Top fintech stories this week – 21 December 2018
Catch up on FinTech Futures’ top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place!
Europe
Everything you need to know about blockchain in Switzerland
Switzerland has introduced a comprehensive legal framework for regulating blockchain on a national level.
Coconut milks crowdfunding to launch current accounts
UK firm unleashes latest product for freelance folks.
BBVA and EIB sign €1bn synthetic securitisation on blockchain
The first of its kind in the EU.
AI firm Dataiku gets £80m funding
Aiming at UK expansion.
Mastercard and Elavon elevate bank apps for retail payments
Aiming to allow consumers to pay for goods and services through their bank’s app.
Diginex deepens digital assets with Altairian acquisition
Hong Kong-based blockchain firm buys again – this time a UK wealthtech.
Remittance comparison site Monito gets £2.5m funding
Supported by Swiss media group Tamedia.
Old guard and challenger banks sit at UK’s switching scheme table
Incentivised Switching Scheme welcomes 11 banks.
UBS fined $15m for AML malpractices
Bank hit by a trio of regulators for money laundering fails.
Lendtech Blend Network gets £10m funding
To grow its lending product and raise the UK firm’s profile.
Norway’s DNB calls for fintech start-ups
DNB NXT Accelerator and StartupLab want you.
Put your SEPA cards on the table
European Cards Stakeholders Group calls for feedback.
Flux to flex digital muscles with $7.5m funding
Digital receipt firm plans platform expansion.
Estonia arrests ex-Danske staff over money laundering case
Ten former employees feel the heat in Tallinn.
TransferMate acquires Swiss FX payments firm Devisenwerk
Irish B2B payments provider making progress.
AR firm Blippar goes bust
All staff will lose their jobs at the UK-based augmented reality firm.
Interview: Transferwise – the power of partnerships
We talk to Transferwise about its progress, with partner banks as well as under its own steam.
Nordea launches instant reporting for commercial break
Bank says this “turns open banking into a commercially viable product”.
Santander smartly acquires invoicing and expenses app Albert
Bank says app is popular among freelancers and micro-enterprises in the UK.
Mastercard picks paytech pal in Polish Payment Standard
Digital, mobile, cards, e-commerce – it’s all happening.
B-Social raises £3m to build a social bank
As it applies for a UK banking licence from the FCA and PRA.
DNB and Danske pump €5m funding into Spiir’s Nordic API Gateway
The parties seek to build their PSD2 infrastructure in the Nordics.
Goldex raises over £1m in pre-Series A rush
As it develops its retail gold investment app launched in July.
Compliance software provider Egress gets $40m funding
Led by FTV Capital and supported by AlbionVC.
Ethoca and Cartes Bancaires alert to fighting fraud
CB Alerts portal helps online merchants collaborate with card-issuing banks.
UK credit provider TotallyMoney takes in £29m funding
Investment from Elliott Advisors and Scottish Equity Partners.
PSD2 stats: EMI and PI licences in Europe
How many payment institution (PI) and electronic money institution (EMI) licences were granted in Europe?
Infographic: cashless payments now reign supreme
Merchant Machine is on the scene to reveal the true value in the world we live in.
Swiss government preps for blockchain bonanza
Federal Council wants to exploit digital opportunities with friendly framework.
Starling Bank’s Megan Caywood jumps to Barclays’ ship
She aims to have a bigger impact in the industry through fintech partnerships.
Mastercard acting up for smartphone payment terminals
Unveils pilot implementation of LitePOS solution with eService.
CivilisedBank name change leaves founder short-changed
EXCLUSIVE. UK challenger bank now called Allica. Founder now trying to make sense of it all.
Voleo to help OP Financial Group’s social trading drive
Voleo will join the Helsinki-based firm’s Wealthtech Partnership Programme.
Evry wins $75m Handelsbanken contract
Evry will provide Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) core banking and payment solutions.
IOHK Plutus Fest: bringing science to smart contracts technology
Separating blockchain reality from hype with new platforms based on scientific principles and published research.
Paytech TransferGo glows with $17m funding
UK firm targets expansion in Turkey, India, Ukraine and Russia.
BBVA drives first acquisition term loan on blockchain
Closes the loan with Porsche Holding Salzburg.
Equifax Ignite-s data analytics in UK
Data analytics and insights platform lands in UK.
Banking tech problems hit TSB and Absa
UK and South Africa united in fintech grief.
