Microsoft and Commerzbank head into #openspace for German SMEs
Microsoft experts will get involved in the various #openspace formats for the development of new business models.
SME
Fintech funding round-up: 20 December 2017
Features Raisin, PayPal, Home Credit Venture Capital, Barion Payment and Cash Svidha.
City of London Group to launch challenger bank
In the process of obtaining a banking licence as it targets commercial, SME, bridging and development finance.
TSYS to acquire fellow paytech firm Cayan for $1.05bn
The acquisition is expected to close in Q1 next year.
NICE teams with Brightstar India
To support the launch of NICE Uptivity, a workforce optimisation solution for SMBs.
Nesta reveals ten winners of SME innovation challenge
Nesta names prize winners at the conclusion of stage one of its Open Up Challenge.
Penta’s on for business bank accounts in Germany
Berlin-based challenger bank Penta has officially launched its business bank account offering in Germany.
TSB unveils new banking tech platform, Proteo4UK
“We have created a more digital, agile and flexible TSB,” stated Paul Pester, CEO of TSB, at the unveiling of the bank’s new technology platform, Proteo4UK.
Al Salam Bank Seychelles selects iFinancial’s AMLtrac solution
Al Salam Bank Seychelles (ASBS) has chosen International Financial Systems’ (iFinancial) anti-money laundering (AML) solution, AMLtrac, as it plans to introduce domestic banking services for local and regional SMEs and corporates. As part of that planned expansion, ASBS, an offshore financial institution, has selected the know your customer (KYC) and document management, account monitoring, transaction […]
SumUp teams with BancoEstado for cool mobile card deal in Chile
SMEs in Chile have just won a new ally when it comes to making it easier to accept mobile card payments. The country’s largest national bank, BancoEstado de Chile, has partnered with SumUp to launch a joint venture (JV) that will give Chilean businesses the ability to offer “anytime, anywhere” mobile card acceptance without fees […]
Kabbage expands small business funding with $200m credit facility
Alternative credit company Kabbage has a lot to be thankful for this week. The Atlanta-based start-up received a new $200 million revolving credit facility from Credit Suisse bringing its total debt funding to $750 million, reports Julie Muhn at Finovate (Banking Technology’s sister company). Kabbage emphasised that this credit facility diversifies its funding sources, which will help it […]
Wanted: US-based bank for crypto-friendly fun
It wasn’t spotted on Craigslist but here’s an unusual request. If you are the owner of a small or medium-sized bank in the US and are ready to sell it completely (or partially) – you have a buyer! Vladislav (aka Slava) Solodkiy, managing partner at venture capital (VC) firm Life.Sreda, is being refreshingly direct and […]
BNP Paribas and Caple make European SME credit capable
BNP Paribas Asset Management (BNPP AM) has acquired a 10% stake in European credit provider Caple, allowing for a partnership to offer alternative credit to European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Fintech funding round-up: 8 November 2017
Hot on the heels of yesterday’s (7 November) fintech funding round-up, here’s more money action. Features WeSwap, OakNorth Bank and OTCX. Peer-to-peer currency exchange platform WeSwap has revealed its £8 million series B investment round led by London-based private equity firm IW Capital. As WeSwap nears the end of 2017, it says further product features include […]
Major Indian bank looks for fintech acquihire
A major financial institution in India is looking to make a fintech “acquihire” (an acquisition of a company primarily for the skills and expertise of its staff, rather than for the products or services it supplies).
Iberiabank selects nCino for cloud-based lending
Iberiabank has selected nCino’s cloud-based Bank Operating System to process services across several lines of business, including commercial and SME lending and treasury management.
Finnish OP Financial Group teaming with Polish fintech ZenCard
Polish fintech group ZenCard, alongside three other companies, is set to launch its technologies on the Finnish market after winning the OP Smart Commerce programme led by OP Financial Group.
Tink secures investment and bank partners as it plans European expansion
Swedish fintech company Tink has signed with Nordic banks Nordea, Klarna and Nordnet. Integrating in 2018, the banks will use Tink’s payment technology and personal finance management (PFM) platform within their existing customer channels.
Bento for Business opens APIs, partners with The Bancorp and launches new products
US-based expense management solution provider Bento for Business has onboarded new partners and expanded its product line.
WorldFirst’s multi-currency platform puts UK SMEs world in their hands
WorldFirst, an international payments business, has unveiled its new World Account platform for UK corporate customers, providing a range of international banking services to SMEs trading overseas who find it difficult to access through traditional banks.
UK challenger bank Aldermore in acquisition talks with FirstRand
South Africa’s financial services group FirstRand is in takeover talks with Aldermore, a UK-based challenger bank focused on SMEs.
Challenger bank BFC edges towards 2018 launch
BFC Bank, a subsidiary of the Bahrain Financing Company money transfer group, has completed its mobilisation process and is preparing for a launch in early 2018. As reported last year, BFC received authorisation from the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). After an initial “soft launch” for selected companies (such as SMEs […]
Wave brings business services to RBC’s online banking platform
Wave – a business financial management (BFM) solutions provider from Toronto – has signed a deal that will integrate its invoicing, accounting, and business financial insights technology into Royal Bank of Canada’s online banking platform.
Ovamba and Microsoft team for first African language driven chatbot
Fintech firm Ovamba says it is working with Microsoft to create “the first African language driven chatbot designed to serve the millions of African SMEs who face exclusion from financial services due to the challenges of functional and business literacy”.
Bill.com discloses September investment round, doubles total funding
Business payments network Bill.com has updated the news regarding the $100 million in funding it landed last month. The round was lead by JP Morgan Chase and Temasek.
NAB gets down and under to overhaul SME business loans
National Australia Bank (NAB) has unveiled a complete overhaul of its existing business standard loan form contracts that will “benefit” over 130,000 Australian business owners.
Top fintech stories this week – 6 October 2017
Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place!
SaaS-y Mambu powers New10’s Dutch SME lending
New10, ABN Amro’s newly launched fintech firm, has selected Mambu’s Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) engine to power a range of SME lending products in the Netherlands. Like many start-ups, speed is part of the sales pitch, and New10 says it aims to provide credit decisions for SMEs within 15 minutes and offers a fully digital application process. […]
Credo Bank completes Temenos T24 core banking system upgrade
Credo Bank, a Georgia-based bank providing sustainable financial services for micro businesses and SMEs, has moved to the latest version of Temenos’ T24 core banking system.
Banking on a new competitive environment – marketplace banking
Marketplace banking has the potential to deliver an interconnected financial services industry where banks can get closer to their small business customers explains Five Degrees’ Peter-Jan Van de Venn.
Banking Technology October 2017 issue out now
Oh brave new world! Where transparency reigns. The latest edition of our flagship magazine – Banking Technology – is out now, packed with news, analysis and insights, case studies, research and expert commentary.
UK insurtech start-up Nimbla seeks SME market shake-up
Nimbla, a London-based insurtech start-up, has launched a platform offering UK SMEs credit control and single invoice insurance using cloud accounting, as well as underwriting rules agreed upon by Munich Re’s new business unit Digital Partners. The firm says it is looking to tap into the UK’s SME market that has a reported £5.8 billion […]
Funding Societies interns introduce chatbot Miyu
Funding Societies, a Singapore-based crowdfunding platform, has launched its chatbot Miyu. A first for such a chatbot created by a crowdfunding company in Southeast Asia. Developed by two interns at Funding Societies using bot platforms meya.ai and api.ai, combined with machine learning and natural language processing, Miyu works round the clock to answer queries about […]
Italy’s first fintech hub comes to Milan
The Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance and the City of Milan have opened the “Milan Fintech District”, the country’s first hub dedicated to businesses in the financial industry. The hub is for start-ups, entrepreneurs, financial institutions, investors and universities to foster development and growth. Pier Carlo Padoan, Minister of Economy and Finance, says the […]
HSBC and friends team up for integrated SME accounting
HSBC is expanding its existing bank feed services with the launch of a new online tool that enables SMEs to establish a data feed from their bank account to their accounting software. Its customers can now connect their bank accounts to their choice of accounting package – namely Xero, Sage and Intuit. Nadya Hijazi, global […]
Cashplus Expands with £30 Million Debt Facilities Led by RBS
Cashplus, a London-based alternative financial services provider—and Top 5 Best Challenger Bank—has announced two new, three-year funding arrangements totaling £30 million (US$40.52 million). The company will use the credit to expand its lending products for SMEs.
Innovators’ Spotlight: SPENT Money
Rather than being top of wallet, SPENT Money wants to help consumers manage and earn rewards from what’s already there—at least for now.
Fintech funding round-up: 21 September 2017
Following swiftly on from the fintech funding round-up on 19 September, here’s more concise, cash-coated action. Features CivilisedBank, HighRadius, Swirlds and Luno. UK challenger CivilisedBank, which got its banking licence in May, has agreed terms for a further round of funding from current investor Warwick Capital Partners. No more details on that but the bank […]
Bento for Business Names Jeff Pomeroy VP of Product
Blackhawk Network veteran Jeff Pomeroy has joined the Pay Award-winning Bento for Business, a provider of employee expense management solutions for small businesses, as vice president of product.
Bank of Baroda teams with Amazon for SME lending
India’s second largest bank, Bank of Baroda, has got itself an “exclusive” micro lending partnership with Amazon. The bank says through this partnership it is running a process for underwriting Amazon sellers “who would traditionally not be able to procure a line at formal financial institutions”. The deal is part of the bank’s ambitions to […]
