The SME finance landscape is undergoing a fundamental shift as banks retreat from business lending, leaving a staggering £22 billion SME funding gap in the UK. Cashflow management platform, Lenkie, has today announced £49 million in Series A funding to transform the way growing UK businesses access capital. The funding round, which includes £4 million in equity and a £45 million debt facility, was led by a large US private credit fund focussed on supporting lenders internationally. 

British wealthtech platform Belong has closed its first crowdfunding campaign with Crowdcube, hitting its £300,000 target in under five hours, and securing a total raise of over £489,000 from 330+ investors. The campaign went live on 10th February, gaining substantial momentum that resulted in Belong overfunding by 163%. 

Rakuten TV, one of Europe’s leading streaming platforms, positions itself as a key enabler for telcos looking to expand their content offering in the growing FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV) market. Through Rakuten TV Enterprise Services, the company provides innovative solutions for the launch, distribution and monetisation of FAST channels. This announcement takes place at the Mobile World Congress (MWC).

This International Women’s Day theme “Accelerate Action” is incredibly relevant given the backdrop of DEI rollbacks in the US.  It requires intentional and constant effort for us to drive equality for underrepresented or marginalised groups. As women in technology, we are that - unrepresented. With women making up half of the global population, we all need to accelerate action at this moment, not slow down or be satisfied with our progress, to ensure we build inclusive hiring practices, company cultures, and career paths.

Telefónica announced today during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) the creation of a Centre of Excellence dedicated to quantum technologies, around which the company's internal governance model within this field of knowledge will revolve. The announcement was made during the session ‘Present and future of Telefónica networks’, presented in the Agora of the company's stand by Enrique Blanco, global CTIO of Telefónica, and Andrea Folgueiras, CTIO of Telefónica Hispam and global GCTIO of the company from April.

Binance, the global blockchain ecosystem behind the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, has announced its sponsorship and strategic support for the Global Fintech Institute (GFI) to advance fintech education, professional development and innovation.

BNP Paribas has opened a new IT refurbishment and remarketing centre in the Yvelines department (78), reinforcing its commitment to addressing the growing challenge of electronic waste in Europe. This investment aligns with BNP Paribas' commitment to advancing the circular economy by extending the lifecycle of IT equipment such as laptops, desktops, mobile phones and tablets.

GameStop Corp. and Zip Co., the digital financial services company offering innovative, people-centered products, today announced a partnership in which Zip will be GameStop’s primary pay-in-installments service for online and in-store customers in the U.S.

Chargebacks911, a global pioneer in chargeback prevention and management solutions, announced their official partnership with Prommt, a leading innovator in cloud-bas