Couldn’t make it to Finovate Spring 2013 in San Francisco? Bank Innovation did, and recorded — and rated on a scale of 1 to 5 — all the action on the big stage.

SESSION 1

EyeVerify

EyeVerify is a biometric verification system for online banking logins. Users “sign in” with an eyeprint – a map of the vascular system of the eyeball — rather than a password. Other forms of biometric security such as voice are part of the system too. Password login is broken – users can’t remember them and the passwords they can remember aren’t secure. Non-password user authentication was a big theme of Day 1 at Finovate. Will banking customers be creeped out by having their eyeballs mapped? Not after their password-protected accounts have been broken into.

Cool Factor: 3
I Want It: 4
Revenue Potential: 3

Leaf

Leaf demonstrated a second-generation swipe point-of-sale device. Finovate Is mostly about software, but the occasional hardware demo is good to see too. Leaf has software to back up its system. It’s setting up an app store and allowing developers to build store software on its platform. The company is setting up a reseller network for its device as well.

Cool Factor: 3
I Want It: 2
Revenue Potential: 3

TrustEgg

Financial apps developed with children in mind are often seen at Finovate. TrustEgg is a simple trust account for kid that functions like SmartyPig, which is a savings account. TrustEgg invests  in mutual funds and promises more simplicity and better returns than a savings account. Relatives and friends can contribute to the trust, giving TrustEgg a viral component.

Cool Factor: 3
I Want It: 4
Revenue Potential: 3

Narrative Science

What’s the story of your finances? How about your investments? Narrative Science takes the data in investment accounts and crafts a natural language narrative that actual humans can read, using software called Quill. Quill builds reports with graphics, charts, and texts in order to tell a story. The company can deliver at scale and is partnering with money management firm Personal Capital.

Cool Factor: 4
I Want It: 3
Revenue Potential: 4

Quantopian       

Quantopian is a browser-based algorithmic trading platform that allows users to build their own algorithms and actually put them into practice. It’s a great concept, but how many amateur investors are building algorithms The “algos” as they’re known in trading lingo, can be tested, deployed, and even shared with Quantopian. The presenters scored a huge bonus for coding on the big board at Finovate — gutsy.

Cool Factor: 4
I Want It: 4
Revenue Potential: 4

FIS/Paydiant     

Mobile wallet showed up at Finovate in a joint presentation by FIS and Paydiant. The mobile platform employs a 4–digit passcode login – cool. The cloud-based wallet is to be white-labelled for FIs to use. The platform presents realtime offers and works with non-NFC terminals. It offers bill pay and uses QR codes to perform cardless ATM withdrawals. Versions of the system are live with Capital One and Bank of America.

Cool Factor: 4
I Want It: 3
Revenue Potential: 3

P2BInvestor      

The crowd was blown away when Krista Morgan introduced herself and told them, “I want to fund your brains out.” The company offers crowdfunding for businesses. P2BInvestor offers lines of credit to businesses and pays investors back when the businesses succeed. P2B handles the underwriting and manages the lines of credit lines of credit. It offers 7-12% APR secured by the fundees’ receivables

Cool Factor: 4
I Want It: 3
Revenue Potential: 3

MicroStrategy  

QR codes continued their triumphant comeback in Usher, a mobile authentication network from MicroStrategy. Usher allows the creation of digital credentials on mobile devices to prevent against fraud. The QR code generates a 4-digit pin to use with call centers. The smartphone app also works for POS authorizations. The security-themed product is a bit of a departure for the mobile-based company.

Cool Factor: 3
I Want It: 3
Revenue Potential: 3

OpenCoin        

Brother, can you spare a ripple? The Ripple open payment network from Open Coin allows payment in multiple currencies, including bitcoin and its own currency, ripples. The founder is payments veteran Chris Larsen, who described Ripple as being “Like HTTP for money,” and said the platform charged no licensing fees.

Cool Factor: 4
I Want It: 2
Revenue Potential: 3

SESSION 2

Wallaby Financial

Wallaby operates in the offers space, working to simplify the process of maximizing rewards and benefits from a customer’s cards. To its card – that can access the rewards of all a customer’s cards and app,Wallaby is now introducing Wallet Boost. Wallet Boost uses data from Intuit data services to offer customers the best credit cards and rewards for them. Users fill out a short profile to provide Boost and the Wallaby Engine the data it needs to assemble the offers. It also offers expense tracking.

Cool Factor: 3
I Want It: 3
Revenue Potential: 4

GoodApril          

Sick of April surprises? GoodApril aims to eliminate them by helping taxpayers set up their W4 forms and investments for maximum happiness come Tax Day. Users discover actions to help lower their taxes. And learn new tax laws and how they affect users’ tax payments and refunds. GoodApril offered a clear demonstration of the product’s potential benefits – who likes April surprises?

Cool Factor: 4

I Want It: 4
Revenue Potential: 3

AuthenticID      

Security again took the stage with AuthenticID’s photographic confirmation of identity. Using private data sets and a user’s photo, the company claims to completely eliminate fraud in face to face transactions – or was it in 65% of transactions? Face-to-face transactions are declining, but verification is still important. AuthenticID led the audience on by promising a live hacking of Jamie Dimon’s bank account, only to simulate it. If done, this would have secured AuthenticID Best of Show without a doubt.

Cool Factor: 3
I Want It: 2
Revenue Potential: 3

NICE Systems   

Nice Systems presented a customer service setup inside a mobile app. The service focused on voice identification – biometric security once again. The customer service tool also allows for loan origination within the app environment, a positive side effect of the risk mitigation offered by the system.

Cool Factor: 4
I Want It: 3
Revenue Potential: 4

Kabbage             

Kabbage and Intuit QuickBooks co-presented on a loan product that accesses Intuit data through its API. Kabbage provides underwriting to help businesses access capital. Intuit’s data from QuickBooks helps identify appropriate candidates for loans. Small businesses have more in common with personal banking customers than with large businesses, and are sorely in need of innovation.

Cool Factor: 3
I Want It: 3
Revenue Potential: 4

Lodo Software 

D3 banking software is a digital banking platform utilizing an adaptive HTML 5 design. Data is aggregated across customers’ profiles to allow for a personalized experience featuring predictive analytics, targeted campaigns and contextual product offers across all device types.

Cool Factor: 4
I Want It: 3
Revenue Potential: 4

OneID  

OneID’s mobile ID verification aims to eliminate shared secrets, which in the age of Google and Facebook aren’t so secret anymore. Instead of asking users to learn a new user experience, OneID offers a one-click sign-on similar to the less secure Facebook sign-on. This is a winner with Gen Ys used to social sign-ins as a matter of course. OneID is partnering with MyVest portfolio managing system.

Cool Factor: 4
I Want It: 4
Revenue Potential: 4

Yandex.Money

Yande.Money’s Twym allows users to send money person-to-person via Twitter. Its numbers are already huge in its native Russia with 120,000 daily transactions and 20,000+ merchants signed on. The service has the potential for crowdfunding with its strong social DNA – retweets of payments allow for me-too funding.

Cool Factor: 4
I Want It: 3
Revenue Potential: 2

Palo Alto Software                         

Palo Alto Software announced its partnership with MasterCard. Its LivePlan business financial management tool helps startups stay on top of their businesses. Liveplan is now part of MasterCard’s  Business Network and integrates with Intuit’s Quickbooks. Multi-user accounts are available.

Cool Factor: 3
I Want It: 3
Revenue Potential: 4

Bank Innovation‘s Day 1 Morning Winners: Quantopian and OneID