Klarna’s valuation set to triple to $30bln, says report
A report says Klarna is currently working on a half a billion new share issue.
Consumer/Personal Finance
UK-Nigeria mobile wallet Sendit.Money goes crowdfunding
It has already exceeded its £100,000 target, having raised £146,006 at time of writing.
Hapi rolls out UK savings and investments app for parents
The start-up is backed by Entrepreneur First.
US investor Stash lands $125m Series G ten months after last round
Stash’s last valuation sits at around $812 million.
A look inside MENA investor Global Ventures’ fintech portfolio
Global Ventures’ portfolio covers payment acceptance, digital wallets, credit and trading.
US fintechs Albert and Crux Informatics in funding rounds
Featuring Albert’s $100 million Series C funding round and Crux Informatics’ $36 million convertible note.
N26 mulls acquisition despite net losses tripling in 2019
N26’s failed UK expansion cost it a total of €26.9 million.
What’s in store for financial services in 2021?
A look at what the rest of this year might have in store for the world of financial services and fintech.
2021 fintech predictions
Staring into the crystal ball for signs of what we could see over the course of the year from the industry.
N26 lands Zalando’s former financial chief as CFO
The former Zalando chief isn’t the only executive addition in recent months.
Mastercard plans to raise fees for UK purchases from EU
“This smacks of opportunism,” says Kevin Hollinrake, chair of Fair Business Banking.
Minna Technologies raises €15.5m in Series B funding round
Minna says the investment will be used for global expansion, “with requests from all continents”.
Plaid launches incubator FinRise for fintech founders of colour
The incubator is looking to accept just three-to-five start-ups.
Tom Blomfield exits Monzo and opens up about mental health
“COVID-19 just exacerbated things,” says Blomfield.
FinTech Futures Jobs: new year, new job – five tech companies that are hiring now
Featuring CGI, Cleo AI, Freetrade, Market Finance, and Monzo.
Pyypl’s regulation-first approach to MENA starts to pay off
“The options today are mobile money or banks,” says CEO.
New York cash advance app Brigit reveals $35m Series A
Brigit’s CEO is a former Deutsche Bank and Infosys executive.
Prospective UK challenger Perenna lands $10m ahead of Q3 launch
The fintech lodged its banking licence in the last quarter of 2020.
UK fintech Just lands court backing to undercut bailiff industry
Currently, Just’s virtual offering is in beta.
Ant sets up working group to overcome Chinese regulatory requirements
Companies like Ant have until November 2021 to register a new financial holding.
Goldman Sachs mulls acquisitions to bulk up Marcus
Goldman’s CEO intends to make Marcus a pillar of the US bank’s growth.
Vietnamese “super app” hopeful MoMo lands $100m Series D
The fintech’s registered users doubled to 23 million in 2020.
Polish consumer protection regulator investigates CD Projekt over Cyberpunk 2077
The UOKiK can fine the studio up to 10% of its annual revenue if it finds fault with its refund policy.
PAYMYNT Financial buys crypto e-wallet LettucePay
LettucePay operates on top of Stellar Network, an open source blockchain platform.
BBVA shutters Simple after paying $117m for it in 2014
The bank is cutting out standalone entities which no longer make sense to operate solo.
SoFi set to go public via merger with Palihapitiya’s fourth Spac
The IPO will value SoFi at $8.65 billion.
Customer service start-up Glia lands $78m to help banks and credit unions
The round was led by Shopify and Checkout.com backer Insight Partners.
Webinar: Deep dive on ServiceNow’s purpose built product for finserv operations
How to improve customer and employee experiences. Featuring a demo of The Now Platform from ServiceNow.
N26 finally lands licence to operate in Brazil
The country’s central bank has granted it a SCD licence.
Israeli remittance fintech Rewire targets one million customers by end of 2021
Rewire currently boasts more than 200,000 European accounts.
2020 review: Top 10 fintech and bank M&A deals
Despite COVID-19, the financial sector has still enjoyed some notable M&A deals.
Personalisation: the Gen Z banking imperative
This generational cohort represents a lucrative target market for financial services institutions.
FCA fines Barclays £26m over poor treatment of customers in financial difficulty
Barclays did not dispute the FCA’s findings and agreed to settle the case.
US state regulator says Robinhood is “aggressively marketing” to novices
The regulator calls out Robinhood’s approach of “gamifying” trading.
London BNPL fintech Zilch latest to enter UK market with $30m
Zilch claims to be the only BNPL player to combine open banking with soft credit checks.
Aussie neobank Xinja crumbles under unfeasible interest rates
The neobank landed a full banking licence last year.
Mozper lands $3.55m to launch kid debit card in Mexico
In August, Mozper – with the help of partner Visa – launched its closed beta with 500 families.
Financial assistant app Cleo raises $44 million
Cleo has four million Gen-Z and millennial users; and recorded a 400% revenue growth in the last year.
GoHenry latest in kid’s banking sector to land funding of $40m
Over 2019, parents on its app paid £98m in pocket money to their children.
Revolut hot on Starling’s heels, breaks even in November
“We’re doing much better compared to pre-Covid times,” says CEO.
