65% of UK financial institutions miss Treasury’s gender representation targets
Firms blamed targets for being “too ambitious”, and the impact of COVID-19 on hiring and pay.
UK
Nigerian challenger Kuda Bank raises $25m in Series A funding
Neobank nabs more funding just four months after last round.
Pollinate secures $50m Series C funding for US expansion
UK firm has raised $218 million to date.
London fintech Agitate latest to unveil open banking-powered payments solution
The solution skips the card ecosystem entirely.
Wise considers rare direct listing on London Stock Exchange
This would see Wise circumvent the conventional IPO process.
UK fintechs B-North, DIEM, Encompass, and Lumio raise funding
A round-up of recent investments clinched by the UK fintech start-ups.
NatWest’s FCA laundering charge the “first of a few” to come in 2021
The FCA is currently still investigating 6 other cases.
Low-code firm Genesis raises $45m in Series B funding round
Genesis had raised $4.8m over nine years prior to the new injection.
Wealthtech for asset managers FundSense launches in UK
FundSense licenses the platform on a per-user basis.
Ikigai launches in UK to disrupt the asset percentage pricing model
Ikigai is charging a flat £10-a-month fee to early access users.
Technology is winning the fight for financial inclusion
Enlist technology as an ally in the fight against financial exclusion.
NatWest faces FCA money laundering charge over £365m account
The bank will appear before Westminster Magistrates’ Court next month.
Regulating the Brexit deal
In spite of their clear importance, regulators have often met resistance.
Fintech funding deals globally 8-14 March 2021
Featuring Stripe, Starling, BlockFi, Cedar, and Flutterwave.
Bank of England governor key architect in RBS scandal which left businesses in ruin
Bailey did not disclose his hand in creating the Asset Protection Agency.
Katherine Dziaman joins Sandstone Technology as new CFOO
She replaces Pow-Chuan Lee, who leaves the firm after two and half years.
Will there be a post-Brexit financial services and fintech boom?
The burgeoning UK fintech sector could soon thrive as never before.
NatWest shutters three-year-old fintech lender Esme Loans
Esme Loans enjoyed a London Tube advertising campaign for a time.
Atom Bank to close funding round at half its 2019 valuation
One of Atom’s largest shareholders isn’t able to participate in the sale.
Chip hires former 10x head of product Tom Evans as new CTO
Evans joins as the saving app gears up for new product launches.
Insurtech Zego lands $150m Series C to join unicorn club
“It is clear that the way people use vehicles is undoubtedly changing”.
London fintech WorldRemit mulls taking $1.5bn Spac listing to US
Refinitiv data shows Spac mergers have surged to a record $170 billion this year.
Tesco Bank kicks off three-year ATM modernisation project
2,000 machines will be replaced by the end of 2023.
MFS Africa invests in London with all-new executive team
“London has taken up the mantle of fintech advocate and champion.”
Aion Bank acquires robo-advisor ETFmatic
London-based robo-advisor ETFmatic has been Aion Bank’s partner for a year.
OBR doubts impact of UK’s new infrastructure bank
The UKIB is a third of the financing provided by the European Investment Bank (EIB).
UK’s CMA launches consultation into OBIE successor
The CMA asks firms to send in suggestions before 29 March.
Paysafe inks Azure cloud deal with Microsoft
The two firms extend an existing tech partnership.
Dozens hires new CTO from energy firm Kingo
Peter Kasprowicz is a “rare” direct hire from the Guatemalan firm
Starling raises £272m to land unicorn status with £1.1bn valuation
The capital will boost Starling’s lending, launch Starling in Europe, and underpin M&A.
Budget 2021: The fintech industry reacts
We asked key market participants what they thought of the UK Chancellor’s budget.
Greensill in crisis as regulators step in to freeze payments
BaFin ordered Greensill’s Bremen-based bank subsidiary to freeze all payments.
M&S Bank closing all bank accounts and 29 in-store branches
M&S has moved towards retail-focused solutions in recent times.
ING-backed Countingup lands £9.1m Series A with help of new investor Sage
The fintech has acquired 14,000 customers in the last 12 months.
Codat secures investment from Amex and PayPal
Codat gains big backers as it gears up for US launch.
Wipro signs off on $1.45bn acquisition of Capco
Indian IT giant wants to grow in Europe and Asia.
Budget 2021: What does it mean for UK fintech?
FinTech Futures scrolls through the UK chancellor’s new budget to pick out the fintech impact.
London calling
City firms can still access EU market despite no financial services deal.
UK Finance plans future revamp for Open Banking body
The OBIE is morphing into a new organisation to support innovation.
UK chancellor to reveal £22bn infrastructure bank in 2021 Budget
The bank will offer loans to local authorities at lower rates to support new projects.
