Santander announces 111 UK branch closures as consumers go digital
The bank says all 840 affected staff will be offered new roles.
Europe
FCA plans whistleblower support with new campaign
UK regulator to provide greater help to those willing to come forward.
Feedzai lands $200 million in Series D funding to reach unicorn status
Risk management firm lands its largest round so far.
Seedrs abandons £140m Crowdcube merger after CMA block
The CMA said the deal would “reduce competition and innovation”.
Xero makes second acquisition in a month with Tickstar
Tickstar already serves Xero customers across Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore.
Luminor Bank selects FIS Ambit Focus for risk management
Estonian bank aims to optimise its liquidity and manage risk.
SoundCloud exec BianRosa joins N26 as new CPO
BianRosa will lead all product teams for the challenger globally.
Gerlionti pick Nets to underpin launch of GerliPay
Nets is providing card management and processing services for the new app.
Former HSBC exec Maguire joins UK regtech Napier
Maguire takes up a position as an advisory board member at the firm.
HSBC challenges fintechs with launch of SME banking app Kinetic
“We’re taking the toolkit approach of the challengers,” HSBC lead tells FinTech Futures.
Danish challenger Kompasbank lands banking licence
The neobank aims to target the SME sector in Europe.
Zopa raises £20m from internal funding round
The round was led by IAG Silverstripe and featured existing investors.
SEB signs Google Cloud partnership extension
SEB to deploy Google services across wider segments of the bank.
Freetrade raising £50m Series B for European expansion
Customers have been waiting years for European expansion.
Fintech funding deals globally 15-21 March 2021
Featuring SumUp, eToro, Plaid, SecurityScorecard, and Coalition.
OakNorth Bank lands £77.6m pre-tax profit despite COVID-19 provisions
The fintech lender’s total assets now sit at £3.1 billion.
65% of UK financial institutions miss Treasury’s gender representation targets
Firms blamed targets for being “too ambitious”, and the impact of COVID-19 on hiring and pay.
Nigerian challenger Kuda Bank raises $25m in Series A funding
Neobank nabs more funding just four months after last round.
Pollinate secures $50m Series C funding for US expansion
UK firm has raised $218 million to date.
Profile Software buys Euronext’s Centevo solution
Euronext offloads asset management platform after 2019 acquisition.
London fintech Agitate latest to unveil open banking-powered payments solution
The solution skips the card ecosystem entirely.
Wise considers rare direct listing on London Stock Exchange
This would see Wise circumvent the conventional IPO process.
ICYMI funding round: Fondeadora, SEON, Lendo, Nomanini & more
Plenty of funding rounds may have slipped you by this week.
Lithuanian fintech SH Payments picks Nano as new core system
Baltic Amber Systems beat “several” competitors to the deal.
Avaloq CEO Juerg Hunziker to step back
Hunziker is replaced by the co-CEO pairing of Martin Greweldinger and Thomas Beck.
UK fintechs B-North, DIEM, Encompass, and Lumio raise funding
A round-up of recent investments clinched by the UK fintech start-ups.
PayFit raises €90m to automate payroll and HR for European SMEs
The previous funding round closed in 2019, with €70 million.
NatWest’s FCA laundering charge the “first of a few” to come in 2021
The FCA is currently still investigating 6 other cases.
Low-code firm Genesis raises $45m in Series B funding round
Genesis had raised $4.8m over nine years prior to the new injection.
Wealthtech for asset managers FundSense launches in UK
FundSense licenses the platform on a per-user basis.
Nordea to deploy AxiomSL’s RegCloud for regulatory reporting
Scandinavian bank aims to meet Finrep, Corep, AnaCredit, and SHSG requirements.
Ikigai launches in UK to disrupt the asset percentage pricing model
Ikigai is charging a flat £10-a-month fee to early access users.
Web browser Opera hires ex-PayPal and Tencent exec to lead new fintech arm
The new EVP likens Dify’s potential to PayPal’s market disruptor status.
Nest Bank picks Fiserv for card issuance revamp
Fiserv’s First Data brand is handling the implementation.
Technology is winning the fight for financial inclusion
Enlist technology as an ally in the fight against financial exclusion.
NatWest faces FCA money laundering charge over £365m account
The bank will appear before Westminster Magistrates’ Court next month.
N26 loses 300 employees and head of HR in 12 months
The company is now trying to recruit 500 new employees by end of June.
Regulating the Brexit deal
In spite of their clear importance, regulators have often met resistance.
Fintech funding deals globally 8-14 March 2021
Featuring Stripe, Starling, BlockFi, Cedar, and Flutterwave.
Bank of England governor key architect in RBS scandal which left businesses in ruin
Bailey did not disclose his hand in creating the Asset Protection Agency.
