India among major markets to see increase in ATM usage over 2019
Research suggests ATMs are still popular tools for financial inclusion.
Asia
Bank of India selects Uniken REL-ID to secure digital channels
Two firms extend decade-long systems partnership.
India’s micro business financer Lendingkart raises $42.1m in Series D
The total raised includes the start-up’s D1 raise last August.
Indian neobank Walrus aims for teenage market
Newly launched bank wants to help teens learn about “bad world of money”.
MoneyGram and Federal Bank tie up remittance partnership
The partners will offer direct-to-account crediting.
Global fintech sees worst Q1 since 2016 for VC-backed deals
The quarter saw just 404 deals and ended on $6.1 billion.
SadaPay drives contactless adoption with Mastercard in Pakistan
The digital wallet aims to deliver three million cards over the next five years.
India’s FSS helps Fair Play deliver online payment acquiring
Fair Play is deploying FFS’ Payment Gateway and Merchant Hub.
Paytm Payments Bank partners with Mastercard for physical card rollout
Beta users of the bank will be first to receive the new cards.
Hi-Pay launches Mongolian payments gateway with ACI Worldwide
Hi-Pay selected ACI’s UP eCommerce Payments system.
Indian challenger-to-be Jupiter raises $2m in venture funding
The new round comes as a top-up to a $24m injection from November 2019.
ICICI Bank launches WhatsApp-based banking service
The Indian bank follows up on its API and digital development.
Appian unveils software to help banks operate amid coronavirus outbreak
The application is only available to companies with more than 1,000 employees.
WorldRemit teams up with Paykii
It will launch international bill payments through its own app/website using Paykii’s tech.
TransferWise teams with Alipay in latest Asian expansion
TransferWise customers just need the recipient’s name and Alipay ID.
Swift’s ISO 20022 migration set back a year to November 2022
“The new approach will avoid short-lived investments by customers,” says Swift.
Travelex owner Finablr prepares for insolvency
Finablr processed $115 billion in transactions in 2019, and more than 1,500 firms rely on it.
Over one million users migrate from Yes Bank’s to ICICI Bank’s UPIs
The collapse of Yes Bank is causing ripple effects for UPI partners.
Global fintech funding: 2018 still stands as the reigning year
As of February 2020, year-over-year deal counts were down by 22%.
Community Bank Bangladesh goes live on Infosys Finacle in 48 days
New bank plans to rapidly scale with Infosys system.
Dutch fintech TerraPay gets acquired & raises $9.6m
“Fintechs like TerraPay play a vital role in increasing financial inclusion in emerging markets.”
Is the future of banking not open but closed?
Europe and USA have to create their own ecosystems to compete with the East.
India’s lending start-up SMEcorner bags $30m Series B
The round was led by a $10.5 million investment from Germany’s Paragon Partners.
Standard Chartered commits $75bn to sustainable development
Infrastructure projects to get $40bn, whilst renewable energy and clean tech to get $35bn.
Pakistani challenger Sadapay preps 2020 launch
New mobile wallet will target Pakistan’s underbanked and freelancer market.
Ecommerce firm Dot lands $8m seed funding
The start-up builds ecommerce solutions for brick and mortar stores.
WhatsApp Pay to launch in India with initial 10m users
Facebook-owned firm plans a full roll-out this year.
Rewire CEO: We want to be the financial marketplace for migrants
Traditionally, migrants have struggled to find a one stop shop for their finances.
PaySend and JS Bank create freelancer-focused wallet in Pakistan
Pakistan is the fourth fastest growing global economy for freelance worker revenues.
ADB creates $50m venture fund for start-ups driving sustainability
The fund will support start-ups helping Asia and the Pacific reach their sustainable goals.
BIS fintech report: More harmonised standards and less TPP reliance
BIS has published a cross-country review on the fintech regulatory landscape.
How AI can address the global sanctions challenge
Banks shouldn’t delay exploring an AI-powered approach to their existing screening processes.
Banking Technology February 2020 issue out now
Top dogs: The challenger bank success stories of 2019.
Telenor Microfinance Bank selects Temenos T24 as new core banking system
Pakistani institution uses NDC as implementation partner.
Bank-backed blockchain trade platform Contour launches in Singapore
Contour is built on R3’s Corda platform.
Pine Labs becomes Indian unicorn after Mastercard investment
Pine Labs valued at $1.5 billion after latest financing.
Catalyst Fund raises $15m from JP Morgan and UK Aid for emerging market fintechs
Thirty fintech start-ups from South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, India and Mexico will get funding.
Turkey’s Halkbank could pay $1bn in fines for court absence
The bank is facing criminal charges for helping Iran evade US economic sanctions.
GetVantage debuts with India’s first revenue-based financing platform
The alternate funding model is gaining significant traction in foreign markets.
ICICI Bank launches portal with around 250 APIs for fintech devs
The bank offers four times the amount of APIs launched by Yes Bank last year.
