Kazakhstan fintech Freedom reportedly under investigation by SEC, DOJ
According to documents seen by CNBC, the SEC’s Boston office has been investigating Freedom for months.
North America
American Express to pilot biometrics for online transactions
The biometrics have been developed by the FIDO Alliance and the World Wide Web Consortium.
Banc of California joins Rise Economy for $4.1bn community benefits plan
The plan succeeds the bank’s merger with PacWest Bancorp in July, combining assets valued at $36.1 billion.
UK fintech ieDigital acquires CUSO Connect FSS to tap US market
The two companies will become part of the new ieDigital Group, but will, at this time, retain their separate brands in their respective markets
Clearco completes recapitalisation, secures $60m Series D funding and $100m financing facility
The recapitalisation comes after the Canadian growth capital firm carried out significant job cuts over the last year.
National Australia Bank taps US fintech Trovata to launch new treasury solution
The bank’s venture capital fund previously participated in Trovata’s $27 million Series B in June 2022.
Monzo hires former Cash App exec Conor Walsh to lead renewed US expansion push
Walsh previously spent over six years as head of global product at Square’s mobile payment service Cash App.
Motive Partners to manage ABN Amro’s ventures fund as part of new partnership
The ABN Amro Ventures (AAV) fund is comprised of 15 early-stage companies and has €150m in AUM.
AP automation start-up Stampli raises $61m in Blackstone-led Series D
Existing investors Insight Partners, SignalFire, Bloomberg Beta and NextWorld Capital also participated in the round.
US fintech PayZen launches new product to boost healthcare affordability
With the Care Card, patients can access PayZen’s post-service payment plans through a physical and virtual debit card.
Aeropay teams up with UBank for in-game payments innovation
The partnership seeks to solve the “intricate payment challenges” at play within the current gaming ecosystem.
Affinity Federal Credit Union expands cannabis banking programme with Green Check
Affinity launched its cannabis banking programme earlier this year to provide CRBs with financial services.
Stitch raises $25m in Ribbit Capital-led Series A extension
PayPal Ventures, CRE Venture Capital and The Raba Partnership also participated.
Experian launches digital checking account and debit card for US consumers
With sign-up taking “minutes”, Experian’s new feature allows consumers to “streamline” their financial experience.
Visa taps US security operations provider Expel for MDR capabilities
Expel’s managed detection and response (MDR) solution claims to reduce alert-to-response times “to minutes”.
UBS taps Broadridge for sponsored repo solution
The bank is to integrate its newly-digitised trade flows into its DLR tech stack on Broadridge’s platform.
Nine questions banks should ask a potential core technology partner
Useful tips on finding a partner that provides a balance of exceptional tech and service.
Tap Global sets up US expansion through Zero Hash partnership
The UK-based cryptocurrency app intends to complete its US expansion by Q4 2023.
Mexican neobank Albo raises $40m in Series C funding round
The round also saw participation from existing investors Valar Ventures and Nazca Ventures.
AlphaSense lands $150m Series E funding at $2.5bn valuation
The latest fundraise comes months after AlphaSense secured $100m in Series D funding led by Alphabet’s CapitalG.
Wealth management firm Farther more than doubles valuation following $31m Series B
The New York-based firm intends to invest the funding into its wealth management portal and talent.
Codebase partners Network International to launch BaaS solution in the Levant
The partnership intends to accelerate the pace of digital banking transformation throughout the Levant region.
DigitalAPICraft signs as Google Cloud vendor and appoints Marco Tedone as CTO
Marco Tedone, the firm’s new CTO, spent almost 12 years leading API strategy for HSBC.
PortX raises $16.5m in Series B funding round
The investment follows one year after PortX raised $10 million in its Series A funding round.
B2B payments platform Slope secures $30m funding to build out AI tools
Slope plans to leverage new investor Sam Altman’s “extensive” AI experience to scale its platform.
US Treasury Department enlists JP Morgan for account validation services
The department claims to have suffered $247 billion in financial losses last year due to “improper payments”.
PayTech Awards USA 2023 winners announced
Celebrating exceptional achievements and talent in the US payments industry.
Standard Chartered strikes corporate multibank connectivity through Starfish Digital partnership
The bank’s new service seeks to benefit its corporate clients’ inter-bank connectivity and cash management processes.
Bright Money lands $62m debt and equity funding
The round consists of $50 million in debt funding and $12 million in equity.
AI and customer care: balancing automation and agent performance
Use cases for developing top-performing contact centre agents: AI simulation training, immersive learning & performance monitoring.
Switch2Zero appoints Galileo CEO Derek White as chairman
White is currently serving as CEO at Galileo Financial Technologies, a US-based payments and banking platform.
Raisin appoints former UBS chair Axel Weber as advisor and board member
Raisin claims to have experienced a “steep growth curve” amid interest rate hikes and a “savings rush”.
US Bank seeks AI specialist in call for automation and process transformation leader
The bank says a “significant component” of the role will be to “leverage new technologies in the AI arena”.
Report: Business resilience and continuity in financial services
How to establish a rapid and robust response to risks with access to the right tools.
Bahrain’s Bank ABC taps JP Morgan for blockchain-based cross-border payment service
The launch arrives in tandem with the bank’s documentary trade suite, ABC Trade.
SEC hands $25m penalty to Deutsche Bank subsidiary for AML violations and ESG “misstatements”
DWS Investment Management Americas Inc. has agreed to pay the penalty without admitting or denying the SEC’s charges.
Rimes names Theo Bell as head of newly created AI product division
With a career spanning more than 15 years, Bell brings a “rare wealth of experience” to her new role, Rimes says.
MoneyMasters goes live with Profile Software’s Axia Suite for digital wealth management
MoneyMasters intends to leverage the partnership to expand its services within the Caribbean region.
EWA start-up ZayZoon secures $34.5m in Series B funding round
The round was led by Framework Venture Partners, with participation from additional investors.
Onfido appoints Daniel Keller as chief technology officer
Keller joins Onfido from Europe’s Visable Group, where he served as CTO for over six years.
