FCA boosts data strategy with new executive hires
Stephanie Cohen, Jessica Rusu, Sarah Pritchard, and Emily Sheppard all join the watchdog.
Digital
Kalifa report says UK’s fintech crown at risk from waiting competitors
To mitigate the risks posed to UK fintechs, the report lists a number of recommendations.
US credit builder Petal closes $125m debt facility
Petal has closed $440 million in debt and raised $100 million in equity.
Lloyds spends big on tech projects as profits slump 72%
The bank spent around £1.2bln on tech in 2020, equivalent to the profit it generated for the year.
Banking Tech Awards 2020 Winner: AFS – COVID-19 Response by Fintech
An innovative approach to urgently find solution to accommodate the US government’s Payroll Protection Program.
Report: The power of data analytics in fintech solutions
A deep-dive industry report focused on the priorities and use of data analytics at financial institutions.
Landmark pan-European payment system EPI calls on fintechs for build phase
European payment giants Worldline and Nets became shareholders in the EPI last year.
US fintech for gamers Zytara signs payments partnership with i2c
The deal follows Zytara’s launching of its own stablecoin.
Tyme lands $110m in Series B funding, plans Asia-Pacific expansion
TymeBank looks to expand beyond its South African headquarters.
What did the GameStop saga expose about UK trading regulation?
FinTech Futures unpacks the FCA’s published response to trading restrictions on 29 January.
Penta Bank raises €7.5m in extended Series B funding round
German challenger bank brings total raised this round to €30 million.
US corporate card provider Brex applies for banking licence in Utah
SVB’s former chief digital officer Bruce Wallace will head up Brex Bank.
Banking Tech Awards 2020 Winner: BTB – Best Use of IT in Private Banking/Wealth Management
BTB’s business model has brought annual average returns of 7% in the last seven years with low defaults.
Barclays to close Pingit after 10 years’ service
Long-serving payments app to be shut down by major UK bank.
Russian challenger Tinkoff launches “one-stop shop” checkout product
“Some of our services can be activated within a day.”
TransferWise rebrands as Wise to push platform capabilities
It’s dropping the first part of its name in a bid to underpin its expansion as a platform player.
Aviva breaks into cash savings market with help of German fintech Raisin
Savings accounts via partner banks offer interest rates of up to 0.64% AER.
Fintech funding deals globally 15-21 February 2021
Featuring Public, Webull, Blockchain, GoCardless, and Personetics.
Fintech funding round-up: SeedFi, Libeo, Ember and Finch Capital
A round-up of some of the recent investments in fintech, paytech and tax tech firms.
Indian challenger Open buys Optobizz, banks another 800,000 SMEs
By the end of this year, Open wants to turn 1.8m into 5m customers.
Oraan CEO: Women in finance weren’t welcomed in Pakistan
Oraan’s research found that savings – particularly for women – just wasn’t tapped into.
Netflix bags Uber’s product head Ebi Atawodi as payments director
Atawodi spent more than six years at Uber.
NBA star Russel Westbrook leads $63m investment in Varo Bank
Westbrook also joins the bank as an advisor on communities of colour.
UK Black-owned challenger Atmen to launch in March
The start-up is now looking to raise £5 million from institutional investors.
Banking Tech Awards 2020 Winner: UBS – Best Use of Cloud
How UBS’s innovative hub helped 60,000 work remotely with virtually no downtime during the pandemic.
Video: Top fintech stories this week – 19 February 2021
FinTech Futures’ weekly news round-up.
ICYMI funding round-up: FlexxPay, Raqamyah, and JustUs
A trio of funding rounds that may have passed you by last week.
Newly licensed UK bank Cashplus is raising £50m
It intends to raise the funds from growth investment firms.
Stripe valuation rises to $115bn according to investors
The $115 billion figure is more than threefold its $36 billion valuation.
Banesco Panamá plans digital revamp with Backbase
Panamanian lender to integrate new products and solutions online.
Saudi Arabia plans new SME bank to underpin local funding
The new bank brings “all financing solutions under one umbrella”.
Low-code fintech OutSystems bags $9.5bn valuation in $150m raise
It claims to tackle the shortage of developers across 22 industries.
What the Fintech? | S.2 Episode 4 | TMRW never dies: digital banking in the ASEAN
Featuring Stuart Smith, head of regional engagement and UX design at UOB’s TMRW Digital Bank.
Norwegian web browser Opera launches fintech “Dify” in beta
Opera made two fintech-focused acquisitions last year.
Baptist Health Federal Credit Union picks Finastra system
Healthcare-supporting FCU revamps digital channels.
FinTech Futures presents Dock – a virtual roundtable experience
Take part in Dock on 18-19 May to discuss the industry’s pertinent problems and find the solutions.
Dutch unicorn Mollie expands to UK for post-Brexit opportunities
Molllie says it wants to help merchants with European growth post-Brexit.
Yolt Technology Services lands UK PSD2 licence
The fintech will no longer rely on ING’s licence.
Banking Tech Awards 2020 Winners Supplement out now
Showcasing the most impactful and innovative projects, products, services and people in fintech in 2020.
UK government unveils digital identity plans based on wallet tech
The government likens a digital identity wallet to a bank card authorising a payment.
