As of 16. August 2018, it’s official: figo GmbH is now a regulated institution under the Payment Services Supervision Act (Zahlungsdiensteaufsichtsgesetz - ZAG), granting figo authorisation by the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) to provide payment initiation (PIS) and account information services (AIS), which have been regulated since the beginning of the year.
At the end of 2015, figo set its focus on fulfilling regulatory requirements as soon as the new licensing requirements for the Payment Services Directive 2 (PSD2) became known. This licence as a payment institution is the natural consequence of a consistent focus on security, transparency and compliance. figo saw early on that the consistent rules offered by the regulation were an opportunity not only for their own business model, but for the entire industry, leveling the playing field.
Young FinTech companies and traditional banks alike are already offering innovative services using figo's technology. In order to continue to allow companies without their own BaFin permission to implement products and features requiring regulated account access or payment initiation, figo has developed RegShield. The 'Licence as a Service' model addresses two types of businesses in particular: small startups that lack the resources they need, and large companies that do not want to alter their already complex processes in order to secure a licence.
figo can take over regulatory responsibility for account holders for ZAG services our partners want to integrate into their services. With this product, our partners will not need their own PIS/AIS authorisation, so they can focus fully on the customer value of their innovative services.André M. Bajorat, figo CEO
The regulatory requirements for figo as a payment institution not only require a great deal of effort for the licence application, but also continuous monitoring of operational processes and corporate development. In order to meet this challenge even better in the future, there was an extension of the C-level: Cornelia Schwertner assumed the position of Chief Risk Officer (CRO) in August 2018. She joined figo in April 2016 and led the licensing project as Head of Governance, Risk & Compliance. In her new role, she will oversee all regulatory compliance issues in corporate governance and strategic decision making.
figo is convinced that regulating access to accounts creates trust among consumers, increases acceptance of open banking, and thus promotes innovation. The ZAG licence allows us to be an even more reliable partner for banks, insurance companies and FinTech and InsurTech companies.Cornelia Schwertner, figo CRO
Find out more about RegShield at: https://www.figo.io/en/regshield/
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