Phyre secures $1.7m to develop its e-wallet in Bulgaria
The fintech works with two major telcos in Bulgaria.
Europe
Tink completes €15.5m acquisition of Eurobits
The move is part of Tink’s growth strategy for 2020 and beyond.
ABN Amro withstands $200m loss from margin call failure of one client
The loss is equivalent to almost 10% of the bank’s annual profits.
Meri Williams steps down as CTO of Monzo
It is not clear who is taking up Williams CTO responsibilities.
DataGuard raises $20m in Series A to provide GDPR-as-a-Service
The Munich-based firm claims to already have 1,000 customers.
Coronavirus: FCA announcements round-up
We collated a round-up of these notices to assist our readers on COVID-19 updates.
VoxSmart raises £5.5m from NatWest in Series B funding round
Surveillance firm completes its second round since 2006 founding.
US Fed Reserve & ECB ramp up bond buying to steady markets
Fed pledged to buy unlimited amount whilst ECB eyes up €750bn additional bonds.
Coronavirus: UK cash usage halves during pandemic
Shop closures, contactless and hygiene concerns taking its toll on cash.
Pleo offers new customers free services until July amid coronavirus
“With this uncertainty set to rumble on […] Pleo wanted to do something to help.”
Spanish regulators approve $2.8bn SIX takeover bid for BME
SIX has been going head-to-head with Euronext for the Spanish exchange firm.
FCA requests listed companies delay publishing preliminary financials
It highlights that this statement does not apply to AIM-listed companies.
N26 expects 70% of bank branches to disappear in 10 years
The coronavirus is accelerating a permanent change in consumer behaviour, says N26.
UK auto-saving app Chip lands authorisation from FCA
The app has seen an influx of savers using its platform as of late.
Dublin start-up My Money Jar lands investment from Enterprise Ireland
The fintech has raised a total of $1.4 million.
Russia’s PM introduces new bill for fintech sandboxes
These new sandboxes will be subject to lighter regulations.
Coronavirus crisis forces the EU to redraw its digital strategy
Working remotely is also causing considerable strain on the EU’s IT system.
A look under the hood of ABN Amro’s internal Covid-19 operations
The bank admits there were some VPN teething issues.
Erste Bank Hungary integrates OneSpan into mobile banking
The bank hopes to keep transactions secure and comply with PSD2.
big xyt hires SocGen’s Richard Hills
Data analytics firm snaps up electronic equities trading man.
Revolut heads stateside with US launch
The London-based unicorn expands to North America.
UK contactless limit raised to £45 to prevent coronavirus cash handling
“The changes were already under consideration by the industry,” says UK Finance
UK challengers Revolut and Monzo combat claims they are going bust
Revolut dubs the claims “fake news”, and Monzo says it is “here to stay”.
Fronted, 11:FS and Credit Kudos create ‘Covid Credit’ for self-employed
Covid Credit uses open banking data to help the self-employed get income relief.
Finastra brings servers back online after ransomware attack
“A bad-actor was attempting to introduce malware into our network,” says firm.
ID Finance’s revenues hit $86.6m across Spain, Brazil and Mexico
“Despite macroeconomic volatility, the company plans to continue its growth,” says CEO.
HSBC’s $6bn structural overhaul under threat from COVID-19
The global bank may have to delay its plans if the contagion becomes a long-term issue.
ESMA relaxes MiFID II call recording rules in wake of COVID-19
The EU regulatory body recognises limitations created by the virus.
Appian unveils software to help banks operate amid coronavirus outbreak
The application is only available to companies with more than 1,000 employees.
Mastercard set to propel bunq’s Green Card throughout Europe
The cards have seen a CO2 reduction of roughly 30.8 million kg so far.
WorldRemit teams up with Paykii
It will launch international bill payments through its own app/website using Paykii’s tech.
Finastra appoints Gary Bischoping as new CFO
Bischoping to replace Mark Miller, who stepped down for personal reasons.
HSBC confirms Noel Quinn as permanent CEO
He has held the job on an interim basis for seven months.
Will regulators make an example of trading unicorn Robinhood?
“We don’t think they were set up to do it properly,” says class action lawyer.
Bank of England dips into US repo to lend banks $15bn
It’s the largest sum the central bank has issued since the financial crisis.
Penta lands $20.3m to help German and Italian SME
The round was co-led by RTP Global and HV Holtzbrinck Ventures.
TransferWise teams with Alipay in latest Asian expansion
TransferWise customers just need the recipient’s name and Alipay ID.
Revolut launches accounts for under-18s in the UK
Only the children of Premium and Metal account holders will have access.
Iwoca launches lending platform to help banks and fintechs tap UK SMEs
The platform has already bagged Monese and Xero as a partners.
JH&P picks InvestCloud to transform digital communication
The wealth management group also expects significant cost savings.
