Fintech funding deals globally 22-28 February 2021
Featuring Chargebee, Tyme, TypTap Insurance, Anchorage, and Earnix.
Digital
Klarna is Europe’s highest-valued fintech after $1bn raise
Klarna claims its round was oversubscribed four times over.
Robinhood pushes on with IPO plans despite facing 49 GameStop lawsuits
Robinhood has held talks with underwriters about filing “within weeks”.
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.
Black-owned First Boulevard bank secures $5m ahead of its official launch
Part of its goal with the new capital involves building out a Black business marketplace.
Banque Misr kicks off digital transformation plans with Atos
Atos to deliver new digital banking experiences for Egyptian bank’s customer.
UK challengers Monument, Pockit and TreeCard bank funding
Three UK banking services start-ups have landed investment recently.
Orenda plans BaaS shake-up with heavyweight banking execs at helm
Orenda says it’s as much as an “eighth” of the price of its competitors.
Insurance software: choosing wisely
Here’s how to navigate the abundance of insurance tech offerings to choose from.
Banking Tech Awards 2020 Winner: TMRW – Best UX/CX in Finance Initiative
Exclusive interview with Kevin Lam, head of TMRW Digital Group.
Video: Top fintech stories this week – 26 February 2021
FinTech Futures’ weekly news round-up.
The big fight: banking vs technology companies
In over 30-years of banking, I have never seen a more complex and competitive landscape as there is now.
Atom Bank plans £40m shareholder fundraise in prep for future IPO
The bank has raised £429 million to date from eight funding rounds.
Former international footballer Rio Ferdinand invests in Sokin
Ferdinand joins as a shareholder in the cross-border currency firm.
ICYMI funding round-up: Zolve, Symple Loans, Butn, FunGuard & more
We highlight a series of funding rounds that may have passed you by.
FCA boosts data strategy with new executive hires
Stephanie Cohen, Jessica Rusu, Sarah Pritchard, and Emily Sheppard all join the watchdog.
Kalifa report says UK’s fintech crown at risk from waiting competitors
To mitigate the risks posed to UK fintechs, the report lists a number of recommendations.
US credit builder Petal closes $125m debt facility
Petal has closed $440 million in debt and raised $100 million in equity.
Lloyds spends big on tech projects as profits slump 72%
The bank spent around £1.2bln on tech in 2020, equivalent to the profit it generated for the year.
Banking Tech Awards 2020 Winner: AFS – COVID-19 Response by Fintech
An innovative approach to urgently find solution to accommodate the US government’s Payroll Protection Program.
Report: The power of data analytics in fintech solutions
A deep-dive industry report focused on the priorities and use of data analytics at financial institutions.
Landmark pan-European payment system EPI calls on fintechs for build phase
European payment giants Worldline and Nets became shareholders in the EPI last year.
US fintech for gamers Zytara signs payments partnership with i2c
The deal follows Zytara’s launching of its own stablecoin.
Tyme lands $110m in Series B funding, plans Asia-Pacific expansion
TymeBank looks to expand beyond its South African headquarters.
What did the GameStop saga expose about UK trading regulation?
FinTech Futures unpacks the FCA’s published response to trading restrictions on 29 January.
Penta Bank raises €7.5m in extended Series B funding round
German challenger bank brings total raised this round to €30 million.
US corporate card provider Brex applies for banking licence in Utah
SVB’s former chief digital officer Bruce Wallace will head up Brex Bank.
Banking Tech Awards 2020 Winner: BTB – Best Use of IT in Private Banking/Wealth Management
BTB’s business model has brought annual average returns of 7% in the last seven years with low defaults.
Barclays to close Pingit after 10 years’ service
Long-serving payments app to be shut down by major UK bank.
Russian challenger Tinkoff launches “one-stop shop” checkout product
“Some of our services can be activated within a day.”
TransferWise rebrands as Wise to push platform capabilities
It’s dropping the first part of its name in a bid to underpin its expansion as a platform player.
Aviva breaks into cash savings market with help of German fintech Raisin
Savings accounts via partner banks offer interest rates of up to 0.64% AER.
Fintech funding deals globally 15-21 February 2021
Featuring Public, Webull, Blockchain, GoCardless, and Personetics.
Fintech funding round-up: SeedFi, Libeo, Ember and Finch Capital
A round-up of some of the recent investments in fintech, paytech and tax tech firms.
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.
Netflix bags Uber’s product head Ebi Atawodi as payments director
Atawodi spent more than six years at Uber.
NBA star Russel Westbrook leads $63m investment in Varo Bank
Westbrook also joins the bank as an advisor on communities of colour.
UK Black-owned challenger Atmen to launch in March
The start-up is now looking to raise £5 million from institutional investors.
Banking Tech Awards 2020 Winner: UBS – Best Use of Cloud
How UBS’s innovative hub helped 60,000 work remotely with virtually no downtime during the pandemic.
