Metro Bank signs tech partnership deal with Wipro
Wipro plans a “transformation” on Metro Bank’s testing.
UK
What’s new Quotevine? Tom Jones joins as COO
Jones was previously Sopra Banking Software’s CTO.
HSBC plans to double Black staff in senior positions by 2025
It does not mention what proportion of the bank’s current senior team are Black.
OpenWrks lands government deal as digital affordability provider
The government wants to digitise more of its debt advice service.
UK fintech Beanstalk launches JISAs for parents with just £5 to invest
The start-up was co-founded by former Capital One employees.
Curve lands first CFO from PayPal, announces Onfido partnership
Scott Weller previously spent a six-year stint at PayPal.
TransferWise hits $5bn valuation with $319m liquidity round
The firm says it’s seen a 43% uplift in its value since May 2019.
Thought Machine lands another $42m for Asia-Pacific expansion
It brings the firm’s Series B round to $125 million.
11:FS makes second round of cuts, this time to 11:FS Foundry
Leda Glyptis will no longer be the Foundry’s CEO.
Revolut loses banking veteran CEO after one year to upstart Allica Bank
Davies says his departure is on good terms.
NatWest deploys Synalogik Scout across multiple brands
NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Ulster Bank, and Coutts are all to use Scout.
Law firm owner co-founds challenger Frost rivalling Snoop
It is currently applying for a banking licence with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
Applications for FCA’s sixth regulatory sandbox drop more than 30%
Last year, the sandbox recieved a record 99 applications.
Home-backed loan provider Selina Finance lands £42m
Some £12 million of its Series A counts for equity, whilst the rest is debt.
New UK fintech Flex founded by former Pockit employee
Flex promises money management and savings tips for users.
Quantexa raises $64.7m in Series C funding
The anti-fraud AI firm has raised $90m to date.
A look inside Barclays’ fintech accelerator Rise
FinTech Futures sits down with Magdalena Kron, who leads Rise London’s team.
Bueno bank aims to target Spanish holiday homeowners
Bueno promises a range of services to manage second homes.
Swift names Nick Kerigan as new head of innovation execution
Kerigan was previously the managing director for Future Payments at Barclaycard.
Lloyds partners with Form3 to create group-wide payments platform
The UK bank is acquiring an undisclosed minority equity stake in Form3.
Plum lands $10m for European expansion
To date, Plum has raised $19.3 million.
Accuity partners with Encompass to automate client KYC
Encompass technology implemented into Accuity’s Bankers Almanac solution.
Finastra and Microsoft extend cloud deal
The new deal is hailed as a “step change” in the pair’s relationship.
UK challenger The Reserve postpones launch due to COVID-19
The Reserve is built green “from inception”.
Virgin Money launches beta of new home buying app
The app is part of Virgin Money’s wider digital transformation strategy.
Lloyds commits to increase Black staff in senior roles
It employs 40 Black members of staff across its more than 7,000 strong senior exec team.
UK government launches review to boost fintech sector
The review intends to establish priority areas for industry, policy makers, and regulators.
FCA confirms post-Brexit cooperation deals with EU regulators
UK watchdog says agreements remain “relevant and appropriate”.
From open banking to open finance
It’s only in 2020 that we see the quality, reliability, and range of APIs connecting to accounts that realise the regulators’ vision.
UK savings app Moneybox lands £30m, plans crowdfund
Moneybox has raised £50 million since 2016.
FCA and City of London to create COVID-19 inspired digital sandbox
The sandbox will be for both start-ups and “large financial institutions”.
Hummingbird raises $8.2m led by Flourish Ventures
Flourish Ventures led the round, with new support from Stripe alumni Lachy Groom and Jon Zieger.
Non-profit Fair for You lands £7.5m to take on credit sector
Seven social investors took part.
FreedomPay partners with Barclaycard
FreedomPay activates its Commerce Platform solution for Barclaycard customers.
Meet OneBanks: the fintech picking up after banks’ branch closures
The start-up wants to create a bank-agnostic branch network.
Monzo takes another shot at paid current accounts
The paid-for current account is priced at £5 a month.
State-backed green bank to land in UK to hit country’s climate goals
The government sold its original green bank in 2017.
Monese and Paysafe sign digital banking partnership
Monese customers are able to use Paysafecash with their accounts.
Islamic P2P lender Qardus launches in UK for SMEs
The new P2P lender offers unsecured loans of up to £100,000.
Barclays launches robo-advisor for £5k investments with Scalable
The service is called ‘Barclays Plan & Invest’.
