Tag: fintech

Sun Life feels ready for oncoming “insurtech” [Portfolio]

/ Gary Hilson

There may be a generational divide when it comes to embracing online services for banking and insurance, but for Sun Life, that generational divide is shrinking.

“Everyone is touching a digital channel today,” Cynthia Stark, VP of digital strategy for Sun Life Financial global marketing, tells ITBusiness.ca. “It’s just a degree of comfort and how deep how they will go.”

She would know: Sun Life recently refreshed both its Canadian website and mobile app, and though many customers are only using the company’s online services to review information rather than conduct transactions, it was important that both platforms be able to accommodate as wide a range of users as possible, she says.

Read my full article on ITBusiness.ca.

Trust in fintech suffers from a generational divide [Portfolio]

/ Gary Hilson

The big banks may have more time than they think before their “Uber moment” arrives based on this year’s Digital Money Trends Report, which found that Canadians are still wary of fintech, even as they increasingly search for information about financial products online.

The second annual report released by online financial comparison site RateHub.ca found that Canadians to not place a high level of trust in fintech companies yet, especially compared to their counterparts in the U.S., as there are fewer players here and less awareness. In addition, fintechs in Canada are newer and Canadians tend to have entrenched loyalty to the Big Five banks, unlike the fragmented financial services south of the border.

Read my full article on ITBusiness.ca.

Juniper predicts more chatbots and fintech in 2017 [Portfolio]

/ Gary Hilson

Ashley Madison users have already unwittingly encountered a great deal of bots, but in 2017 they are going to become more prevalent – and more transparent to the user, according to U.K.-based Juniper Research.

In its top 10 predictions for the year, the organization forecasts that chatbots – virtual agents which operate via social networks and messaging platforms – will grow in presence and popularity, streamlining e-commerce activities such as booking flights and hotels, or to order items directly by speaking with a bot through an app.

Read my full article on ITBusiness.ca.