Manchester has been chosen for the global launch of a fintech payments system, Fingopay.

From this Summer, merchants across the city will be the first in the world to let customers pay with just a scan of their finger, with the company already in advanced discussions with a number of leisure and hospitality venues across the city’s Spinningfields, Ancoats and King Street districts.

The award-winning technology, which uses Hitachi VeinID scanning, allows customers to link their vein signatures with their payment cards to pay using just their finger at a network of merchants. At tills, the unique pattern of the customer’s vein is scanned, verifying biometric signatures and payments in seconds through its cloud-based matching system.

The identity and authentication system has been hailed as a game changer for payments. Removing the need for cash, cards and mobile, it has been described as the fastest and safest payment method on the market with no need for PIN or passwords and no transaction limits.

Unlike other biometrics such as fingerprints, finger vein patterns leave no trace and cannot be stolen or copied, resulting in one of the most secure methods of payment or ID.

Simon Binns, CMO at Sthaler, the UK fintech company that developed Fingopay, commented: “We have already successfully completed pilots at Festival Number 6, Proud bar Camden, Brunel University and Copenhagen Business School over the past two years.”

“Manchester has a dynamic hospitality sector with some highly innovative operators, a large student population and positive environment for fintech businesses. This city-wide scheme will be a world-first, and we’ve had real encouragement from Greater Manchester Combined Authority to invest and create jobs in the City.  We look forward to adding to the city’s status as a centre for innovation.”

Fingopay has been working with partners including CityCo and MIDAS to identify the first venues to become Fingopay enabled merchants.

Tim Newns, Chief Executive of MIDAS, Manchester’s inward investment agency, said: “Manchester was recently named one of the most innovative cities in the world and the city’s growing status as a test-bed for digital innovation and transformation has attracted a wealth of companies looking to capitalise on both the high-growth market, as well as the finance and tech talent available here.”

“We’re delighted to have helped Fingopay establish operations in the city and we are looking forward to embedding them in the city’s rapidly expanding fintech and payments scene.”

CityCo Chief Executive, Vaughan Allen, also commented: “Many of our members are already aware of Fingopay and like the idea of making payments simpler for customers and help move to cashless. The identity component also has the potential to keep venues and streets safer, which is the highest priority for all concerned.”

Manchester Science Partnerships (MSP) has hailed a “year of strong progress” with levels of investment and growth reflecting strong demand from new and existing customers.

Against a backdrop of technological change and uncertainty in the wider economy, the 12 months to the end of September 2018 saw a 35% increase in the consolidated net worth of MSP and its subsidiaries from £58.3m to £78.9m.

MSP’s city centre campuses, Manchester Science Park and Citylabs which are in the heart of Manchester’s Oxford Road Corridor innovation district, offer lab and office space for digital tech and life science businesses together with specialist programmes of business support, including a post-accelerator innovation centre, Mi-IDEA in partnership with Cisco.

Combined, the Oxford Road Corridor campuses tripled profits from £4.7m (2017) to £17.2m as occupancy levels increased and property valuations rose. The year also saw MSP launch a Tech Incubator at Manchester Technology Centre, designed for entrepreneurs and SMEs working in data science and technology innovation.

At Alderley Park, profits increased from £7.5m to £19.4m during the year, which also saw the announcement of £10m of investment in the development of new laboratories for smaller life science businesses and significant progress being made with the development of Glasshouse offering over 150,000 sq ft of offices for tech and forward-thinking, innovative businesses.

The period also saw the creation of Bruntwood SciTech – the UK’s largest property portfolio dedicated to driving the growth of the science and technology sector – in a landmark equity deal between MSP majority shareholder Bruntwood and Legal & General. Bruntwood SciTech announced pre-tax profits of £53m together with shareholders’ funds of £234m. Bruntwood SciTech has plans to grow the value of its portfolio from over £330m to in excess of £2bn in the next 10 years.

Tom Renn, Managing Director, MSP, said: “Against a backdrop of significant uncertainty in the wider economy, in particular for those working in the science sector, we are heartened by the extraordinary resilience of our customers and of the science community in the UK, who have continued to successfully raise investment and grow their businesses at pace both within our portfolio and across Greater Manchester.

“Construction of Citylabs 2.0 for QIAGEN, a world leading international molecular diagnostics company, who have taken a 100% pre-let, is a hallmark of that success and reinforces the quality of the Greater Manchester offer, partnerships and assets. Citylabs will be at the heart of a new globally-leading genomics and precision medicine campus which will create over 1,500 high value jobs and add over £150m to the Greater Manchester economy, and importantly benefit the 2.8 million people living here as new tests and treatments emerge.”

Manchester-based Secure Trust Bank Commercial Finance has increased its lending balances by 54 per cent, with a total of £194.7m invested in businesses across the country over the course of the 2018 financial year.

Across the North, Secure Trust Bank Commercial Finance provided £60m to business in the North West, North East, Yorkshire and Scotland in 2018.

Just last year, the alternative finance provider announced it had funded more than £2bn of client invoices since its inception in 2014. The firm has revealed in its annual financial report that the figure now stands at nearly £3bn, an increase of almost 50 per cent.

Secure Trust Bank Commercial Finance is now the fifth largest independent operator in the invoice finance market. The firm provides a full suite of flexible asset based lending and invoice finance products to small and medium sized enterprises. The division operates nationwide with dedicated regional sales directors and client managers on the ground in each of the UK regions.

Listed on the London Stock Exchange since 2011 and added to the main market in 2016, the wider Secure Trust Bank Group has also seen strong growth. Pre-tax profits rose to £34.7m in the last 12 months – an increase of 39 per cent on 2017 figures.

John Gribbon, Regional Managing Director at Secure Trust Bank Commercial Finance, said: “Expanding our geographical reach has played a significant part in the exceptional growth we’ve achieved over the course of the year. It has enabled us to make connections with businesses and intermediaries in the local area, and the effort put into building our national footprint has certainly bore fruit.

“Our impressive performance is also down to the experience and expertise of our sales teams. We boast an impressive track record, having worked with some exciting and well-known brands across a multitude of sectors, and this strong reputation in the market has positioned us as a credible lender of choice.”

Following a number of significant client wins, Rumpus has recruited three new members of staff to join the PR and digital agency’s growing Altrincham-based team.

Rebecca Sweeney, a journalism graduate, joins the team as PR and social account executive, primarily focusing on the agency’s built environment client portfolio. She brings with her a number of key skills, including trade copywriting and media relations, for the property and construction industries.

Ellie Ball also joins as PR and social account executive. Bringing extensive events management and influencer partnership experience, she will be working primarily on the agency’s consumer and brand accounts.

Sarah Oxley, a digital media communications graduate, is the third new addition to the Rumpus team, taking on the role of digital and content executive. Sarah’s skills in graphic design, social media management and video production will help support significant growth on the digital side of the business.

Paul Evans, director at Rumpus, said: “Rebecca, Ellie and Sarah are wonderful new additions to the Rumpus team. From property and construction trade media, to managing consumer influencer partnerships and video projects, each new recruit brings with them skills to help improve our service offering for both new and longstanding clients.

“Our growth plans reflect a diversification of services that clients are looking for, and we look forward to getting stuck into a number of ambitious projects in the next 12 months”.

A tender to supply the majority of the UK’s universities and colleges of higher education with branded promotional materials has been won by Silk Group Ltd from Bolton.

The company, established in 1988, already supplies several universities and higher educational colleges nationally with everything from branded pens, bags and power-banks to water bottles, coffee mugs and hoodies.

Now, in a move worth hundreds of thousands of pounds and against stiff competition, Silk has become a framework approved supplier for more. This brings their education client base to over 100 universities and colleges.

The company has already taken on additional staff with plans for more. Director Pete Slater, said: “Educational institutions these days need to make themselves attractive in every way to engage effectively with potential students. Silk’s offers included sustainable eco products which resonated with university and college staff.”

Bury and Bolton law firm Clough & Willis has appointed conveyancer Andrew Rodbourne to its Residential Property department.

Andrew, who is an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives, has joined Clough & Willis from JMW. He has also previously worked at Countrywide Conveyancing Services and O’Neill Patient Solicitors.

Throughout his career, Andrew has handled transactions for a wide variety of clients including first time buyers, high net worth individuals and celebrities.

Andrew’s appointment is the latest in a string of new arrivals at the firm including Kelly Fitton – also in the Residential Property team – and Andrew Palmer who joined the Commercial Property department as a senior associate team earlier this month.

Andrew’s focus will be on handling all residential conveyancing matters including sales, purchases and re-mortgages as well help to buy transactions from Clough & Willis’ Little Lever office.

Lorraine Stratton-Webb, Partner and Head of Residential Property at Clough & Willis, commented: “The last few months has seen a real spike in demand for our residential property services so Andrew’s arrival has come just at the right time. He is an experienced conveyancer with a proactive attitude which is exactly what a busy department like ours needs.”

Andrew added: “I’ve spent most of my career to date at large regional and national firms but I knew that I wanted to work in a smaller and more client focussed firm. Clough & Willis seemed like the ideal fit for me and I’m now looking forward to getting to work, delivering a great service and helping to grow the team.”

Proposals for two new industrial/warehouse developments at a £100 million Manchester Airport site have been given the go-ahead.

Manchester City Council has approved plans for two highly specified developments of 102,500 sq ft and 138,375 sq ft at Icon Manchester Airport, the rapidly growing global logistics area of Manchester’s Airport City.

Icon Industrial, a joint venture between Stoford and TPG Real Estate – said that the latest developments will meet rising occupational demand at the 45-acre build-to-suit logistics park, which has outline planning consent for circa 1 million sq ft.

Approval for units 3 and 4 of the scheme comes just weeks after planners rubber stamped Icon Industrial’s proposals for an 11.6-acre logistics and global content creation studio at Manchester Airport on behalf of online beauty and wellbeing retailer, The Hut Group.

Dan Gallagher, Joint Managing Director of Stoford Developments, said: “We’re pleased to announce planning approval for units 3 and 4 of Icon Manchester Airport. These developments offer an excellent opportunity to relocate to a key strategic location in the North West, with unrivalled airport connectivity and a strong list of current occupiers.

“Icon Manchester Airport is a unique and exciting scheme that will continue the fulfillment of the Airport City masterplan, expanding and enhancing the logistical facilities on site. We are already seeing significant interest in the development.”