Linedata (Euronext Paris: LIN), a global provider of credit and asset management technology, data and services, announced an agreement with ICE Data Services to provide a broad set of high-quality data and analytics to Linedata’s clients on the occasion of its Linedata Exchange industry conference in New York today.

Linedata’s strategy of combining technology, services, and data takes a significant step forward with this addition of comprehensive data and analytics from ICE Data Services.

Ahead of the introduction of Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT on 1 April Androulla Soteri, tax director at MHA MacIntyre Hudson, says MTD could be far too costly for small businesses and the only consolation is that the deadline is further away than you think. 

BEQUANT, the leading cryptocurrency exchange, announced today that it has hired Daniel Clayden as its new Head of Product Development. With 25 years’ experience in Capital Markets and Financial Services Technology, Daniel’s appointment will strengthen the company’s growing roster of products in the cryptocurrency market. Daniel has previously held roles at a number of Tier 1 Investment Banks, including J.P. Morgan and Credit Suisse. Before joining BEQUANT, he was Managing Director at IT Consultancy Levvel.io, and an Executive Director at Morgan Stanley.

Commerzbank and Landesbank Baden-Württemberg (LBBW) have today announced that they have – for the first time – successfully executed the necessary data transfers to complete two commercial transactions via blockchain-based trade finance network Marco Polo. 

Global FinTech firm InvestCloud has announced Mark Trousdale as Chief Growth Officer. The appointment will see Trousdale lead InvestCloud’s growth in EMEA as the firm looks to capitalize on growth.

Part of InvestCloud’s founding team, Trousdale has held various positions at the FinTech firm since joining in 2012, most recently as Chief Marketing Officer, based out of the firm’s San Francisco office. Prior to InvestCloud, Trousdale held leadership roles within the Asset Management Advisory practice of Deloitte & Touche LLP.

Grupo Fleury, one of Brazil’s largest diagnostic medicine companies, has created an automated demand planning management platform – the Fleury Forecaster – with the help of FICO^® Xpress Insight. Using this platform, Group Fleury has slashed the time needed to create a sales forecast. Forecasts have also become more accurate and granular in detail, with the overall margin of error now less than 10 percent.

SigFig, a financial technology company that is reimagining customer experiences in financial services, today announced the launch of SigFig Atlas, a financial advice and software-guided sales platform for banks and customers.

ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW), a leading global provider of real-time electronic payment and banking solutions, and The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU), a global leader in cross-border, cross-currency money movement, today announced that the Federal Trade Commission has granted early termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 with respect to ACI’s previously announced acquisition of Speedpay, Western Union’s United States bill pay business. This satisfies one of the closing conditions.

Digital lending platform Esme Loans, has today announced that it will now offer its loans to UK businesses operating as sole traders. Under its extended proposition, sole traders will be able to obtain loans from £25,500 - £150,000, for up to five years.