David Durand, Advisor, Innovation and Advocacy
September 9th, 2020
David Durand, LL.L., B.Sc. chem., – Founder and Managing Partner of Durand Lawyers – Lawyer (Québec)[...]
Category Archives: Fintech Services
KABN Systems NA Holdings Corp Changes Its Name to Liquid Avatar Technologies Inc. with New Symbol LQID
KABN (LQID) | Cara Buckspan | March 1, 2021
Liquid Avatar name and symbol change better reflects Company's corporate branding
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / March 1, 2021 / KABN Systems NA Holdings Corp. (CSE:KABN)("KABN" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has changed its name from KABN Systems NA Holdings Corp. to Liquid Avatar Technologies Inc. (www.liquidavatartechnologies.com) and its ticker symbol from KABN to LQID. Subject to approval by the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE"), the Company expects the name and symbol change to take effect for trading purposes on March 3, 2021 when its common shares will begin trading on the CSE under the new name, CUSIP number and new ticker symbol.
On February 18, 2021, the Company launched the first phase of its flagship product, the Liquid Avatar (www.liquidavatar.com) app in the Apple Store and Google Play.
Like search, online communications and browser usage, digital identity is addressable to up to 100% of the online market and is a very early-stage market opportunity, with the potential to reach up to 400 Million people in North America and over 5 Billion people online globally.
See: KABN North America Launches Liquid Avatar App in the Apple Store and Google Play
According to Statista.com, over 79% of video game users in the US are over the age of 18 with a surprising 41% over the age of 34, showing that video gaming and character creation is widespread through all age categories. Using Liquid Avatar, users are able to select from 1000's of combinations of facial features to create their perfect digital, "cartoon-like" representations of themselves - all at no cost. Future releases of Liquid Avatar will allow users to upload their own digital icon images and create even more realistic versions of themselves as the Company explores new technologies that allow 3D animation and facial embedding on video characters.
"The Company is excited to have Liquid Avatar become the Company name as more people are associating the Company with our flagship product," said David Lucatch, CEO KABN North America. "With over 5 Billion people online and the global landscape evolving to put control of user information back in the hands of those that own it, coupled with the need for digital identity management growing daily, we believe that the Company and its products and programs can provide users, vendors, governments, eCommerce program and others with the ability to easily and efficiently interact while preserving safety, security and data integrity."
Liquid Avatar provides users with an easy and engaging way to share what they want, when they want, and with whom they want, through a biometrically verified access and verifiable identity credentials, based on the Trust over IP Foundation's framework (www.trustoverip.com) giving users the control they need and deserve and the opportunity to benefit, economically, from the personal data they wish to share.
With more websites, services and platforms requiring users to provide personal details and identification to gain access, together with the changing regulatory landscape in California, Canada, Europe, Australia, and other countries, more reliance is being placed on the consumer to manage their online information, identity, and personal data.
See: KABN North America and Imagine AR Bring Augmented Reality to Liquid Avatar’s Verified Self Sovereign Identity Users
Without the right tools, platforms, security and safety, the potential for increased identity fraud and other nefarious activities may continue to accelerate in the online marketplace. Liquid Avatar provides solutions for individuals to manage, control and create value from their digital identity and personal data allowing them to share what they want, when they want and with whom they want through cloud-based, biometrically enabled verifiable credentials, digital wallets, and other cryptographic services.
Liquid Avatar users will also be able to create digital wallets to manage and store a wide range of verifiable identity and access credentials, and to take their conventional identity online, allowing users to prove themselves as easily and effectively as they do in the "physical world".
As the opportunity to manage digital identity is new to most people and to some, the process can be daunting, Liquid Avatar has taken a phased approach to its engagement program. Initially users can sign up for Liquid Avatar using a traditional email and password, but at the point of sign up, they also engage in a "liveness" test, which allows Liquid Avatar to associate the account with a biometric signature. This process, while not invasive and not requiring the user to store any sensitive data on their devices, as Liquid Avatar is primarily a cloud-based platform, does subscribe to a "one user / "one account" philosophy, where every user is known and verified, reducing, if not potentially eliminating fake and / or fraudulent users.
In the future, with Liquid Avatar Marketplace (www.liquidavatarmarketplace.com), users with have the opportunity to trade and sell collectible Liquid Avatars from iconic and up and coming pop culture, anime, and comic book creators. The Company is also investigating other commercial applications that will potentially integrate Liquid Avatar with information, financial, hospitality, eCommerce, and government services.
Continue to view the original release --> here
The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2020 FINTECH DRAFT PITCHING AND DEMO COMPANY WINNERS!   |
Versabank to Launch VCAD, World’s First Bank-issued, Deposit-based Digital Currency
Versabank Release | Feb 24, 2021
VersaBank Partners with Stablecorp to Complete Development of Digital Currency Offering – Will Create Significant New Low Cost Deposit Source for VersaBank as it Experiences Record Loan Growth
LONDON, ON, Feb. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - VersaBank (TSX: VB) ("VersaBank" or the "Bank"), a North American leader in business-to-business digital banking and technology solutions for cybersecurity, today announced it plans to launch a strong encryption based digital currency (cryptocurrency) represented one-to-one by a Canadian dollar bank deposit with the Bank, to be known as VCAD. VCAD is expected to be the first digital currency to represent a fiat currency, as well as the first in the world digital currency issued by and backed by deposits with a North American bank. As such, VCAD will offer the highest level of stability and security amongst all digital currencies in the market today.
See: A Brilliant Fintech Future – Banking on Stablecoins
VersaBank has entered into a strategic partnership with Stablecorp, a joint venture between Canada's leading crypto asset manager, 3iQ, and Mavennet, a Canadian leader in blockchain development, to commercially launch VCAD. VCAD is based on VersaBank's proprietary banking software and the digital currency issuance processes for VCAD will be securely managed via VersaVault®, VersaBank subsidiary, DRT Cyber Inc.'s ("DRT Cyber"), world leading digital bank vault designed to secure digital assets. The Bank is targeting public availability of VCAD in the coming months.
Consistent with VersaBank's highly efficient, business-to-business model, VCAD will be issued by VersaBank to financial intermediary partners in exchange for Canadian dollar deposits with the Bank utilizing "smart contracts", a more highly encrypted iteration of the Bank's existing digital deposit contracts. VersaBank's partners will then offer VCAD directly to individuals and businesses, who can use them for commerce and redeem them for Canadian dollars at any time. VCAD creates a significant new low-cost deposit source for VersaBank as it experiences record loan growth.
"As North America's first bank-issued "stablecoin", VCAD offers consumers and businesses the ability to adopt and leverage the benefits of digital currency and blockchain-based assets without the volatility of traditional currencies, alongside the security of a value-backed asset that the cryptocurrency world has long demanded," said David Taylor, President of both VersaBank.
Its cyber security subsidiary, DRT Cyber. "Consumers and businesses purchasing products and services with VCAD will finally know the precise value of their digital currency when executing these transactions."
See: UK Consultation (Mar 21, 2021): Regulatory Approach to Cryptoassets and Stablecoins
Mr. Taylor added, "VersaBank was the very first digital bank nearly 30 years ago and has continuously been a pioneer in digital banking in the decades since. Digital currencies are the natural evolution of the world's payment systems, and the launch of VCAD is a natural extension of our digital banking operations as we once again leverage our in-house technology to lead the banking industry. We are proud to work with our partner, Stablecorp, on this industry first."
"We are thrilled to partner with VersaBank, a Schedule I Canadian bank, to offer a digital currency that addresses the two major shortcomings of the traditional cryptocurrency market – volatility and security," said Jean Desgagne, CEO, Stablecorp. "VCAD provides consumers with not only the security afforded by an underlying deposit with a Canadian chartered bank but also the comfort of knowing that each VCAD issued or redeemed will always have one-to-one value with the Canadian dollar. With such clear benefits, we are highly confident in the demand for VCAD as digital currencies increasingly become part of mainstream financial transactions."
In addition to VCAD, under their partnership, VersaBank and Stablecorp plan to work together towards the development and launch of "VUS" and "VEuro", deposit-based, US dollar and Euro versions of the VersaBank digital currency.
View the original release --> here
The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2020 FINTECH DRAFT PITCHING AND DEMO COMPANY WINNERS! |
Mastercard and Island Pay launch first digital currency card
Fintech Magazine | William Girling | Feb 18, 2021
Finance giant Mastercard has teamed up with Island Pay to deliver a world first: a digital currency-linked payment card backed by a central bank
Held together by Central Bank of The Bahamas, the collaboration will enable people to use an official digital currency called ‘The Bahamas Sand Dollar’ for purchases via a prepaid card.
Transactions carried out with the card are automatically converted from digital to fiat currency and will be legal tender for goods and services on the islands (of which there are 700), as well as around the world.
See: It’s instant – I get a message, and it’s received: Central bankers comb for crypto clues as Bahamas launches ‘Sand Dollar’
It is hoped that the Sand Dollar will create a more financially inclusive economy, promote more diverse purchasing methods, and facilitate government disbursements. The same value and protections will apply as the Bahamas’ traditional currency.
Modernising payments in the Bahamas
The Sand Dollar was originally trialled in 2019 and went on to become the first digital incarnation of a national currency in circulation late last year.
Mastercard’s virtual testing environment allowed developers to chart the issuance, distribution and exchange of the Sand Dollar in a simulated environment prior to its real rollout.
Island Pay’s role was to combine Mastercard’s technology and operational breadth with its own platform, which has been revolutionising payment solutions in the Caribbean through lower costs and higher quality service since it was founded in 2018.
“By working closely with the Central Bank of The Bahamas and Mastercard, we are able to issue a prepaid card unlike any other in the world. We are now able to bring immediate, critical benefits to our customers at a time when they are looking to find new, innovative ways to pay,” said Richard Douglas, Co-Founder.
See: Visa’s digital dollar concept opens a door to central bank currencies
“The Bahamas is leading innovation in CBDCs (central bank digital currencies), and we’re thrilled to be able to play an important role in helping to democratise access to currency, especially in areas that are currently underserved.”
Continue to the full article --> here
The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2020 FINTECH DRAFT PITCHING AND DEMO COMPANY WINNERS! |
The Outer Space Men are Landing at Liquid Avatar
KABN | Cara Buckspan | Feb 24, 2021
Company launches integrated Liquid Avatar, Augmented Reality and NFT media program of iconic 1960's toy and collector brand.
TORONTO, ON and NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / February 24, 2021 / KABN Systems NA Holdings Corp. / Liquid Avatar Technologies Inc. (CSE:KABN)(OTC Pink:TRWRF)(FRA:4T51) (the "Company") (www.kabnsystemsna.com), a North American fintech solutions company specializing in empowering individuals to manage, control and generate value from their biometrically-verified Self Sovereign Identity ("SSI") through its Liquid Avatar (www.liquidavatar.com) platform, is pleased to announce that the Company has partnered with the iconic toy brand, The Outer Space Men (www.theouterspacemen.com). The Outer Space Men is a toy and collector brand that spans over half a century of celebration as both a vintage and modern collectible assembly of action figures. The OSM were first created when man's greatest achievement was to land on the moon during the infamous Space Race of the 1960's. The Outer Space Men characters will be used for a series of integrated media programs for Liquid Avatar.
The integrated campaign, expected to launch in early spring 2021 will feature a series of limited edition 2D and 3D Liquid Avatar digital icons available in the Liquid Avatar Marketplace (www.liquidavatarmarketplace.com), a full immersive 3D global Augmented Reality scavenger hunt, powered by the Company's partnership with Imagine AR (CSE:IP) and based on approvals, a 3D animated and AR powered, exclusive Non-Fungible ("NFT") Token program for collectors.
See: KABN North America Launches Liquid Avatar App in the Apple Store and Google Play
The Outer Space Men features beloved and infamous, vintage bendable toy action figure characters that were first created by the world renown toy inventor Mel Birnkrant. With tens of thousands of clamoring fans demanding the return of these archetypal heroic icons, the wildly successful line of toys was brought back to the market in 2008 with the support of childhood fan and Wall Street executive Gary Schaeffer who reintroduced the line of toys in a new affordable format. Since 2010 these new action figures have been played with by millions of children globally. The 21 OSM characters span our solar system, The Milky Way Galaxy and beyond and delight both collectors and children with their incredible back stories and legendary beginnings as extoled by their creator Mr. Birnkrant. These action figures and the rest of the collection of up to 21 different bendable toys, will be transformed into computer graphic (CG) 2D and 3D models ready for a host of digital production programs.
To power these new experiences, the Company has engaged Los Angeles based DreamView, Inc. (www.dreamview.com). DreamView's founders and staff have worked with major brands, studios, and ad agencies around the globe on some of the world's most successful and beloved products, films, and television series, including Apple, Disney, Bleacher Report, Harry Potter, Terminator, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Transformers and Hot Wheels, as well as commercials and other industrial CG, AR, VR and animation projects.
See: KABN North America and Liquid Avatar Unveils New Challenger Banking Program for Verified Self Sovereign Identity Users
At the direction of Liquid Avatar's Creative Director, Mariano Nicieza and the team, DreamView will be taking The Outer Space Men's 21 core roster and converting them to CG designs ready and compatible for Augmented Reality, Rigging and Animation.
The Company is also working with Apex Comics Group (www.apexcomicsgroup.com) to bring world leading comic book writers, editors and artists together to create multi-media and Augmented Reality Comics powered by a user's Liquid Avatar. A sneak preview will be made virtually on March 26th and 27th at Comic Con International's WonderCon (www.comic-con.org/wca).
"Liquid Avatar is working to make the process of creating, sharing and powering digital identity fun and engaging and the Outer Space Men are a perfect partner for our future-proofing solutions," said David Lucatch, CEO. "With Augmented Reality, CG and 3D Avatars on the roadmap for Liquid Avatar, it makes great sense to start with this iconic brand and adding NFT's which are raging digital collectibles with over $100 Million in sales in the past month, makes starting now even more important to the growth of the Company."
The Liquid Avatar beta app officially launched globally in the Google Play and Apple App Store on February 18, 2021. With the foundation 1st phase already available, the Liquid Avatar app will launch updates in phases, with new features expected monthly. The Company believes that as it plans to provide future features, regular releases will provide users with the opportunity to familiarize themselves with existing features before moving on to more comprehensive services and the opportunity to manage their digital identity and verifiable credentials.
Continue to read the full release --> here
The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2020 FINTECH DRAFT PITCHING AND DEMO COMPANY WINNERS! |
How banks are using AI to create smart trading platforms and identify client needs
Investment Executive | Fiona Collie | Feb 22, 2021
Financial services firms are using AI to create smart trading platforms and identify client needs
Technology is everywhere in the financial services industry, and banks have been building their artificial intelligence (AI) bona fides in recent years.
Components of AI include natural-language processing, which uses technology to analyze the spoken and written language, and machine learning, which uses algorithms to analyze and learn from large amounts of data.
See: Top 12 AI Use Cases: Artificial Intelligence in FinTech
Since 2016, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) has focused on AI through its dedicated research division called Borealis AI. In October 2020, Borealis AI and RBC announced the launch of Aiden, an AI-driven electronic trading platform for institutional investors.
Aiden uses “reinforcement learning.” For every trade [Aiden] makes, it also justifies why it just did that,” Agrafioti said. “And that gives people confidence and trust that they understand the context of the algorithm they’re seeing.”
a form of AI based on behavioural psychology that either rewards or penalizes an algorithm when it makes a decision. This is the same type of machine learning used for AlphaGo, a Google-owned computer program that beat a human player at Go, a sophisticated board game, in 2016.
But making trading decisions in a live market is more complicated than playing a board game, noted Foteini Agrafioti, chief science officer at RBC and head of Borealis AI.
“It’s a much more complex environment where we were able to deploy [Aiden] and we’re extremely happy with the results,” she said.
Traditional electronic trading programs are designed to follow specific rules in certain market conditions and must be reprogrammed when they encounter new scenarios — which leads to downtime. Aiden, on the other hand, is dynamic: it can adapt to changing market conditions, Agrafioti said.
See: FCA and City of London’s Digital Sandbox Pilot – Presentations and Use Cases
Still, Aiden is not completely autonomous. As with other AI platforms, humans can overrule Aiden’s investment decisions when necessary. But before that happens, Aiden has a chance to explain its rationale to a human supervisor — a crucial feature for an AI platform.
Banks also are using AI to leverage one of their most valuable resources: client data. These data may include emails sent to an advisor, financial transactions and the number of times a client has signed in to an online account.
In 2020, Bank of Nova Scotia announced the creation of a global AI platform that uses client data to help identify client needs.
During the first wave of Covid-19, Scotiabank used its AI capabilities to identify clients who were at risk financially as a result of the pandemic. The bank then contacted those people to offer potential solutions — something Scotiabank intends to do again in the future.
“We will continue to focus on providing applicable unique solutions for our customers and being able to tailor those solutions to customer needs,” said Phil Thomas, executive vice-president, customer insights, data and analytics, with Scotiabank.
As Scotiabank and other companies continue to harness customer data, critics wonder how AI platforms use that data, leading to growing demand for “ethical” AI.
Continue to the full article --> here
The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2020 FINTECH DRAFT PITCHING AND DEMO COMPANY WINNERS! |
Tokenizing Assets and Unlocking Value on the Blockchain
Appinventiv | Chirag Bhardwaj | Aug 19, 2020
Blockchain has poised to bring a transformative difference in the finance world. The technology, with its characteristics like decentralization, immutability, transparency, and distributed structure, has added new forms of benefits and applications into the ecosystem. One of which is asset tokenization on the blockchain surface. This concept has emerged to be one the top Blockchain technology trends by opening new doors for tokenization of anything and everything in the marketplace – be it diamond, paintings, or property.
But, how far will it take the market? Will it become a key addition to every business?
Tokenization of Assets
The simplest answer to what is asset tokenization on blockchain is that it is a process through which a blockchain token is issued to digitally represent any real tradable asset in a way that you can trade with a single fraction of the asset as well. When talking about how tokenization is different from securitization, the former turns all the real world assets into high-liquidity digital token, whereas the latter converts low-liquidity assets into higher-liquidity security instruments that could be traded in markets and over-the counter.
See: Will the Law Keep Up with Smart Contracts in 2021?
Types of Tokens Circulated and Used in Blockchain World
To ensure that you get the best perks of investing your efforts into the development of tokenized asset, tokens are broadly divided into two basis:
1. On the Basis of Nature
- Tangible Assets – The term represents a set of assets that holds some monetary value and is available usually in a physical form.
- Fungible Assets – These digital assets are created such that every token is equivalent to the next. Meaning, one bitcoin is equal to one bitcoin and is interchangeable with one bitcoin only.
- Non-Fungible Assets – They are designed as unique and can’t be interchangeable.
2. On the Basis of Speculation
- Currency Tokens – These tokens represent currencies in digital form.
- Utility Tokens – The term refers to a digital token that is issued to support funding for the development of cryptocurrency and can be later employed for purchasing a particular product or service offered by the issuer of the cryptocurrency.
- Security Tokens –Security tokens, one of the cryptocurrency trends, is basically the digital representation of traditional securities.
See: For Digital Assets, Private Markets Offer the Greatest Opportunities
Potential Benefits of Tokenization
1. Greater Liquidity
One of the prime benefits of Asset Tokenization is enhanced liquidity. Presently, the market for privately held firms is illiquid. Because of this, it takes more time for buyers and sellers to know about each other and the services they offer.
But, with the adoption of asset tokenization, this process becomes smoother and streamlined. It introduces a blockchain platform where tokens represent private company securities and are sold to participants who would have pre-vetted in such areas as authorized investors with adequate capital to take the risk. These investors can exit the platform anytime by selling their tokens on a secondary market easily and efficiently. They won’t have to suffer from the hassle of early redemption which is an expensive affair. This, as a whole, will encourage high net worth individuals and agencies to make an investment in private company securities. And ultimately, build a global market for these private securities.
2. Higher Accessibility
Accessibility is also one of the prime benefits of asset tokenization on the blockchain surface. The concept to tokenize an asset on blockchain allows fragmentation of assets to the minimum possible amounts in the form of tokens and encourages investors to get a small fraction of shares. This opens doors for different investors and cuts down the minimum investment period and amount.
See: KABN North America Partners with UK and Barbados Based Tokenise International to Develop Verifiable Identity Credentials for Regulated Stock Exchange
3. More Transparency
Transparency is yet another advantage of tokenization. In tokenization of assets, the token-holder’s rights and responsibilities are embedded in the contracts that define token attributes, along with a complete record of ownership. This gives you an idea of whom you are dealing with, what power they have, and whom they have purchased this token from. Something that adds transparency to the whole process.
4. No Intermediaries
With the introduction of Smart contracts and characteristics like immutability, tokenization has also reduced the number of intermediaries required in a transaction.
5. Cheaper and Faster Transactions
Since transactions of tokens will be done using Smart contracts, a major portion of the process will be automated. This will cut down the number of intermediaries and the efforts required in administering the whole process. This will eventually result in faster and cost-effective transactions, which will be yet another advantage of tokenization of assets.
Some industries embracing the tokenization of assets today include finance, sports, healthcare, real estate and enterprise.
Continue to the full article --> here
The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2020 FINTECH DRAFT PITCHING AND DEMO COMPANY WINNERS! |
Has fintech made banking better?
DUCA Impact Lab | Keith Taylor | Feb 18, 2021
Fintech is responsible for a long list of innovations. Helping people make better financial decisions could be next.
Building banking that is not just different, but better, is a common refrain when speaking with fintech entrepreneurs. It is natural to wonder then, what roles are fintech companies playing now in building ‘better banking’, and more importantly, what opportunities are there to better deliver on this promise?
The DUCA Impact Lab was established by DUCA Financial Services Credit Union to explore these types of questions, and to ultimately work with its partners to build and test models of banking that benefit all. Each year, the DUCA Impact Lab, in partnership with Angus Reid Group, examines national perspectives on fair banking in Canada. The study surveys a national pool of banking consumers on their perceptions of fairness in their banking experiences. It evaluates a number of fair banking factors such as transparency, credibility, pricing, as well as access to products and services. It then compares these consumer perspectives with responses from bank employees working in a sales or lending capacity at different types of lending institutions, including fintech’s.
See: State of Fair Banking 2020
Reflecting on the study results for 2020 reveals some key considerations for fintech companies as they continue to innovate and build on their presence in the financial services marketplace. For example:
More people need access to quality advice.
The majority of consumers interact with a financial advisor once per year, or less. In fact, 29% say they have never met with one. Even for those that do meet with an advisor, chances are they either don’t trust, or are indifferent to the advice they get (75% of consumers combined). This is particularly troublesome, given that the right advice is desperately needed - nearly 45% of people with debt say they have neither a budget, nor specific financial goals. Lenders surveyed who work in fintech take an overly ‘sales first’ view of their companies compared with peers, and are significantly less likely to view the primary focus of their company as helping people (21%), when compared to 35% at banks, and 48% at credit unions. Perhaps there’s an opportunity to do both.
Trust is a short-term opportunity, but long-term potential risk for fintech’s.
Nearly as many Canadians distrust financial institutions as trust them, with a winnable 46% of consumers who are somewhere in the middle. Also consider that only 22% of big bank customers think they are getting a good deal on their financial service products; this should translate into opportunities for new entrants and alternatives to the big banks. The level of trust consumers have in fintech companies is generally similar to other lending options to start, but borrower experience becomes more negative post fulfillment. For example, fintech customers are more than twice as likely to respond that their debt has impacted their ability to afford basic health care services such as prescription drugs. Mitigating these risks has benefits for everyone.
See: How Banks, Fintechs, and Customers Win Together
The Fintech sector has produced some amazing innovations, improving the way financial institutions are able to offer a range of services, facilitate transactions and understand customer needs. Extending this innovative thinking to focus on consumer experiences and well being is a natural fit.
About the author:
Keith Taylor is the Executive Director of the DUCA Impact Lab at DUCA Financial Services Credit Union, an innovation hub focused on building banking that benefits all. He works with a range of collaborators such as fintech’s, community organizations, academics and others to build and test solutions to inequity in the banking system.
This article appears as a featured article in NCFA's digital magazine, Fintech Confidential (Issue 3). Click to read the latest thought leadership, insights and trends about Fintech in Canada:
Checkout NCFA's digital magazine, Fintech Confidential (Issue 3, Dec 2020) --> here
The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2020 FINTECH DRAFT PITCHING AND DEMO COMPANY WINNERS! |
