India confirms digital rupee CBDC to debut by 2023
The finance minister announced a raft of digital economy support measures in her Union Budget 2022-23 speech.
Cryptocurrency
FinTech Australia appoints paytech veteran Andrew Porter as CEO
Porter previously held senior roles at OFX, World First and TransferMate.
Fintech funding deals globally 31 January – 6 February 2022
Featuring FTX, Chargebee, Koho, Phantom and League.
Video: fintech news pick of the week – Diem, SAP & FTX
Our top pick of news from the world of finance and tech in bitesize video format, every week.
Crypto wallet Phantom launches app following $109m Series B raise
Phantom claims to be “the fastest growing crypto wallet”.
Meta drops crypto project Diem due to regulatory roadblocks
The Diem Association has sold its intellectual property and tech assets to Silvergate Capital in a $182m deal.
Crypto platform Rain rakes in $100m in Series B funding
Rain’s $110m Series B funding round was co-led by Paradigm and Kleiner Perkins.
FTX Trading secures $400m Series C funding at $32bn valuation
The firm now claims to be the third-largest crypto exchange in the world.
Crypto paytech BCB Group acquires software firm LAB577, gains new CTO and COO
LAB577 founder Richard Crook and Farzad Pezeshkpour join BCB Group as COO and CTO, respectively.
CoinTracker lands unicorn status with $100m Series A round
Users collectively track over $50 billion in crypto assets on CoinTracker.
Digital asset custody platform Fireblocks worth $8bn following $550m Series E
The round makes Fireblocks the highest-valued digital asset infrastructure provider in the world.
Fintech funding deals globally 24 January – 30 January 2022
Featuring Fireblocks, FTX US, Creditas, Esusu and CoinTracker.
Fintech start-up destream to launch bank card aimed at internet content creators
Destream says banks often block large payments from donations and platform subscriptions.
Crypto paytech BCB Group lands UK blockchain industry’s largest Series A with $60m raise
BCB claims to have processed nearly $100bn worth of payments in just over five years of business.
Philippines’ UnionBank picks Metaco’s Harmonize to manage digital asset operations
Metaco provides security-critical software and infrastructure for the digital asset ecosystem.
Banking on the metaverse
Having a presence in the metaverse seems inevitable, and the best time to understand the possibilities is now.
Crypto asset software and data provider Lukka lands $110m in Series E
New York-based Lukka is now valued at $1.3 billion.
Crypto IRA software platform iTrustCapital secures $125m in growth equity
The growth equity investment round values the company at more than $1.3bn.
BitPay hires payments veteran Jim Lester as first COO
BitPay CEO says appointment of COO was necessary as more payments move to the blockchain.
Fintech funding deals globally 10 January – 16 January 2022
Featuring Checkout, Qonto, CAIS, Qraft Technologies and SEBA Bank.
House of Lords committee says UK digital pound is “solution in search of a problem”
The Economic Affairs Committee cited financial, privacy and data concerns over UK CBDC.
UK’s Financial Conduct Authority hands out £568m worth of fines in 2021
The scrutiny of large financial services giants formed part of the FCA’s broader strategy.
USDF Consortium launches to develop and promote bank-minted stablecoin
The FDIC-insured banks want to “unlock the financial opportunities” of blockchain technology.
SIX, BIS and SNB conduct CBDC core banking integration test
Citi, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, Hypothekarbank Lenzburg and UBS also took part in the experiment.
Digital asset fintech Zero Hash lands $105m in Series D round
The round saw participation from Bain Capital, NYCA and Point72 Ventures.
Indonesian fintech start-up Pluang raises $55m in Series B follow-up round
The company has now raised $110 million in total Series B funding.
Swiss digital assets bank SEBA raises $120m in Series C funding round
The round was co-led by a consortium of specialised blockchain and fintech investors.
Crypto exchange CoinDCX names former Wells Fargo exec Divakar Prayaga head of information security
Launched in 2018, CoinDCX claims to be India’s “safest crypto exchange”.
Fintech start-up Twig raises $35m to support Web 3.0 plans
The London-based fintech intends to expand into the EU and US in 2022.
Central Bank of Bahrain and JP Morgan conduct successful digital currency settlement test
The test was facilitated by JP Morgan’s new blockchain-focused business unit Onyx.
Fintech funding deals globally 3 January – 9 January 2022
Featuring OpenSea, PayFit, Petal, Sygnum and Starling Bank.
Customers Bank brings digital asset bankers onboard
Investment “signals we are a serious participant in this space”, says CEO.
NetCents Technology hires Sholeh Atash as COO
NetCents says Atash will have executive oversight to ensure that all key performance metrics are met.
Alternative retirement investment platform Alto raises $40m in Series B
The firm claims more than 15,000 IRA investors with a billion dollars of assets under custody.
Swiss digital asset neobank Sygnum raises $90m in Series B round
“The digital asset economy is rapidly crossing the chasm to mainstream adoption,” says CEO.
ICYMI funding round-up: Anfin, Cion Digital, D2X, KRM22, & Orenda Finance
Our weekly “In Case You Missed It” funding round-up for you to get the latest funding news.
The year ahead: Enhanced digitisation and the evolution of payments
Here are five predictions for how payments will continue to evolve in 2022.
Four fintech trends to watch in 2022 and beyond
The rise of Web3, instant checkout, and embedded finance are just a few reasons 2022 will be a pivotal year for fintech.
2021: Top five new fintechs and neobanks
FinTech Futures takes a look back at some of the year’s top new fintechs and neobanks.
2021: Top five fundraises
FinTech Futures takes a look back at some of the year’s most eye-catching funding rounds.
