Yurtle, a London-based InsurTech helping workplaces combat caregiver burnout, has closed a seed funding round of £1.4 million.

The round was co-led by Insurtech Gateway and Mustard Seed Maze and will allow Yurtle to grow its team and roll out its ‘digital care ally’ Yurty.

Yurtle aims to help people to live independently as they age by empowering informal social care networks to deliver care support sustainably and effectively.

The number of people aged 65+ is growing at twice the rate of younger age groups. And despite living longer, many elderly people are in poor health. 

Antonio Ribeiro, CEO/Founder at Yurtle: "Incredibly grateful to The Times and Richard Tyler for covering Yurtle and it's journey so far. It touches on our recent fundraise and commercial momentum."

"Yurtle helps UK businesses combat caregiver burnout in the workplace through a novel employee benefit. We exist to support the people struggling in silence to meet their obligations to a dependent loved one whilst striving to be the best professional they can."

PayPal Holdings, Inc. today announced Geoff Seeley has joined the company as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), reporting to Diego Scotti, Executive Vice President (EVP) and General Manager (GM) of Consumer Group and Global Marketing & Communications. Seeley brings over 25 years in global brand, digital, and performance marketing while building teams to drive transformative marketing models. Seeley was most recently the Global CMO and Communications Officer at AfterPay and in marketing at CashApp.  

Seeley will be responsible for overseeing the Global Marketing team across PayPal's family of brands, including Venmo. At PayPal, Seeley will be focused on making sure the PayPal and Venmo value propositions are clear, compelling, and simple for customers. He will also focus on bringing new energy to the PayPal and Venmo brands by leveraging the company's innovative history, powerful product portfolio, and continuing to build on customer trust.

"Geoff has a rich and impressive background leading marketing teams and building brands across some of the biggest global companies," said Diego Scotti, EVP and GM, Consumer Group and Global Marketing & Communications, PayPal. "Geoff brings over 25 years of expertise in transforming global consumer and B2B brands by leveraging cutting-edge digital and performance marketing and building strong teams focused on enhancing brand awareness and engagement with customers."    

Seeley previously worked on Airbnb's Homes business, where he had responsibilities across regional brand marketing, product marketing, global media, brand partnerships, marketing analytics, and research. Additionally, Seeley worked with Unilever as Global Communications Planning Director, where he helped established, legacy brands transform their marketing models and technology, upleveling the brand experience for customers.     

allpay cards, a pioneering entity in card manufacturing, proudly announces its collaboration with SPICA, an industry leader in the production of high-performance recycled and virgin PVC material. As the only card manufacturers in the UK with this set-up, this partnership marks a significant stride toward fostering sustainable practices within the card production industry.

SPICA is renowned for its commitment to producing top-tier Recycled PVC material, adhering strictly to the highest quality standards. With an unwavering focus on delivering excellence, SPICA ensures that the film utilised in card production stands as the epitome of global quality.

In a transformative move, SPICA has restructured its entire operational paradigm, transitioning from the conventional ‘TAKE-MAKE-DISPOSE’ model to the environmentally conscious ‘REDUCE-REUSE RECYCLE’ approach. Embracing this closed-loop system, SPICA harnesses skeletons, setup sheets, and printed sheets to regenerate new material, initiating an endlessly sustainable cycle. A comprehensive take-back scheme has been instituted, encompassing post-consumer and post-industrial waste, enabling markets to achieve a 100% circular approach.

As for the logistics, Spica not only take their products back for recycling, but they also take any other PVC waste products from allpay cards’ other suppliers. The process requires very strict guidelines to avoid contamination of different products at different stages of production, it requires great discipline from operators to change waste bins on machines as they go from one product to another to avoid contamination especially between white and coloured plastic.

The introduction of SICO-R PVC and Recycled film designed for diverse application fields, stands as a testament to SPICA’s commitment to sustainability. Opting for SPICA’s SICO-R signifies a conscious choice toward utilising 100% recyclable material, thereby enabling the production of cards that are entirely recyclable. By aligning with SPICA and selecting SICO-R, allpay cards embraces sustainability while delivering exceptional quality in card production.

Wirex, a leading digital payment platform, is thrilled to announce the appointment of Anna Di Censo, a distinguished tier-1 talent from the traditional banking sector, as the new Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO) for Italy.

Anna brings to Wirex a wealth of experience from BBVA, where she was instrumental in strengthening the bank's compliance frameworks and anti-money laundering (AML) strategies. Her proven track record in navigating the complexities of financial regulations and her deep understanding of the global financial landscape make her an invaluable asset to Wirex as the company anchors its leadership further in the thriving crypto market.

"At Wirex, we are dedicated to upholding the highest standards of compliance and risk management, and the addition of Anna to our team signifies our unwavering commitment to these principles," said Pavel Matveev, CEO of Wirex. "Her exceptional expertise and insights from the traditional banking sector will be pivotal in fortifying our - robust compliance and risk function further. This is a clear indicator of our proactive approach to growth and our readiness to embrace the opportunities presented by a bullish market."

The hiring of Anna is a part of Wirex's strategic initiative to bolster its presence on a global scale, with a particular focus on enhancing its operational framework in Italy. This move is aligned with the company's vision to bridge the gap between traditional and digital finance, ensuring a secure, compliant, and innovative platform for users worldwide.

Expressing her enthusiasm for her new role at Wirex, Anna stated, "I am honoured to join Wirex and contribute to the company's strategic vision. The decision to create the MLRO role reflects Wirex's proactive approach to compliance and risk management, which are essential components of sustainable growth in the digital payment industry."

Wirex's commitment to regulatory excellence and innovation in the financial services sector is exemplified through its strategic hiring decisions and its dedication to providing a seamless and secure digital finance platform for its customers. With Anna's appointment, Wirex is poised to strengthen its market position, demonstrating its readiness to lead in the rapidly evolving digital payments landscape.

Softpay is excited to share that it now accepts BankAxept, the leading card scheme in Norway, as part of its advanced payment solutions. Softpay is the first company to offer a tap-to-phone solution that accepts BankAxept, ensuring fast and secure transactions for both merchants and customers. 

During the pilot phase, through successful partnerships with Plantasjen, Kristiansand Dyrepark, among others, the integration of Softpay’s technology with BankAxept’s payment scheme demonstrated high effectiveness.
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With Softpay, merchants can use any Android device to accept BankAxept cards in-store, at pop-up locations, or for deliveries, providing mobility and reducing transaction costs.  Softpay has been used successfully by small merchants like local hairdressers or restaurants and by enterprise and global merchants like fashion, health and beauty, and sports retailers.  
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''Not surprisingly, we experience great demand for BankAxept, which is a very cost-effective, secure and fast payment method. This is super good news for all existing customers and not least for those who are dying to get started but have been waiting for this to come into place,''– says Halvor Kaafjeld, head of Softpay in Norway.

“Although we will probably see the traditional payment terminal in the market for quite some time to come, it is clear that the trend is towards merchants going for more software-based solutions where they no longer need the physical payment terminal. Many of the Norwegian cash register systems are already integrated with Softpay so that the user site can easily get started with running both cash register and payment applications on one and the same device.
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Not surprisingly, we experience great demand for BankAxept, which is a very cost-effective, secure and fast payment method. This is super good news for all existing customers and not least for those who are dying to get started but have been waiting for this to come into place.

I would also like to add that all of us from Softpay who have been involved in the project are very satisfied with the project implementation. It has been a pleasure to work with both BankAxept and BITS and we look forward to a further good partnership with BankAxept, says Halvor Kaafjeld, head of Softpay in Norway.”

BankAxept is integral to the Norwegian economy, facilitating a significant portion of in-store transactions with its cost-effective and widely accepted payment system. The integration with Softpay allows merchants across Norway to access fast, secure, and versatile payment options, enhancing the customer experience. 
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Softpay’s platform supports various acquirers, card schemes, and digital wallets, including Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay. This ensures that businesses can easily meet customer’s payment preferences, utilizing tap-to-phone technology that converts any Android device into a contactless payment terminal with a pin.

"We are very content that BankAxept is available as an app-solution. It´s cheaper and simpler to get started for smaller businesses, and it provides flexibility for businesses that have peak-periods where more selling points can be added in no time. We believe the combination of traditional terminals and multiple mobile selling points will be common in the future,"– says Anita Frantzen, head of physical cards in BankAxept.

Embat has closed a financing round of $16 million Series A led by Creandum, Spanish VC Samaipata, 4Founders, and Venture Friends in Greece.

Madrid-based startup Embat, founded in 2021 to digitize and automate processes for finance teams, automates accounting and bank reconciliation and deals with corporate treasury management, centralizing collections, payments, and treasury processes, Embat was created by 3 founding partners: Carlos Serrano García-Lisón and Antonio Berga - both former executives at JP Morgan - and Tomás Gil, former CTO at Fintonic and Latam.

After over a decade in investment banking, Antonio Berga and Carlos Serrano identified a critical need among finance teams for cloud-connected, collaborative, and intuitive tools to enhance visibility and control over their processes. Motivated by this, they partnered with Tomás Gil to launch a project aimed at empowering thousands of finance teams to streamline their operations.

Antonio Berga, Co-founder of Embat:  "This investment is more than just financial backing; it's a testament to the trust and belief in our collective mission and vision to redefine treasury management and set the stage for the corporate bank of the future.With a vibrant team of over 70 international #Embatianos and a solid foundation of c.150 clients, our expansion plans across key European markets, including the UK and Germany, are deeply intertwined with our commitment to innovation, technology, and, most importantly, fostering and nurturing human connections.

This chapter of our 'Infinite Game' is a reflection of what we can achieve together. It's a narrative of growth, ambition, and a relentless pursuit of excellence."

BFREE, Africa’s leading ethical credit manager platform, proudly announces the successful completion of its latest funding round, securing a total of US$ 2.95 million. The round, led by Capria Ventures, a Global South specialist investing in applied Generative AI, welcomed a consortium of esteemed investors, including Angaza Capital, GreenHouse Capital, Launch Africa, Modus Africa, Axian CVC, and angel investors.

Founded in 2020 by Julian Flosbach, Chukwudi Enyi, and Moses Nmor, BFREE is dedicated to reshaping the credit collection landscape across emerging markets in Africa. Leveraging cutting-edge AI technology, BFREE aims to empower consumers to address debt responsibly while providing effective, customer-centric solutions for lenders.

Julian Flosbach, CEO of BFREE, expressed his commitment, stating, “At BFREE, we are focused on addressing the challenges of risk management in African economies. Through the use of AI, we are developing solutions that help distressed borrowers get back on their feet while empowering lenders and contributing to financial market stability across the continent. With the support of our investors, we are poised to make significant strides in transforming risk management for lenders in Africa.”

The infusion of capital from this funding round will empower BFREE to significantly enhance its suite of risk management solutions customized for banks and lenders. While originally founded with a primary focus on credit collection automation software, BFREE has since evolved its approach. At present, the company harnesses extensive datasets on non-performing loan portfolios to expertly evaluate and structure portfolio acquisitions in collaboration with third-party investors. These investors include alternative asset managers and hedge funds seeking to capitalize on emerging markets’ credit portfolios as a new asset class.

Susana García-Robles, Managing Partner at Capria Ventures, said, “The advent of Generative AI provides a pathway for more efficient scaling, enabling the company to expand across the continent at a reduced cost. BFREE is well-positioned to play a crucial role in improving accessibility and mitigating risk in financial services. We foresee the growing prominence of credit management and are confident that BFREE will spearhead the creation of a secondary market on the continent for distressed assets. BFREE has secured significant partnerships with top-tier banks and fintechs, affirming the effectiveness of its product and reinforcing our belief in its potential to transform credit collection in Africa.”

Olivier Munyeshyaka of Angaza Capital, a co-investor in this round, expressed enthusiasm about partnering with BFREE, stating, “At Angaza Capital, we recognize the immense potential of African markets, and we’re excited to partner with BFREE as they embark on their expansion across the continent. Having navigated the complexities of collections firsthand, we’re impressed by BFREE’s commitment to leveraging technology to address these challenges. Together, we’re poised to drive impactful change and unlock new opportunities across Africa.”

BFREE has achieved significant growth since its founding in 2020, serving 4.5 million borrowers across Nigeria, Kenya, and Ghana. The company has established strategic partnerships with major commercial banks, underscoring its role in client development within the region.

With this latest funding infusion, BFREE reaffirms its commitment to spearheading Africa’s leading ethical credit management platform, driving financial inclusion, and empowering individuals and institutions alike to achieve enduring financial stability and prosperity.

nCino, Inc., a pioneer in cloud banking for the global financial services industry, today announced that The Saikyo Bank, Ltd. (Saikyo), a $20B-asset regional bank in Japan, will implement nCino to improve operational efficiencies and customer convenience. Saikyo will start its single platform journey with nCino by introducing the technology to its mortgage operations.

The adoption of nCino’s platform aims to streamline Saikyo’s mortgage business, from reception, screening, case management and electronic contracting to the execution of mortgage loan operations, allowing the Bank to improve efficiency and customer experience. Leveraging nCino’s platform, the Bank will be able to increase the time that employees spend with customers by reducing administrative tasks, as well as provide data-informed experiences to both the small- and medium-sized businesses and individuals Saikyo serves.

Saikyo chose to partner with nCino based on the company’s reputation of working with financial institutions worldwide. nCino’s ability to integrate the entire mortgage process, including customer experience, allows for thorough enhancement of business processes and customer convenience. Additionally, the flexibility provided by nCino’s platform can facilitate continuous system evolution to meet the changing needs and expectations of customers and employees. nCino’s ongoing investments in innovation and support were also valued in the selection process.

Itsuki Nomura, Representative Director and Country Manager, Japan at nCino, reflected on the partnership: “We are honored to support The Saikyo Bank in realizing its vision of becoming a digitally enabled financial institution focused on helping its relationship managers to become ‘consultants’ to help solve clients’ business issues. nCino is being introduced in the mortgage area at this time, but we look forward to expanding at Saikyo to include unsecured loans for individuals, and commercial lending all on our single platform in the future.”