August 2019

The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future

Much of what will happen in the next thirty years is inevitable, driven by technological trends that are already in motion. In this fascinating, provocative new book, Kevin Kelly provides an optimistic road map for the future, showing how the coming changes in our lives--from virtual reality in the home to an on-demand economy to artificial intelligence embedded in everything we manufacture--can be understood as the result of a few long-term, accelerating forces. Kelly both describes these deep trends--interacting,...

Bank 4.0: Banking Everywhere, Never at a Bank

Bank 4.0 explores the radical transformation already taking place in banking, and follows it to its logical conclusion. What will banking look like in 30 years? 50 years? The world's best banks have been forced to adapt to changing consumer behaviors; regulators are rethinking friction, licensing and regulation; Fintech start-ups and tech giants are redefining how banking fits in the daily life of consumers. To survive, banks are having to develop new capabilities, new jobs and new skills. The...

Blockchain Basics: A Non-Technical Introduction in 25 Steps

In 25 concise steps, you will learn the basics of blockchain technology. No mathematical formulas, program code, or computer science jargon are used. No previous knowledge in computer science, mathematics, programming, or cryptography is required. Terminology is explained through pictures, analogies, and metaphors. This book bridges the gap that exists between purely technical books about the blockchain and purely business-focused books. It does so by explaining both the technical concepts that make up the blockchain and their role in...

FinTech Revolution: Universal Inclusion in the New Financial Ecosystem

This book is a practical guide to the evolving landscape of finance, highlighting how it’s changing our relationship with money and how financial technology, together with macroeconomic and societal change, is rewriting the story of how business is done in developing economies. Financial services companies are trying to become more customer focused, but struggling to help huge customer segments, particularly in developing economies. Alternative financial models and tools are emerging, which are being embraced by consumers and incumbents....

July 2019

Extending Pension Coverage to the Informal Sector in Africa

By Melis Guven & Ernesto Brodersohn The coverage of pension systems in the Africa region is limited to the small segment of the population in the formal sector. Coverage is thin partly because traditional contributory pension schemes are not responding to the needs of the informal sector. As a result, a large share of the region’s adult population has no access to contributory pension schemes during their working lives. This means they will not be eligible for a pension....

June 2019

The Future Shape of Insurance and Risk Management in the Cyber-Physical Space

By W. Jean Kwon For years, the insurance industry was essentially about mathematical quantification and financial transformation of physical risks. But our world has become more interconnected with the advent of the internet, blockchain etc.: as a consequence, cyber risk is expanding rapidly. Here, Prof. W. Jean Kwon looks at how the insurance industry will adapt to the “cyber-physical” world order. Source: SSRN

May 2019

Mobile Coverage and its Impact on Digital Financial Services

By Leon Perlman, Michael Wechsler Digital Financial Services (DFS) is a relatively recent mobile-centric financial inclusion innovation in developing. Using ubiquitous mobile phones as the means of service access (primarily through 2G narrowband services, with broadband 3G and 4G potentially available). DFS provides the unbanked and underserved - many of whom live in rural areas - with access to basic financial services provided by banks and nonbanks such as mobile network operators and third party DFS providers (DFSPs)....

The Regulation of Mobile Money: Law and Practice in Sub-Saharan Africa (Palgrave Macmillan Studies in Banking and Financial Institutions)

By Sunduzwayo Madise The emergence of mobile money and other new forms of payment has changed the sovereign foundations of money. Starting as a Department for International Development funded project in Kenya, mobile money has now spread to many developing countries. This book looks at the regulatory issues that mobile money poses, and the potential risks to the financial system. It undertakes a comparative study of mobile money regimes in Kenya, Malaŵi, Tanzania, and South Africa. Although the main...

April 2019

Cyber Security: 15th International Annual Conference, CNCERT 2018, Beijing, China, August 14–16, 2018, Revised Selected Papers

By Xiaochun Yun, Weiping Wen, Bo Lang, Hanbing Yan, Li Ding, Jia Li, Yu Zhou This open access book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 15th International Annual Conference on Cyber Security, CNCERT 2018, held in Beijing, China, in August 2018. The 14 full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 53 submissions. The papers cover the following topics: emergency response, mobile internet security, IoT security, cloud security, threat intelligence analysis, vulnerability, artificial intelligence security, IPv6 risk research, cybersecurity...

Blockchain in Healthcare: Innovations That Empower Patients, Connect Professionals and Improve Care

By Vikram Dhillon, John Bass, Max Hooper, David Metcalf, Alex Cahana Blockchain technology is poised to revolutionize more than just payment and crypto-currency. Many vertical industries will be reshaped by the new trusted data models enabled and inspired by the blockchain - healthcare is no exception. In fact, healthcare may hold the greatest opportunities for meaningful use of the technology. Early pioneers have explored some of the first use cases for medical payments, electronic health records, HIPAA/data privacy, drug counterfeiting,...