為什麼歐洲已成為主要的金融科技中心

Why Europe Has Emerged as a Major Fintech Hub

• The fintech landscape has never been better.

Europe is a leading fintech hub for a variety of reasons, including favorable regulatory conditions, a large pool of talent, and a vibrant startup ecosystem.

For starters, Europe has a favorable regulatory environment for fintech firms. The European Union (EU) has put in place a number of measures to encourage financial innovation, such as the revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2) and the European Banking Authority's (EBA) guidelines on digital operational resilience.

These regulations have helped to level the playing field for fintech companies and lower entry barriers in the financial services sector.

The PSD2, in particular, has played an important role in promoting the development of open banking in Europe by allowing fintech companies to access customer data held by banks and other financial institutions and enabling the development of innovative financial services.

European Talent Ranks Amongst World’s Best for Fintech

Second, Europe has an abundance of talent. Many of Europe's universities and colleges have world-class business and engineering programs, and cities such as Berlin, London, and Paris have thriving startup scenes.

This means that a steady stream of skilled and motivated individuals is entering the fintech sector, assisting in driving innovation and growth. The presence of large multinational corporations such as Google and Facebook also attract top talent to Europe, fueling the expansion of the fintech ecosystem.

In addition, Europe has a thriving startup ecosystem. There are many accelerator programs and venture capital firms that help and fund fintech startups. Startupbootcamp, Seedcamp, and Techstars are examples of such programs, as are venture capital firms, such as Accel and Index Ventures.

There are also events and conferences, such as Money20/20 and Finovate, that allow fintech startups to showcase their products and connect with potential investors and customers. This encouraging ecosystem has aided in the development of a thriving fintech community in Europe, driving innovation and growth in the sector.

Mature Financial Market Insulating Industry

Europe has a large and mature financial services market, which offers significant opportunities for fintech firms. The financial services industry in Europe is distinguished by a large and diverse customer base, as well as a well-developed infrastructure and established players.

This means that fintech firms have a significant opportunity to disrupt the market and provide innovative financial services to consumers and businesses.

Furthermore, the EU's single market allows fintech firms to scale their services across multiple countries, creating significant economies of scale and lowering the costs associated with serving a large and diverse customer base.

What are the European Union’s key drivers for fintech growth?

The European Union has successfully been creating an environment of stability and growth for fintechs. There are several different elements which are likely the reason for it. We’ve highlighted 3:

1. Aligning market structures

The European Union aims to be synonymous with harmonization and simplification, and it is no different in what concerns the regulatory framework surrounding fintechs.

Fostering a simplified legal framework among countries is a massive contribution to fintechs not just due to homogenous laws but also for them to be able to understand key customer factors happening outside of their domestic market.

As a direct consequence, in the process, the EU also ensures that investors and customers find protection and stability.

Moreover, fintechs are incentivized to perform at their best and be the best in the European Union given how easy it is for them to find demand and go beyond their respective domestic markets.

2. Having innovation at the heart of regulation

The EU’s regulatory framework is not just about harmony. In fact, fostering innovation is a priority given how it is able to provide fintechs with better conditions to compete on both national and international grounds.

This allows for the fintech ecosystem to be strengthened as a whole given the lift in the administrative burden.

3. Modernizing work culture

A modern work culture correlates to highly attractive jobs, talent acquisition, and retention.

On the regulators' side of things, the goal is to establish appealing tax frameworks which attract foreign talent, while companies focus on creating a work culture which is able to resonate with diverse needs and backgrounds.

These 3 elements are part of the reason why Europe has seen fintechs thrive and play a central role in many European lives as consumers only stand to gain with the increased choice fueled by the added competition in the financial services landscape.

Wrapping Up

Europe is a fintech hub due to favorable regulatory conditions, a large talent pool, a thriving startup ecosystem, and a large and mature financial services market.

These factors, when combined, have created a favorable environment for fintech companies, driving innovation and growth in the sector. As a result, Europe is likely to remain a leading fintech hub in the coming years.

European Fintech FAQ

What makes Europe a desirable fintech hub?

Europe is an appealing destination for fintech companies due to its favorable regulatory environment, large pool of talent, thriving startup ecosystem, and large and mature financial services market.

How has the European Union regulated fintech in Europe?

The European Union has put in place measures such as the revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2) and the European Banking Authority's (EBA) guidelines on digital operational resilience, which encourage financial innovation and lower barriers to entry for fintech firms.

How is the fintech startup scene in Europe?

With numerous accelerator programs, venture capital firms, and events that support fintech companies, Europe has a thriving startup ecosystem. Major cities such as Berlin, London, and Paris have emerged as epicenters of fintech innovation.

How does the size and maturity of Europe's financial services market benefit fintech firms?

The large and mature European financial services market offers significant opportunities for fintech companies to disrupt the market and provide innovative financial services to consumers and businesses. Fintech companies can also scale their services across multiple countries thanks to the EU's single market.

What impact has the presence of large multinational corporations had on the European fintech sector?

Large multinational corporations such as Google and Facebook attract top talent to Europe, fueling the growth of the fintech ecosystem and driving innovation in the sector.

Businesses Can Survive Looming Recession by Modernizing B2B Payments Process

In the face of a predicted recession, businesses need to get paid faster to survive.

High inflation, rising interest rates and the eddying threat of further economic headwinds just around the corner are sending executives across industries scrambling for working capital and cash flow management solutions that help them get paid, as well as pay their vendors faster and more seamlessly.

After all, it’s their money and they want it now. But nearly one in three executives say they are not fully satisfied with their organizations’ current bill payments ecosystem.

That’s according to the December edition of PYMNTS’ “The One-Stop Bill Pay Playbook,” which found that nearly two in three surveyed executives (68%) expect to integrate business-to-business (B2B) payment innovations into their operations in the new year, including prioritizing one-stop bill payment solutions, to help close the satisfaction gap.

Companies that self-report as “more highly digitized” are more likely to invest in payment innovations in 2023, with 73% saying it is a priority for them, compared to a still-majority 64% of “less digitized” companies.

Modernizing the Accounts Receivable Office 

The contemporary B2B payment space is rife with recurring inefficiencies that create AR headaches and leave much-needed capital stuck in limbo.

“Because of the expected recession, companies want to convert to cash as quickly as possible — but their customers want to hang on to cash for as long as possible,” Joe Payne, senior vice president of Source to Pay at Corcentric, told PYMNTS in an earlier conversation.

Common obstacles include manual processes and legacy operations around reconciliations, customer service and other key touchpoints along the bill pay journey that frustrate both bill payers and receiving businesses.

PYMNTS’ research suggests that smaller and midsize companies carry outstanding receivables of more than a trillion dollars for their larger suppliers.

This situation continually puts the resiliency of many businesses to an unnecessary and avoidable test, one whose effects are felt particularly acutely as macroeconomic headwinds dampen 2023 outlooks.

Until the pandemic ushered in a hyper-rapid digital transformation, things sure looked as though CFOs and accounts professionals would be content to juggle PDFs, paper checks and repetitive manual processes even as the rest of the world moved increasingly online.

Now, as digital payment systems increasingly become operational table stakes, payments processing modernization that improves timely access to capital while seamlessly smoothing out recurring friction points is seen as critical to business growth.

CFOs surveyed by PYMNTS report near unanimous support (94%) for integrating digital payment tools that maximize efficiency into their organizations’ operational processes.

Payments frictions, including disputes, lack of compatibility with payor preferences, decoupled remittances and square-peg-round-hole accounts payable (AP) and AR systems, can slow business growth or even bring it to a complete halt.

After all, 25% of B2B payments are still made by check.

In today’s technologically advanced day and age, there is no reason for organizations to endure inconsistent payment processing experiences or to force those experiences on their business suppliers and vendors.

Research in PYMNTS’ latest report, “The AR Transformation Solution: Easing And Accelerating Payments From Business Customers,” shows that digital B2B payments network tools can solve for AP and AR friction in four key ways: first, they provide a seamless connection between suppliers and the marketplace; second, they streamline invoicing to avoid payment delays; third, they build better customer relationships from day one; and fourth, they make transaction visibility and invoice reconciliation seamless.

By offering customers access to third-party digital payment hubs, or “one-stop shops,” businesses can rewrite the script on B2B payments by offering their payors a single, agile system that is easy to access and use, and provides faster processing times, increased security, and reduced costs.

Taking Cues From the B2C Payment Journey

Findings in “The One-Stop Bill Pay Playbook” show that a majority (60%) of bill payer complaints are tied to a lack of payment options and shortcomings in the payment process.

Fortunately, a growing expectation for consumer-style payment experiences is separately evolving the B2B payment journey and addressing those pain points directly with single-solution digital tools and comprehensive platforms that allow finance and accounting teams to add greater value to their organizations’ business partners.

Additional PYMNTS research shows that more than nine in 10 businesses (93%) plan to add at least one new payment method in the future and that over eight in 10 CFOs (85%) have recently increased their use or acceptance of digital payments. Separately, 91% of CFOs agree that accelerating payments digitization has made their operations more efficient.

One-stop bill pay solutions can strengthen enterprise organizations by simplifying and streamlining payments flows and modernizing inefficient AP and AR processes that are often hamstrung by legacy interoperability constraints.

As B2B partners increasingly expect financial transactions to be instantaneous and frictionless, forward-thinking organizations are turning to integrated payments networks that allow for greater cash flow transparency and working capital access, as well as provide for true visibility over accounts, data reporting and invoice management on both sides of the transaction.

AR modernization over the next 12 months will be a critical space to watch as payments-related innovations and proactive digital strategies geared toward reducing and eventually eliminating B2B headaches further enter the marketplace.

全文來源：https://www.pymnts.com/news/retail/2023/payments-innovation-will-power-a-2023-cross-border-ecommerce-revolution/

金管會：明年建置氣候風險資料庫

金管會綜規處處長胡則華表示，明年有編列預算建置氣候風險資料庫，會持續跟災防中心討論。圖／工商日報資料照片


拚「綠色金融」，金管會已規劃建置「ESG資料庫、永續金融網站」，卻獨缺「氣候風險資料庫」」遭立委林楚茵質疑。林楚茵29日在財政委員會質詢時表示，企業都很願意配合綠色金融政策，但是都在等「氣候風險資料庫」的推動，金管會的期程卻無限期延長，金管會綜規處處長胡則華表示，明年有編列預算建置氣候風險資料庫，會持續跟災防中心討論。

林楚茵表示，金管會在去年11月底宣示跟進各國遵循的「氣候相關財務揭露（TCFD）」，並將氣候風險財務分為實體風險及轉型風險去做揭露，而國發會公布的「綠色金融」關鍵戰略擬整合企業的數據，建置ESG資料平台、氣候風險資料庫及永續金融網站，提供金融機構作為綠色授信參考。她進一步指出，金管會在2020年「綠色金融行動方案2.0」宣布「氣候風險資料庫」預計在今年底完成，但是今年修正公布的3.0卻改為持續推動，怒批金管會將期限無限期延長，讓企業無法及時接軌國際。

證交所董事長林修銘表示，證交所已經在建置上市櫃公司的ESG資料庫，預計明年6月可完成；胡則華回應，去年有跟國科會討論國家災防中心現有的資料庫平台，但是他們的資料庫資料顆粒不夠細，不符合金融業需求，且去年沒預算，但明年已有編列預算建置氣候風險資料庫，會持續跟災防中心討論。

林楚茵舉例，歐盟在2019年逐步要求TCFD揭露，在2020年6月實施永續分類法，同年9月就公布永續金融平台，而台灣在去年11月才開始要求TCFD揭露，已經晚歐盟三年之久，金管會應和環保署共同研擬，盡快提出時間軸，讓企業及早準備氣候變遷轉型風險。環保署署長張子敬表示，環保署組改後會設立國家環境研究院，就會連結相關部會連結建立資料庫的主責單位，供金融業在評估風險時使用；金管會主委黃天牧也承諾，綠色金融的資料面向是各國面臨的問題，會加緊努力推動。

林楚茵強調，當企業已經準備好配合綠色轉型，政府單位卻跟不上企業的腳步，會讓企業無所適從，相關部會應該加速推動跟上國際，不能讓企業在永續轉型落後其他國家。

全文來源：https://ctee.com.tw/news/finance/783214.html

資策會科法所協助金管會訂定永續經濟活動認定參考指引 導引市場資金挹注永續淨零轉型

金管會與環保署、經濟部、交通部、內政部於8日共同公告「永續經濟活動認定參考指引」，鼓勵並導引金融機構將資金挹注於產業，進行符合永續標準的經濟活動，落實我國2050淨零排放目標。

資策會科技法律研究所偕同中華經濟研究院綠色經濟中心及金融研訓院，參酌「歐盟永續金融分類規則（EU Sustainability Taxonomy Regulation ）」，協助金管會研訂本參考指引，除了作為金融機構、投資人及企業評估永續經濟活動之判斷標準，亦能有效防止企業假永續之名行「漂綠」（greenwashing）之實。本參考指引已公布包括製造業、營造建築及不動產業、運輸及倉儲業等3大產業別，共計16項「一般經濟活動」及13項「前瞻經濟活動」。一般經濟活動必須符合3項條件，始符合永續經濟活動，包括對氣候變遷減緩具有實質貢獻；未對氣候變遷調適、水及海洋資源之永續利用及保護、轉型至循環經濟、污染預防與控制、生物多樣性及生態系統之保護與復原5項環境 目的造成重大危害；未對社會保障造成重大危害。前瞻經濟活動則直接認定對氣候變遷減緩具有實質貢獻，但仍須檢視是否未對其他5項環境目的和社會保障造成重大危害。

本指引並非強制要求企業遵循的最低標準，企業可參考其內容進行 改善規劃，以達到其制定之永續條件。未來指引內容將配合金管會相關政策及規劃，與時俱進並適時滾動調整，資策會科法所也將持續攜手社會各界，共同為永續發展目標努力。

Market consolidation in InsurTech: who wins and who loses?

An increased demand of InsurTech services has continued to attract steady stream of innovative new entrants to the industry, and incumbents have had to keep pace. With so many players fighting for leading positions in the market, the industry is likely to see more partnerships, mergers and acquisitions emerge. What will determine who will win and who will lose in the coming years?

Just nine months into the year, FinTech Global reported that InsurTech funding set an annual record; companies raised $9.1bn across 364 deals.

What’s more, is that the investments largely comprised of deals valued at $100m or more, compared to just ten such transactions recorded in the first three quarters of 2020. This raises the question of whether we will see the number of new entrants into the market start to slow, and instead, a period of growth for the incumbents.

A breeding ground for innovating InsurTechs

The past 18 months have provided ample opportunities for innovating InsurTechs. Molly Black, chief product officer at digital insurance company Life.io, said that whilst many industries struggled through the economic disruption of the global pandemic, InsurTechs thrived.

According to Melanie Hayes, chief marketing officer and co-founder of cyber risk management solution developer KYND, the recent growth of the InsurTech industry is simply down to supply and demand, with InsurTechs responding to a greater need for their services. “Now more than ever, there is an increasing demand for greater efficiency within the insurance sector, with InsurTechs providing not only this efficiency but also the opportunity of attractive returns on investment.”

Many will agree that the pandemic accelerated the pace of digitalisation, the InsurTech industry was no exception. Life.io’s Black said, “Digitalisation initiatives focused on consumer engagement, education, marketing, and sales went from gathering momentum as a future aim of insurers to suddenly being a critical and immediate need.”

InsurTechs were able to respond to the changing demands of the industry that came with the pick-up in pace of digitalisation. KYND’s Hayes said, “As a heavily regulated industry with complex legacy systems and large reliance on historical paper-based assessments (even in sectors such as cyber insurance) innovation is challenging to incorporate internally. Therefore, insurers are turning to InsurTechs to provide the expertise they need and bridge the gaps they face, particularly in areas such as cyber insurance.”

Anthony Grosso, senior vice president of EIS, which is a cloud-native, API-first, digital insurance platform that enables insurers to innovate like a tech company, agreed that the pandemic encouraged an acceleration of digitisation initiatives and thus the growth of InsurTechs.

“Businesses were forced to digitise overnight without proper planning, and that created new gaps in the market. With new technology in hand, insurance start-ups have been able to seize the opportunity to spearhead new product development for areas of insurance where the pandemic exposed protection gaps.”

Will we continue to see new entrants?

KYND’s Hayes, suspects that we will continue to see newcomers in the InsurTech space, alongside a period of growth of the incumbents. “Increased demand of InsurTech services will attract new entrants and whilst some may encounter barriers to entry of established technology and services, others can enter a relatively equal playing field where the increased technical capability and efficiencies will fast track partnerships with insurers. Established incumbents may also see a period of growth as they utilise their learning and experience to innovate further, embed their systems and strengthen partnerships.”

Paul Morgenthaler, InsurTech partner at venture capital company CommerzVentures, agreed, “The InsurTech space has matured considerably over the last few years. However, we are continuing to see new entrants focusing on specific verticals, lines of business and distribution trends such as embedded insurance. There is still a lot of untapped potential to innovate along the value chain.”

However, perhaps attempting to categorise the InsurTech space into such binaries is beside the point, as the industry continues to evolve into an interconnected ecosystem of all players. EIS’s Grosso certainly seems to think so, “Rather than looking at whether there will be a reduction in new InsurTech startups within this ecosystem, we should be looking at how many non-insurance services and products, payment services and home security services will join the party. This has helped evolve the insurance market into one built as an interconnection of all of these players – old and new.”

Nevertheless, it cannot be ignored that there have been new InsurTechs disrupting the insurance space. Edward Halsey, COO and co-founder of tech based commercial insurance broker, hubb, said, “There are undoubtedly lots of new InsurTechs popping up, but there are also many that have disappeared. Those that have survived have demonstrated an ability to identify a sector and stay laser-focused on execution of their strategy.” Indeed, the very fact an InsurTech company is new and enterprising, does not guarantee its survival. Ian McKenna, founder of AdviserSoftware.com and the Financial Technology Research Centre, said, “While there have been winners in this sector other early players, such as moneyeXtra.com, have disappeared.”

InsurTechs are embracing technology

Those InsurTechs that have done well are leveraging modern technology. For example, full-stack homeowners InsurTech Slide said its competitive advantage lies with the use of Big Data. The company closed an oversubscribed $100m Series A funding round in November this year. Slide’s technology leverages an immense dataset to power new advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning for modern homeowners, who can then create bespoke insurance policies that fit their needs and budget.

At the time, Slide CEO Bruce Lucas said that traditional industries are being disrupted by modern technology, but the insurance industry has been slow to adapt. “As an industry insider, I have a deep understanding of where technology can be leveraged to enhance the user experience while maximising profitability, something I rarely hear mentioned in the InsurTech industry. Investors saw the future in my vision and the response was overwhelmingly positive.”

Lucas continued, “Big data is the key to our technological advantage. It is impossible to have credible artificial intelligence and machine learning without it. Not only can we make better underwriting decisions; we can provide more options for the consumer. Modern consumers expect more, even from insurance, and Slide is primed to deliver.”

McKenna, from The Financial Technology Research Centre, said that anything that can transform underwriting processes has huge potential. Incumbents would do well to follow in Slide’s footsteps. “Some incumbents, for example Aviva, have made huge advances through the use of AI and similar technologies, conversely many other insurers have been slow to respond and are potentially putting themselves at an enormous commercial disadvantage in the future,” he said.

What will determine the fate of incumbents?

Life.io’s Black said that incumbents must embrace digitalisation to compete in today’s InsurTech climate. “Carriers that prioritise digital transformation will not only remain competitive but will have opportunities to grow their market share,” he said.

“Product options, the ability to compare offerings, and purchasing have never been easier for consumers. At the same time, the ‘switching costs’ for consumers and consumer loyalty have never been lower. With hundreds of billions of dollars on the table, the industry incumbents need to embrace digital transformation to remain competitive.”

However, matching the digital prowess of neo insurers is a major undertaking, CommerzVentures’ Morgenthaler said. This will require a significant cultural shift, “it’s not enough for incumbents to focus on matching key digital capabilities from InsurTechs, they need to cooperate closely to learn from their culture and mindset too.”

KYND’s Hayes agrees that technology alone will not secure an incumbent’s success. There is no point having the greatest technology if it does not fulfil customers’ basic needs, she said. To stay relevant, any advances incumbents make should be simple and strive to make life easier. “At KYND we have developed cyber risk technology that incorporates highly sophisticated technology, but the output displayed is very simple – forget pages of reports that are difficult to understand unless you’re and IT guru! Instead, it’s easy to use and understand, focuses on the information underwriters, brokers and their client’s actually need but more importantly it genuinely helps them do what they have always done, only faster and better.”

Who will the winners be?

According to hubb’s Halsey, prioritising customer experiences will prove to be key, “The winners will be those who can best mirror customers buying preferences, not just in insurance, but in their everyday lives. They create products and services that the modern buyer wants to consume delivered how they want to consume them.

“You only need to look at the recent research by PWC in which they noted that 86% of buyers will pay more for a product if they have a great customer experience. A study by Walker actually found that customer experience is rapidly overtaking price and product as the key brand differentiator.”

EIS’s Grosso is also of the opinion that seamless customers journeys are paramount. To achieve this, he said, incumbents need technology that is flexible, open, and able to support rapid integrations, which is what InsurTech solution providers and neo insurers offer. Therefore, instead of being concerned by the growth of InsurTechs, incumbents should be excited by their potential, Grosso continued. Rather than fearing disruptive InsurTechs will whittle away at market share, partner with them.

“This partnering helps incumbents transition from being product-centred to being customer-centred. New partnerships have emerged across the industry allowing insurers to embed their product into seamless customer journeys, or embed other insurer products in their customer journey, delivering personalised options to the right people at the right time.”

The industry is seeing such partnerships emerge. US-based Heritage Insurance Holdings, a super-regional property and casualty insurance holding company, entered into a strategic partnership with Slide, a startup InsurTech P&C carrier, to leverage Slide’s InsurTech capabilities to improve underwriting and rating decisions.

Other recent partnerships include artificial intelligence specialist Nuon AI and leading broker policy administration software provider Ignite Systems, reinsurance company Swiss Re and Chinese tech giant Baidu, and financial product innovation company pioneering Social Security protection PlanGap and Insurex.

CommerzVentures’ Morgenthaler said that given the increasing maturity of the InsurTech space, mergers and acquisitions (M&As) will become more important. We are already seeing this trend play out, “with InsurTechs merging with each other, while incumbents start acquiring InsurTechs. Excitingly, we should even start to see well-funded InsurTechs go on to acquire specialised incumbents.”

For example, InsurTech Zywave acquired Califorina-based ClarionDoor, provider of insurance product distribution software to the property and casualty (P&C) market. The ClarionDoor acquisition was the latest in a series of several by Zywave over the last few years. Other M&As include credit rating agency Experian acquiring insurance aggregator Gabi and digital payments business PagueVeloz, and Zurich American Insurance Company (ZAIC) outlined its plans to acquire medical and occupational accident insurance firm Special Insurance Services (SIS) early 2022.

Incumbents cannot afford to be complacent about the rapid growth of their new digital competitors. Several have already captured substantial market share, and have even gone on to eclipse incumbents.

Looking ahead, Morgenthaler said that incumbents cannot afford to be complacent about the rapid growth of their new digital competitors. Only time will tell who emerges a winner or a loser from the next phase of the InsurTech industry’s growth, but, embracing new technologies from pioneering newcomers, whilst providing seamless customer experiences, may go some way to ensuring success.

全文來源：https://fintech.global/2021/12/07/market-consolidation-in-insurtech-who-wins-and-who-loses/

「微電車」強制納保險 金管會公布五大Q&A

微型電動二輪車30日起須掛牌及保強制險，才能上路，金管會網站也公布常見五大問答，將民眾的疑問逐一說明。（記者王孟倫攝）

〔記者王孟倫／台北報導〕新制度！微型電動二輪車明天（30日）起須掛牌、保強制險才能上路，金管會網站也公布常見五大Q&A問答，將民眾的疑問逐一說明。

Q1：強制汽車責任保險法（下稱強保法）將微型電動二輪車（下稱微電車）納保與以前汽、機車納保有何不同？

A1：自11月30日起，民眾購買全新的微電車需投保強制汽車險及登記、領用、懸掛牌照後，才能行駛道路，至於今年11月30日前已使用之微電車，則需於2年過渡期內完成投保及領牌。

11月30日前，微電車經黏貼審驗合格標章後即可行駛道路，因未曾向公路監理機關辦理領牌，車輛之所有人不明，此與強保法施行初期規範汽、機車需投保強制車險時，汽、機車已有車籍管理之情形不同，因此，道交條例及強保法將微電車納管及納保，賦予11月30日前已使用之微電車所有人2年之過渡期內完成投保且領牌。

Q2：微電車投保義務人於投保且領牌後，如未續保，發生汽車交通事故時，受害人可向財團法人汽車交通事故特別補償基金請求補償嗎？又未投保且未領牌，或已投保未領牌，受害人可以向特補基金請求補償嗎？

A2：可以。

依強保法第5條之1規定，微電車投保且領牌後，始納入強制車險承保範圍，故微電車於投保且領牌後，如未續保，因屬未保險汽車，發生汽車交通事故時，受害人可向特補基金請求補償，惟特補基金給付補償金額後，在補償金額範圍內，會依法向加害人追償，以維護公平正義，因此，保險期間屆滿前要記得續保，發生汽車交通事故時，可將部分賠償責任轉嫁由保險公司負擔，減少加害人對受害人賠償金額的負擔。

Q3：強保法修正後，公路監理機關或警察機關舉發違反道交條例之行為人時，對於投保義務人未依強保法規定投保強制車險，會併同舉發並處以罰鍰嗎？

A3：是。

依強保法第49條規定，投保義務人未投保，經公路監理機關執行路邊稽查或警察機關執行交通勤務，或因違反道交條例併同舉發者，由公路監理機關處以罰鍰。

Q4：投保義務人於保險期間屆滿後仍未辦理續保，其權益會受到任何影響？

A4：除發生汽車交通事故時，投保義務人無法將部分賠償責任轉嫁由保險公司負擔，減少加害人對受害人賠償金額的負擔外，還可能被舉發未投保強制車險及註銷牌照。

依強保法第49條規定，投保義務人未投保，經公路監理機關執行路邊稽查或警察機關執行交通勤務，或因違反道交條例併同舉發者，由公路監理機關處以罰鍰。

另依強保法第51條之1規定，投保義務人於保險期間屆滿逾6個月，仍未依規定投保者，主管機關得移請公路監理機關註銷其牌照。

Q5：11月30日前已使用之微電車，於2年過渡期內未投保會處以罰鍰嗎? 受害人是否可向保險公司申請保險給付或向特補基金請求補償？

A5：不會。

因強保法第5條之1第2項及道交條例第71條之1第4項及規定，賦予11月30日前已使用之微電車可於2年過渡期完成投保且領牌，因此，2年過渡期間內，投保義務人如未投保，將不會處以罰鍰，惟仍請儘速投保且領牌，以獲得強制車險保障。

若11月30日前已使用之微電車需投保且領牌後，始納入強制車險承保範圍，未投保且未領牌之微電車，發生汽車交通事故時，受害人無法向保險公司申請保險給付或向特補基金請求補償，因此，投保義務人無法將部分賠償責任轉嫁由保險公司負擔。

https://ec.ltn.com.tw/article/breakingnews/4139529

〈金管會報告搶先看〉四招深化永續金融 國銀明年首次氣候風險壓力測試

金管會四招深化永續金融 國銀明年首次氣候風險壓力測試。(鉅亨網資料照)

金管會力推永續金融，主委黃天牧將於下周一 (10/3) 赴立法院財委會業務報告，據報告書顯示，金管會將透過四大面向深化永續金融，其中，將於 2023 年辦理本國銀行首次氣候風險壓力測試。

最後則是推動金融業揭露氣候變遷資訊及辦理壓力測試，金管會表示，為強化銀行業及保險業對於氣候相關風險管理及財務揭露，將督導銀行、產險及壽險公會於今年底前完成氣候相關風險財務揭露實務手冊，並將參酌銀行公會氣候風險壓力專案小組的建議，訂定本國銀行辦理氣候風險壓力測試的作業規畫，預計明年辦理首次本國銀行氣候風險壓力測試。

原文來源:https://news.cnyes.com/news/id/4968422

How are rising ESG interests changing wealth management

Climate change is one of the biggest challenges we face. While policies like the Paris Agreement attempt to change the world to have a net-zero emissions impact, there are still billions of dollars invested each year into harmful industries, such as fossil fuels. As pressure on climate change rises, could firms start to focus more on ESG funds?

This year alone has seen several devastating natural disasters. Whether it is the forest fires in California, floods in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium or heatwaves in Canada, the effects of climate change seem to be happening more frequently. Scientists have warned these types of occurrences are only going to become more frequent if more effort is not taken to reverse climate change.

Governments around the world are taking measures to transform their countries’ operations to become less harmful to the environment. However, it is not as simple as flipping a switch. Transition away from certain energy sources will take time and a lot of money, but a lot of money is still being pumped into harmful energy. A report from Rainforest Action Network states the world’s 60 biggest banks have financed $3.8trn into fossil fuels over the past five years. Wealth management firms are also still heavily invested into these assets. The world’s top three asset managers, BlackRock, State Street and Vanguard, manage $300bn in fossil fuel investments, according to a report by The Guardian.

However, many banks are trying to change their operations and have green strategies in place. For example, Lloyd’s Banking Group is hoping to reduce the carbon emissions it finances by over 50% by 2030. While challenger bank Bunq plants trees for every €100 spent by a consumer. Many wealth managers are also part of this shift, with more and more offering ESG-focused funds. This strategy-shift is having an impact on the public. Kidbrooke CEO Fredrik Daveus said, “[Interest into green portfolios has risen] A lot, also fuelled by some financial institutions really making it their core marketing message. However, I still think there is a lingering idea with investors that anything sustainable will sacrifice investment returns.”

While there is a colossal amount of money still going to fossil fuels, interest in environment-positive investments have grown over the past few years. As the effects of climate change become more apparent, more people are shifting their lifestyle habits. One method of reducing their carbon footprint is by backing ESG funds. Analysis from Bloomberg found that global ESG assets under management are expected to reach $53trn by 2025. While CNBC recently reported that money invested into ESG funds more than doubled in 2020.

Sugi CEO and founder Josh Gregory said, “Interest in ESG investing has grown significantly to reflect the increased urgency of the climate crisis. Global flows into ESG funds topped US $178bn in the first quarter of this year, up from US $38bn in the same period last year, and on average two new ESG funds are launched each day. While private finance has the potential to make a real difference to climate outcomes, this will only happen if investors can make informed decisions.”

Echoing a similar sentiment is TietoEVRY head of insurance and wealth solutions Sameer Datye. He said, “ESG driven investment choices are seeing a rising popularity in the Nordic region. Overall, the society is very aware and sensitive of ethical business practices and takes pride in being at the forefront of this revolution. However, not all financial institutions have the choices available easily and obviously yet. However, the customer pressure is certainly mounting.” Datye continued to state that while not every financial institution is mature with an ethical portfolio, he is not aware of an organisation that does not have the project work to meet the need in their technology stack.

Green investment portfolios are becoming more available to retail investors. A number of WealthTech companies have started to offer a selection of portfolios designed to meet the customer’s interests, with the environmental impact being a common concern. UK-based digital investing app Moneyfarm recently launched its own socially responsible investing portfolios, enabling investors to pick portfolios that cover a variety of topics, including climate change, working conditions, corruption and more.

There are also several FinTech companies cropping up that exclusively focus on these types of ethics. Clim8 Invest is exclusively focused on the environment, enabling people to create a portfolio of companies operating in clean energy, clean technology, smart mobility, clean water, sustainable food and recycling.

However, with so many options available, it is easy for consumers to be overwhelmed and pick the wrong option. Gregory said, “When it comes to green and ethical investing, there’s more choice than ever. But this makes things very confusing for everyday investors. Greenwashing is also a serious issue, with limited regulation around using ESG labelling for investment products. So, while the majority of investors want their investments to have a positive impact, few follow through. This is what led me to create Sugi – providing personalised, understandable, relevant information so everyone can understand the impact of their investments and feel confident to make greener choices when managing their portfolios.”

Gregory continued to state that investment firms, both traditional firms and FinTechs, have started to launch new ESG funds and rebrand several existing vehicles. There have also been other options created, including low-carbon ETFs and “climate solutions” funds, which back businesses building solutions to combat climate change.

Another WealthTech company to have seen an increased appetite for ESG investing is WealthObjects, a digital robo and hybrid advice solution developer. WealthObjects CEO and founder Uday Nimmakayala explained how advisors have increasingly discussed ESG questionnaires and the best way of implementing them within their planning processes.

Nimmakayala said, “In the short term, we believe ESG consideration in the planning process will be a differentiating factor for Advisers, and in the medium term, it will become the norm. Regulations requiring the investments to be displayed with the ESG characteristics will lead to an exciting trend of ESG/Sustainable portfolios replacing and becoming the Standard Portfolios themselves. ESG becoming a norm is great news for society at large.”

Will there be regulation

As efforts to counter climate change continue to rise, regulations could be placed to ensure wealth managers offer more green portfolios. The UK government recently released a new green taxonomy, which is designed to provide better data on the environmental impact of firms. These measures will classify green activities and reveal climate-related risks.

Other ESG-focused regulations are starting to crop up around the world. The European Union is currently proposing a new Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation. This would require financial market participants to incorporate sustainability risks in their investment decision-making and advisory processes.

In Japan, a panel was established by the Financial Services Agency with the aim to boost investment into Japanese firms that support the carbon-neutral transition. One of the recommendations made was that institutional investors should enhance ESG investments and investee engagement to ensure capital market functions promote sustainable finance. Another suggestion was for asset managers to carefully explain characteristics of an ESG-related investment trust at its creation and be accountable in the area on an ongoing basis with the FSA.

However, more regulations might not be the key to ensuring firms offer more ESG portfolios. Daveus said, “Regulation is already happening with the requirements to report on ESG scores for investment products. Not sure if even more regulation would be an answer.”

The impact on the future

As appetite for these types of funds increases, it poses the subject of how the success of an investment firm could be tied with offering ESG portfolios. Daveus said, “I think it is an overall trend that will continue to grow as long as the debate on climate change is as active as it is today. It will probably simply merge into the mainstream where only more or less sustainable investment products will remain.” An example given is investment into electric cars if they become the norm and the only cars available for sale.

Gregory added, “Climate change is a clear risk for many organisations, and those who are not addressing this risk may struggle in the long term. It’s critical that ESG portfolios offered by investment firms actually deliver positive climate action instead of superficially exploiting a current trend.”

When questioned on whether a shift in investor appetite for ESG-focused portfolios could encourage more investors to move away from funds with investments into companies harmful to the environment, Gregory said, “Unfortunately, it’s not easy to identify investments that are harmful to the environment – and much depends on your own perspective. A good example is holding shares in ‘transition’ companies. These are companies, typically in polluting sectors, working hard to decarbonise their activities. They might have a high carbon impact now, but without ongoing financing and other shareholder support they could struggle to achieve their net zero commitments.

“Another example is climate solutions companies. While these companies help others to reduce their carbon emissions (e.g. through manufacturing wind turbines or producing components for electric cars), their own carbon footprint might be relatively high. It’s only through access to the right information that investors can make informed choices and invest in a way that aligns with their values.”

Speaking on the same question, Daveus echoed a similar response on the difficulty of knowing the impact companies have. He said, “Yes I think [it will cause a change], at least superficially as it is still very difficult to measure/know what is actually harmful to the environment or not, especially considering all aspects of a company’s product and services.”

Copyright © 2021 FinTech Global

原文來源：

https://member.fintech.global/2021/09/22/how-are-rising-esg-interests-changing-wealth-management-wealthtech/

Is no-code technology the future of WealthTech?

No-code technology is quickly becoming a major trend in software development. As wealth managers continue to increase their exposure to digital services, will no-code technology be their go-to solution?

According to research company Gartner, 70% of new applications developed by enterprises by 2025 will use no-code or low-code technology, up from less than 25% in 2020.

So, what exactly is no-code technology? It describes software products designed for fast, easy implementation without the need for programming skills. Leveraging graphical user interfaces and prebuilt configurations, these solutions are often drag-and-drop and can quickly digitise processes with significantly fewer IT resources. No-code is designed to allow businesses to customise products, without needing to hire a team of coders.

Another report from Gartner predicts that by 2024, 80% of technology products and services will be created by those who are not technology professionals.

With the current emphasis on digital transformation and personalisation, it is easy to see the appeal of the technology.

The question is, will no-code be the future for WealthTech solutions? Put simply, Stefan Willebrand, founder and CEO of SaaS financial services platform Bricknode, said “As with most things there is no silver bullet.” Willebrand stated it all depends on the problem that needs to be solved.

“I have always liked to combine working with no-code platforms with building my own custom components through coding. If you are only using no-code solutions, you will have a hard time creating unique experiences so I think that there are only so many shortcuts that you can take.”

For example, Willebrand said he would utilise a no-code solution when building a new website or building a company’s first customer portal within wealth management. This will help get experience with development and a taste of what can be done. Once this has been operational for a while, Willebrand would use the gained knowledge to create a unique customer experience from the start with his own code.

Moving even further away from the benefit of no-code technology, Fredrik Davéus – co-founder of financial analytics API developer Kidbrooke – sees little value in the technology. Davéus said, “I’m sceptical of low/no-code solutions overall. You can only do what the platform allows you to do. Few people have training on each solution vs more general programming languages. It does not take away the need for skills associated with software development since any large project will require classic dev ops.”

Is no-code better for scalability?

As mentioned, there is clearly a rising interest for no-code and low-code technology. Willebrand believes this is also happening in the wealth management space, with firms seeing the technology as an easy way to start a business without needing a big investment in development.

It is no secret that firms have been held back by legacy technology. This has often hindered firms’ ability to adapt to new solutions, and as a result, firms are often keen on scalability. Having a solution that can scale for the future is beneficial in the long run. No-code technology, like most software, has pros and cons for scalability.

Willebrand stated that it all depends on the company’s requirements. For example, if the company is launching a customer portal where a few thousand customers will log on a few times a month to monitor their portfolio, there would be no issues with scalability from a performance perspective. However, if a firm is releasing a day trading platform that is data intensive and needs low latency, Willebrand believes full control of the code is essential.

As for a maintenance and development perspective, Willebrand stated no-code has benefits of not requiring staff to learn complicated code, particularly new joiners.

Davéus also highlighted some potential challenges with scalability around maintenance and flexibility when relying on no-code technology. He said, “Maintenance since you have to train people specifically on the solution and flexibility since you can only do things that are supported within the framework of the low code solution.”

Benefits of no-code

Karen Oakland, VP of industry marketing for financial services at customer conversation management software developer Smart Communications, highlighted that many wealth managers are already benefiting from no-code. For example, many are transforming their business processes from traditional PDFs and static web forms into a guided digital interview instead, which enables a more personalised, adaptive customer experience.

Oakland explained that these adaptive digital and mobile interviews are integrated with the core systems, eliminating the need to rekey information or upload documents. Questions and rules can be updated within minutes as market conditions or regulations change, all while meeting internal guidelines for security and data management. Additionally, complex documents and document packages can be generated on demand and automatically delivered via e-signature solutions to streamline customer experiences.

Oakland added, “With pre-built, validated connectors to many of the core systems used in banking today, as well as a flexible architecture and open APIs, SmartIQ can be implemented in weeks. Like many low-code solutions, it’s also purpose-built for business users, with no Java or programming skills required. Without putting in an IT request for help, analysts or other non-technical users can further control a range of visual and brand elements—from logos and colours to typography and styling—and view them in a live preview that makes it easy to view changes instantly and in context.”

Another benefit Oakland outlined with no-code technology was increased operational efficiency due to reduced paper and manual workloads when opening, onboarding data collection, servicing and reporting. There is also the chance for improved data quality and eliminating Not in Good Order rates, as well as improved speed to market by quickly onboarding new investments faster and improving customer satisfaction and speed to revenue.

Oakland also said no-code offers a better use of resources by reducing manual workloads, and reduces IT development costs through the easy-to-use interfaces.

Problems with the technology

That said, there are some challenges companies need to be aware of before they dive into the world of no-code technology. Alongside flexibility issues, Davéus stated that there is a shortage of people with knowledge of these specialised solutions, compared to those with general programming language skills.

Willebrand echoed the same challenge around flexibility. When using standardised components, even if they are configurable, there is a limit on what can be done. But not everyone will need to go beyond the limits. “The most annoying but also true answer that I usually get from my developer friends in our discussions is ‘it depends’.”

Another challenge both Willebrand and Davéus highlighted was the risk of getting too excited by the hype and not properly assessing solutions before engaging with no-code solutions. Willebrand said, “You need to find some sort of balance between paralysis by analysis and jumping the gun too early. The risk is the same with any new project that is started and nothing that in particular relates to no-code solutions other than it might be even a bit easier to jump the gun too early since the barrier of entry is lower.”

While it might be tempting to jump straight in, firms need to know what they want and go in with a vision and plan.

Willebrand added that a long-term mindset is key. He added, “Platforms and systems within finance should be bought in the same way as firms are buying CRM systems like Salesforce or project management systems from Atlassian. There should not be a crew of consultants needed for a year to get a solution going for you, it should be instant, and you or maybe a single consultant should be able to get things configured and going for you.”

Oakland also warned firms to be thoughtful about their adoption of the technology. “No code / low code applications aren’t a panacea for all ills,” Oakland said. She added that using many different platforms and solutions multiply the risks of bad apps and information chaos. As a result, IT teams need to have processes ready for system governance to support business agility and information security.

Oakland added, “No code solutions are not always designed to scale to meet enterprise needs, and customers today are unforgiving when a system goes down.

“Not only that, but it’s important to look at interoperability and integration with your core systems. It’s difficult enough to live with data silos with legacy on-premise software. Don’t let your business users create even more silos. IT leaders need to partner with them to create the data connections they need, then make sure they are able to manage the day-to-day changes and optimisations. Furthermore, IT needs to make sure that the business keeps up with training, or the system can end up sitting on the virtual shelf.”

The future?

With a look into the future of no-code technology, Oakland concluded, “No one wishes for a global pandemic, but most industry experts agree that as customer behaviour shifted to digital channels in the years since 2020, this has accelerated investment in digital innovation. This puts pressure on IT leaders to build a strategy that delivers competitive differentiation.

“This competitive pressure will continue to grow. Celent reports a Microsoft estimate that 500 million new apps will be built by 2026, more than was built in the previous 40 years. Demand for applications is growing five times faster than IT departments can deliver. This need for business agility requires IT leaders to take a step back from the desire to control, and to consider where low/no code solutions can actually reduce the burden on their departments and deliver value to the business in weeks, not years.”

Copyright © 2022 FinTech Global

原文來源：https://member.fintech.global/2022/08/31/is-no-code-technology-the-future-of-wealthtech/

Insurance industry yet to fully embrace AI benefit: Accenture

Insurers are lagging other industries in making use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to meet the expectations of modern customers and keep them happy, Accenture says.

Almost a third of claimants are not fully satisfied with their home and auto insurance claims-handling experience, a survey of the past two years of claims activity by Accenture has found, with speed of settlement topping the list of grievances.

Accenture calculates that unless AI is embraced to improve customer retention, $250 billion in premiums is at risk over the next five years across the insurance sector, creating winners and losers.

“That is the amount of money that is going to be moving around the industry. The implications to individual companies will of course vary,” Accenture MD of Applied Intelligence Raphael James tells insuranceNEWS.com.au.

“To modernise the technology will take a fair bit of investment and a fair bit of effort. The ideal approach is to design for a future that we know is going to be heavily AI orientated, but at the same time bite that elephant off in pieces – so design for the future and build out in stages.”

Insurers are "still way behind where we need to be” in data use, and in the years ahead, claims processing, broking and underwriting are all set to be transformed by AI.

Underwriting in particular clearly lends itself to the technology, being structured, data driven, rules orientated, and regulated.

AI can develop insights at scale that would take “enormous amounts of manual effort” for people to match, and can "surface those insights” from the large volume of data that is readily available, and drive decision making within processes like underwriting.

“If I were to be provocative, I would actually say it should be entirely machine managed,” Mr James said. "It is not a subjective set of processes. Artificial intelligence should accelerate those processes and at a minimum augment the decision-making for the underwriter.”

The machine managed underwriting should “only flick through exceptions to humans for more of the industry specific, knowledge orientated elements that require further research,” he says.

"The amount of machine learning and AI decision-making capability that exists should make the underwriting process incredibly seamless and managed by machines.”

Accenture says the costs of implementing AI are falling dramatically and industries such as retail are leading the way.

"AI is no longer a technology of the future but an established presence in our everyday lives. Many insurance innovators are already putting it to work to deliver better customer experiences and empower their workforces in parts of their business,” it said.

原文來源：https://www.insurancenews.com.au/insurtech/insurance-industry-yet-to-fully-embrace-ai-benefit-accenture