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Microsoft and Finastra Open Cloud Solution to Exponentially Accelerate Innovation for 8,500 Banks and Institutions

Finastra and Microsoft Corp have announced a strategic, multiyear cloud agreement to help accelerate the digital transformation of financial services and help realize an open-source future for finance.

In a release shared with Blockchain.News on July 21, Finastra and Microsoft announced a multiyear global strategic agreement to accelerate the transformation of financial services. The alliance will support demand for cloud solutions, aiming to compress years of innovation into months for 8,500 banking and financial institutions worldwide.

Open Source Future of Finance

The alliance of Finastra and Microsoft marks a commitment and builds on the 3,000 banks and financial institutions already supported by both companies across payments, lending, treasury, and retail banking on Azure. The agreement, paired with the unparalleled disruption of the industry, will reimagine the way banks and credit unions use technology and how we all think about sustainable, open finance.

Simon Paris, CEO, Finastra said, “We believe the future of finance is open. Together with Microsoft, we can provide people, businesses, and communities with the solutions and services that fit around their needs and lives, unlocking the power and potential of finance for everyone. As the pandemic has brought the future forward with regard to digitization, our vision to transform the world of financial services aligns closely with Microsoft’s ambitions, and I believe that together we can help accelerate this digital shift.”

According to the release, leveraging Microsoft platforms has already allowed Finastra to accelerate its product road maps to bring even more of its mission-critical solutions to the cloud for its 8,500 customers, alongside advancements in data, AI, and open banking.

“Finastra’s open developer platform, built on Microsoft Azure, is leading the way in accelerating collaboration and innovation in financial services. By helping with capabilities such as e-signatory and e-notary, Finastra is able to quickly extend those solutions for more customers,” said Scott Guthrie, executive vice president, Cloud + AI, Microsoft. “By delivering on operational efficiencies and reducing risk, we will help increase productivity and enable deeper client engagement.”

The Workplace of the Future

Along with the strategic partner relationship, Finastra’s Fusion Fabric.cloud open innovation platform will continue to encourage co-innovation of next-generation financial services applications.

The solution is powered by Microsoft Azure, and allows developers unprecedented access to build right on top of Finastra’s core systems for faster incubation of applications at scale. In addition, Microsoft Azure, the Power Platform and Office 365 are also being leveraged by Finastra to transform its own business and optimize operations.

With a focus on creating a workplace of the future, the Microsoft Workplace Analytics capabilities could also foster faster, and more definitive decision-making.

Space and Time and Microsoft Make Blockchain Data Accessible on Azure Marketplace

Seattle, United States, April 19th, 2023, Chainwire

Space and Time and Microsoft announce that developers can now deploy the Space and Time data warehouse directly from the Microsoft Azure Marketplace, an online store providing applications and services for use on Azure. The one-click deployment provides customers with an accelerated on-ramp to easily access, manage and perform analytics on blockchain-native data.

As a leader in intelligent computing and AI, Microsoft is committed to supporting its customers and partners with their business needs, including Web3 scenarios and use cases. In September 2022, Microsoft’s venture capital fund, M12, led a funding round for Space and Time. The one-click deployment of Space and Time on the Azure Marketplace provides developers with a trustless intermediary to quickly and easily onboard large volumes of enterprise data to smart contracts, as well as new use cases for indexed blockchain data.

“At Microsoft, we are empowering growth across emerging markets—including blockchain and distributed data. Together, Microsoft Azure and Space and Time will provide developers with the tools they need to build the next generation of blockchain use cases,” said Kathleen Mitford, CVP of Global Industry Marketing.

The integration allows businesses to leverage the benefits of a decentralized data warehouse without rearchitecting their existing infrastructure, enabling enterprises to build on the blockchain without sacrificing compute power or security. The comprehensive Microsoft Azure cloud services and industry-leading identity and security capabilities provide a trusted set of services and tools to develop Web3 applications in this new era of ubiquitous computing.

Space and Time, a leader in Web3 data warehousing, joins real-time data indexed from major blockchains with customer-provided off-chain datasets. The Space and Time hybrid transactional and analytic (HTAP) data warehouse comes pre-loaded with real-time indexed blockchain data, provided for free.

The one-click deployment enables customers to easily integrate the Space and Time data warehouse with their existing enterprise infrastructure. Connecting blockchain data to Azure compute will generate new use cases for base-layer blockchains and developers of decentralized applications.

“The need for verifiable data across blockchains, enterprises and AI has never been more important. We provide enterprises with the ability to integrate blockchain data into their applications and business processes, which is critical for both customer growth and enabling responsible data stewards,” said Space and Time CEO and Co-Founder Nate Holiday. “We’re excited to extend our partnership with Microsoft to bridge enterprise data assets with blockchain and AI innovation.”

About Microsoft

Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. https://www.microsoft.com/

About Space and Time

Space and Time is the first Web3-native decentralized data warehouse that joins tamperproof on-chain and off-chain data to deliver enterprise use cases to smart contracts. Space and Time has developed a novel cryptography called Proof of SQL℠ that allows developers to connect analytics directly to smart contracts, opening up a wealth of powerful new use cases and business logic on blockchain technology. Space and Time is built from the ground up as a multichain data platform for developers in financial services, gaming, DeFi, or any project requiring verifiable data across enterprise, blockchain and AI.

Contact

Spencer Reevesmarketing@spaceandtime.io

KPMG and Microsoft Launch Multibillion-Dollar AI Partnership, Unlocking Over US$12 Billion Growth Opportunity

In a landmark agreement announced on July 11, 2023, KPMG and Microsoft have pledged to reshape the landscape of professional services by placing Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the forefront of their operations. This significant expansion of their global relationship aims to modernize the workforce, ensure safe and secure development, and broaden the use of AI solutions across industries and society.

The collaboration involves a multibillion-dollar commitment from KPMG in Microsoft cloud and AI services over the next five years. This strategic investment is projected to unlock an incremental growth opportunity for KPMG exceeding US$12 billion, marking a significant milestone in the AI and professional services sector.

Microsoft’s cloud and Azure OpenAI Service capabilities will be leveraged to empower KPMG’s global workforce of 265,000. The aim is to enhance the speed of analysis and allow more time for strategic advice, helping over 2,500 joint clients of KPMG and Microsoft navigate the rapidly evolving AI landscape.

As part of the alliance, KPMG professionals will pilot Microsoft 365 Copilot and Azure OpenAI Service technologies with select business groups. This initiative is expected to accelerate digital solution development and enhance client engagements.

The collaboration will also infuse data analytics, AI, and Azure Cognitive Services into KPMG’s audit process, enabling its 85,000 audit professionals to focus more on higher-risk areas of the audit, sector-specific risks, and challenges. In the tax sector, the integration of Azure OpenAI Service and Microsoft Fabric into KPMG Digital Gateway will provide clients with more integrated and transparent access to their data.

This landmark agreement between KPMG and Microsoft signifies a major step forward in the integration of AI in professional services, promising to deliver innovative solutions and drive sustainable growth in the sector.

Microsoft’s AI Strategy

Microsoft’s AI strategy has been evolving since 2017 when the company shifted its vision from being mobile-first to AI-first, while maintaining its cloud-first approach. Since then, Microsoft has accelerated the integration of AI into its products and invested heavily in AI companies.

AI is now one of the hottest industries, with Bill Gates’ dream of “a computer on every desk” shifting to “everyone has an AI assistant”. According to a study by Grandview Research, the global AI market could grow by an average of 37% annually through 2030, becoming a $1.8 trillion market at the end of the decade.

The AI buzz seems to have been triggered by ChatGPT. Microsoft first invested $1 billion into ChatGPT owner OpenAI on July 22, 2019. This year, on January 24, Microsoft invested $10 billion in ChatGPT maker OpenAI. In addition, on May 11, 2023, Microsoft made a strategic investment into Builder.ai, and on June 29, Microsoft-backed AI startup Inflection raised $1.3 billion from Nvidia and others.