What the FinTech? | S.3 Episode 1 | Talking open banking
To kick off season three, we’re joined by John Natalizia, co-founder and CEO of Snoop.
Start-up
Crypto firm Bitpanda acquires Trustology to launch custody service
Trustology will be rebranded as Bitpanda Custody, providing an institutional-grade crypto custody platform.
Digital ID verification start-up OCR Labs expands to North America with $30m funding
OCR Labs has raised $46 million through its combined Series A and B.
Italian BNPL provider Scalapay raises $497m in Series B
Scalapay has also launched a checkout experience platform for e-commerce called Magic.
Beyond Identity raises $100m to replace passwords with invisible, un-phishable MFA
Beyond Identity’s total funding to date reaches $205m and propels its valuation to $1.1bn.
Virgin Money revamps customer onboarding with HooYu
Virgin Money implements a new account opening journey for its customers.
SME banking provider Tide loses UK CEO
Laurence Krieger has stepped down after five years with the UK-based fintech.
Kenyan start-up MarketForce lands $40m Series A funding
The oversubscribed round was led by Africa-focused investment vehicle V8 Capital Partners.
U.S. Bank and Payactiv launch earned wage access solution
“Payactiv invented EWA to free the American worker from the two-week pay cycle,” states CEO.
Fintech momentum is growing in Cyprus, but challenges must be resolved
The fintech scene in Cyprus is growing rapidly, but there are still some hurdles to overcome.
Colombian neobank Plurall launches to serve LatAm’s SMEs and entrepreneurs
Plurall was founded in August last year and has raised $1.3 million in pre-seed funding.
Magyar Bankholding signs Thought Machine to launch new digital bank
Hungary’s second largest bank plans to launch a new retail digital bank.
PrimaryBid lands $190m in SoftBank-led Series C investment round
The money will be used to expand across continental Europe and the US.
Philippines’ PayMongo raises $31m Series B to support nation’s SMEs
The Manila-based start-up has now raised around $46 million in total capital.
Education financing platform Propelld raises $35m Series B
The start-up intends to add another 100 to 150 employees to its already 150-strong workforce.
Financial “cockpit” for SMEs Ageras raises €30m
Denmark-based Ageras is “poised to become one of Europe’s next unicorns”, investors say.
Digital-first “bank for youth” LINC launches in Jordan
The neobank has been built by Cairo Amman Bank, a full-service bank in Jordan and Palestine.
Thailand’s Siam Commercial Bank invests $100m in digital finance platform Akulaku
Akulaku CEO William Li says the companies share a vision for banking that is “expansive and inclusive”.
ICYMI fintech funding round-up: Actyv.ai, MoneyHash, Novus, SJ Mobile Labs, Trace Finance, & Zand
Our weekly fintech round-up for you to get the latest funding news.
US fintech start-ups Airbase, Genesis Volatility, and Tilled raise funds
A handy round-up of the recent funding endeavours of three US start-ups in the fintech space.
Revolut names Ibrahim Dusi as chief risk officer for Americas
Dusi joins Revolut from US-based lender Happy Money, where he spent eight years.
US mobile banking app Spruce launches powered by SoFi Technologies’ Galileo
The mobile banking platform has been built by H&R Block and launched on 20 January 2022.
Finovate supplement: stand out and showcase your brand to fintech professionals
Our Finovate supplements are a great way for you to gain additional brand awareness.
Challenger bank Blink appoints Zein Malhas as CEO
Malhas moves from Capital Bank of Jordan, where she was chief digital officer.
SME financing platform Funding Societies raises $294m in equity and debt
The start-up has raised $144m in equity, led by SoftBank, and $150m in debt financing.
TSB and BankiFi team up to launch Revenu app for small businesses
Revenu enables small businesses to receive quicker payments and to better manage their finances.
UK challenger bank Atom raises £75m as it heads toward IPO
The UK’s first app-based bank has raised more than £75m in new equity priced at 70p per share.
Nigerian paytech Flutterwave lands $250m Series D round
Flutterwave says it has become the highest-valued African start-up with this investment.
New digital bank D360 gets regulatory approval in Saudi Arabia
D360 becomes the third digital bank in Saudi Arabia to be licensed.
Climate First Bank on sustainability, fintech greenwashing, and fighting the climate crisis
FinTech Futures speaks to Climate First Bank’s founder, Ken LaRoe, and CTO, Marcio deOliveira.
Qatari financial management app Karty set to launch in MEA region
Karty allows users to spend, save and manage their money.
Neobanks: are they up to the fight?
Collectively, challenger banks are chipping away at the most profitable parts of the incumbents’ business.
Round and round: how circular economy fintechs are aiming to save the planet
Twig CEO Geri Cupi thinks the circular economy is now at a tipping point in terms of mainstream acceptance.
Trulioo acquires HelloFlow to create “end-to-end identity platform”
HelloFlow is a no-code builder of client onboarding, monitoring, and digital workflow solutions.
Banking tech vendor Thought Machine receives £40m investment from Intesa Sanpaolo
Thought Machine’s Vault system will underpin Intesa Sanpaolo’s new digital banking service, Isybank.
African fintech start-up Stitch lands $21m Series A round
Stitch will use the cash to expand its team, launch new products and enter new markets on the continent.
Spanish banking giant BBVA invests $300m in Brazilian neobank Neon
“Digital is opening new ways for us to grow in very attractive markets,” says BBVA chairman.
UK alternative lender ThinCats secures additional £100m funding to support SMEs
ThinCats now has “£650m currently available to deploy in support of businesses across the UK”.
Compliance tech provider Sardine raises $19.5m in Series A
New funding came from Andreessen Horowitz, NYCA and Experian Ventures.
French BNPL fintech Alma raises €210m Series C to support European expansion
To date, Alma has raised €180m in equity and more than €100m in debt financing.
