BBVA reveals 2018 Open Talent finalists

BBVA has announced the finalists of its FinTech competition Open Talent, which received more than 6,000 entries from startups across 80 countries.

Open Talent has been designed to drive and support disruption in the banking sector, seeking innovation that allows it to build services beyond those traditionally offered by a bank. The competition will help the FinTechs grow by providing them with access to the bank’s services and processes.

Three finalists have been selected for each of the categories – Future, People and Business.

FinTech for Future:

- Sedicii – Identity verification startup based in Ireland that allows users to verify identity data between two parties without exposing the underlying data. The company makes online activity safe by eliminating the need to store or transmit sensitive personal information over the web when logging in to an internet service.
- Taqanu – Blockchain-based digital identity platform and surrounding ecosystem. Taqanu aims to solve social and financial inclusion issues, using their blockchain technology to encourage innovative solutions to address social and environmental challenges.
- Cindicator – Hybrid intelligence system where millions of decentralised financial analysts are enhanced by artificial intelligence to provide valuable and precise forecasts for traditional financial markets and markets of crypto-assets.
FinTech for People:

- ToGarantido – Brazil-based automated chatbot platform, focused on giving consumers online access to insurance solutions and specially designed for low income populations in Latin America.
- ChargeAfter – First financing solution that enables retailers to offer personalised financing options to their customers in real-time through a global network of lenders.
- Cashaa – Smart digital wallet that has built and beta-tested a blockchain-powered forex platform, offering innovative exchange and money transfer services between fiat and cryptocurrencies.
FinTech for Business:

- DunForce – Spanish software startup and the first intelligent collection agent to use AI and machine learning to solve the growing problem of late payments. The software reduces client risks and cost of collection through its all-in-one predictive Software as a Service solution.
- Finnest – Pan-European corporate finance platform which provides established SMEs with alternative access to the capital market and offers investors a key to private placements of financially sound enterprises.
- Sedicii – Also announced as a finalist for this category.

Finalists have the opportunity to take home a €150,000 prize fund and join an immersion week with the bank, where they will learn to partner with a corporate, potentially becoming a customer and find solutions to their specific business challenges from expertise within the bank.

    Share Story:

Recent Stories


Data trust in the AI era: Building customer confidence through responsible banking
In the second episode of FStech’s three-part video podcast series sponsored by HCLTech, Sudip Lahiri, Executive Vice President & Head of Financial Services for Europe & UKI at HCLTech examines the critical relationship between data trust, transparency, and responsible AI implementation in financial services.

Banking's GenAI evolution: Beyond the hype, building the future
In the first episode of a three-part video podcast series sponsored by HCLTech, Sudip Lahiri, Executive Vice President & Head of Financial Services for Europe & UKI at HCLTech explores how financial institutions can navigate the transformative potential of Generative AI while building lasting foundations for innovation.

Beyond compliance: Transforming document management into a strategic advantage for financial institutions
In this exclusive fireside chat, John Rockliffe, Pre-Sales Manager at d.velop, discusses the findings of Adapting to a Digital-Native World: Financial Services Document Management Beyond 2025 and explores how FSIs can turn document workflows into a competitive advantage.

Sanctions evasion in an era of conflict: Optimising KYC and monitoring to tackle crime
The ongoing war in Ukraine and resulting sanctions on Russia, and the continuing geopolitical tensions have resulted in an unprecedented increase in parties added to sanctions lists.