WhatsApp Pay finally gets greenlight from Brazil’s central bank
WhatsApp is only allowed to do P2P payments in Brazil.
Financial Services/Finserv
FTC shutters San Fran fintech Beam for not delivering on 7% interest rate
“Don’t lie about your customers’ ability to get their money when they need it.”
Fintech funding deals globally 29 March – 4 April 2021
Featuring HighRadius, Next Insurance, dLocal, Pipe Dream Technologies, and Paidy.
Financial services are internet-reliant, so how do you prevent downtime?
Digital experience monitoring provides a bridge so that financial institutions can embrace this new digital-first era.
ICYMI funding round-up: Butter, Spiral, SadaPay, OVEX, Ensemble & more
We’ve put together an “In Case You Missed It” (ICYMI) funding list.
Global fintech M&A round-up Q1 2021
Whilst some big deals never closed in Q1, plenty others took their place.
Top 10 funding rounds in Q1 2021
The first quarter of 2021 has seen a handful of big rounds.
Triggers and obstacles to the development of the fintech sector in Poland
A deep dive on the benefits and challenges of the banking and payments landscape in Poland.
Penta co-founder gearing up new venture Relio for Swiss SMEs
Relio is currently in the swings of applying for a fintech licence.
Paysafe goes public via Spac merger
Shares of Foley Trasimene Acquisition Corp. II moved 5.77% higher Monday to $15.39.
Santander launches Prosper open banking-powered PFM app
Roll-out of Prosper has already started in Denmark.
Ripple snaps up 40% stake in Asian cross-border payments firm Tranglo
Tranglo’s global network spans more than 100 countries.
Leek United Building Society extends Sopra partnership
Building society to shift its Sopra system to the cloud.
Dirty little secrets and RFPs
Reshape procurement, the process, the risk matrix, the articulation of business value and your sordid office politics.
Dear Luc: What marketing pitfalls should I avoid?
Some fintechs are getting caught out by the regulators when using terms like “banking”.
Finch Capital acquires Wirecard’s Turkish operations
Investment firm sets up new payments brand in Turkey.
UiPath files for IPO weeks after landing $35bn valuation
The fintech estimates a $60 billion addressable market for RPA.
UK gold wallet Glint goes crowdfunding with £6m “hard cap”
The start-up is raising to fuel its “growth phase”.
Jakarta wealthtech Pluang raises $20m in pre-Series B funding
Pluang wants to extend investment to poorer households in Indonesia.
Broadridge to acquire capital markets firm Itiviti in $2.5bn deal
Broadridge continues its M&A strategy apace.
Taking charge and reducing charges
A major feature of Open Banking is relatively underused – Payment Initiation Services.
Corporate banking’s biggest challenges in 2021, and how to solve them
Three key areas of focus are cash management, working capital, and trade finance.
Visa pilots US stablecoin with Crypto.com to settle transactions
Other incumbents have moved to support cryptocurrency too.
NumberX plans Mastercard for multi-account payments
New linked card service to launch in Germany.
Commerzbank signs five-year Google Cloud deal to migrate banking apps
“Google will now offer the bank a deeper set of platform services”.
Pilot lands unicorn valuation from boosted Series C round
Pilot has landed a $1.2 billion valuation.
US crypto bank Avanti raises $37m in Series A funding
The new cash goes toward capital requirements.
Minna Technologies powers subscription services at Banco Sabadell and ING
Two European banks launch new digital products with the Swedish fintech.
Does the key to financial inclusion sit in a digital money savings pot?
Fintechs should be looking to develop products that promote healthy and sustainable financial habits.
Fintech funding deals globally 22-28 March 2021
Featuring Dataminr, Blockchain, Feedzai, Jumio, and Pie Insurance.
Firms expect to fully automate reconciliation within five years – here’s how
Firms no longer have to struggle with the pain points brought about by manual processes or legacy technology.
Webinar: Preparing for open finance – the next step in the open banking journey
How to successfully position your firm in this new era of innovation.
Digital challenger Minna Bank to launch in Japan by May
Minna will offer both consumer-facing and white labelled products.
Stilt prepares to offer US immigrants banking products and a credit history
The firm recently accrued a $100m debt facility from SVB.
SEC launches voluntary inquiry into US Spac craze
This year alone has birthed eight lawsuits against US Spac deals.
Spac led by ex-Commerzbank CEO trading on Amsterdam’s Euronext
The blank-check firm has already sold 41.5 million shares at €10 each.
Fiserv acquires US processor Pineapple Payments
It is expected to close by the end of Q2 2021.
High frequency trading and the data centre
It’s a win-win for this high volume, high risk business.
Video: Top fintech stories this week – 26 March 2021
FinTech Futures’ weekly news round-up.
ICYMI funding round-up: Meniga, Recharge.com, Hala, Zaver & more
Plenty of deals this week to be summarised by FinTech Futures.
