Green Dot bags Walmart exec as part of bigger strategic overhaul
The firm also appointed a new CEO in March.
Consumer/Personal Finance
Marcus cuts easy-access saver rate again to 1.05%
On 19 March, the Bank of England cut its base rate to 0.1%.
Banking Technology May 2020 issue out now
Hope springs eternal: discovering alternative lending in times of crisis.
SadaPay drives contactless adoption with Mastercard in Pakistan
The digital wallet aims to deliver three million cards over the next five years.
Alpian lands $12.6m in Series A
Alpian is applying for its own banking licence.
UK fintech Fintuity offers free financial advice to NHS staff
The NHS will have access to the fintech’s online platform and financial advisers.
Revolut launches deposit-insured bank in Lithuania
Revolut says it also plans to roll out consumer lending services to the region.
Singapore’s GoBear snaps up fintech AsiaKredit
GoBear’s bank partners will be able to tap underserved consumers.
Investing app Stash lands $112m Series F led by LendingTree
This month Stash also surpassed $1 billion in assets and 4.5 million users.
UK fintech Cash Coach set to gamify savings launches on app stores
The fintech will now look to raise up to £400,000 on Crowdcube.
Chip raises UK’s ‘largest’ lockdown equity crowdfund on Crowdcube
Chip managed to raise £2.6 million from 4,240 investors.
Saudi Arabia’s fintech sandbox welcomes nine more start-ups
The sandbox is home to 30 fintechs.
UK fintech Zeux lets users shop on Amazon through its banking app
The feature is currently in beta.
Curve bags former PSR CEO as advisor on regulation strategy
Nixon managed the PSR for five years until last year.
Klarna exec jumps back into banking as CIO of Bluestep Bank
Klarna’s former VP of Engineering says he can’t wait to build “a mortgage bank for all”.
Varo Money takes on Moven’s consumer accounts
Accounts with Moven will shut on 30 April 2020.
Credit Kudos lands £5m Series A ahead of FCA’s credit market study
The capital raise was led by AlbionVC.
CaixaBank and Global Payments create prepaid card under MoneyToPay brand
Global Payment’s Netspend president Kelley Knutson will head up the venture.
Women-only neobank Elas to launch in Brazil
Elas was officially founded in January this year.
Minna Technologies pilots subscription management for RBI’s Tatra banka
The pilot is part of RBI’s ‘Elevator Lab Programme’.
Trump’s COVID-19 stimulus plan needs to swap checks for digital dollars
The potential for a CBDC to make such disbursements more efficient and effective is multi-faceted.
Top 10 coronavirus initiatives by fintechs
Many fintechs have used this pandemic as an opportunity to show their mettle.
Top 10 coronavirus initiatives by governments and regulators
A brief overview of how governments and financial regulators have reacted to coronavirus.
Chime pilots instant $1,200 stimulus check payments
The US government plans to distribute stimulus checks from 13 April.
Banking Technology April 2020 issue out now
All things equal: Closing the gender gap in fintech.
Consumer fintech SoFi to acquire Galileo for $1.2 billion
Both CEOs say now is “the right time” for this deal.
Free Senegal migrates to Comviva to boost mobile money offering
The mobile network operator has 4.4 million subscribers for its digital wallet.
Coronavirus exposes gaps in innovation
The pandemic has given fintechs a time to shine.
Video: Top fintech stories this week – 03 April 2020
FinTech Futures’ weekly news round-up.
Manchester’s fintech scene needs a homegrown unicorn, says report
Manchester is already home to five homegrown ecommerce unicorns.
bunq promises its users “CO2 free” status in less than two years
The fintech is introducing a new upgrade called ‘SuperGreen’.
Banking industry publishes EU payments plan post-coronavirus
The paper puts a heavy emphasis on instant payments.
Trustonic lands security deal with South Korea’s biggest bank
“KB Bank are taking a more open market approach,” says Trustonic.
Japanese challenger Kyash lands $45m Series C
To date, the fintech has raised $73 million since its creation in 2015.
Virtual bank Airstar launches pilot in Hong Kong
The digital bank will onboard roughly 2,000 customers.
Plaid and Microsoft partner to turn Excel into a fintech app
“One of the earliest forms of ‘fintech’ is a budgeting spreadsheet,” says Plaid.
Phyre secures $1.7m to develop its e-wallet in Bulgaria
The fintech works with two major telcos in Bulgaria.
Canadian financial planner Finally to launch in May
“People don’t want to tell strangers how bad they’re doing with their finances,” says founder.
Moven shuts all consumer accounts, pivots to B2B-only service for banks
Founder says “major multi-year funding” was withdrawn due to coronavirus.
Australian telco ZipTel buys up challenger bank Douugh
Douugh uses AI to help customers get better insights on their money.
