Why mid-sized players should embrace the direct-to-consumer model
It’s imperative for businesses to be able to help customers directly.
E-commerce
Alibaba’s Ant plans Hong Kong IPO
“It is looking at selling between 5% and 10% of its shares in an IPO,” according to sources.
NatWest launches its no-card payments service Payit
The service uses open banking infrastructure.
Checkout.com lands $5.5bn valuation, looks to US listing
The firm has landed a $150 million Series B funding round it began in May.
Kazakhstan’s ecommerce banking app Kaspi quietly expands in CIS region
Kaspi made more than half a billion last year in profits.
PayTech Awards winners: where are they now? Emailage – Best E-Commerce Initiative
The pending takeover of Emailage by LexisNexis “kind of dominates the news”, says EMEA MD.
UK e-commerce bank start-up YAN set to launch in October
The fintech says it will donate “at least” 10% of its revenue to charity.
Strong customer authentication suffers another delay
Biometrics authentication is fast & easy to deploy, benefitting all stakeholders in an online payment transaction.
Ecommerce platform Shopify to launch ‘Shopify Balance’ for businesses
The account offering will land in the US later this year.
How UK fintechs can help SMEs accelerate payments digitalisation
There are a number of issues for SMEs when it comes to cash transactions.
Tencent buys 5% stake in Aussie fintech Afterpay
It puts Afterpay at a market capitalisation of more than AUD 8 billion ($5.1 billion).
India’s FSS helps Fair Play deliver online payment acquiring
Fair Play is deploying FFS’ Payment Gateway and Merchant Hub.
FCA extends SCA deadline for merchants by six months
The new timeline is 14 September 2021.
Ask the expert: how can I get to grips with the complexities of the financial services industry?
Key players, party models, easy ways to begin building relationships, and tips for establishing partnerships.
Anyday and Clearhaus to take on payment giants in Norway and Spain
“We’re ready to take on the giants,” says Anyday’s CEO.
Worldline continues acquisition streak with ecommerce gateway GoPay
Worldline will take over 53% of the stake in GoPay, and buy the rest in 2022.
UK fintech Zeux lets users shop on Amazon through its banking app
The feature is currently in beta.
What the Fintech? Episode 3 | Digital disruption: Bitcoin and stable coins
Tune in to hear what Gemini’s MD for Europe, Julian Sawyer, thinks about digital currencies.
Stripe bags $600m in fresh funding to hit $36bn valuation
Stripe recently added Zoom as one of its main customer.
Mastercard’s Ethoca teams up with Microsoft to offer digital receipts
The Canadian firm has an ongoing partnership with Microsoft.
PayTech Awards deadline extended! Submit your entry by 30 April
We have received more requests for extensions than ever before, so we are extending the entry deadline again until the end of April.
Banking Technology April 2020 issue out now
All things equal: Closing the gender gap in fintech.
Manchester’s fintech scene needs a homegrown unicorn, says report
Manchester is already home to five homegrown ecommerce unicorns.
The return of humanity in the digital era
He highlights the positive impact of the current situation and how our past was not necessarily better.
PayTech Awards deadline extended! Submit your entry by 10 April
Premier awards for banks, financial, payment & e-commerce institutions, paytech vendors, individuals & teams!
Wirecard, SAP and Futur/io launch ‘Innovation Now’ to assist merchants amid COVID-19
Merchants will be able to find “assistance packages” through the platform.
MatchMove buys strategic stake in Shopmatic to build SME offering
MatchMove is slowly building up its armoury to morph into a full digital bank.
Stripe leads $20m Series A into ecommerce checkout service Fast
Jumping from a $2.5 million raise to a $20 million investment in a few months is fast.
N26 expects 70% of bank branches to disappear in 10 years
The coronavirus is accelerating a permanent change in consumer behaviour, says N26.
Russia’s PM introduces new bill for fintech sandboxes
These new sandboxes will be subject to lighter regulations.
Jumia steps in to assist Africa amid rising coronavirus numbers
Jumia will help various African governments distribute masks to hospitals.
HSBC joins Alibaba to offer Hong Kong’s online merchants quick loans
This is the first time HSBC will use third-party data to approve trade finance loans.
Will Asia’s Big Tech European expansion stick?
Asia’s mega funding rounds make Europe’s look like child play.
The accounts payable e-guide, vol. 1 – no pain, no gain?
Addressing ways to streamline the accounts payable process with digital integrations.
Video: Top fintech stories this week – 20 March 2020
FinTech Futures’ weekly news round-up.
Wirecard expands ecommerce partnership with WeChat Pay
European merchants can integrate WeChat Pay “in just a few minutes”.
Video: Top fintech stories this week – 13 March 2020
FinTech Futures’ weekly news round-up.
Nets buys Polish payment provider PeP for $455m
PeP moves to Nets with expected net revenues of roughly $62 milllion for 2020.
Alipay plans digitisation for 40 million Chinese service providers
The move marks a shift in the business from financial to digital services.
Visa teams up with Nigeria’s Paga
Lagos-based Paga holds more than 14 million customers across Nigeria.
