Following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) in March, HSBC is now hiring around 40 ex-SVB bankers to establish a new unit targeting tech, healthcare, and VC funds in the US.

In a statement released by HSBC on Tuesday, the bank’s US and America’s chief executive, Michael Roberts, stated: “As we look to grow our business, this offering allows us to connect the innovation ecosystem with the size, strength, and international network of HSBC.”

Smart Engines has launched an AI solution for reading credit card numbers recorded in any format. Banking customers simply point their smartphone camera at a printed or handwritten credit card number to make a transfer or pay for a purchase at a point of sale. The neural network recognises the number combination in real-time and automatically enters it into the payment form. The user only has to confirm the transaction.

Alveo announces the integration of Morningstar Sustainalytics’ ESG content into Alveo’s data management solution. The collaboration combines the two firms’ respective data and cloud data management capabilities to provide customers with integrated solutions that fast-forwards the integration of Sustainalytics’ rich content into clients’ workflows, integrates it into their business processes and helps business users self-serve.

The Qatar Financial Centre Authority (QFCA), the legal and tax arm of the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), a leading onshore financial and business centre in the region, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with R3, a global leading provider of enterprise distributed ledger technology (DLT) and services, to accelerate the development of Qatar’s financial technology industry and collaborate on initiatives to promote common interests.

InterCloud, a leading software-defined cloud interconnect (SDCI) provider, has announced the appointment of Myriam Buzy as Managing Director. Myriam brings 20 years’ experience in the financial sector and a decade of work across IoT and telecoms to the role, and represents the latest major step in the company’s continued expansion.

Open banking platform Yapily has appointed former Plaid Senior legal counsel, Marc Kuzak as Vice President of Legal, to lead the company’s legal function and work closely with the product team to deliver new products that meet the diverse regulatory requirements of Yapily’s growing European client base. 

Wise, the global technology company building the best way to move and manage money, today announced two partnerships aimed at improving diversity and social mobility in the next generation of workers.

To support underrepresented university students studying STEM subjects, Wise is committed to sponsoring  students, starting with three, from across the UK going into their third year of studies. The money will be used to help fund their living expenses while finishing their degree. 

Businesses today are constantly facing the challenge to innovate and adapt to evolving consumer needs. Technology continues to revolutionise the way businesses interact with their customers, leading many brands to turn to Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS)-enabled embedded finance solutions to create a better customer journey and maintain a competitive edge. The opportunity for BaaS adopters is clear: a frictionless experience can increase conversion and repeat visits and also drive better brand loyalty.

OKX, the world-leading cryptocurrency platform, has issued updates for the week of April 11, 2023.

OKX Partners with Blur.io
OKX has today announced that it has partnered with Blur.io to fully integrate the OKX Wallet on the leading Ethereum-based NFT Marketplace.

New York-based independent prime broker Clear Street has been valued at $2bn following the close of a $270m investment from growth equity firm Prysm Capital.

This fresh capital is the second tranche of a $435m Series B funding round. In addition to Prysm Capital, Series B has received backing from a diverse institutional investor base, including public pension funds and endowments.