Finastra plans to utlize blockchain to solve SME funding gap

Finastra plans a range of initiatives which will enable its customers to accelerate through change, as well as creating positive outcomes for millions of people around the world. The move is part of the company's ongoing innovation and open cloud platform strategy.

Finastra will focus on funding the SME gap through a micro finance initiative called  Trust Machine, in Kenya.  The solution will utilize the expertise of its partners in in data, financial literacy, blockchain and scenario modelling, the resulting loan and balance sheet optimization solution aims to reduce the $19bn funding gap by 1% in the country, which could potentially create 50,000 new jobs to encourage sustainable economic growth. 

Finastra is also working on financial inclusion utilizing  Finastra digital solutions which enable  customers to reach over five million people who are currently unbanked. One example is IFIC Bank in Bangladesh which is helping to bring more people into the banking ecosystem, many of whom didn't hold a bank account before. 

Separately, having moved to the cloud earlier this year, Finastra's core banking platform, Fusion Phoenix, is expected to enable US community banks and credit unions to provide continued banking support remotely to nearly a million end users.

"2020 has been a year of monumental change and disruption on so many fronts. With it has come a broader awareness of the need to redefine finance for good, and to empower better outcomes for society as a whole," said Simon Paris, CEO of Finastra. "Our goal is to support our customers through this change as they accelerate their digital transformation and deepen the role of financial services to help millions of individuals, SMEs and communities navigate the future. Our people, technology and ecosystem help tackle some of the biggest challenges in our industry, with the aim of driving open finance and economic prosperity for all." 

Erika Baumann, Senior Wholesale Banking Analyst, Aite Group said, "COVID-19 has forced a global rethink for many organizations, accelerating the need for solutions that positively impact lives, businesses and communities. Initiatives like Finastra's Trust Machine, which pull together ecosystem expertise to tackle bigger problems such as inequality and poverty, are just one way that industry is reshaping itself for better outcomes."

Finastra's broad technology product set across lending, payments, treasury and retail banking is powering these initiatives, alongside its FusionFabric.cloud open developer platform. It is all underpinned by a comprehensive suite of data-driven insights applications to improve business intelligence; and a suite of transformational services designed to help customers successfully accelerate through change.