Category:

Technology

US Regulators disagree over giving Fintechs Federal Charter to skirt State Rules

Companies such as PayPal and LendingClub Corp. have attracted millions of customers by offering greater convenience or better prices than traditional banks. The OCC and the FDIC say such firms can broaden access to financial services because their low-cost models allow them to reach poorly served areas and offer small loans that are uneconomical for bigger banks.

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Turtlemint’s $25 million funding by Sequoia

“Turtlemint has pioneered a new model that is not only bringing new agents into the insurance domain but is also helping them become more productive & effective with their customers by making them digitally savvy”, said Harshjit Sethi, Principal, Sequoia Capital India Advisors. “Sequoia India is excited to partner with them from the early stages – the company is growing at a very fast clip and is well on its way to transforming insurance distribution in the country”, he added.

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IMD working to give forecast on thunderstorms 6-12 hours in advance

M Rajeevan from the Ministry of Earth Sciences said this year the IMD plans to have Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in place for dealing with thunderstorms instances and it will be working more closely with the National Diaster Management Authority (NMDA). Sending early warnings to states will give them more time to respond, he said, adding the system should be in place by April. 

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Sharing Safety:Toyota offers Its Driver Assistance Technology to Competitors

Self-driving cars and related mobility services could become a $10 trillion market, according to Ford Motor Co. Chief Executive Officer Jim Hackett. Toyota’s seemingly selfless act could pay off in fat royalties and potentially burnish its reputation as a safety and technology leader just as those attributes become critical to the autonomous age. Toyota insists it’s about saving lives in a world where 1.3 million people die on the highway each year.

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Los Angeles sues IBM’s Weather Channel for use of location tracking

In a complaint filed Thursday [Jan. 3] in California state court, the city alleges IBM used detailed location data from users for targeted advertising and to identify consumer trends that might be useful to hedge funds, while at the same time telling consumers their location would only be used to localize weather forecasts. The suit doesn’t allege personally identifiable information was sold.

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RBI sets up panel under Nandan Nilekani to boost digital payments

The panel has been tasked with reviewing the existing status of digitisation of payments in the country, identifying the current gaps in the ecosystem and suggesting ways to bridge them and assessing the current levels of digital payments in financial inclusion. It will also “suggest measures to strengthen the safety and security of digital payments… (and) a road map for increasing customer confidence and trust while accessing financial services through digital modes”.

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