Author: Gayathri

Introduction KYC has long been an important function in the financial industry for a very long time. Although KYC is considered a regulatory requirement to verify customer identity, its scope has evolved significantly. What started as a checkpoint for compliance has now developed into a front-line defense against fraud, money laundering, and identity theft. In 2025, the stakes are higher, and so are the expectations. With growing digital adoption, rising fraud threats, and changing regulatory requirements, KYC is no longer just about onboarding; it’s about lifecycle identity assurance. This blog discusses how identity technologies are reshaping KYC across the fintech…

Financial Crime is Changing. Are We? Money laundering is no longer a background risk; it’s a frontline threat. In 2025, criminals move faster, hide deeper, and use more sophisticated techniques. According to FATF estimates, as much as $2 trillion is laundered globally each year. Regulatory authorities across the world are responding by tightening compliance mandates, from beneficial ownership disclosure laws in the U.S. to real-time KYC regulations in Europe and APAC. Therefore, with these developments, anti-money laundering (AML) is no longer just about staying compliant; it’s about staying ahead.  The QKS SPARK Matrix™: Anti-Money Laundering Solutions 2025 serves as a…

The financial services landscape is changing at an unprecedented pace. Open finance, an emerging model built on the principles of open banking, promises to redefine how consumers and businesses interact with financial products and services. However, while the potential for innovation is vast, the question remains: are we ready for this next phase of financial evolution? What Open Finance Really Means Open finance goes beyond the initial scope of open banking. Open Banking largely focuses on payments and account information. Whereas open finance expands this ecosystem. This includes a broader range of financial products, credit scoring, lending, pensions, insurance, and…

The regulatory landscape in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) is rapidly evolving. Simultaneously, the technologies that are designed to keep financial institutions compliant are also evolving. What was once seen as a back-office administration has now become a front and center in boardroom strategy. Regulatory Technology is no longer a niche. It’s a critical enabler of trust in digital finance, and APAC is quickly becoming a proving ground for its global potential. From Singapore’s vibrant sandbox ecosystem to India’s digitally integrated KYC framework, the APAC region offers a fascinating patchwork of innovation, urgency, and structural diversity. In this blog, we explore what’s…

As fintech companies scale in size and sophistication, they increasingly rely on Integrated Risk Management (IRM) to build a strong foundation. It helps businesses respond to cyber threats, comply with regulations, track third-party dependencies, and maintain business continuity. From payment apps to digital lending platforms, IRM is the engine behind resilient fintech operations. However, there is a growing challenge. IRM tools are largely limited to internal systems. The most devastating risks often originate from the external world, beyond the firewall. That’s where Digital Risk Protection (DRP) enters the picture. What Is Digital Risk Protection? Digital Risk Protection (DRP) refers to…

For a long time, digital wealth management platforms were viewed as back-end support tools, used mostly for compliance, reporting, and operational tracking. But with rising demand for hyper-personalization, real-time advisory, and seamless investor journeys, that perception is gone. Today’s platforms are no longer behind the scenes. They are the scene. When you compare the SPARK Matrix™ evaluations from 2023 and 2024, the narrative becomes clear: this isn’t a static market. It’s a dynamic race. One where vendors are being rewarded for agility, modularity, and AI-infused experiences, and penalized for standing still. The Consistents: Holding Leadership With Purpose Some vendors just…

In today’s hyper-competitive digital financial services landscape, it’s tempting to equate a good user experience (UX) with overall platform excellence. But the real question is: what powers that experience under the hood? According to the SPARK Matrix™ 2024 report by QKS Group, the future of digital banking lies in far more than visual polish. This in-depth analysis of global digital banking platform vendors reveals that top performers are moving beyond front-end UX into more sophisticated territories, AI integration, hyper-personalization, real-time fraud prevention, and intelligent open architectures. The findings are clear: fintech in 2024 is not just about building beautiful apps.…

For years, ESG was a checkbox. A well-structured report, a polished disclosure, and maybe a net-zero goal 20 years out. But as climate pressure intensifies, supply chains demand transparency, and regulations bite harder, that mindset is fading, and fast. Today, ESG technology is no longer about reporting the past. It’s about driving the future. Take a step back and look at the SPARK Matrix™ reports from both 2023 and 2024 side by side, and you’ll start to see the real story. These aren’t just static snapshots, they’re part of a moving picture. Compared together they show how the ESG platform…

There’s a quiet war happening in the financial compliance world. It isn’t being waged on trading floors or boardrooms, but deep within the frameworks of anti-money laundering (AML) platforms. As regulators push harder, and criminals grow smarter, the technology stack meant to fight financial crime is under immense pressure to evolve and fast. The SPARK Matrix™ Anti-Money Laundering Solutions Report from QKS Group serves as a diagnostic snapshot of this evolution. Comparing the 2023 and 2024 editions offers not just a scorecard of which vendors lead, lag, or leapfrog, but more importantly, it offers a window into the future of…

Have you ever imagined a world where bills pay themselves, vendors never have to wait, and your finance team doesn’t drown in paperwork? Welcome to the rapidly evolving universe of Accounts Payable Automation (APA), a critical pillar in the modern Fintech and Banking & Financial Services (BFSI) domain. With digital transformation now a necessity rather than a trend, APA is no longer a luxury. It’s a must-have for any business aiming to stay competitive in today’s fast-paced world. And thanks to the SPARK Matrix™ 2024 report, we now have a bird’s-eye view of which vendors are making waves, and which…