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.

European Regtech scale-up Salv is inviting applications for the next cohort of its acclaimed Salv Bridge network. This exclusive cohort of 30 banks, fintechs and crypto companies will share intelligence to tackle the growing issue of Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud.

Nuvei Corporation, the Canadian fintech company, today announces that it has partnered with Outpayce from Amadeus, as its latest payments service provider to be integrated into Outpayce's Xchange Payment Platform (XPP).

Moonfare, the digital private equity manager, is pleased to announce the appointment of Heike Hövekamp as Chief Legal & Compliance Ocer and member of the Executive Committee. Heike joins Moonfare from Société Générale (SG), where she worked for the last two years as Head of Compliance, and was previously SG’s Head of Markets Compliance Advisory in the rm’s Frankfurt oce.

The strategic partnership combines Knowit's Nordic market expertise with Backbase's Engagement Banking Platform. This enables the rapid implementation of digital banking solutions that meet local market requirements and regulations. Financial institutions in the Nordics also gain access to Backbase's fintech ecosystem and banking apps.