As we look to a New Year, it is hard to say what 2017 has in store thanks to the level of uncertainty that 2016 leaves in its wake. One thing for certain, however, is that 2017 is set to be an eventful and thrilling ride for FinTech with many factors and potential obstacles on the horizon which still challenge the sector. In today's society people are effectively running their whole lives from their mobiles: reading the news, online banking, heating their home and maintaining relationships. Payments are a part of that so it is expected that the numbers to climb further next year. Smartphone sales are reaching saturation point in developed markets, and the growth of technology adoption today are now firmly fixated on emerging and developing nations.

The 132ft-long (40-metre) unarmed prototype, dubbed Sea Hunter, is the naval equivalent of Google's self-driving car, designed to cruise on the ocean's surface without a crew. The ship's projected $20 million (£14.2 million) price tag and its $20,000 (£14,300) daily operating cost make it relatively inexpensive for the navy Hyperloop-inspired TRAIN could be ready next year:... Look up tonight! A stunning meteor shower will light up... World's oldest example of human cancer found in 1.7... Astronauts are FIVE times more likely to die from heart... Hyperloop-inspired TRAIN could be ready next year:... Look up tonight! A stunning meteor shower will light up... World's oldest example of human cancer found in 1.7... Astronauts are FIVE times more likely to die from heart... The vessel was unveiled by Deputy US Defense Secretary Robert Work and has been developed by the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa).

As artificial intelligence advances, the possibility that machines could independently select and fire on targets is fast approaching. Fully autonomous weapons, also known as'killer robots,' are quickly moving from the realm of science fiction( like the plot of Terminator) toward reality WILL ROBOTS GET AWAY WITH WAR CRIMES? The robo-security guard that hunts intruders using LASERS:... Are robots coming for YOUR job? Droid workers are showing up... Rise of the robots: Mechanical monks, sci-fi bots and... Robots are coming for you and your job: Experts discuss the... The robo-security guard that hunts intruders using LASERS:... Are robots coming for YOUR job?

California is the first state to adopt efficiency standards for computers and monitors, the state's energy commission announced this week. The commission approved regulations that limit the amount of energy computers and small servers can use when they are idling, asleep or turned off. The regulations for monitors will also limit the amount of energy the apparatus uses when it is turned on. "It's common sense that electronic equipment ought to consume a minimal amount of energy when it is not being used," energy commissioner Andrew McAllister said in a statement. The commission estimates computers and monitors in the state use more than 5,600 gigawatts-hours of electricity.

Facebook celebrated the first full test flight of its solar-powered internet drone, Aquila, in July, but things didn't go as smoothly as they could have. The drone completed a 96-minute flight in Yuma, Arizona, but it ended up crash-landing because of a structural failure in the right wing, according to today's report from the National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB announced in November that it would investigate the accident. Aquila's only landing mode is "autoland," meaning the aircraft senses things like wind speeds and temperature, and adjusts for the smoothest landing possible. During its debut test flight, operators expected wind speeds of 7 knots.

Many current fears around AI and automation center around the idea that superintelligence could somehow "take over," turning streets around the globe into scenes from The Terminator. While there is much to be gained from discussing the safe development of AI, there's another more imminent danger: Autonomous weapons. On Friday, after three years of negotiations, the UN unanimously agreed to take action. At the Fifth Review Conference of the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, countries around the world agreed to begin formal discussions--which will take place for two weeks at the 2017 UN convention in Geneva--on a possible ban of lethal, autonomous weapons. Talks will begin in April or August, and 88 countries have agreed to attend.

The year of AI: Major developments in 2016 could pave the way for a future where'intelligent machines are omnipresent in our daily lives' Artificial intelligence or AI is getting a foothold in people's homes, starting with the Amazon devices like its Echo speaker (pictured) which links to a personal assistant'Alexa' to answer questions and control connected devices such as appliances or light bulbs Donald Trump claims torture ¿works¿ ¿ but what does the... South Korea comes a step closer to LIMITLESS energy:... Facebook Messenger launches an in-app camera and... The shoes that will tell you if you're too tired to run:... Donald Trump claims torture ¿works¿ ¿ but what does the... South Korea comes a step closer to LIMITLESS energy:... Facebook Messenger launches an in-app camera and... The shoes that will tell you if you're too tired to run:... Analyst Carolina Milanesi of the research firm Creative Strategies said that '2016 was the year about raising awareness, and exposing consumers to the idea of AI in a more mass market way.' Google Home (pictured) is the small speaker will be able to play music and access Google Assistant, a new AI system the search giant unveiled at I/O in May. It's believed Apple has been working on their smart-home device for at least 2 years The first virtual family portrait: Mark Zuckerberg showed off the firm's software for the Oculus Rift headset at the Oculus Connect conference in San Francisco. Tragic video shows a man filming himself smoking Ice Amir Khan's wife Faryal was called'Michael Jackson' by family Epic fight!

The 6-foot, unmanned submarine is known as an LBS-Glider System and was operating from the USNS Bowditch on Thursday 50 miles from Subic Bay, gathering unclassified information for Navy charts and other maritime data like water temperature and sound speed, the Pentagon says. It surfaced and set a radio frequency for its home ship to pick it up, when a Chinese navy Dalang III-Class ship that had been shadowing the Bowditch launched a boat and intercepted it first.

The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new. Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), in the face of a declining PC market projected to decline still further, with disruptive factors at play in the data center market, and with the company's revenues across all business segments largely static over the last four quarters, is in the throes of developing responses to their significantly changing business environment. Despite a rise in Intel's overall revenue of 9.1% YoY in 3Q16 to a record high of $15.8 billion, largely due to unexpectedly high sales in the PC market, just two segments - the Client Computing Group and the Data Center Group - contributed 85% of the company's earnings. With the PC market in structural decline, increasing big cloud provider data center market control, and greatly increased data center competition, Intel is faced with shrinking defensive flexibility, which does not bode well for its long-term future. Performance in 4Q16 is expected to retreat from 3Q16 levels, as distribution channels reduce their stock.

You could have walked there faster! Amazon's much-hyped first ever drone delivery was to the company's next door neighbour just 765 yards away (so no wonder it only took 13 minutes) Amazon boss Jeff Bezos announced firm completed first drone delivery in Cambridge on December 7 Amazon Air debut took just 13 minutes from order to delivery destination, with drone travelling at 400ft But it emerged the delivery was sent to the company's next door neighbour - just 765 yards away Drones will only be used during daylight and in sunny conditions and will not fly in rain, ice or strong winds But it emerged the delivery was sent to the company's next door neighbour - just 765 yards away Watch video Caught on camera: Checkout line fight erupts over couponing Watch video GRAPHIC CONTENT: Suspect shoots Georgia police officers Watch video Dangerous Porsche driver cuts up fellow motorists in Liverpool Watch video Lamborghini shredded by Taiwan government for illegal importation Watch video ...