Russia’s Tinkoff launches messenger service in its app
Tinkoff claims to have acquired 1.7 million new credit accounts since the beginning of this year.
Business-to-Business/B2B
Global card spend grows 13% in 2019, mostly down to China’s UnionPay
That’s according to a new report by Retail Banking Research (RBR).
Nigerian fintech Lidya lends $3m to SMEs in Eastern Europe
The fintech start-up expanded into the region during the beginning of the COVID-19 lockdown.
Sibos 2020: ING’s CEO urges regulators to give banks a PSD2 equivalent
Van Rijswijk is “strongly advocat[ing]” that regulators come up with an equivalent for banks.
Sibos 2020: Søren Skov Mogensen, chief growth officer at Banking Circle
He discusses the firm’s recent research.
FinTech Scotland on hunt for new CEO
The industry organisation was formed with the help of Lloyds and HSBC back in 2018.
Seedrs reveals £4.6m losses day after Crowdcube merger
Crowdcube’s acquisition of Seedrs is set to create a £140 million equity crowdfunding player.
Nexi and SIA seal €15bn mega-merger to form “Europe’s largest” payments provider
The two have around two million merchants, and around 120 million cards.
Sticking their necks out
Until now, no established, Black-owned, UK-founded bank has existed.
Welsh neobank Chetwood Financial unveils second lending product
Newly launched BetterBorrow is targeting “a slightly better credit mix” than LiveLend.
Sibos 2020: Finastra steps out of big bank payments bubble with smaller bank offering
“In Europe, these [smaller] banks are the vast majority.”
French firm Idemia launches green cards for banks
“We’re now trying to change the paradigm to reusable tech,” says Barrot.
Jumio talks Asia-Pacific growth, the platform play and new sectors
“There is a long-term value proposition in re-authentication,” says CRO.
Wirecard operations cease in Singapore, MAS slaps down more charges
Wirecard SG needs to return all customer funds within the next two weeks.
AmEx and Amazon launch co-branded credit cards for UK SMEs
The programme targets businesses with less than $10 million in annual revenue.
NAB publishes deep dive into UX platform NAB-X
The bank wants to use the self-built platform to roll out new features more quickly.
Meet Mitigram, the female-founded fintech backed by a female-led VC
Mitigram is a global trade finance platform designed for exporters, traders and banks.
Finom raises €10m in pre-Series A investment to expand in Europe
Netherlands-based challenger aims to launch in France and Germany in 2020.
MineralTree raises $50 million, acquires Inspyrus and Regal Software
Accounts payable firm plans to take firm grip of mid-market segment.
NatWest to offer customers CO2 calculator with fintech CoGo
The bank recently found 70% of its customers are concerned about climate change.
Sberbank drops the “bank” from its name to take on tech firms
Sber has launched a series of digital services alongside its tech company revamp.
Crypto exchange Gemini launches in UK armed with EMI licence
UK customers can now make GBP deposits to fund their Gemini account.
Mode CCO: Alipay success can be replicated in the UK
With an IPO looming, Mode has got a busy year of business ahead of it.
Tech Nation’s third fintech cohort challenges London bubble
“What was striking is the increase of such businesses set up outside London and by women.”
CloudMargin raises $15m Series B from Citi and Deutsche Bank
Investors say high market volatility has highlighted the need for such CloudMargin’s platform
Illimity and Banca Sella buy into each other for open banking venture
A flurry of share issuance, exchanges and buyouts as illimity nabs half of fintech firm Hype.
Thought Machine lands ex-HSBC exec Andy Maguire as chairman
The appointment is yet to be announced officially.
Gaming friendly challenger Xace lands FCA licence
The start-up is active in both the UK and wider Europe.
Tink snaps up UK rival OpenWrks’ aggregation platform
The deal is part acquisition, part strategic.
Nasdaq plans cloud migration for all 28 markets by 2030
“The real benefit [of the cloud] is the ability to scale,” says Nasdaq.
CleverCards CEO: There’s only going to be one winning challenger bank
CleverCard’s Kealan Lennon reckons the market isn’t big enough for so many neobanks.
US payments firm Melio raises $80m in Series C funding round
Melio plans to use its new funding to expand and reach more customers.
Barclays-backed Team8 launches fintech foundry with ex-Leumi CEO
The foundry’s first company will evaluate credit risk for ecommerce firms.
UK fintech Funding Xchange lands $10m in Series A funding round
The fitnech last raised funds in November 2019.
SEB combines personal and business finance to launch Unquo
The new venture is spearheaded by Christoffer Malmer, head of SEBx.
Subaio launches outside Nordic home with ABN Amro
To date, the 25-person fintech has signed contracts with seven banks.
AFME: EU must focus regulatory efforts on emerging technology
The AFME focuses on crypto-assets, artificial intelligence and cloud computing.
FinovateFall 2020: Why Banking-as-a-Service is fintech’s newest trend
It essentially turns the company into a challenger bank, even if the company has no ties to banking.
Five major UK banks sign up to Tech Nation’s collaborative “Fintech Pledge”
The pledge rests heavily on banks sharing more information.
FinovateFall 2020: COVID-19 a chance to build, not just react
“Companies need to leverage this inflection point correctly.”
