On 9^th March 2022 at Dusit Thani, Dubai, the Future Coding Tech Roadshow organised by Market Solutions Events Management was launched as an inaugural event to explore the new and upcoming low code and no code platforms that will change the landscape of app building process. During one day of summit, topics such as building coders community, power of AI, security concerns, opportunities and challenges associated with integration that provided attendees fresh insights into the industry.

The Future Coding Tech Roadshow hosted some influential speakers in the Middle East Industry. From Digital Dubai, Dr Sohail Munir shared his expertise on the role of AI in software development. Ahmed AlTarawaneh from Dubai Police, Amina Abdul Raheem from Engineering Office of H.H of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Fayaz Ahamed Badubhai from Al Yousuf Group and Reuben Krippner from Microsoft shared their views in a panel discussion on need of building a coders community in the UAE. Frederik Bisbjerg from DAMAN insurance highlighted the debt and bureaucracy associated with technology, Sanjay Khanna, Former CIO of RakBank, Binoo Joseph from EMAAR, Umesh Moolchandani from Bin Dasmal Group and Samer Gad from Inffy came together to address the role of CIOs in the changing ecosystem of coding. Aleksandar Gvozden from Abu Dhabi Digital Authority spoke on importance of low code and no code tools and Sunil Nair from Al Falah University, Hala Elghawi from Standard Chartered Bank, Gigi Mathews from Ittihad International Investment and Kashif Rana from HSA Group discussed the security concerns that comes with the technology.

Reuben Krippner from Diamond Sponsor, Microsoft gave the first keynote session on the opportunities of lowcode which was followed by a keynote on the topic Enterprise Agility with Low Code that was delivered by Rahul Bhageeradhan from Lead Sponsor, Kissflow. Raveesh Dewan from Joget, Gold Sponsor delivered a presentation on Supercharging Modernization for Triumphant Business Outcome.

Speaking as a keynote speaker and a panellist Reuben Krippner Director of Microsoft Power Platform from Microsoft EMEA said “Today, every company is a technology company. With the need for digital transformation accelerated by the global pandemic, IT teams often find themselves overwhelmed with requests to build new solutions. Low-code platforms, such as the Microsoft Power Platform, can support this effort, helping both business technologists and developers deliver solutions faster.  Across every region and industry, business agility, security and compliance are more important than ever. With the Microsoft Power Platform you get the tools to meet these needs and deliver better customer and employee experiences.” Microsoft’s strong focus on low-code has resulted in additional investments in UAE Data Centers to provide local service availability of their business SaaS solutions and the low-code Power Platform.

The announcement follows Bellizia's arrival as president of Global Payments and the fintech's 10-year anniversary. To celebrate the beginning of the next decade of focused growth the company has just unveiled its new branding. 

EBANX, a payments fintech company with a global presence, has launched a new brand positioning and design. Created in celebration of its 10-year anniversary in February, the new branding marks the expansion of the company’s global teams located in regions such as Asia, Europe and the Americas. With its sights set on expanding its customer base and the depth and reach of fintech's products over the next decade, EBANX aims to strengthen verticals such as digital services and e-commerce led by its new president of Global Payments, Paula Bellizia.

"EBANX has a spectacular track record, having impacted the trajectory of merchants, Latin American consumers, the payments industry, the digital market as a whole and the community around us. Looking ahead to the next 10 years, we have a very clear direction: to maximize this impact, and increase the reach of our merchants and options for consumers," said Bellizia. "The new brand celebrates EBANX’s achievements so far and ushers in the next decade."

Last year, EBANX's international team grew by almost 70 percent, reaching nearly 100 people at the beginning of 2022. The fintech company currently has open positions in its Mexico office and plans to recruit others for its teams located in China, Europe and the United States.

EBANX currently has operations in 15 countries, teams in more than 10 countries, and more than 1,700 employees from more than 20 different nationalities. It offers more than 100 local payment methods in Latin America to 1,000+ global customers such as Amazon, SHEIN, Shopee, Spotify, and Uber, as well as 35,000 merchants in Brazil.

New brand for the new decade, with a focus on product and customers

The new EBANX logo reflects the exponential growth of the company, which increased its volume of processed payments by more than 110 percent in 2021. This forward momentum is illustrated by the changing size of each letter in the logo and makes visual reference to the fintech's plans for future growth – the letter X in the logo is the largest, expressing the idea of the brand’s wide reach. The new tagline – Be there. Anywhere – highlights EBANX’s customer-centric mindset and its commitment to shortening the distances between businesses and consumers through simplified digital payments.

"EBANX's major milestones so far have all been connected to the mission of creating access and offering the best experience for companies and consumers. From this commitment to our customers, many product launches were born, along with geographic expansion, growth of teams and our client portfolio, strategic acquisitions, investments and other projects that benefit the market and the community," said João Del Valle, co-founder and CEO of EBANX. "We are very proud of this legacy, knowing that it offers a solid foundation for our business, on which we will build the EBANX of the future."

EBANX's new positioning and brand design were developed in partnership with YÖNE.

Atlan Raises $50M Series B led by Salesforce Ventures, Sequoia, and Insight to Build a Collaboration Hub for Data Teams

Atlan announced that it has closed its $50M Series B round led by Insight Partners, Salesforce Ventures, and Sequoia Capital India. Several founders in the data space participated in the round including Fivetran founder Taylor Brown and ThoughtSpot founder Ajeet Singh. Atlan creates a unified discovery and collaboration experience, bringing context and trust to the entire modern data stack. “Today, data assets are not just tables, but code, models, BI dashboards, and pipelines,” said Prukalpa Sankar, Co-Founder of Atlan.

Embedded Finance Network mmob Closes £5 million Seed Round

mmob, the UK’s first embedded finance network has announced the successful completion of a £5m seed round. The investment was raised from a group of angel investors including high net worth individuals and senior banking executives. mmob will use the investment to advance the development of its technology platform, enter new markets including Malaysia, and further its leadership position within embedded finance. Mmob empowers consumer-facing fintechs to supercharge their growth through the rapid integration and delivery of relevant products and services that meet their customers’ financial needs.

Brazilian Fintech Noh Raises $3m Seed Funding to Kick-start the Digital Age of ‘multi-player Finances’

After closing a seed round of $3M led by Kindred Ventures, fintech Noh is preparing to enter one of the hottest untapped markets in Brazil: multi-player or shared finances. Brazil is one of the world’s top nations for making joint purchases. Noh promises to automate the division of expenses, taking away the stress of chasing money owed by friends and the hassle of transferring cash for every individual bill. Noh’s ultimate goal is to become the country’s main payment method.

Thirdfort Secures £15m Series a Funding to Tackle the UK’s Escalating Money Laundering and Payment Fraud

Thirdfort, a risk management platform for professional services, has secured £15m in a Series A round. The company will use the financing to ramp up growth and product development, in line with its vision to build a seamless and flexible platform for beautifully secure client onboarding and payments. The fundraising was led by Breega, a leading pan-European VC built by founders for founders. Element Ventures, a London-based fund focused on B2B fintech, has also invested in the round.

Lloyds Bank invests £5 million in working capital platform Satago

Lloyds Bank has invested £5 million for a 20% stake in invoice financing startup Satago and will roll out the platform for its Single Invoice Finance and whole of book Invoice Factoring customers.The deal with Satago follows a competitive tender process and a six month trial of the technology. Once deployed it will introduce a new digitised proposition for lending to the bank's SME customers. As part of the arrangement, Ben Stephenson, MD and head of specialist client solutions at Lloyds Bank will join Satago's board.

Acorns Raises $300m After Abandoning Spac Plans

Acorns, the savings and investing app, has raised $300 million from private investors at a $1.9 billion valuation, after abandoning plans to go public via a Spac. According to CNBC, TPG led the Series F round, which included participation from BlackRock, Bain Capital Ventures, Galaxy Digital, and basketball star Kevin Durant's venture capital firm. Acorns, which launched in 2014, now claims over four million users in the United States for its app, which automatically rounds up PayPal and debit and credit card purchases and invests the difference in stocks and bonds. It decided to join the Spac train last year, outlining a $2.2 billion deal with Nasdaq-listed Spac Pioneer Merger Corp.

Lendable Raises £210 Million at £3.5 Billion Valuation

Consumer finance platform Lendable, based in London, has raised £210 million in a funding round led by the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board. Lendable, founded in 2014, connects global institutional investors and borrowers across all major product categories, including loans, credit cards, and auto finance. Consumer credit volumes in the United Kingdom and the United States are substantial, with an addressable market of nearly $3 trillion.

Nordic Neobank Lunar Receives €70 Million in Fresh Funding

Lunar, a Daniosh neobank, has raised €70 million in new capital to prepare for the launch of new crypto trading and business-to-business payments products. The new funding round follows the Nordic challenger's €210 million Series D funding round in July of last year. The firm has now raised a total of €345 million and is valued at just under €2 billion. Lunar currently has 500,000 customers and €1.3 billion in deposits spread across Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, with plans to expand into Finland. The company's expansion into business banking is also gaining momentum, with 15,000 customers on board and new payment services on the way.

Capchase has raised $80 million in a Series B funding round led by 01 Advisors

Capchase, a startup in the United States that assists entrepreneurs in obtaining non-dilutive capital, has raised$80 million in a Series B round led by 01 Advisors. The round was co-led by QED, Caffeinated Capital, Bling Capital, ScifiVC, Thomvest Ventures, Tusk Venture Partners, Invesco, and Gaingels. Capchase, founded in 2020, assists businesses in releasing cash that is otherwise locked up in future predictable revenue payments. Since its inception, it has worked with nearly 3000 companies across the United States and Europe, providing founders with over $2 billion in funding and extending runways by over 5,000 months.            

Dutch BNPL In3 has raised $11.1M in Funding and Struck a Deal with Payments Firm Worldline

In3, a Dutch BNPL company, has raised $11.1 million in funding and announced a partnership with payments firm Worldline to expand its merchant base. In3 was founded in 2018 by a group of individuals who were involved in the early BNPL wave of the 2010s. It enables customers to pay for goods in three equal payments over 60 days at no interest and without registering for credit.

Curve, the financial super app which empowers customers to understand and master their finances by combining all debit, credit and loyalty cards into one, today announces its launch in the United States. 

Curve is now available to download for U.S. customers, who can make use of the firm’s core benefits, including the ability to access all of their cards through one smart card, earn personalised cashback and stack rewards, go back in time to move past payments from one card to another, access leading FX rates without fees and more. 

Curve has grown exponentially since launch in 2018 and is already live in 31 markets around the world. The company has expanded to support over three million customers and gained a loyal following thanks to its unique offering and products aimed at empowering customers to enhance their finances. 

Unlike digital challenger banks, which offer checking accounts via an app, Curve combines all of a customer’s existing bank accounts and cards into one card and one platform. 

US customers will also be able to access Curve’s latest feature, Curve Credit. As an alternative to Buy Now Pay Later, Curve Credit enables customers to make purchases directly using a credit line, either paid in-full at a later date or through a payment plan. 

Curve Instalments will be added to Curve US in the coming months and will enable customers to spread out the costs of any purchase made over three, six, nine, or 12 months. 

Shachar Bialick, Founder and CEO of Curve, comments: “Curve is evolving and to launch in the U.S. is an incredibly exciting milestone for us. Americans hold four debit and credit cards on average, which we aim to simplify down to one card and one app to put people in better control of their money. It’s also a challenging time for consumer finances in the U.S. Inflation is at an all time high and rate hikes are on the horizon. By empowering U.S. customers with their finances, we hope to help more people towards a better financial future.”

• Axelia Partners is headquartered in Boston (Massachusetts) with offices in New York
• The acquisition is in line with ZEDRA’s ambition to expand further into the US and be recognised as an international leader in global expansion services
• Complements UK acquisition of Fitzgerald & Law in 2020

ZEDRA, a global specialist in Global Expansion and Corporate Services, Active Wealth and Fund Solutions today announces the acquisition of Axelia Partners in the US.

Axelia Partners has been privately owned by Alexandra and Philippe Suhas since 2013 and is headquartered in Boston (Massachusetts) with offices in New York. The company facilitates the US expansion of predominantly European headquartered businesses and entrepreneurs by providing all the administrative and accounting services necessary to operate compliantly in the US. Services include Talent Search, HR and Operations alongside Accounting, Financial Control, Tax Compliance and Payroll.

The announcement boosts ZEDRA’s Global Expansion and Corporate Service offering in the US, a core market for the firm, and enhances the company’s geographical presence.

The announcement follows the acquisition of Fitzgerald & Law in 2020, whose Global Expansion team already provide the full suite of award-winning tax, HR and financial compliance services to fast-growing US headquartered companies expanding into EMEA and beyond. The additional footprint of Axelia Partners will enhance ZEDRA’s capabilities to further support companies from all over the world expanding into other territories globally.

Ivo Hemelraad, ZEDRA Chief  Executive Officer, commented, “We are delighted to welcome Axelia Partners to ZEDRA. The US is a key market for us, following the acquisition of Fitzgerald & Law in 2020 when we started to expand our corporate services reach to the US West Coast. Now, with the addition of Axelia Partners, we have a lead operation in the US for corporate services. Axelia Partners perfectly fits with our ambitious growth strategy and entrepreneurial spirit. The majority of Axelia Partners’ clients are European tech companies, so we see significant opportunities to extend the level of expertise and support we already offer to our international corporate clients. We are very much looking forward to working closely with Alexandra and Philippe’s team and welcoming them and their clients.”

Alexandra Suhas, Partner at Axelia Partners, said: “This is a significant milestone for Axelia Partners to strengthen our position as an industry leader. ZEDRA’s existing Global Expansion services across offices worldwide will bring additional scale, resources and expertise to our already fast-growing operations. ZEDRA’s approach to business is very similar to ours. Hence it is a natural fit and a logical step forward in our international growth plans. Our clients will now have access to a growing range of services to support their business ambitions, as well as continued access to the same people, the same culture and the same level of service.”

The deal will add 35 professionals to ZEDRA’s US teams currently based in Miami, San Francisco and New York.

Last week, ZEDRA announced a strategic minority investment* from British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (“BCI”), one of Canada’s largest institutional investors. This investment is made in partnership with ZEDRA’s management team, led by Executive Chairman Bart Deconinck and CEO Ivo Hemelraad, and the Company’s existing majority investor, Corsair, which remains the majority shareholder.

Partnerships 

FinGo Partners with VMC to Introduce Interface for World’s First Vein ID Enabled Vending Machines

FinGo, a UK fintech behind the world’s first biometric identity authentication and payments platform, has struck a partnership with cashless solution experts VMC. It will see the companies create a world-first retail vending technology, where users can pay and prove their age through a simple scan of their finger. FinGo’s vein mapping technology works by taking a simple scan of a person’s unique vein pattern through an infrared device. This scan is connected to a person’s registered FinGo account, which can be linked to their verified ID or a digital wallet to enable payments. Registered users can then scan their veins to prove identity, age, or make payments in any venue offering the FinGo system.

EY and Microsoft Announce Collaboration to Help Businesses Use Technology to Tackle Complex Legal and Compliance Challenges

EY and Microsoft announced a new initiative to help businesses around the world use technology to tackle a range of increasingly complex challenges faced by legal and compliance teams. By combining EY leading technology and intelligence with Microsoft Cloud technologies, the organizations will help businesses’ legal and compliance teams to identify and mitigate ethical and reputational risks; investigate and manage regulatory challenges; detect fraud; and manage privacy and security risks.

Railsbank Partners with Sodexo Engage

Railsbank, the leading global Embedded Finance Experience platform, is now the BIN sponsor for the Sodexo Engage Spree Card program. Sodexo Engage is the UK’s leading employee engagement expert. Its Spree card is a prepaid card that can be loaded up by an employer with bonuses, referrals, and incentive rewards and used in exactly the same way as a debit card. Used by organizations to build employee engagement through incentives and recognition and support financial wellbeing, it also gives employees access to exclusive cashback offers, helping wages stretch even further.

Tesco Bank Partners With Onfido to Enable Secure, Streamlined Onboarding for Tesco Clubcard Pay+ Customers

Tesco Bank today announces a partnership with Onfido, the global identity verification and authentication provider. Onfido provides a secure application process for new Tesco Clubcard Pay+ customers, following the launch of the new product in January. Tesco Clubcard Pay+ is an innovative first for the UK market, allowing Clubcard members to pay with their Clubcard and pick up extra Tesco Clubcard points wherever they shop. Shoppers can add money and ringfence their grocery spend from any UK bank account into their Tesco Clubcard Pay+ account, using the free Tesco Bank mobile banking app.

Ayoconnect Partners With Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) on Open Banking to Boost Financial Inclusion

Ayoconnect, Southeast Asia's largest open finance platform, and Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI), Indonesia’s largest bank by total assets, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to leverage Ayoconnect’s open finance technology in BRI’s digital banking solutions with the intention to generate greater financial inclusivity and economic growth in the world’s fourth-largest country by population. Ayoconnect’s open finance platform makes it easier, faster, and more economic for BRI and its business customers to launch new financial services, accelerating the availability of affordable access to finance for all Indonesian citizens.

UK SMEs set to Benefit as Growth Lending Partners with Currencycloud

The B2B alternative finance provider Growth Lending has partnered with Currencycloud, the experts simplifying business in a multi-currency world. Clients will enjoy rapid access to funds, greater flexibility, and access to leading FX solutions. Growth Lending’s Portfolio and Business Operations Director Faye McDonough says of the partnership: “We are always looking for ways to offer UK SMEs access to exceptional products as they scale. Currencycloud was the only provider that had all the features we needed to do this.

Wirex Wallet and Paraswap Partner for Unrivalled DeFi Access

Leading crypto platform, Wirex, has partnered with DEX aggregator, Paraswap, to make DeFi more accessible than ever before. Using Paraswap’s market-leading price algorithm, Wirex Wallet users will now be able to seamlessly exchange multiple tokens, saving users large amounts of money and effort. Since its inception in 2014, Wirex has endeavored to break down barriers to access for crypto, blockchain, and DeFi.

BankiFi Joins Visa Fintech Partner Connect to Bring SME Business Banking Solution to Visa’s Clients and Partners

BankiFi, the Manchester-based tech company on a mission to put banks at the heart of the business has announced that it has joined Visa Fintech Partner Connect in Europe – a program that helps Visa`s clients deliver the next generation of digital banking solutions. The partner program focuses on Visa’s clients who have shown an interest in improving their digital proposition for SMEs.

Launches 

Astropay Launches Payment Links Capability for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises in Peru, Chile, Mexico and Colombia

AstroPay, the online payment solution of choice of over five million users in the world, announced the expansion of Payment Links across Latin America, now launching in Peru, Chile, Mexico, and Colombia. This is part of the company’s plans to introduce it worldwide following the first launch in Brazil in December 2021.Payment Links is AstroPay’s newest capability, designed for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to enable business owners to collect online and remote payments by simply sharing the link with their customers, and get paid instantly in an easy and secure way.

Tot Launches Its Digital Banking Solution Tailor-made for Micro Enterprises and Self-employed

Tot, an Italian fintech banking platform that simplifies administrative and financial management through digital tools for self-employed professionals and micro-businesses with up to 10 employees, announces its market debut in March. Tot specializes in microenterprises, amid growing attention to this segment, because of the strong role these companies play in the Italian economy. Tot’s initial rollout offer is a bank account and a payment card, followed by the gradual addition of digital planning and monitoring tools that will help small companies easily keep track of their expenditure, accounts payable, earnings, and provisions for tax purposes.

ACI Worldwide Launches Innovative ACI Fraud Scoring for Financial Institutions

ACI Worldwide, the global leader in mission-critical, real-time payments software, announced the launch of ACI Fraud Scoring, an industry-first fraud scoring platform delivering next-generation machine learning capabilities for financial institutions of all sizes to deliver real-time fraud detection and prevention. Underpinned by ACI’s award-winning patented Incremental Learning technology, ACI Fraud Scoring enables banks to reduce fraud losses by up to 75 percent. The service is being rolled out in North America and Europe first, with plans to expand globally in the coming months.  

TreasuryTech Major IBSFINtech Launches 'VNDZY®', AI-powered SaaS Solution for Supply Chain Finance

IBSFINtech, India's leading TreasuryTech solutions provider for corporates, has extended its product offerings with the launch of VNDZY®- an integrated SaaS solution for Supply Chain Finance. IBSFINtech is a globally renowned treasury, risk, and trade finance management enterprise that provides digitized solutions for end-to-end automation of the corporates' cash flow, liquidity, treasury, risk, and trade finance functions. Powered by AI, SaaS platform VNDZY® offers a connected ecosystem for Corporations, Suppliers, and Financial Institutions, creating a win-win solution backed by cutting-edge technologies.

Merger & Acquisition

Visa Completes Acquisition of Tink 

Visa today announced it has completed its acquisition of Tink – an open banking platform that enables financial institutions, fintechs, and merchants to build financial products and services and move money. Through a single API, Tink enables its customers to move money, access aggregated financial data, and use smart financial services such as risk insights and account verification. Tink is integrated with more than 3,400 banks and financial institutions, reaching millions of bank customers across Europe.

Google Announces Intent to Acquire Mandiant

Google LLC announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Mandiant, Inc., a leader in dynamic cyber defense and response, for $23.00 per share, in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $5.4 billion, inclusive of Mandiant’s net cash. Upon the close of the acquisition, Mandiant will join Google Cloud. The cloud represents a new way to change the security paradigm by helping organizations address and protect themselves against entire classes of cyber threats, while also rapidly accelerating digital transformation.

PPRO acquires Alpha Fintech in game-changing deal

PPRO, the leading provider of digital payments infrastructure, announced the acquisition of Alpha Fintech, a next-gen payments technology company. The deal will expand PPRO’s offering, strengthen its presence and networks in Asia Pacific (APAC), and allow it to deliver products and services faster to its customers. Alpha Fintech’s cloud-based platform allows for the seamless integration of digital payments products and services, from payment processing and merchant management to risk management, fraud prevention, and data analytics.

Job Moves

Hyland hires Dan Dennis as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer

Hyland, recognized as a leading content services provider by Gartner for 12 consecutive years, has hired Dan Dennis as its senior vice president and chief information security officer (CISO). In his role, Dan is responsible for leading Hyland’s security vision, evolving the information security programs and practices, and protecting all customer, partner, and employee assets and data. Building on almost 25 years dedicated to security, developing programs from the ground up, and providing oversight of enterprise SaaS solutions for organizations of all sizes, Dennis’ focus at Hyland will be the centralization and evolution of its security programs into a unified strategy.

Digital Insurance Platform EIS Appoints Rory Yates to Drive Strategy in EMEA

EIS, a core and digital platform provider for insurers, announced digital pioneer Rory Yates as Head of Strategy for EMEA. The region is fast becoming a thriving market for EIS as it makes its second key senior hire in six months. Yates is set to help the company grow operations and go-to-market working in close collaboration with partners and clients. Yates has a diverse background, with 24 years of experience across sectors such as technology and banking at industry heavyweights WPP, Cognizant and Santander. He joins EIS from DXC where he transformed client businesses with in-depth analytics & AI, consulting, UX & UI and digital engineering.

OpenPayd Embarks On Expansion With New Head Of Payments Infrastructure Appointment

OpenPayd, leading global payments and Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) platform has announced the appointment of Barry O’Sullivan as its Head of Payments Infrastructure. Bringing over 19 years of experience in financial services and technology, O’Sullivan will be responsible for enhancing OpenPayd's product offering, adding new payment capabilities that enable the business to reach its ambitious growth targets. Prior to OpenPayd, O’Sullivan has held senior positions across a number of payment and FX providers. O’Sullivan was Head of Global Payment Solutions at foreign exchange company, HiFX (now known as XE) and more recently, was responsible for building strategic relationships at Vitesse PSP Limited, where he served as Director of Corporate Payment Solutions and at SaaS company Kyriba, as Strategic Payments Director.

Delta Capita Appoints Steven Hargreaves as Head of UK Consulting

Delta Capita, a leading global Capital Markets consulting, managed services, and technology provider announced that it has appointed Steve Hargreaves as its new Head of Consulting, UK. The appointment of a new UK Consulting lead underlines Delta Capita’s continued focus and investment in its high-performing UK and global consulting business. Delta Capita’s mission is to reinvent the Financial Services Value Chain. The role of the consulting business is to create long-term partnerships with Financial Services clients, design and deliver the change that they need right now and develop new businesses that will meet their needs for the future.

B2B Fintech Unicorn Pleo Welcomes New Chief People Officer to Its Boosted Executive Team, to Steer Ambitious Employee Growth and Market Expansion

Fintech scale-up Pleo, which offers simplified spend management and smart company cards, boosts its executive team with the induction of Mette Hindborg Gade, functioning as the company’s Chief People Officer. As a former Partner in McKinsey & Company with an educational background in Engineering, Mette is an experienced leader and problem-solver, with a specialism in driving people-first organizational transformations and rapid growth companies within the financial sector. Her position as Head of People for the consultancy firm’s Copenhagen outfit saw Mette nurturing a diverse range of high-performing talent.

Totallymoney Hires Head of Data in Credit Personalisation Drive

TotallyMoney, the credit app that helps everyone move their finances forward, has appointed Henry Pearce as Head of Data, as it ramps up the use of technology to help consumers improve their financial situation. Having recently hit four million customers, TotallyMoney helps its customers understand, track and improve their credit score, using multiple data sources to offer tailored solutions and bespoke recommendations.

Provenir Appoints Francisco Franch to Lead Expansion in Spain

Provenir, a global leader in AI-powered risk decisioning software, announced Francisco Franch will be leading Sales in Spain to serve the growing number of financial services organizations seeking AI-powered risk decisioning solutions. Franch will oversee sales operations, business development, and go-to-market strategies for Spain.

ADDX To Appoint New CEO: Investment Banking Veteran Oi-Yee Choo Aims To Build Asia’s Largest Private Market Exchange And Record US$1 Billion In Transactions By 2023

Singapore Exchange-backed private market platform ADDX has announced that Oi-Yee Choo will be appointed its Chief Executive Officer, subject to the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s (MAS) approval. The ADDX platform was founded in 2017 and began full commercial operations in 2020 after becoming one of the first digital securities exchanges to graduate from the MAS Fintech Regulatory Sandbox. Leading the company into its next phase of growth, Ms Choo projects that the ADDX platform will record US$1 billion in transactions by 2023, entrenching its position as Asia’s largest private market exchange.

Capchase, a startup in the United States that assists entrepreneurs in obtaining non-dilutive capital, has raised $80 million in a Series B round led by 01 Advisors. The round was co-led by QED, Caffeinated Capital, Bling Capital, ScifiVC, Thomvest Ventures, Tusk Venture Partners, Invesco, and Gaingels. 

Capchase, founded in 2020, assists businesses in releasing cash that is otherwise locked up in future predictable revenue payments. Since its inception, it has worked with nearly 3000 companies across the United States and Europe, providing founders with over $2 billion in funding and extending runways by over 5,000 months. 

Additionally, the firm estimates that 15% of the capital it has provided has gone to female and minority-led startups – a significantly higher proportion than is typical in the venture capital industry. It opened a European headquarters in London last month in response to increased demand from UK startups. 

"In this economic environment, founders require new options for funding their businesses," says Miguel Fernandez, CEO of Capchase. It's no longer a one-size-fits-all approach, and in just 18 months of operation, we've witnessed an incredible appetite for growth capital that is flexible, fast, and complementary to traditional funding methods such as venture capital. 

"Our mission is to automate everything that has an effect on our customers' finances, and this new round of funding will enable us to launch additional products that allow founders to focus on what matters most: building and selling their product."

Visa today announced it has completed its acquisition of Tink – an open banking platform that enables financial institutions, fintechs and merchants to build financial products and services and move money. Through a single API, Tink enables its customers to move money, access aggregated financial data, and use smart financial services such as risk insights and account verification. Tink is integrated with more than 3,400 banks and financial institutions, reaching millions of bank customers across Europe.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220309005889/en/

“Digital tools are driving the new economy, and the combination of Visa and Tink will support greater choice and quality of digital money services as the lines between commerce, financial services and payments continue to converge,” said Charlotte Hogg, CEO of Visa Europe.

Jack Forestell, Chief Product Officer of Visa,added, “Openness and innovation are the two vital elements necessary to fuel the growth of future digital financial services. The combination of Visa’s proven infrastructure and sustained investment in resilience, cybersecurity and fraud prevention with Tink’s APIs, technology and customer relationships will help accelerate the adoption of open banking around the world by providing a secure, reliable platform for innovation.”

“Global networks enable innovators to scale, and Visa provides the best foundation for Tink to build on,” said Daniel Kjellén, CEO and co-founder of Tink. “Visa will help Tink increase its connectivity to more than 15,000 financial institutions, utilizing Visa’s consumer trust and brand recognition to develop the future of financial services, that we can together offer to clients throughout Europe, and around the globe.”

In the near-term, Tink will operate as a standalone subsidiary of Visa. Tink CEO and Co-founder Daniel Kjellén and the existing management team will continue to lead the organization.

Lunar, a Daniosh neobank, has raised €70 million in new capital to prepare for the launch of new crypto trading and business-to-business payments products. The new funding round follows the Nordic challenger's €210 million Series D funding round in July of last year. The firm has now raised a total of €345 million and is valued at just under €2 billion. 

Lunar currently has 500,000 customers and €1.3 billion in deposits spread across Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, with plans to expand into Finland. The company's expansion into business banking is also gaining momentum, with 15,000 customers on board and new payment services on the way. 

"The additional capital will enable us to maintain momentum in our Nordic expansion," says Ken Villum Klausen, Lunar's founder and CEO. "We launched our new Nordic crypto platform in the first months of 2022, enabling our business customers to accept and track card payments in their webshops, and we anticipate M&A activity to bolster our Nordic offering." 

Users can trade and cash out bitcoin, ethereum, cardano, polkadot, and doge in the Lunar app. 

"It's inconvenient for Nordic consumers to use multiple platforms for their needs, and we're excited to integrate cryptocurrency into our universe of banking, payments, and investments," Klausen says. 

"Money's future is embedded in the web3, in the metaverse, and wherever you need it. We will investigate how both cryptocurrency and blockchain technology can help our customers move to the next level of payments and banking with Lunar Block."

Consumer finance platform Lendable, based in London, has raised £210 million in a funding round led by the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board. Lendable, founded in 2014, connects global institutional investors and borrowers across all major product categories, including loans, credit cards, and auto finance. 

Consumer credit volumes in the United Kingdom and the United States are substantial, with an addressable market of nearly $3 trillion. TIP's new investment will assist Lendable in developing new products and advancing the company's international growth ambitions. "TIP is a global growth investor with a long-term perspective," says Martin Kissinger, founder and CEO of Lendable. 

Lendable is now valued at £3.5 billion following the new equity investment.