Fintech funding deals globally 26 April – 2 May 2021
Featuring Brex, Paxos, Vena, Greenlight, and Current.
Financial Inclusion
Atlanta is increasingly being recognized as a global fintech center
A considerable IT talent pool, business-friendly taxation, an international airport, and lower living costs.
BMO Harris Bank teams with Hope Trust to trial services for special needs clients
Hope Trust is a tech-based planning service and trust administration platform.
ICYMI funding round-up: Percent, Till Financial, Plooto, Nelo & more
More weekly funding deals which may have flown under your radar.
Welcome Tech raises $35m in Series B funding round
The money will go towards expanding Welcome Tech’s portfolio of financial services.
Digital transformation can boost minority homeowners
Digital transformation in the mortgage industry have the potential to reverse decades of bias in home ownership.
Fair CMO Toni Harrison: Oppressors can’t be the underbanked’s saviours
Instead of shrinking, the racial wealth gap has only continued to swell and expand.
WorldRemit founder Ismail Ahmed launches $500m Somaliland fund
WorldRemit’s first market was Somaliland.
ICYMI funding round-up: Butter, Spiral, SadaPay, OVEX, Ensemble & more
We’ve put together an “In Case You Missed It” (ICYMI) funding list.
Does the key to financial inclusion sit in a digital money savings pot?
Fintechs should be looking to develop products that promote healthy and sustainable financial habits.
65% of UK financial institutions miss Treasury’s gender representation targets
Firms blamed targets for being “too ambitious”, and the impact of COVID-19 on hiring and pay.
Sheroes Money is banking on India’s female entrepreneurs
India is home to just two self-made female billionaires.
Technology is winning the fight for financial inclusion
Enlist technology as an ally in the fight against financial exclusion.
Women in fintech: Clipped wings, part-time stigma & ignorant assumptions
Women highlight gender bias in the financial services workplace.
Women in fintech: “Aggressive” feedback, revealing audits and dress up comments
Women in fintech share their experiences of gender bias.
Payfazz invests $30m in Xfers to form Fazz Financial Group
FFG aims to develop solutions for the underbanked in Southeast Asia.
Why do women still think they need to be palatable?
Lack of attention to certain stories inflicts grave damage on how marginalised people tell theirs.
Tackling unconscious gender biases in wealth management
Yaela Shamberg, co-founder and CPO at InvestCloud shares her thoughts on gender equality.
Creating communities on International Women’s Day
Stephanie Clarke, SVP at Broadridge, shares her insights on IWD.
Ethical challenger algbra banks on tech to define it in “fintech gold rush”
“We’re building a backend on a global level,” says co-founder.
UK challengers Monument, Pockit and TreeCard bank funding
Three UK banking services start-ups have landed investment recently.
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.
Oraan CEO: Women in finance weren’t welcomed in Pakistan
Oraan’s research found that savings – particularly for women – just wasn’t tapped into.
UK Black-owned challenger Atmen to launch in March
The start-up is now looking to raise £5 million from institutional investors.
Learning to safeguard vulnerable customers in a digital world
What’s needed is an industry-wide effort to stamp out poor practice and make services inclusive.
Danish edtech Female Invest targets UK expansion with $1.6m fresh capital
“It makes a big difference when you see someone like you on a platform.”
Six Black-owned banks receive funding from Well Fargo’s $50m MDI pledge
The banks will have access to a dedicated Wells Fargo relationship team.
A look inside MENA investor Global Ventures’ fintech portfolio
Global Ventures’ portfolio covers payment acceptance, digital wallets, credit and trading.
HSBC, Microsoft, and Santander back Included VC’s diversity fellowship
The fellowship’s latest 48-person-strong cohort is 18 more than last year.
FinTech Futures Jobs: five awesome fintech companies founded by women
Featuring Aya Payments, Modularbank, First Boulevard, GoHenry, and Alinea Invest.
Plaid launches incubator FinRise for fintech founders of colour
The incubator is looking to accept just three-to-five start-ups.
My mother was right about everything
What good are the choices, if you don’t act?
What the Fintech? Season one | Fintech Jail
Here’s a list of all the buzzwords in our What the Fintech podcast game, “Fintech Jail”.
EXCLUSIVE: Neobank First Boulevard launching next year to target Black America
CEO and founder, Donald Hawkins, tells FinTech Futures about the process of the name change.
FCA fines Barclays £26m over poor treatment of customers in financial difficulty
Barclays did not dispute the FCA’s findings and agreed to settle the case.
Digitalisation landscape in Pakistan – a tech view
The digital and tech teams of the banks need to “think out of the bank”.
Revolut hot on Starling’s heels, breaks even in November
“We’re doing much better compared to pre-Covid times,” says CEO.
Banking for good
As the new kids on the fintech block start to mature, I do hope they support the broader community.
Banking Tech Awards 2020 hosted online by Tom Ward
Join comedian Tom Ward for the 2020 Banking Tech Awards. Broadcast online on 10 Dec, 3:30pm GMT and is free to attend.
San Fran alternative lender Oportun applies for banking charter
Oportun currently has licences in 12 states.
