In recent years, financial services have poured energy into the digital experience through mobile apps, instant payments and cloud settlements. But even as we move further online, the strength of these systems still depends on something more concrete: the physical network that keeps money moving when software can’t.

The question isn’t whether finance should be digital-first. It’s whether we can afford to forget the physical structures that hold it all together.

Since rolling out Mastercard Click to Pay on its payment platform in July 2024, Ecommpay merchants have reported significant uplift in checkout conversions.  Designed to simplify the guest checkout, Click to Pay leverages user recognition, network tokenization and global interoperable standards to provide consumers with a seamless and more secure checkout.

PensionBee, the leading online pension provider on a mission to build pension confidence, is partnering with financial promotions (FinProm) platform Adclear to empower teams to leverage the power of AI across UK and US marketing compliance. Having gone live with Adclear this autumn, PensionBee’s marketing team has already leveraged the platform to analyse over 1,000 pieces of content. 

Robinhood, the financial services platform on a mission to democratize finance for all, has fully rolled out a new mortgage offer for Robinhood Gold subscribers through an exclusive agreement with Sage Home Loans, a modern digital mortgage lender.

Starting today, all eligible Robinhood Gold subscribers can access mortgage rates at least  0.75% below the national average, along with a $500 credit toward closing costs on new home purchases or refinances, powered by Sage Home Loans.

Thousands of people at risk of experiencing homelessness will be able to open bank accounts for the first time through a new pilot between Shelter and five major banks, which will allow Shelter to support people without a fixed address removing a major barrier which stops people being able to get paid work.  

Lloyds, NatWest, Barclays, Nationwide and Santander are expanding on Shelter’s partnership with HSBC, which has already helped over 7,000 people get back on their feet.  

Lettuce Financial, the fintech platform built for solopreneurs, today announced it has secured $28 million in new funding to accelerate the expansion of its AI-powered operating system, designed exclusively for growth-focused one-person businesses seeking the same advantages as larger companies. The company also announced the acquisition of benefits access startup Besolo, a move designed to add quality healthcare choices to Lettuce's suite of financial tools.

Expensify, the easiest way to manage expenses, corporate cards, and travel, today announced the next evolution of Concierge, its embedded support system, now transformed into a full-service expense agent.

Worldline, a global leader in payment services, and Deliverect, the leading global food tech SaaS company, are expanding their collaboration to bring smart self-ordering kiosks to more hospitality businesses across the UK.

PPRO, the leading local payments platform, has enabled Wero for CTS EVENTIM, Europe's largest ticketing provider.

ClearBank, the enabler of real-time clearing and embedded banking, has selected AutoRek, the financial control platform trusted by leading global institutions, to deliver scalable reconciliation capabilities. 

As ClearBank’s transactions grew by 55% in 2024, AutoRek’s platform has enabled the organisation to transform its financial operations infrastructure, moving from time-consuming processes to rapid configuration of complex reconciliations while maintaining agility and regulatory compliance.