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.
Challenger Bank
Indian start-up Zaggle registers new fintech ZikZuk to offer SMEs credit
In the next two years, ZikZuk intends to take itself across the globe.
Fintech funding deals globally 22-28 February 2021
Featuring Chargebee, Tyme, TypTap Insurance, Anchorage, and Earnix.
Ethical challenger algbra banks on tech to define it in “fintech gold rush”
“We’re building a backend on a global level,” says co-founder.
UK challengers Monument, Pockit and TreeCard bank funding
Three UK banking services start-ups have landed investment recently.
Banking Tech Awards 2020 Winner: TMRW – Best UX/CX in Finance Initiative
Exclusive interview with Kevin Lam, head of TMRW Digital Group.
Atom Bank plans £40m shareholder fundraise in prep for future IPO
The bank has raised £429 million to date from eight funding rounds.
ICYMI funding round-up: Zolve, Symple Loans, Butn, FunGuard & more
We highlight a series of funding rounds that may have passed you by.
US fintech for gamers Zytara signs payments partnership with i2c
The deal follows Zytara’s launching of its own stablecoin.
Indian challenger Open buys Optobizz, banks another 800,000 SMEs
By the end of this year, Open wants to turn 1.8m into 5m customers.
Oraan CEO: Women in finance weren’t welcomed in Pakistan
Oraan’s research found that savings – particularly for women – just wasn’t tapped into.
UK Black-owned challenger Atmen to launch in March
The start-up is now looking to raise £5 million from institutional investors.
Learning to safeguard vulnerable customers in a digital world
What’s needed is an industry-wide effort to stamp out poor practice and make services inclusive.
Norwegian web browser Opera launches fintech “Dify” in beta
Opera made two fintech-focused acquisitions last year.
Neobank hopeful 11Onze to offer Catalans a non-Spanish alternative
The start-up intends to be a true representation of the country’s 7.6m population.
Aussie challenger Cape bags ex-Funding Circle CRO Rahul Pakrashi
Pakrashi says his wants “to get back” to his roots at Cape.
Swedish neobank Northmill raises $30m to power European expansion
The first stop along the way is a new product launch in Norway.
The US market: are EU-based challengers coming to rustle up some feathers?
A deep dive and step-by-step comparison of US banks’ and EU challengers’ capabilities.
Jakub Jurek joins Varo Bank as chief data officer
He brings over 18 years of data expertise in academia and fintechs.
Fintech funding deals globally 8-14 February 2021
Featuring Fraction, BharatPe, Agibank, Monzo, and Coinsquare.
San Fran fintech Zeta lands $1.5m for couples banking
Currently, the start-up makes money on partial interchange fees.
Challenger Climate First Bank to launch in Florida’s Tampa Bay Area in Spring
The start-up wants to become a full-service community bank.
Tandem Bank acquires £100m mortgage book from Bank and Clients
Private bank’s customers won’t notice the transition, claims challenger.
Hapi rolls out UK savings and investments app for parents
The start-up is backed by Entrepreneur First.
Texan digital challenger Fair set to launch in Spring
This month, the start-up opened its waiting list.
Cashplus lands full banking licence after 15 years as an EMI
The ability to lend on its deposits pits Cashplus directly against Starling.
Oxbury Bank goes live on Naqoda core banking system
The two have worked together since Oxbury’s inception
Absa launches digital bank Spot Money in South Africa
The open banking platform integrates with various bank and payment services.
Fintech funding deals globally 25-31 January 2021
Featuring Robinhood, Nubank, Melio Payments, Albert and Rhino.
Dozens signs banking deal with ClearBank
ClearBank to provide account numbers, sort codes, and Faster Payments access.
Nubank rakes in $400m to fuel expansion in Colombia and Mexico
Brazilian challenger reaches $1.8 billion in total funding raised.
Has JP Morgan Chase learnt the lessons of Finn and Bó?
This isn’t its first challenger start-up foray.
Black-owned US challenger Greenwood Financial hits 500,000 sign-ups in 100 days
“We see that there is definitely an appetite for what we’re doing,” says co-founder, Ryan Glover.
The five p’s of banking
Banks have relied on the “five p’s” – people, physical cash, premises, processes and paper.
FinTech Futures Jobs: new year, new job – five tech companies that are hiring now
Featuring CGI, Cleo AI, Freetrade, Market Finance, and Monzo.
Prospective UK challenger Perenna lands $10m ahead of Q3 launch
The fintech lodged its banking licence in the last quarter of 2020.
Goldman picks Marqeta to power Marcus current account rollout
Marcus plans to launch its new accounts later this year.
ADQ’s unnamed neobank nabs new CEO from Emirates NBD
Patel joins the upcoming challenger after leading Emirates NBD’s challenger Liv.
Dubai-based Bankiom promises “new way” to manage money
Banking app promises fast account setup and loan processing.
Irish banks plan payments rival to take on fintech entrants
AIB, Bank of Ireland, TSB, and KBC pull together to battle fintechs like Revolut.
