German challenger N26 loses its chief risk officer
Thomas Grosse has quit the firm citing personal reasons. A successor has yet to be named.
Europe
Intesa Sanpaolo partners IBM to upgrade its IT infrastructure
Intesa Sanpaolo will utilise the IBM z16 platform to bolster its cybersecurity operations.
Dogs Trust taps Currensea to launch debit cards and boost donations
Customers will be able to make donations to the charity by rounding up spending from the card.
Thought Machine plans to boost headcount by 20% in 2023
Thought Machine intends to hire across India, Japan and South Africa for the first time.
Swedish paytech Zimpler names Stefan Andersson as chief product officer
Andersson will join Zimpler’s leadership team and report directly to CEO Johan Strand.
Centre for Finance, Innovation and Technology launches to boost UK fintech
CFIT will bring together “coalitions of experts” across finance, technology, academia and policy.
Revolut records first full year of profitability, plots global expansion
In its long-awaited annual report, Revolut says it recorded £26.3 million in profit for 2021.
Nationwide taps Board to upgrade financial planning capabilities
Board will “replace and transform” Nationwide’s financial planning processes and systems.
Climate tech firm Doconomy acquires financial wellbeing fintech Dreams
Doconomy will fold Dreams’ behavioural science platform into its environmental impact measurement tools.
Nexi to acquire 80% of Sabadell’s merchant acquiring business for €280m
The all-cash deal worth €280 million values the business at €350 million.
Business spend management firm Medius names Henrik Rosén as CTO
Rosén will be tasked with further developing Medius’ existing product suite as well as delivering new products.
Swiss fintech Radicant parts ways with CEO Anders Bally
The fintech’s board dismissed Bally over differences in approach to “leadership and communications”.
Klarna to start charging late payment fees in UK
Late-paying users will be hit with a £5 fee from 16 March, City AM reports.
Global paytech GPS appoints three new non-exec directors
The new additions are: Paulette Rowe, Shane Happach and Lynn McCreary.
Northern Ireland renaissance: how US companies sparked Northern Ireland’s global fintech hub
Northern Ireland is the world’s top region for both new software development and fintech inward investment projects.
Euronext in €5.5bn takeover bid for wealthtech Allfunds
Euronext has submitted an “indicative offer” to Allfunds’ board of directors.
RTGS.global CEO Dave Sissens steps down, Jarrad Hubble appointed interim CEO
Hubble joined RTGS in April last year as its chief commercial officer.
Visa and Mastercard reportedly facing multibillion-pound card fee suit
According to Sky News, the claim could be worth well over £10 billion.
Arvest Bank launches new lending product powered by Thought Machine
Arvest claims it is the first US bank to offer lending capabilities on Thought Machine’s core.
OpenWallet Foundation launches to boost digital wallet interoperability
The OWF intends to provide the “software engine” that organisations can use to develop digital wallets.
Stripe unveils Tap to Pay for Android devices
Tap to Pay allows businesses to accept contactless payments using an NFC-enabled Android device.
Co-operative Bank reportedly eyeing Sainsbury’s Bank’s £650m mortgage book
The Co-operative Bank is the frontrunner amid a bidding war being run by consultancy Deloitte, Sky News reports.
Buy now, worry about it later: the future of BNPL
Buy now, pay later – is there a more apt fintech application for our times than BNPL?
Enfuce wins State Treasury of Finland contract to modernise prepaid cards
The five-year contract was signed on 15 February 2023.
European paytech Lyra taps Napier for transaction monitoring
Lyra will utilise Napier’s transaction monitoring solution to ensure its compliance with regulatory requirements.
UK car finance fintech Carmoola secures £95m debt facility from NatWest
The firm has also bagged £8.5 million in a Series A funding round led by QED Investors.
Mizuho International taps SymphonyAI to help fight financial crime
Mizuho will use SymphonyAI Sensa to boost AML protection within its European capital markets division.
Chetwood’s SmartSave Bank partners cash deposit platform Flagstone
Under the new partnership, SmartSave’s fixed rate accounts will be made available to Flagstone clients.
Dutch challenger Bunq becomes first EU neobank to report a quarterly profit
Bunq reported a pre-tax profit of €2.3 million over Q4 2022.
European Commission launches blockchain regulatory sandbox
While blockchain is known for crypto, the Commission says the tech has a “wider utility” beyond financial services.
Icelandic neobank Indó taps Lucinity for AML protection
With the partnership, Indó will have access to Lucinity’s transaction monitoring and case manager solutions.
Bank of Russia to launch digital ruble pilot in April
Olga Skorobogatova, first deputy chair of the central bank, announced the news.
Pliant raises $28m in Series A funding
Founded in 2020 and based in Berlin, Pliant offers a B2B credit card platform.
Tesco reportedly exploring sale of banking business
According to Sky News, Tesco is launching a review of its UK banking activities.
Lithuania’s central bank reportedly investigating Railsr over AML failures
The Telegraph reports that Railsr’s Lithuanian subsidiary is being investigated by the country’s central bank.
Santander reportedly in discussions to purchase Abrdn’s private equity unit
A deal could be made in the next few months with the unit valued at around £250m, Sky News reports.
PPRO extends payments infrastructure to South Korea
This integration “opens up a gateway” for PPRO’s global partners to reach South Korean consumers, PPRO says.
Facing the FCA armed with data
Fintechs are finding themselves subject to increasing scrutiny by regulators regarding AML compliance.
Payoneer lands UK e-money licence from FCA
Payoneer secured the EMI via its subsidiary Payoneer Payment Services UK.
WealthKernel names Michael Rigby as new chief compliance officer
Rigby joins from Investec Wealth and Investment and brings over 30 years’ worth of experience to the role.
