Retailer Uniqlo cuts out middlemen with own payments integration
Uniqlo Pay has partnered with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp.
Business-to-Business/B2B
SME credit fintech Dinie lands dLocal deal one year into Brazil play
Dinie was founded in the UK, made in Germany, and designed for Brazil.
UK fintech Just lands court backing to undercut bailiff industry
Currently, Just’s virtual offering is in beta.
Tide gears up for international expansion to India
The fintech says it will bring the exact same offering it has in the UK, to India.
Capital One’s “wilful” AML failures land the bank a $290m penalty
Some $16 billion in reportable transactions passed through the bank’s platform.
Indonesia’s BukuKas lands $10m led by Sequoia Capital’s Indian arm
BukuKas says it already serves some 3.5 million customers.
Starling renews search for non-bank European lender
Starling is seeing the benefits of fully utilising its UK banking licence.
Visa and Plaid call off $5.3bn merger after US regulatory pressure
The two had initially intended to close the deal by June 2020.
Saudi Arabia’s central bank plans open banking go-live for 2022
SAMA has already “collected the local financial market participants’ feedback”.
Checkout.com valued at European record $15bn after $450m raise
Profitable since it began, Checkout is an attractive proposition for investors.
UK payments acquirer Unlimint powers on with “aggressive” LatAm expansion
In November, the fintech rebranded to Unlimint from ‘Cardpay’ as part of its expansion plans.
PAYMYNT Financial buys crypto e-wallet LettucePay
LettucePay operates on top of Stellar Network, an open source blockchain platform.
SoFi set to go public via merger with Palihapitiya’s fourth Spac
The IPO will value SoFi at $8.65 billion.
How FIs can reduce friction and drive value in the payments system
FIs can help clients proactively identify and respond to potential problems.
FCA: Thousands of financial firms risk failing as pandemic persists
Payments and e-money firms experienced an 11% decrease in available liquidity.
N26 finally lands licence to operate in Brazil
The country’s central bank has granted it a SCD licence.
JP Morgan in talks with China Merchants Bank over another wealthtech venture
JP Morgan already holds a majority stake in a Chinese venture.
PayPal investment lands SME fintech Divvy with unicorn status
The start-up announced a $165 million Series D funding round.
Calls for change to LSE in bid to attract more multinational tech firms
The UK’s Investment Association (IA) is asking for the LSE to undergo a “rebranding”.
Santander: Digital lenders have unfair regulatory advantage post-pandemic
“The pandemic will only entrench the digital players,” says Botín.
2020 review: A year which saw fintechs cut jobs, pay & business arms
A number of fintechs have still been tested during COVID-19, some to the brink of collapse.
2020 review: Top 10 fintech and bank M&A deals
Despite COVID-19, the financial sector has still enjoyed some notable M&A deals.
Cloud subscription consolidation platform Cledara lands $3.4m
“Most of Cledara’s initial clients came from organic growth.”
Swiss fraud-prevention start-up NetGuardians lands $19.2m
The fintech houses some 90 employees.
Swift calls for collaboration to help build the future of global transactions
Swift’s ambitious new strategy to reinvent global financial transactions.
Worldline buys controlling stake in ANZ’s acquiring business
Worldline says Australia is an ideal stomping ground for international expansion.
The time is now to update your finance operations
Modernising the finance department should be a priority.
Mastercard faces UK’s largest ever £14bn class action lawsuit
“Businesses and consumers simply cannot afford to continue paying sky-high rates.”
UK CBDC researcher: We should be further along than we are
A UK CBDC won’t happen anytime soon if the Bank of England takes an iterative approach.
The Fintech Review: 2020
We cover embedded finance, competition, open banking, and CBDCs.
Tink lands €85m for continued expansion into 2021
The finding extension was co-led by new Parisian investor Eurazeo Growth.
Wolters Kluwer snaps up cloud-based lender eOrignal for €231m
eOriginal claims “double-digit” revenue growth over the last three years.
Thoma Bravo investment takes identity start-up Venafi to unicorn status
Thoma Bravo are investing right at time, says Venafi CEO.
Standard Chartered to launch crypto custodian in UK next year
The bank will, through Zodia, provide custody services for Bitcoin, and Ethereum.
Australian business banking challenger Gallantree adds crypto function
Gallantree targets entrepreneurs, family offices, and high-net-worth individuals.
Singapore and Thailand to link national payment systems in 2021
In Singapore, PayNow monthly transaction values have crossed the $3 billion mark.
Former Uber Money head bags $12.4m for new venture Synctera
The start-up hopes to speed up go-to-market times.
Revolut hot on Starling’s heels, breaks even in November
“We’re doing much better compared to pre-Covid times,” says CEO.
BNP Paribas and 3 Step IT push on with “aggressive” tech recycle plan
BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions specialises in financing solutions for professional equipment.
Modularbank lands €4m to set up UK commercial operations
The start-up claims to be cashflow positive since its inception.
