Cryptocurrencies first made their appearance on the Internet and in the global financial markets during the global financial crisis of 2008. Cryptocurrencies have virtual monetary value and rely on peer-to-peer cryptographic technology for the validation of transfers. The value of cryptocurrencies is created by users, and financial exchanges are decentralized using an open source software that can be installed on any computer. The most well-known cryptocurrencies are the Bitcoin and the Ethereum, although the world currently knows more than 1,600 virtual currencies.

Card consolidation app Curve has launched a new feature for users to send money in over 25 different currencies to friends and contacts.

Wirecard, the global innovation leader for digital financial technology and FXChange, Singapore’s largest self-service currency exchange network, are collaborating to provide outbound and inbound travelers in Singapore with simple and flexible digital payment options. The companies are launching multi-currency Visa cards and a corresponding app which will offer travelers the chance to combine payment with the possibility to earn and redeem points at hotels, F&B outlets and other amenities. Wirecard will issue and manage the payment solution via its digital platform.

Paysend, the UK-based fintech business, has expanded its global reach by launching its money transfers service to Turkey.  Users are now able to transfer money to any bank account or card issued in Turkey.

Europe and Central Asia is an important growth market for global money transfers.  Global money transfers to the region grew almost 11 percent to $59 billion in 2018, according to the World Bank.

Today, Ripple is thrilled to announce $200 million in Series C funding—an investment that marks a record year for the business and further proves the value of blockchain technology in improving global payments and the broader utility of the digital asset XRP and the XRP Ledger.

The Series C was led by Tetragon with participation from SBI Holdings and Route 66 Ventures. These notable investors not only underscore Ripple’s long-term potential, but as partners, they offer invaluable industry insight and expertise to help Ripple’s business grow on a global scale. 

Peltarion, leading AI innovator and creator of an operational deep learning platform, today released a new report discussing AI decision makers’ understanding of deep learning versus other types of machine learning practices, and examines the barriers preventing them from taking deep learning from ideal to reality.

CryptoCompare, the global leader in digital asset data, today released its November 2019 Exchange Review which provides analysis of key developments in the cryptocurrency exchange-traded market.

Charles Hayter, Co-Founder and CEO of CryptoCompare, said:

The Western Union Company, a global leader in cross-border, cross-currency money movement and payments today announced the appointment of Shelly Swanback as President, Product and Platform.

Shelly will advance the company’s dynamic cross-border, cross-currency global platform to support the company’s expansion to multiple customer segments. Shelly will commence her role in January 2020. She will be a member of the Executive Team and will report directly to Western Union CEO Hikmet Ersek.

TIBCO Software Inc., a global leader in integration, API management, and analytics, today announced that all capabilities of TIBCO Cloud™ Integration, the company’s market-leading hybrid integration platform, are now available on Microsoft Azure.