BBVA shutters Simple after paying $117m for it in 2014
The bank is cutting out standalone entities which no longer make sense to operate solo.
Digital
UK Treasury calls for input on planned regulation of cryptoassets and stablecoins
UK’s finance ministry says “the landscape has changed” in a short time.
SoFi set to go public via merger with Palihapitiya’s fourth Spac
The IPO will value SoFi at $8.65 billion.
India plans new bank to support $1.5trn infrastructure revamp
Prime minister Modi is expected to announce the news next month.
How FIs can reduce friction and drive value in the payments system
FIs can help clients proactively identify and respond to potential problems.
Video: Top fintech stories this week – 08 January 2021
FinTech Futures’ weekly news round-up.
Mambu raises €110m to hit €1.7bn valuation
Cloud core banking vendor has raised over €150m since launch.
Customer service start-up Glia lands $78m to help banks and credit unions
The round was led by Shopify and Checkout.com backer Insight Partners.
Trump bans transactions through Chinese apps including Alipay
The applications have 45 days to prepare for the ban.
Orange Bank acquires challenger Anytime to expand SME focus
Anytime to fall under the Orange brand as it looks to scale up for businesses.
JP Morgan in talks with China Merchants Bank over another wealthtech venture
JP Morgan already holds a majority stake in a Chinese venture.
Arab Investment Bank picks fresh batch of Temenos solutions
Egypt-based bank adds to existing portfolio of Temenos products.
HSBC signs multi-year AML partnership with Polish fintech Silent Eight
The bank’s global compliance division will deploy the Silent Eight’s resolution alert system.
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”.
San Francisco challenger Oxygen raises $17m in Series A
Runa Capital, S7V, EFG Hermes, and Rucker Park, took part in the investment.
Fintech funding deals globally 28 Dec 2020-3 Jan 2021
Featuring Mission Lane, Narmi, Finja, CarPay, and ZipLoan.
Six trends that will change the crypto world in 2021
Which coins will rise in price and which ones will fall?
Israeli remittance fintech Rewire targets one million customers by end of 2021
Rewire currently boasts more than 200,000 European accounts.
UK challenger B-North raises £250,000 and signs deal with Channel 4
Channel 4 signed an advertising-for-equity deal.
Santander: Digital lenders have unfair regulatory advantage post-pandemic
“The pandemic will only entrench the digital players,” says Botín.
eToro plans for a $5 billion US IPO
The broker is eyeing a listing in New York and is already in talks with Goldman Sachs.
Oxbury plans 2021 launch after fresh £15m injection
Challenger bank for farmers receives investment from Duke of Westminster’s estate.
Tamam to launch Saudi Arabia’s first digital microfinance service
Tanam give green light after 18 months of sandbox testing.
Invincible TikTok: why video services are exciting and daunting at the same time
The ethical side of using AI video is becoming an increasingly acute problem today.
Crypto platforms drop support for XRP amid SEC’s Ripple lawsuit
Some crypto exchanges have delisted it while others have halted, suspended, or disabled trading for XRP.
China’s central bank issues Ant Group ultimatum after blocked IPO
The Peoples’ Bank of China wants Ant to overhaul its business or face the consequences.
What the Fintech? Season one | Fintech Jail
Here’s a list of all the buzzwords in our What the Fintech podcast game, “Fintech Jail”.
2020 in review: Top core banking stories
We run down the most interesting core banking stories from this year.
Independent broker-dealers: keep reps and build on fund-family partnerships
Let’s get the lay of the land with a quick industry-evolution review and where it’s left IBDs.
10x Future Technologies eyes $100m in Series C round
Its founder has hired financial advisory group, Lazard, to oversee its funding round in 2021.
Barbados to implement real-time banking
The government has been working with the credit union movement to move things along.
Denmark to join Eurosystem’s Target2 payment platform
T2 would then include the Danish krone by November 2025.
FCA makes major changes following LCF and Connaught review
Firms that have not used their regulatory permissions for the last 12 months are at risk of having it revoked.
Banks and bad actors: the race to digitally adapt
Financial services are far from reaching a “new normal”.
SoftBank aims to raise $525m with Spac IPO
Goldman Sachs Group and Citigroup are managing the deal.
2020 review: Top 10 fintech and bank M&A deals
Despite COVID-19, the financial sector has still enjoyed some notable M&A deals.
Cyberpunk 2077 makers face potential securities class action lawsuit
Cyberpunk 2077 – from lawsuits and refunds to big wins from hedge funds.
Modernising through legacy tech: powering the next wave of fintech innovation
It’s clear that mainframes are the ideal solution for fintech enterprises.
Central State Bank goes live on Finastra’s Fusion Phoenix core
Fusion Phoenix is a modern core, built entirely on Microsoft technology.
UK fintech GoCardless raises $95m funding
The Series F round was led by Bain Capital Ventures and brings the total raised to-date to $240m.
