Five years in development and with 13 major Australian financial institutions locked in, the New Payments Platform (NPP) is set to move into a “full production live environment” this week – the first stage of the payment network's full public rollout.
 

NAB appears to be redoubling on its proposed expansion to its digitisation program, announcing 600 new digital and technology-focused positions within the company.
 

Collaboration, not competition, between humans and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies will usher in the next wave of economic growth and prosperity, and drive an exponential increase in workforce efficiency, according to Jayne Opperman, Westpac’s GM business integration, group technology.

OCBC Bank has announced it has become Singapore’s first bank to offer facial recognition-based authentication to its customers.

Thailand’s Krungsri Bank (officially Bank of Ayudhya PCL) has announced it has successfully developed a blockchain-based clearance system to streamline the bank’s contract management process.
 

DBS bank has unveiled the “world’s largest” banking API developer platform, launching an unprecedented 155 separate APIs for the Singapore market.
 

National Australia Bank (NAB) has announced two major changes to its executive team, with the appointment of Anthony Healy as chief customer officer (CCO) – business and private banking, and Angela Mentis as managing director and chief executive of NAB subsidiary the Bank of New Zealand (BNZ).

October saw a number of high-profile appointments across the financial services sector, with noteworthy additions to Suncorp, Metlife, and Kiwibank.
 

Australia largest general insurance group Suncorp has announced it has successfully integrated a Watson-based liability verification engine to support its online claims process.

Australia’s chief corporate regulator ASIC has secured a cooperation agreement with the Swiss Financial Markets Authority (FINMA) which seeks to boost fintech innovation and support start-ups' regulatory compliance across both markets.
 

Three of Australia’s big four banks have announced they will join forces to develop, invest in and market an instant payment app for mobile smart devices.

The chief financial regulators of Hong Kong (HKMA) and Singapore (MAS) have agreed to formally support fintech cooperation between the cities – considered global centres of fintech innovation.
 

Westpac is set to release a new hands-free payment technology, collaborating with local designers to embed its payments chip within a variety of unique hands-free devices.
 

Credit card giant Mastercard has opened its blockchain API to partner banks and merchants following successful testing and validation of the program.

ANZ has announced the appointment of Alisdair Creanor as chief executive of the bank’s Cambodia division.