box, a leader in cloud content management. Through this
partnership, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management will be utilizing
Box’s cloud content management capabilities, including Box Platform,
Box KeySafe and Box Governance.Morgan Stanley’s “Digital Vault”
provides an encrypted repository for clients to store and share life’s
most important documents, such as wills, deeds, estate plans, financial
statements and tax filings with their Financial Advisors. This unified
solution offers an additional layer of encryption not offered through
email*, and also supports two-way sharing.
https://www.morganstanley.com/press-releases/morgan-stanley-launches-encrypted-document-sharing-portal-for-
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Morgan Stanley Launches Morgan Stanley Impact Quotient™ –
A Sustainable Investing Analytics and Reporting Application
Morgan Stanley announced the launch of a new sustainable investing analytics
and reporting application, Morgan Stanley Impact Quotient™ (Morgan
Stanley IQ), designed to assist clients in further integrating social and
environmental objectives into their investments. By providing customized
insights into current investment holdings, this new tool allows clients to
consider a third dimension in their investment portfolios: sustainability and
impact goals. Morgan Stanley IQ is designed to put the client’s sustainability
preferences at the center of the analysis in order to deliver highly personalized
portfolio reporting. Further, by working with Morgan Stanley Financial
Advisors and Institutional Consultants, clients can explore new investment
opportunities that could help better align their portfolios with their individual
sustainability preferences, while continuing to pursue their financial
objectives.
https://www.morganstanley.com/press-releases/morgan-stanley-launches-morgan-stanley-impact-quotient---a-susta

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16
Australia’s Number One Banking App Gets
Even Better
Commonwealth Bank has unveiled the latest version of Australia’s
number one banking app, CommBank app 4.0, along with record
breaking digital banking transaction and customer numbers, and a
new KMPG report - The Future of Digital Banking, revealing the
emerging banking-tech trends for 2030.First launched in 2013, the
latest CommBank app offers greater personalisation, tailored
specifically to the individual needs of each customer, with personal
cash flow management and smart alerts all aimed at keeping more
money in customers’ wallets - including Smart Alerts, Benefit Finder,
Goal Tracker, Cash Flow View and Spend Tracker. Angus Sullivan,
Group Executive of Retail Banking Services, Commonwealth Bank,
said CommBank app 4.0 is simple, smart and secure, created with a
combination of cutting edge machine learning technology, deep data
analytics and behavioural science, delivering highly personalised,
smart banking features.
https://www.commbank.com.au/guidance/newsroom/commbank-app-digital-banking-201907.html

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17
Commsec Launches Australian-First App Making
Share Trading Simpler And More Affordable
Australia’s leading digital broker, CommSec, has launched a new
innovative simple investing smartphone app, CommSec Pocket.
Currently just 4 per cent of Australian adults place a trade online in
the sharemarket each year. Many more would like to, but feel the
barriers to getting started are too high. CommSec Pocket aims to
break down these barriers and empower savers to take the next step
with their money and start investing.CommSec Pocket will be offered
at $2 brokerage for trades up to $1,000. Investors pay only when they
trade with zero ongoing account keeping fees. CommSec Pocket
makes investing decisions smaller and easier by offering seven
investment options that cover local and global industries and regions.
These investments are ETFs, which diversify risk, are cost-effective
and enable Aussies to invest in what appeals to them.
https://www.commbank.com.au/guidance/newsroom/commsec-pocket-simpler-affordable-investments-201907.html

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ANZ, Commonwealth Bank, IBM, SCentre Group and Westpac
commence live pilot for Lygon, a blockchain-based platform to
transform the bank guarantee process
ANZ, Commonwealth Bank, IBM, SCentre Group and Westpac have jointly
launched a live pilot for Lygon, a new digital platform using blockchain
technology to transform the way businesses obtain and manage bank
guarantees that are often required as part of a retail property lease. The launch
marks a significant milestone in the global development of blockchain
solutions. Lygon represents an industry solution that the participants could not
have individually implemented. The founding members have brought together
their deep understanding of industry processes to navigate from proof of
concept to a live platform that will directly benefit customers and address their
feedback on the way in which bank guarantees have been issued to date.
Historically, bank guarantees have been issued manually and on paper.
Digitising this process reduces the risk of fraud for all parties involved,
decreases the potential for errors and significantly increases the speed of
execution.
https://www.westpac.com.au/about-westpac/media/media-releases/2019/4-july/

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19
ICICI Bank launches ‘InstaBIZ’, India’s first most
comprehensive digital banking platform for MSMEs
ICICI Bank announces the launch of a new digital platform curated specially
for MSMEs and self-employed customers to enable them to undertake their
business banking transactions digitally and instantly. Called, ‘InstaBIZ’, it
allows customers to avail as many as over 115 products and services in a
digital and secure manner on their mobile phone or internet banking platform.
Many of the services are first-in-the-industry and are available instantly. With
this, MSMEs can now enjoy enhanced convenience and productivity, as they
can complete their banking transactions ‘on-the-go’, without visiting a bank
branch. This first-of-its-kind comprehensive digital platform for businesses
enables them to experience the convenience of a range of services completely
digitally ---instant overdraft facility (upto Rs 15 lakh) & business loans, easy
bulk collection & payments of funds through multiple digital modes,
automatic bank reconciliation and undertake largely all of the export-import
transactions like inward and outward remittances among others. Further, it is
the first digital banking platform to enable instant payment of GST using the
challan number in a single click payment. Additionally, they can instantly
apply for a Point-of-Sale (PoS) machine as well as instant marine insurance
policy—both industry first services.

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Synchrony and Fanatics Launch the Ultimate Fan Card
Synchrony, a premier consumer financial services company, and
Fanatics, the global leader in licensed sports merchandise, launched
the FanCash Rewards Card by Fanatics, a new offering that will
provide fans with a customized payment method for licensed sports
merchandise, timeless memorabilia and collectibles and incredible
sports experiences. The long-term partnership will offer fans a new
way to purchase merchandise, apparel and memorabilia for their
favorite teams and players with a Fanatics-branded credit card, a first
of its kind for the industry-leading apparel and fan gear provider.
Among the benefits, cardholders will receive personalized
merchandise offers, exclusive access to unique sports experiences and
automatic enrollment in the Fanatics FanCash loyalty program,
including an initial FanCash bonus after the first eligible purchase.
Cardholders will be rewarded with a 5% FanCash reward on each and
every purchase.
https://www.synchrony.com/synchrony-and-fanatics-launch-the-ultimate-fan-card.html

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Simplifying Acceptance of Virtual Cards for
Businesses Everywhere
Mastercard is launching a Virtual Card Receivables Service, a
way to digitize the reconciliation of virtual card payments for
businesses of all sizes. The Virtual Card Receivables Service
will aggregate information from Mastercard Issuers related to
Virtual Card payments by their corporate customers and
compile it into one comprehensive file, available in a digital
format that is preferred by suppliers, including Microsoft Excel
and CSV. This creates a digital data source that suppliers can
more easily integrate into ERP systems or use for cash flow
forecasting. Focusing on the pain points of suppliers,
Mastercard is working with VersaPay, a leading provider of
cloud-based invoice-to-cash solutions, to provide a solution
that eliminates the manual process of reconciling incoming
payment information.
https://newsroom.mastercard.com/press-releases/simplifying-acceptance-of-virtual-cards-for-businesses-everywhere/

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22
Traiana to Modernize Equity Swaps Market with Automated
Post Trade Lifecycle Management Service
Traiana, the leading infrastructure service for trade lifecycle and risk
management solutions, announced that it has launched a new service
to fully automate the post trade lifecycle management of the
multi-trillion dollar equity swaps market. Traiana's Equity Swaps
Lifecycle Management service will transform the market's previously
manual, labor intensive and inefficient post trade affirmation
processes for clients globally. Equity Swaps Lifecycle Management
normalizes data reported by swap providers and conducts
reconciliation and affirmation of daily valuations, payments and legal
confirmations to identify any changes to the underlying swap
attributes. It also improves the longstanding negative affirmation
issues in the equity swaps market by allowing buyside firms to view
all exceptions in one place. Disputes can then be resolved between
counterparties on a daily basis using the exception manager tool,
rather than after monthly resets are struck.
https://www.cmegroup.com/media-room/press-releases/2019/7/04/traiana_to_modernizeequityswapsmarketwithautomatedposttradelifec.html

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23
M&T Bank Launches M&T Money Smart™ to Help Customers
Take Control of their Finances
M&T Bank announced the launch of M&T Money Smart™ in its digital
banking platform and mobile app. Money Smart is an easy-to-use, all-in-one
digital tool that helps users manage their finances and make smart financial
decisions. Money Smart allows users to combine all their accounts, both M&T
and those from other banks, into one helpful dashboard. Budgeting and
spending visualizations help users set financial goals and track every dollar,
while the debt payoff forecasting feature helps customers project a date when
they might be debt free. As consumers become more comfortable with mobile
apps the demand for convenient digital banking solutions continues to grow.
Recent research conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Fiserv noted that a
majority of consumers who are struggling with managing their finances look
to their primary financial organization for help. That same poll also found that
34 percent of consumers want to be able to manage all their financial accounts
in a single online location or app, and real-time access is desired by 33
percent.
https://newsroom.mtb.com/2019-07-29-M-T-Bank-Launches-M-T-Money-Smart-TM-to-Help-Customers-Take-Control-of-their-Finances

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Emirates NBD Transaction Banking boosts Dubai
Department of Finance's digitisation strategy
Emirates NBD, a leading bank in the region, has announced the successful
implementation of a digitised payment solution for Dubai Department of
Finance (DoF) to achieve full Host-to-Host (H2H) integration of all
payment processes through the bank’s smartBUSINESS Connect solution.
Implemented by the bank’s Transaction Banking unit, the integration will
ensure seamless and secured messaging between the two organisations for
day-to-day banking operations, helping DoF save time, costs and resources.
This ecosystem will provide both parties real-time data on transactions,
saving big quantities of paper on an annual basis, in line with Dubai
Paperless Strategy 2021. Emirates NBD’s smartBUSINESS Connect
supports high volume transactions with assured data exchange, providing
data for reconciliation as per industry standard formats. Through
smartBUSINESS Connect, DoF will be able to conduct automated and
secured outgoing payments with simultaneous transfer of payment data and
approvals.
https://www.emiratesnbd.com/en/media-centre/media-centre-info/?mcid_en=786

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Aon’s new IFRS 17 solution to bridge the gap between
risk and finance
Aon plc, a leading global professional services firm providing a broad
range of risk, retirement and health solutions, has launched an IFRS
17 (International Financial Reporting Standard) solution on its
ReMetrica capital modelling platform to help insurers to fulfill their
reporting obligations. According to Aon’s analysis, over 1000
re/insurers worldwide are implementing IFRS 17, issued by the
International Accounting Standards Board, to bring a more unified
way of sharing financial results. This process is often led by a
re/insurer’s finance department but actuaries in risk departments play
a critical role in calculating and reporting insurance reserves,
reinsurance recoverables and forward-looking profitability. The
increased volume of data and complexity of calculation required for
IFRS 17 mean that actuaries can no longer rely on manual processes
and spreadsheets as they feed business-critical inputs into accounting
systems. As a result, insurers need to invest in new technology to
bridge the gap between risk and finance.
http://aon.mediaroom.com/news-releases?item=137860

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Sberbank is most valuable and strongest Russian brand,
according to Brand Finance
International rating agency Brand Finance has drawn up its
annual ranking of leading Russian brands. Sberbank was again
recognised as the country’s most valuable brand. According to
the ranking, Sberbank’s brand value increased by 26% to RUB
842.2 bln. The brand received an AAA+ rating.Sberbank was
also recognised as the strongest brand in Russia with a BSI
score of the 93.1 out of 100. Brand Finance determines the
relative strength of brands through a balanced scorecard of
metrics evaluating marketing investment, awareness,
preferences, staff satisfaction and corporate reputation. Along
with the level of revenues, brand strength is a crucial driver of
brand value. According to these criteria, Sberbank is the
strongest brand in Russia and the second strongest brand in the
world, just after Ferrari.
https://www.sberbank.ru/en/press_center/all/article?newsID=b19f26d8-a926-47be-b375-df8d12f35131&blockID=1539&regionID=77&lang=en&type=NEWS
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Morgan Stanley Tops Institutional Investor All-Asia
Research Rankings for Fifth Consecutive Year
Morgan Stanleyannounced that the Firm was voted number
one in Institutional Investor magazine’s All-Asia Research
Team annual rankings; the first company to achieve the top
position for five consecutive years since 2006. This year, we
shared the number one place with Citi. For 2019, Morgan
Stanley ranked top-three in all available 34 categories, with 15
teams ranked #1, 18 teams ranked #2, and one team on #3,
achieving the highest number of top-three team rankings by
one broker in the 26-year history of the All-Asia Research
survey. The poll covers Asia ex-Japan.The Institutional
Investor 2019 All-Asia Research Team Rankings reflect the
opinions of 5,300 investment professionals at more than 1,300
institutions.
https://www.morganstanley.com/press-releases/morgan-stanley-tops-institutional-investor--all-asia-research-ra
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U.S. Bank named one of the Best Places to Work for
Disability Inclusion
U.S. Bank scored 100 on the Disability Equality Index (DEI)
and has been named a “Best Place to Work for Disability
Inclusion” by the American Association of People with
Disabilities (AAPD) and Disability: IN. This is the second time
U.S. Bank has been recognized for its efforts to ensure an
inclusive workplace for people with disabilities.U.S. Bank
encourages employees to join their Disability Business
Resource Group (BRG). Through the BRG, employees with
disabilities, as well as any other interested employees, can help
foster a diverse, inclusive workplace by providing direct input
on business initiatives, supporting recruitment efforts,
volunteering, celebrating culture and community and hosting
development opportunities for employees.
https://www.usbank.com/newsroom/news/us-bank-named-one-of-the-best-places-to-work-for-disability-inclusion.html
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Schneider Electric chooses Aon for fiduciary management
Aon plc, a leading global professional services firm providing
a broad range of risk, retirement and health solutions, has been
appointed by the Trustees of the Schneider Pension Plan to
provide full fiduciary management services. Schneider Electric
is the leader in digital transformation of energy management
and automation and provides energy and automation digital
solutions for efficiency and sustainability. Schneider Electric
combines world-leading energy technologies, real-time
automation, software and services into integrated solutions for
homes, buildings, data centres, infrastructure and Industries.
The Schneider Pension Plan is valued at almost £400 million.
Aon won the mandate following a formal tender process and it
will be the sole fiduciary manager for the plan’s total
investment portfolio.
http://aon.mediaroom.com/news-releases?item=137865
Description

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Major Italian Bank Implements STOXX Low
Carbon Products
STOXX Ltd., the operator of Deutsche Boerse Group’s index
business and a global provider of innovative and tradable index
concepts, has licensed the EURO iSTOXX® 50 Low Carbon NR
Decrement 3.75% Index to Banca IMI, Intesa Sanpaolo Group, as an
underlying for structured products. This is the first time that an Italian
bank is distributing a product linked to a low-carbon index on the
Italian market. The low-carbon version of the EURO STOXX 50®
Index offers a reduction in carbon emissions by utilizing both
estimated and reported carbon intensity scores provided by STOXX’s
research partners CDP and ISS ESG. The EURO STOXX 50 Low
Carbon is price-weighted with a weight factor based on the free-float
market capitalization multiplied by the carbon intensity factor
(Z-score) of each constituent. The resulting tilt overweights stocks
with lower carbon intensities and underweights those with higher
emissions.
https://deutsche-boerse.com/dbg-en/media/press-releases/Major-Italian-Bank-Implements-STOXX-Low-Carbon-Products-1585800
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Arabesque S-Ray partners with Allianz X, Commerz
Real, DWS, and Land Hessen
Arabesque S-Ray, a leading global data provider of environmental, social, and
governance (ESG) metrics, announced strategic partnerships with four new
co-investors: Allianz X, Commerz Real AG, DWS Group, and Land Hessen.
Allianz X led Arabesque’s Series A funding round, with the four shareholders
jointly investing $20 million.Using ESG big data and machine learning
models, Arabesque S-Ray provides technology that is used by many of the
world’s largest institutional investors, corporations, and consultancies to
assess the sustainability performance of over 7,000 companies globally.The
new strategic partnerships will allow Arabesque S-Ray to enhance its client
relationships and expand its business by developing new ESG data products
and services to meet growing global demand for sustainability information.
This will include S-Ray Real Estate, an AI-based tool for evaluating the
sustainability of real estate objects. The technology will use traditional data
sources on an asset-level, together with new emerging digital sources from
Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and devices within buildings.
https://www.allianz.com/en/press/news/financials/stakes_investments/190718_Allianz-X-partners-with-Arabesque-in-consortium.html
Description

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Sberbank and developer company DONSTROI sign
strategic cooperation agreement
18 July 2019Sberbank and developer company DONSTROI
have signed a strategic cooperation agreement in the context of
developing the bank’s ecosystem and employing innovative
solutions in the developer’s residential complexes. The
agreement envisages the possibility of using the companies’
(participants of Sberbank ecosystems) technological expertise
to benefit the future owners of apartments. This expertise
ranges from biometrical access to buildings to online provision
of medical services.The partners agreed to carry out joint R&D
work, including looking for start-ups on international and
domestic markets and subsequent use of these enterprises, joint
development of acceleration projects, and creation of
innovative training programmes for employees of the
corporations.
https://www.sberbank.ru/en/press_center/all/article?newsID=e1a1339a-860a-401f-8609-fe63bc5f6bef&blockID=1539&regionID=77&lang=en&type=NEWS
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Sberbank and Mail.ru Group to create a strategic
partnership focusing on major Russian consumer
markets — transportation and food
Moscow — Sberbank and Mail.ru Group plan to create a leading Russian
O2O services platform focused on the key areas of food and transportation.
The joint venture (JV) will operate in Russia’s two largest digital consumer
markets that are expected to have a combined value of more than RUB 1 tln
over the next three years with an anticipated CAGR of more than 30%. The
partners will hold equal 50/50 stakes in the JV.The partnership will allow the
financial and technological resources of Sberbank and Mail.ru Group to be
combined and will create an optimal environment for the development of O2O
consumer services. The services offered by the platform will be integrated into
the ecosystems of Sberbank and Mail.ru Group andcomplement the existing
range of high-quality services that meet consumers’ everyday needs.The
parties have signed a letter of intent on the creation of the JV. The legally
binding agreement is planned to be signed in autumn 2019, after approval is
received from corporate governance bodies, anti-monopoly authorities and
other regulators.
https://www.sberbank.ru/en/press_center/all/article?newsID=da8f74c8-63d9-4a02-8514-56fbf81b2670&blockID=1539&regionID=77&lang=en&type=NEWS
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Fort Ross and X5 conclude strategic partnership agreement
Sberbank’s venture capital fund Fort Ross Ventures and
leading Russian multi-format retail company X5 Retail
Group have signed a strategic partnership agreement in
the areas of innovation, technology exchange and
searching for start-ups.The partnership allows Fort Ross
to use X5 Retail Group’s expertise on the application of
hi-tech solutions in retail and Х5 to receive information
on promising start-ups and their solutions. Start-ups that
are recommended by Fort Ross may be added to X5’s
innovation funnel, receive comprehensive appraisal of
their developments, launch pilot projects in Х5’s
infrastructure and deploy their solutions within Х5 Retail
Group if the pilots are successful.
https://www.sberbank.ru/en/press_center/all/article?newsID=c7ef1999-defb-4f43-812e-e5a0c5c31fd7&blockID=1539&regionID=77&lang=en&type=NEWS
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Morgan Stanley Announces Corporate Partnership with the
Hispanic Information Technology Executive Council (HITEC)
Jul 31, 2019Morgan Stanley announced a corporate partnership with the
Hispanic IT Executive Council (HITEC), the premier global
organization for senior-level business and technology leaders. The
partnership will help advance diversity initiatives and connect Morgan
Stanley with accomplished Hispanic technology professionals to build a
strong talent pipeline for the future. HITEC’s network spans the
Americas and is focused on building stronger technology and executive
leaders, leadership teams, corporations and role models in a rapidly
changing, technology-centric world.Morgan Stanley’s rich history of
innovation and technology excellence is rooted in the Firm’s four core
values of Doing the Right Thing, Putting Clients First, Leading with
Exceptional Ideas and Giving Back. The Firm is committed to
supporting the careers of historically underrepresented groups globally
by investing in robust programs to help recruit and advance a dynamic
talent base, and creating a culture where all employees have the tools
and support necessary to advance and thrive.
https://www.morganstanley.com/press-releases/morgan-stanley-announces-corporate-partnership-with-the-hispanic
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36
Wayne County and Prudential Retirement continue 20-year
partnership with $650M in assets
Prudential Retirement will continue its more than two-decade
partnership with Wayne County, the most populous county in Michigan,
as record keeper for its defined contribution retirement plans. Prudential
Retirement is a business unit of Prudential Financial, Inc.A Prudential
client since 1998, Wayne County has agreed to a new five-year contract
totaling $650 million in retirement assets, which includes $430 million
in 401(a), $220 million in 457(b), and $1.5 million in FICAAlternative
plans for 8,000 participants. This partnership is just one within
Prudential’s public sector portfolio, which oversees $42.7 billion across
233 plans for 785,977 participants.With all levels of the U.S.
government competing with private firms for talent, employee benefits
continue to be an essential recruitment tool, particularly following
changes to traditional public sector benefits caused in part by the 2008
financial crisis.
http://news.prudential.com/wayne-county-and-prudential-retirement-continue-20-year-partnership-with-650m-in-assets.htm
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37
Aia And Tottenham Hotspur Football Club Announce Extension
Of Global Principal Partnership Until 2027
AIA Group Limited, the world’s largest independent publicly listed pan-Asian
life insurance group, announced the extension of its long standing and successful
partnership with Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. Following an expansion of
the partnership in 2017, when AIA became the Club’s Global Principal Partner,
announcement in Shanghai will see the partnership extended to the end of the
2026/27 season. The AIA brand will continue to appear on the front of the Club’s
Men’s, Women’s and Academy team’s shirts in all competitions. The
announcement in Shanghai is a significant highlight for AIA Group as it
celebrates its Centennial in the city in which it was founded in 1919. AIA and
Spurs will continue to work together by developing unique content with Spurs’
players, the manager, coaches, fitness professionals and nutritionists in support
of AIA’s purpose-led brand promise of helping people to live Healthier, Longer,
Better Lives. The Club and AIA have seen great success in delivering our unique
community coaching programme with more than 40,000 children and young
people participating to date. With the extension of our partnership, we are
delighted to bring the opportunity to develop skills and improve physical fitness
to even more people across our 18 markets in the Asia-Pacific region through the
programme.
http://www.aia.com/en/media-centre/press-releases/2019/aia-and-tottenham-hotspur-football-club-announce-extension-of--g.html
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38
U.S. Bank and Intuit agreement, makes it simpler for customers to
share information between applications
U.S. Bank and Intuit, the maker of TurboTax, QuickBooks and Mint,
announced the two companies have entered into an agreement that will
give customers better access and even greater control of their financial
data. The arrangement will allow customers of U.S. Bank and Intuit to
connect their data using an application programming interface (API)
between their U.S. Bank account and Intuit’s financial products. The
process enhances the customer experience by making it simple to
authorize the connection for the customer while not requiring the user
to give their credentials to a third party. The direct connection through
the API provides a higher quality data exchange when a customer asks
to have their information connected to a third-party site. U.S. Bank
customers will also be able to select the accounts and information they
wish to authorize access directly to Intuit products, and those they do
not.
https://www.usbank.com/newsroom/news/us-bank-and-intuit-agreement-makes-it-simpler-for-customers-to-share-information-between-applications.html
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39
ICICI Bank and IndyStar Capital partner to finance
commercial vehicles
ICICI Bank announced that it has partnered with IndoStar Capital
Finance Limited (IndyStar), a systemically important Non-Banking
Finance Company (NBFC), to finance small and medium fleet owners
to purchase used and new commercial vehicles (CV). This is a
first-of-its-kind lending programme in the country between a
commercial bank and an NBFC to finance commercial vehicles. Under
this partnership, IndoStar will originate and service the customers
through the entire loan life-cycle including sourcing, documentation,
collection and loan servicing. ICICI Bank will provide funding to these
customers, who have so far limited access to organised credit. IndoStar,
which has developed a niche in financing used commercial vehicles,
will originate customers in tier 2, 3, 4 cities where it has branch
network. These cities include centres like Coimbatore, Salem,
Tirunelveli, Kurnool, Calicut, Trivandrum, Jabalpur, Bhopal,
Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Jodhpur, Alwar and Meerut among others. The
NBFC has a wide branch network of 322 branches.
https://www.icicibank.com/aboutus/article.page?identifier=news-icici-bank-and-indostar-capital-partner-to-finance-commercial-vehicles-20190307164234100
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40
La Banque Postale’s Merchant Clients Can Now Accept
Discover Global Network Cards
La Banque Postale has signed an agreement with Discover Global
Network, the payments brand of Discover. This partnership allows
Discover, Diners Club International and alliance network cardholders to
make purchases at La Banque Postale’s merchant clients and to
withdraw cash from its ATM network. With this agreement, La Banque
Postale offers its merchant clients the possibility to capture spend from
this new international client base. This relationship meets a demand
from foreign tourists, who wish to pay using their card in shops they
visit. Discover Global Network has over 44 million merchant
acceptance locations and 2 million ATM and cash access locations
around the world. Discover Global Network includes Discover, Diners
Club International, PULSE and affiliated networks. By enabling its
merchant clients to accept cards from the Discover, La Banque Postale
renews its engagement with its business partners as an expert banking
partner attentive to everyday needs.
https://investorrelations.discover.com/newsroom/press-releases/press-release-details/2019/La-Banque-Postales-Merchant-Clients-Can-Now-Accept-Discover-Global-Network-Cards/default.aspx
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41
Mastercard and Zoho Expand Access to Tools to Help
Small Businesses Owners Around the World Thrive
Mastercard announced it is expanding its partnership with Zoho to bring small
business owners around the world a comprehensive array of products and
services to make running their enterprise easier, more efficient and more
profitable. Every business is on a quest to increase efficiency and productivity;
for small business owners it can be a matter of survival. With Zoho’s platform,
Mastercard is able to offer its small business customers access to a suite of
marketing, accounting and CRM tools to automate and digitize time-intensive,
paper-based processes. Scaling its existing partnership from India to the rest of
the world, Mastercard and Zoho are enabling simpler business operations for
SMBs globally. In fact, small businesses account for nearly 50 percent of the
world’s GDP and employ almost two thirds of the global workforce[1]. Through
Mastercard’s financial institution and acquiring partners, small businesses will
now have access to various solutions such as enterprise resource planning and
finance software, customer relationship management, and marketing solutions,
amongst others.
https://newsroom.mastercard.com/press-releases/mastercard-and-zoho-expand-access-to-tools-to-help-small-businesses-owners-around-the-world-thrive/
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42
Actua partners with Mastercard to prepare Canadian youth
for the future of work
Actua announced Mastercard as its newest partner, helping to empower
Canadian youth in science, technology, engineering and mathematics
(STEM). Through this partnership, Mastercard will support Actua’s
Future Skills Program which provides undergraduate students with
leadership and skills training that will prepare them for the future of
work. Students will also have mentorship opportunities with employees
from Mastercard. Actua’s Future Skills program, launched in 2018,
supports the development of employability skills and competencies for
the 1,000 undergraduate students (10% Indigenous) who work for
Actua’s 38 university and college-based network members. In addition
to having a meaningful employment experience, the students studying
in science, engineering, math, computer science and education get to
participate in training and coaching that prepare them for success in the
workforce.
https://newsroom.mastercard.com/press-releases/actua-partners-with-mastercard-to-prepare-canadian-youth-for-the-future-of-work/
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43
Mastercard Enables Luxury Shoppers to Purchase
with Confidence
Mastercard continues its commitment to women entrepreneurs
by partnering with iconic experiential retailer, Fred Segal Sunset
and MADE to support limited-edition collaborations that
showcase leading women designers and artists. The first output
from this partnership is a collection from Rodarte designers and
sisters, Kate and Laura Mulleavy, featuring artwork by artist and
painter, Mari Eastman. This is the first of three limited-edition
collections from the Mastercard and MADE collaboration.
Working in partnership with MADE, IMG’s fashion discovery
and cultural collaboration platform, Mastercard is bringing
artists with a similar vision together to create unique lines of
clothing. The first collection from the partnership features a
demonstration of Mastercard’s blockchain-based Provenance
solution, which offers visibility into product journeys.
https://newsroom.mastercard.com/press-releases/mastercard-enables-luxury-shoppers-to-purchase-with-confidence/
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44
Macquarie Agriculture and Shandong Ruyi enter joint
agreement for ownership of Queensland’s Cubbie Station
An agricultural fund managed by Macquarie Infrastructure and Real
Assets (MIRA or the Fund) and Shandong Ruyi (Ruyi) announced an
agreement to jointly own Queensland’s Cubbie Station, associated
properties and cotton ginnery (Cubbie). The Fund will acquire a 49%
stake in Cubbie, with Ruyi to retain 51%. Cubbie Agriculture, a
subsidiary of Ruyi, will continue to operate Cubbie under a long-term
operating agreement, with no change to the current on-property
management and team. The joint ownership agreement provides
certainty of ownership of Cubbie, supporting the local communities of
Dirranbandi, St George and surrounding districts. It also brings together
two experienced agricultural investors and operators and it is
anticipated this combined expertise will build on the operational and
sustainability initiatives that have already been undertaken on farm.
https://www.macquarie.com/in/about/newsroom/2019/macquarie-agriculture-and-shandong-ruyi-enter-joint-agreement-for-ownership-of-queenslands-cubbie-station
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45
Eni and Poste Italiane, a partnership in digital and financial
services for the integration of technology and payment platforms
Eni and Poste Italiane have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the
launch of a wide-ranging digital partnership. The non-binding cooperation
agreement also covers financial services and was signed by Eni, Eni Refining &
Marketing, Eni gas and electricity, Poste Italiane and PostePay. The partnership
between the two large Italian companies represents a first significant tool for the
integration and enhancement of Eni's and Poste's assets. It is part of a
multi-business logic that concerns both the supply of fuels in Eni service stations
and that of gas and electricity, through the activation of innovative financial
services related to payment systems, within the opportunities offered by the
European Directive PSDII , and its main objective is to offer retail customers an
increasingly wide range of new service and payment solutions. The agreement
provides for a series of actions aimed at enhancing, on the one hand, the over 26
million debit and prepaid cards of the Poste Italiane group in circulation in Italy,
on the other the 4,300 Eni service stations, on which they transit on average one
million people a day, as well as eight million Eni gas and electricity customers,
who generate 41 million annual bills and count on 150 Energy Store outlets.
https://www.posteitaliane.it/it/comunicati/enieposteitaliane-1476499421593.html?wt.ac=1453895545051
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46
Startups Selected For Second Comcast NBCUniversal
LIFT Labs Accelerator, Powered By Techstars
Jul 15, 2019 Comcast NBCUniversal announced the 11 startups
selected for the second Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Accelerator,
powered by Techstars. The startups were chosen from hundreds of
applicants from 46 countries and whose businesses focused on
developing the next generation of connectivity, media, and
entertainment. They will call Comcast NBCUniversal’s global
headquarters in Philadelphia home for the duration of the 13-week
program, which kicked off. The diverse selection of startups, which
includes one-third of the companies having a female founder, will
partner with mentors and teams at the new Comcast Technology Center
in Philadelphia where LIFT Labs occupies an entire state-of-the-art
floor dedicated to working with the startup community. They will also
participate in custom workshops, training sessions, and business
meetings unique to the company and its LIFT Labs program throughout
the course of the accelerator.
https://corporate.comcast.com/press/releases/startups-selected-second-comcast-nbcuniversal-lift-labs-accelerator
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Alga unified solution for cashless payment of public transport
launched in Republic of Bashkortostan
Moscow — A unified payment solution for public transport is
now available in the Republic of Bashkortostan: passengers can
pay for trips using contactless bank cards, as well as the new
Alga unified transport card.Previously, there were several
different solutions to pay for public transport on different routes
in the Republic. The information on trips was not systematised
in a single format. In addition, different transport cards were
issued and topped up at different points of sale, which wasn’t
very convenient for passengers.The first city that will try the
unified transport system will be Ufa. Each trip will cost RUB 20
when making cashless payments instead of RUB 25 when
making cash payments.
https://www.sberbank.ru/en/press_center/all/article?newsID=9564bc7e-e387-4804-8f17-25bc6ce99ee7&blockID=1539&regionID=77&lang=en&type=NEWS
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48
Sberbank and Samsung Electronics announce new money
transfer possibilities for Sberbank clients who use Samsung
Pay.Now Sberbank clients can initiate money transfers from
Sberbank cards in Samsung Pay and continue them in the
Sberbank Online mobile application. All information entered by
the client in Samsung Pay (telephone number of the receiver and
transfer amount) is automatically filled out in Sberbank Online.
This feature is available when making transfers to Sberbank
clients using their phone numbers. Money is transferred
instantly. The standard commission fee applies to these
transfers.In addition, Sberbank clients can easily move from
Samsung Pay to the Payments and Transfers page on Sberbank
Online by tapping the shortcut.
https://www.sberbank.ru/en/press_center/all/article?newsID=a35eb4a4-6ccd-48a9-989d-1b9a3e7acf03&blockID=1539&regionID=77&lang=en&type=NEWS
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49
BB&T and SunTrust Announce $60 Billion Truist Bank
Community Benefits Plan
BB&T Corporation and SunTrust Banks, Inc. announced a Truist Bank
Community Benefits Plan under which the combined company will lend or
invest $60 billion to low- and moderate-income (LMI) borrowers and in LMI
communities over a three-year period from 2020 to 2022. The plan is a concrete
example of the commitment of Truist Financial Corporation, the combined
company to be created through their proposed merger of equals and reflects
BB&T's and SunTrust's continued commitment to supporting investment in their
communities after the expected completion of the merger this fall. Additionally,
Truist plans to further the legacy institutions' commitment to underserved
neighborhoods by seeking to open at least 15 new branches in LMI and/or
majority minority communities across its future footprint. The Community
Benefits Plan is a direct result of input received in listening sessions that BB&T
and SunTrust hosted in metro and rural communities around the combined
institutions' forecasted geographies, as well as comments shared during public
meetings regarding the proposed merger.
http://newsroom.suntrust.com/2019-07-16-BB-T-and-SunTrust-Announce-60-Billion-Truist-Bank-Community-Benefits-Plan
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50
Brighterion and Elavon to Fight Fraud with
Artificial Intelligence
While the global implementation of EMV chip technology has
reduced fraud activity for card payments, the payment’s
ecosystem is still battling the threat of new and emerging fraud
payment schemes online. Brighterion, a Mastercard company,
and Elavon, a global payments provider and subsidiary of U.S.
Bank, have announced they will work together to integrate
Brighterion’s advanced artificial intelligence (AI) platform into
Elavon’s network to minimize fraud and manage risk. In
addition to Brighterion’s AI capabilities, Mastercard’s AI and
machine learning technologies, such as AI Express, provide
real-time intelligence across data sources regardless of type,
complexity or volume. AI Express helps companies develop a
tailored AI model and was designed to help address key business
priorities, including anti-money laundering, fraud risk
management, cyber security, credit risk prediction and
operational efficiencies.
https://newsroom.mastercard.com/press-releases/brighterion-and-elavon-to-fight-fraud-with-artificial-intelligence-2/
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