Author: Gayathri

The financial services industry has always been a heavy consumer of computational power. From calculating derivatives and forecasting risk to detecting fraudulent transactions, the sector thrives on the ability to process massive volumes of data quickly and accurately. Traditionally, this reliance has been served by high-performance computing (HPC) clusters and, more recently, GPU-accelerated systems. However, now another frontier is opening up: quantum computing. While true large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum systems are still years away, global banks and fintech vendors are not standing still. They are running pilots, partnering with technology providers, and experimenting with both quantum algorithms and supercomputing infrastructures to…

The Geopolitical Shock to Global Payments Imagine you’re the treasurer of a multinational electronics firm. Overnight, the inputs for your next product run, rare earth metals critical for chips and batteries, are caught in a tariff crossfire. Simultaneously, your bank informs you that suppliers now prefer to settle in renminbi rather than dollars, citing Beijing’s retaliatory policy shifts. Suddenly, you’re not only navigating supply shortages but also asking whether your cross-border payments engine, sanctions screening, and risk models are ready for an RMB-first future. This isn’t a hypothetical exercise; it is the new reality emerging at the intersection of geopolitics…

Introduction: Why Lending Needs More Than Speed In 2025, fintech lending is no longer a side business; it is the engine driving consumer and corporate finance. Commercial Loan Origination Systems (CLOS) and Retail Loan Origination Systems (RLOS) form the backbone of digital-first banking. It enables everything from instant BNPL approvals to AI-based SME credit scoring. Yet beneath this innovation lies a fragile foundation: fragmented, inconsistent, and unsecured data. Borrowers often get mis-scored because their financial history is split across banks, wallets, and credit bureaus. This leaves lenders with incomplete or outdated records that stall approvals and inflate rejection rates. In…

In 2025, India has become the benchmark for digital finance. Consumers here can pay, borrow, and send money almost instantly, which makes financial services feel like second nature. Meanwhile, countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and those in the European Union still rely on systems that are slower, more regulated, and filled with friction. This article explores how India built financial experiences that are simple, fast, and inclusive, while the West continues to emphasize security and compliance at the cost of consumer ease. Instant Payments: UPI Adoption in India Compared to Real-Time Payments in the West India’s…

Cloud FP&A has spent the last two years growing from “cloud economics plus smarter forecasting” into a genuinely operations-aware performance platform. The 2024 SPARK Matrix spotlighted that by elevating account reconciliation, rule-based automation, and in-product RPA from nice-to-haves to selection drivers. 2025 doubles down on those expectations by rewarding vendors that can operate FP&A with embedded AI. It also includes scaling across multi-entity models, and interoperates natively with ERP, CRM, HCM, and BI estates. This blog is more than a leaderboard shuffle. It’s a signal that finance transformation is now measured by closed-loop execution, plan → actuals → variance →…

Introduction: Can Banks Keep Pace With Launderers? Every year, billions of dollars move illegally across borders, disguised under layers of transactions. Regulators are tightening their grip, levying record fines on financial institutions that fail to comply. In this high-stakes environment, Anti-Money Laundering (AML) software is no longer optional, it is essential. The global AML software market is projected to surpass $5.8 billion by 2027, fueled by rising financial crime, AI innovation, and stricter cross-border regulations. From AI-powered risk scoring to cloud-native compliance platforms, solutions are evolving quickly. But with so many vendors, how do institutions know which tools deliver real…

Financial services used to treat personalization as an afterthought, adding a name to an email or showing a “recommended” savings plan based on age group. That’s no longer enough. Customers now expect their bank or fintech app to anticipate needs, deliver relevant offers, and help them make better decisions in real time. As CX Tech Buzz’s “Hyper-Personalization and the End of One-Size-Fits-All CX” notes, people are looking for interactions that feel designed just for them. In fintech, where trust and timing can make or break a relationship, hyper-personalization is becoming the competitive standard. From General Personalization to AI-Led Precision Hyper-personalization…

In 2023, behavioral biometrics was largely seen as an advanced but niche fraud prevention tool, a complement to multi-factor authentication rather than a core identity defense. Fast-forward to 2024, and the SPARK Matrix™ for Behavioral Biometrics & Device Intelligence paints a very different picture. In 2024, the results show the technology maturing into a unified fraud intelligence layer, where behavioral analysis is paired with device intelligence for continuous, multi-signal authentication. The QKS Group’s SPARK Matrix™ evaluates vendors across Technology Excellence and Customer Impact, benchmarking capabilities such as continuous authentication, AI-driven risk scoring, behavioral profiling, and integration with threat intelligence. It’s…

Have you noticed how your phone is slowly replacing your wallet, your bank branch, and even your shopping app? What started as simple mobile payment tools has now evolved into a battleground between digital wallets and Super Apps, two very different approaches competing for control of your financial and lifestyle needs. The lines between them are blurring, but their strategies remain distinct. In this blog, we’ll unpack how each model works, compare their features, and explore where they’re headed. From market growth to security challenges, we’ll look at why this race is heating up and why the outcome might not…

Ripple, the global enterprise blockchain company behind XRP Ledger and a rapidly expanding suite of crypto-enabled payment solutions, has announced a definitive agreement to acquire Rail, a Toronto-based fintech specializing in stablecoin-powered payment infrastructure, for US$200 million. The transaction, expected to close in Q4 2025, is subject to customary regulatory approvals. This acquisition marks Ripple’s most significant push yet into the stablecoin payments sector—an arena where compliance, liquidity, and seamless integration have become the make-or-break factors for enterprise adoption. About the Companies Ripple is best known for its cross-border payment network, Ripple Payments, which serves banks, fintechs, and corporates in…