Olé Life, a leading Latin American insurtech company, today announced that it has raised $13 million in Series B funding, led by PayPal Ventures with participation from Mundi Ventures, AV8 and Advent Morro. Olé Life is redefining how families access and experience financial protection with products that are easy to acquire and offer long-term stability. Olé plans to use the funding to accelerate its growth across Latin America by setting up local operations in key markets.

TransUnion has signed a definitive agreement to acquire majority ownership of Trans Union de Mexico, S.A., S.I.C., the consumer credit business of the largest credit bureau in Mexico, Buró de Crédito. TransUnion currently owns approximately 26% of Trans Union de Mexico, has held seats on its board of directors for over two decades, and serves as one of its technology providers. TransUnion has agreed to acquire an additional 68% from selling shareholders, including several of the largest banks operating in Mexico.

Given how many governments are issuing a plan for fostering a domestic AI industry, it is easy to dismiss the UK’s AI Opportunities Action Plan. That would be a mistake because the UK has both a headstart and many competitive advantages in AI – most notably its AI talent, academic institutions and vibrant community of AI startups. It makes complete sense that the UK government should build on these essential advantages and accelerate the growth and development of its AI industry.

Today, Britain is the third largest AI market in the world. We are home to an extraordinary array of global talent and pioneering AI firms like Google DeepMind, ARM, and Wayve. But despite our record of scientific discovery - from Alan Turing on algorithms and general-purpose computing to Tim Berners-Lee’s World Wide Web - the UK risks falling behind the advances in Artificial Intelligence made in the USA and China.

InterPayments, the leader in compliant managed surcharge solutions, today announced the appointment of former CEO and president of Discover Financial Services, Roger Hochschild, to its board of directors. This strategic appointment underscores InterPayments’ mission to empower merchants to manage their cost of acceptance directly and through partnerships with US banks, payment processors, and software platforms.

Reown (formerly known as WalletConnect) today announced it has closed a $13 million Series B funding round. Best known as the builders of the WalletConnect Network, Reown is leading the charge in improving onchain UX.

JCB International Co., Ltd., the international operations subsidiary of JCB Co., Ltd., Japan’s only international payment brand, has announced the launch of the new JCB Panda Card in collaboration with Taiwan Rakuten Card. The new JCB Panda Card will be available starting January 15, 2025.

Amid the surge in stablecoin market capitalisation, leading crypto bank AMINA has removed custody fees for Stablecoin Rewards Account clients holding USDC in both hot and cold storage, with EURC set to be added soon.

AMINA’s Stablecoin Rewards account offers both individuals and businesses fee-free custody alongside compelling benefits, including:

FreedomPay, a leader in Next Level Commerce™ technologies, today announced a strategic alliance with Mastercard. This collaboration will provide businesses worldwide with a simplified and extended global payment gateway solution, streamlining their ability to connect with acquirers and accept a wider range of payment methods.