Investment & Funding


Blockchain firm Symbiont gets investment from Medici Ventures

Blockchain technology investor Medici Ventures has teamed up with Symbiont, providing investment to the company and announcing a collaboration involving both Medici and its parent company Overstock, reports Finovate (Banking Technology’s sister company). The partnership will enable Medici Ventures to become the first company to register corporate ownership shares using the blockchain. The news follows on […]

Fintech funding round-up: 26 July 2017

Bread but with the bluster removed. Following on from yesterday’s concise report, our latest fintech funding round-up keeps it brief. Features Cleo, Skype, ItzCash, Ebix and research from Innovate Finance. The “Siri of personal finance,” Cleo, a virtual money assistant, has received £2 million in funding from Skype’s co-founder Niklas Zennström and venture capital (VC) […]

Fintech funding round-up: 25 July 2017

Whether you call it dinero or dough, the fintech funding does flow! This latest round-up features Revolut, Constellation Digital Partners, Paytm, Mobiquest Mobile Technologies and Wesleyan Bank. Following on from the $66 million raised in a Series B round, UK-based payments start-up Revolut is looking for an additional £4 million in exchange for shares in […]

JP Morgan Chase start-up portfolio with CFSI powers on

JP Morgan Chase is more than halfway through its five-year $30 million commitment to start-up innovation in its partnership with Centre for Financial Services Innovation’s (CFSI) FinLab, reports Finovate (Banking Technology’s sister company). Each of the past three years, fintech start-ups have been invited to apply to the accelerator which is focused on finding financial solutions for low- and […]

Aire pulls in $5m, lands partnerships with Zopa and Toyota Financial Services

Alternative credit scoring company, Aire, has raised $5 million in Series A funding. The round was led by Sunstone Capital, with funds also coming from White Star Capital, which led the company’s 2016 seed round. Aire’s funding now totals $12 million, reports Finovate (Banking Technology’s sister company). The London-based company plans to use the funds […]

New investment boosts Betterment valuation to $800m

Robo advisor Betterment is now that much closer to achieving unicorn status – courtesy of a $70 million investment from Sweden’s Kinnevik. The investment takes Betterment’s total capital to $275 million, and gives the robo advisor a valuation estimated at $800 million, reports Finovate (Banking Technology’s sister company). Praising the “strong partnership” between his firm and Kinnevik, Betterment CEO […]

DoubleNet Pay garners $4m investment

Financial wellness company DoubleNet Pay has closed $4 million in seed funding. The investment, which marks the Atlanta-based company’s first round of funding since it was founded in 2013, comes from TTV Capital and Fuqua Investments, reports Finovate (Banking Technology’s sister company). The 12-person company will use the funds to boost product development and bolster sales. […]

LendKey raises $13m in equity and debt financing

Lending-as-a-Service (LaaS) specialist LendKey raised $13 million in Series C funding this week, reports Finovate (Banking Technology’s sister company). The round consisted of both equity and debt financing ($8 million of the former, $5 million of the latter) and was led by Maine-based North Atlantic Capital. Also participating in the investment were existing investors DFJ, Gotham […]

Fintech funding round-up: 20 July 2017

It’s a treble yell! Following quickly on from 18 July and 19 July, this latest fintech funding round-up features Receipt Bank, Billon Group and TickSmith. Receipt Bank, a bookkeeping automation platform (not an actual bank), has raised $50 million in Series B funding from Insight Venture Partners. The investment will be used to accelerate growth […]

EquityZen secures $3m funding

EquityZen, a secondary marketplace for trading pre-IPO shares, has taken in $3 million in funding this week, reports Finovate (Banking Technology’s sister company). This Series A round brings the company’s total funding to $6.5 million. Draper Associates led the round, with WorldQuant Ventures also participating. The EquityZen marketplace connects shareholders of private companies with its current pool of […]

Fintech funding round-up: 19 July 2017

Following on from yesterday’s fintech funding fun, here’s our latest round-up. Features Finstar Financial Group, Adjoint, Karmic and Trupay. Finstar Financial Group will invest $150 million into new start-ups over the next five years, Oleg Boyko, the chairman of Finstar, has confirmed. The money will also be used for research and development (R&D) within the […]

Nesta names 20 fintechs fired up for £5m SME innovation fund

UK-based innovation foundation Nesta has revealed the 20 fintech firms who will participate in its Open Up Challenge as it looks for services, apps and tools for SMEs – with a £5 million prize fund on offer. As reported in March, Nesta launched its challenge – open to entries from anywhere in the world that […]

Flybits raises $6.5m to help banks put data to work

Consumer data contextualisation company Flybits pulled in $6.5 million this week, bringing the Toronto-based firm’s total funds to $14 million, reports Finovate (Banking Technology’s sister company). The Series B funding was led by Information Venture Partners. New investor Portag3 Ventures LP also participated along with existing investors Robert Bosch Venture and Trellis Capital. As a part […]

Fintech funding round-up: 18 July 2017

You’ve come to the right section for cash injection. Today’s fintech funding round-up features Contego, Privitar, Form3 and Barclays. Maven Capital Partners, a UK private equity house, has led the £3.5 million investment in Contego Fraud Solutions to support its growth plans. Maven is putting in £1.8 million, NVM Private Equity is investing £1.5 million, […]

FinLeap reveals new €39m funding, partners and HQ

German fintech incubator FinLeap has a spring in its step with new capital, new partners and a new HQ. The company has raised around €39 million from several investors, including the German Insurer Signal Iduna, SBI Group from Japan and the Dutch NIBC bank. Furthermore, the reinsurer Hannover Re, as a “big institutional investor”, raised […]

Turnkey Lender raises $2m in Series A funding

In a round led by Vertex Ventures, the venture capital wing of Temasek Holdings, Turnkey Lender has picked up $2 million in funding, reports Finovate (Banking Technology’s sister company). The Singapore-based company specialises in loan management technology, delivered over the cloud, that automates all stages of the lending life cycle – from application processing to collections […]

Fintech funding round-up: 13 July 2017

And the money keeps rolling in for fintech! Features Revolut, Curve, Pixoneye and Gridspace. Banking Technology’s sister publication Paybefore reports. UK challenger bank Revolut announced a $66 million investment from Index Ventures, Balderton Capital and Ribbit Capital, which the company will use to introduce new features and expand globally, starting with Asia and North America. […]

Darktrace raises $75m to fight cybercrime with AI

Darktrace, a start-up that tackles cybercrime with artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, has raised $75 million in a Series D round, reports Light Reading (Banking Technology’s sister publication). The latest capital injection values the company at $825 million, testament to the security threat faced by network operators and fintech enterprises and the power of machine learning technology. […]

Ephesoft earns $15m investment from Mercato Partners

Document capture and data analytics company Ephesoft landed $15 million in Series A funding from Mercato Partners. This marks the company’s first round of funding since it was founded in 2010, reports Finovate (Banking Technology’s sister company). “Mercato’s investment will help Ephesoft realise its vision of liberating meaning through machine learning technology,” says Ike Kavas, Ephesoft’s founder. […]

Google extends long arm of influence further into AI

Google has launched a new initiative, Gradient Ventures, its own VC arm to seek out artificial intelligence (AI) talent and invest in start-ups, reports Telecoms.com (Banking Technology’s sister publication). The initiative itself is a simple one. Google will provide funds and access to experienced engineers to help the start-ups develop to the next level. AI […]

Fintech Funding Roundup: Revolut, Curve, Pixoneye, Gridspace

And the money keeps rolling in for fintech. U.K. challenger bank Revolut announced a $66 million investment it will use to introduce new features and expand globally, starting with Asia and North America. Meanwhile, Santander InnoVentures, the bank’s fintech venture capital fund, has added U.K.-based Pixoneye and Curve and U.S.-based Gridspace to its portfolio.

Fintech funding round-up: 5 July 2017

Aw shucks, even more firms are getting big bucks. Following on from yesterday (4 July), here is another fintech funding round-up. Features Ohpen, MarketInvoice and Huddle Capital. Cloud-based core banking provider Ohpen has secured a €15 million Series B investment round led by private equity firm Amerborgh. The current investment round values Ohpen at €100 […]

Fintech funding round-up: 4 July 2017

There’s no lacking of backing. Our latest fintech funding round-up features Tide, Instarem and IntellectEU. UK-based mobile banking firm Tide, which launched in January, has raised $14 million in its Series A investment round. The round has been led by specialist fintech investor Anthemis, alongside Creandum, the Scandinavian fund that has backed companies including Spotify […]

Verizon jumps on the AI-security bandwagon

Verizon’s venture capitalist arm has started throwing its weight around the security arena, pumping cash into artificial intelligence (AI) start-up SparkCognition.

Fintech funding round-up: 23 June 2017

For the third day in a row we present a fintech funding round-up. The previous two were here and here. Our latest report features Blockchain, Julia Computing and Mswipe Technologies. We’ll begin with a confusing company name. Blockchain (yes, really), a UK-based software platform, has raised a Series B of $40 million with Lakestar and […]

Fintech funding round-up: 22 June 2017

It was only yesterday we did a fintech funding round-up. But as there’s a mad dash for cash, here’s another one. Features Digital Financial Services Lab, TrueLayer and Enterprise Ireland. Digital Financial Services Lab (DFS Lab) will invest $250,000 in four separate fintech start-ups that are building products to help low-income consumers in developing markets. […]

Mastercard launches competition for African financial inclusion

The Mastercard Foundation Fund for Rural Prosperity (FRP) has launched a new competition to find financial products and services that improve the lives of poor people in rural areas of Africa. The 2017 competition will follow a rolling format and will be open throughout the year with applications submitted and evaluated periodically. The first submission […]

Fintech funding round-up: 21 June 2017

Some people have got deep pockets, because the funding fun never ends. Our latest round-up features Soldo, Atom Bank, British Business Bank, BlackRock and Scalable Capital. Multi-user spending account, Soldo, has reported a Series A funding round of $11 million, led by Accel and includes participation from Connect Ventures, InReach Ventures, U-Start and R204 Partners. […]

Investors to the rescue for UK’s Co-op Bank?

The UK’s Co-operative Bank’s life may not be over just yet as it reveals it is in advanced discussions with existing investors over a rescue package. As reported in February, the bank was put up for sale – with the minority investor Co-op Group saying it is “supportive of the plan to find the bank […]

HSBC unveils £10bn fund for UK SMEs

HSBC has launched a £10 billion lending fund for SMEs in the UK as it looks to tap into this lively market. The bank says it continues to be open to lending, having approved 91% of small business lending applications in the last year. Ian Stuart, UK CEO, HSBC, says: “We want to put SMEs […]

Fintech outside London – part 3

Our tour of the UK fintech scene concludes in this third instalment of the report. We started from the south of the country, then travelled west and are now travelling through the northern England and Scotland.