WhatsApp Pay finally gets greenlight from Brazil’s central bank
WhatsApp is only allowed to do P2P payments in Brazil.
Business-to-Business/B2B
US retail trade groups ask to join $5.54bn Visa and Mastercard lawsuit
The two bodies want permission to become parties in the lawsuit.
Lessons learned from launching in a pandemic
The speed at which we’ve learned to respond to the market and grow as a business is invaluable.
ICYMI funding round-up: Butter, Spiral, SadaPay, OVEX, Ensemble & more
We’ve put together an “In Case You Missed It” (ICYMI) funding list.
Global fintech M&A round-up Q1 2021
Whilst some big deals never closed in Q1, plenty others took their place.
Top 10 funding rounds in Q1 2021
The first quarter of 2021 has seen a handful of big rounds.
Penta co-founder gearing up new venture Relio for Swiss SMEs
Relio is currently in the swings of applying for a fintech licence.
Ripple snaps up 40% stake in Asian cross-border payments firm Tranglo
Tranglo’s global network spans more than 100 countries.
Tide thinks bank data fees could speed up the UK’s open banking adoption
The sector has long felt divided over the progress of open banking adoption.
Box: Insurance isn’t just about premium rates, it’s about the entire user experience process
Vaneet Grewal, Box’s financial services managing director, talks to FinTech Futures.
UiPath files for IPO weeks after landing $35bn valuation
The fintech estimates a $60 billion addressable market for RPA.
UK gold wallet Glint goes crowdfunding with £6m “hard cap”
The start-up is raising to fuel its “growth phase”.
Commerzbank signs five-year Google Cloud deal to migrate banking apps
“Google will now offer the bank a deeper set of platform services”.
Pilot lands unicorn valuation from boosted Series C round
Pilot has landed a $1.2 billion valuation.
Spac led by ex-Commerzbank CEO trading on Amsterdam’s Euronext
The blank-check firm has already sold 41.5 million shares at €10 each.
PPRO boosts unicorn round up to $270m with JP Morgan
PPRO says it doubled its transaction volumes over 2020.
Aussie fintech Airwallex lands $2.6bn valuation with $100m raise
Airwallex is currently expanding into Asia, the UK, and – most recently – the US.
Challenger Oyster Financial launches credit offering for Mexico’s SMEs
Instant credit will range from $500 to $1,500.
Seedrs abandons £140m Crowdcube merger after CMA block
The CMA said the deal would “reduce competition and innovation”.
Xero makes second acquisition in a month with Tickstar
Tickstar already serves Xero customers across Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore.
HSBC challenges fintechs with launch of SME banking app Kinetic
“We’re taking the toolkit approach of the challengers,” HSBC lead tells FinTech Futures.
Revolut applies for US banking licence days after Canada exit
Revolut’s US operations are led by banking veteran Ron Oliviera.
OakNorth Bank lands £77.6m pre-tax profit despite COVID-19 provisions
The fintech lender’s total assets now sit at £3.1 billion.
Deutsche Bank and TIS sign treasury deal
The pair will work on multi-bank services for treasury and finance.
Australia consults industry on more “sustainable” challenger bank licence
The APRA’s consultation closes at the end of April.
Sheroes Money is banking on India’s female entrepreneurs
India is home to just two self-made female billionaires.
NatWest’s FCA laundering charge the “first of a few” to come in 2021
The FCA is currently still investigating 6 other cases.
API fintech Flinks adds Levi King to turbocharge US growth
King brings funding, market entry, and growth expertise.
Core banking provider Technisys buys AI chatbot operator Kona
Technisys has acquired some 60 bank customers to date.
State of play: account-to-account (A2A) payments
In-depth analysis and understanding of the market landscape by our resident fintech analyst.
Stripe reaches $95bn valuation on back of fresh $600m injection
This year, Stripe will continue to pursue enterprise clients.
Russian Big Tech Yandex launches payment service
The local internet giant plans to rival Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Google Pay.
Banking Technology March 2021 issue out now
Creating communities: celebrating women in fintech this Women’s History Month
Goldman-backed Flywire files paperwork for IPO which could reach $3bn
Flywire has listed itself as profitable since its Series B funding round in 2013.
NatWest shutters three-year-old fintech lender Esme Loans
Esme Loans enjoyed a London Tube advertising campaign for a time.
Atom Bank to close funding round at half its 2019 valuation
One of Atom’s largest shareholders isn’t able to participate in the sale.
South African fintech Adumo lands $15m from World Bank member
Adumo helps businesses move from cash transactions to digital payments.
Insurtech Zego lands $150m Series C to join unicorn club
“It is clear that the way people use vehicles is undoubtedly changing”.
MFS Africa invests in London with all-new executive team
“London has taken up the mantle of fintech advocate and champion.”
Nigerian fintech Flutterwave lands unicorn status with $170m Series C
It is one of the few African start-ups to have secured more than $200 million in funding.
