DKK Partners, a leading FinTech company that specializes in emerging markets (EM) and foreign exchange (FX) liquidity, has appointed Centropy PR to lead its global communications strategy amid rapid expansion.

DKK Partners was founded in 2020 by banking industry veterans Dominic Duru, previously of RBS and Citi, and Khalid Talukder, previously of UBS, Citi & Deutsche Bank, set up to provide high-quality FX payment services to SMEs in emerging markets across Africa and the Middle East.

The company’s annual revenues have skyrocketed over recent years, reaching more than £100 million, due to DKK’s ability to combine the latest trading technology alongside on-the-ground market intelligence to solve significant problems for its customers.

Duru and Talukder regularly appear in UK Parliament, discussing key issues such as the FinTech bubble alongside policymakers, MPs, and industry leaders.

Centropy PR will coordinate and execute a global PR and communications campaign for DKK Partners, organizing industry events and policymaker meetings, alongside managing media relations, strategic thought leadership, and content creation.

Khalid Talukder, Co-Founder of DKK Partners, said: “The Centropy team is full of enthusiasm and knowledge of the FinTech space, already hitting the ground running with numerous great events and coverage pieces that have helped start important conversations for our business. Our sales team regularly gets engagements from prospects that have seen our work in the press, and Centropy’s PR campaign is and will continue to be an essential part of the long-term strategy for DKK Partners.”

Steven George-Hilley, Founder & CEO of Centropy PR, commented: “DKK Partners has seen impressive growth since it launched, disrupting the industry with truly innovative solutions while all the time expanding into new territories. The team has a roster of excellent spokespeople with a fascinating global story to tell and we’re excited to be a part of DKK Partners’ continued success.”

In a significant development for its tourism and financial services, the Bank of St Helena announces the launch of the 'Tourist Card', a virtual banking solution designed to facilitate seamless transactions for visitors to St Helena and Ascension Island. This innovative step addresses the islands' traditionally cash-based economy and limited acceptance of international cards.

Until now, visitors to St Helena often had to carry large sums of cash or rely on cash advance services due to the absence of ATMs and limited card acceptance. The new Tourist Card changes this, offering a virtual bank card accessible via a dedicated mobile app. This card integrates with the island's local card payment system, St Helena Pay, which is accepted at over 70 locations in Jamestown and numerous sites on Ascension Island.

How to Get the Tourist Card:

1. Apply Online: Complete a secure online application.
2. Download the App: Get the Tourist Card App on your mobile device.
3. Load Funds: Add funds to your Tourist Card (GBP currency).
4. Spend and Manage: Use the card across St Helena and Ascension, check balances, and top-up through the online portal.
5. Unload Funds: Easily transfer any remaining balance of the card upon departure, with no fees.

The Tourist Card simplifies transactions for visitors, enhancing their experience while supporting local businesses. It's a leap forward in the financial accessibility and convenience on the islands.

For more information and to apply for the Tourist Card, please visit.

Menlo Ventures announced the close of $1.35 billion in new capital that will be invested by a flagship venture fund, Menlo XVI; Menlo Inflection III; and their affiliated funds—with a mandate to invest in promising technology companies leading the AI transformation.

With this new capital, they are making a commitment to support the forthcoming generation of AI startups. With their immense potential, these early-stage companies embody the prospect of revolutionary innovation; the best among them will forever change the technology landscape and the human experience.

They build on a strong foundation as they position themselves for the future. Menlo Ventures was founded in 1976 to invest in the technology businesses that would put Silicon Valley on the map. Under their current leadership, the firm has earned a reputation as an expert early-stage investor, recognized for making bets on Uber, Roku, and Siri long before they became household names. The new funds are just the latest milestone in Menlo’s record run.

Beginning in 2010, the firm:

• Raised over $3.8 billion across eight fund groups and distributed $5.2 billion to limited partners.
• Guided more than 80 companies to exits, including 15 public offerings and more than 65 acquisitions (representing over $10 billion in enterprise value).
• Made seed and early-stage investments in 24 unicorns across enterprise, consumer, and healthcare.
• Grew our team to 19 investors whose work is amplified by a portfolio services team of six functional experts, known as Menlo’s Fuel team.

Now, in this new AI era, they are recognized for their technical expertise, industry connectivity, and impressive portfolio of AI investments, which include Abnormal, Anthropic, Cleanlab, Pinecone, and Typeface. AI represents a seismic shift that will add trillions of dollars in value to the global economy, and Menlo will help write the next chapter.

Octopus Investments, part of Octopus Group and the UK’s largest Venture Capital Trust (VCT) fund manager, today announced the launch of a new £35 million fundraise for its Octopus Apollo VCT (Apollo VCT).

Apollo VCT aims to accelerate the growth of smaller business-to-business (B2B) software companies. The companies, while early-stage and therefore high risk, tend to be established having already brought their product or service to market, with existing recurring revenues and the potential for significant expansion.

Octopus Apollo VCT is managed by a specialist investment team of 13 that sits within Octopus Ventures, one of the largest venture capital teams in Europe2. The team has significant collective investment experience in sourcing investment opportunities, executing deals, and managing portfolios in the B2B software sector.

Apollo targets a dividend yield of 5% per year, as well as offering investors the potential for special dividends and capital growth, although these are not guaranteed. Since its launch in 2006, it has paid total cumulative dividends of 86p per share to investors.

Richard Court, Fund Manager for Apollo VCT said:

“Over the past year, Apollo VCT has demonstrated its ability to maintain robust performance through the current challenging macroeconomic backdrop. This is aided by the fact that the technology companies Apollo invests in sell their products to other businesses, which often means their revenues are contracted and recurring, making them more predictable and less vulnerable even in difficult economic circumstances.

“Looking ahead to next year, with entry valuations having already reset, we should hopefully see a good environment for another strong cohort of investments as well as improving exit opportunities.”

Apollo VCT has an existing portfolio of around 45 companies. Typically, the team considers over 600 investment opportunities a year, and whittles that down to around 10 new investments. Apollo typically invests between £2 million and £10 million into each business. Notable portfolio companies include:

VaultSpeed: a firm that helps large and mid-market companies automate their complex and time-consuming data activities by integrating their datasets into data warehouses. This means businesses can analyze, understand, and store their data more easily and securely, saving both time and resources.

SOVA: a human resources technology (HRTech) company designed to manage the assessment of candidates for large organizations, helping them improve transparency and diversity. By combining psychometric science and a compelling digital experience, SOVA helps companies more accurately identify top talent and create personalized candidate experiences. SOVA’s platform helps companies rapidly adjust their approach to hiring in a virtual working environment.

Jess Franks, Head of Investment Products, Octopus Investments commented:

“Over the past five years we have seen VCTs become a more mainstream product for advisers, and we don’t expect that trend to change. VCTs remain a great investment for advised clients who are looking for smart tax planning and want access to private market investments, even for those with smaller amounts to invest or who are starting to add this asset class to their portfolio.

“A recent survey we carried out found that 45% of investors are interested in exploring investment opportunities in early-stage companies3, suggesting the opportunity to provide access to growth companies via VCTs would be valued by a large number of clients comfortable with the risks”.

The minimum investment amount for Apollo VCT is £5,000. The new share offer is open until the 1st of April 2024 for the 2023/2024 tax year and 15 November 2024 for the 2024/2025 tax year. The offer will close earlier if it becomes fully subscribed.

Mollie, one of the fastest-growing financial services providers in Europe, is expanding its range of payment methods to include the Swiss market leader TWINT. From now on, Mollie's customers can integrate TWINT into their online stores and thus significantly optimize their service offering and shopping experience for consumers from Switzerland. Mollie is one of the first PSPs to offer this option to German merchants.

TWINT is the most popular mobile payment method in Switzerland, allowing users to connect their bank account to the TWINT app and use it to make secure payments (both online and in stores). At the beginning of this year, TWINT reached the milestone of 5 million active users - more than half of all Swiss people. In 2022, users made more than 386 million transactions with the versatile app, exceeding the number of all transactions in the years since its launch.

“We are delighted to have TWINT, Switzerland's most popular payment method, in our portfolio with immediate effect. This puts German online merchants in an excellent position to further expand their business in Switzerland and acquire new customers. In order to keep up with the competition in other markets, it is essential to offer the most popular local payment methods - an aspect that is of central importance to us as a true partner at our merchants' side." says Annett Polaszweski-Plath, Managing Director DACH at Mollie.

Vesta, a leading transaction guarantee platform, today announced a partnership with Stripe, a financial infrastructure platform for businesses, to enable a comprehensive fraud prevention and risk protection solution that indemnifies merchants from losses from fraudulent transactions.

Under the partnership, Vesta Payment Guarantee™, which provides 100% indemnification from fraudulent chargebacks, will incorporate Stripe Radar risk scores to offer a comprehensive fraud and revenue protection option to increase transaction approval rates and thwart first-party and third-party chargebacks. This is particularly attractive to merchants who are at-risk due to high fraud or excessive disputes. Merchants can access Vesta Payment Guarantee on Stripe App Marketplace in H1 2024.

Second, Vesta will integrate Stripe Connect, which lets businesses facilitate purchases and payments between third-party buyers and sellers. With Stripe Connect, Vesta merchants and their customers will have a holistic solution that mitigates fraud and risk while processing payments quickly and securely.

"We couldn’t have asked for a more symbiotic partnership," said Ron Hynes, CEO of Vesta. “Vesta and Stripe share a goal of making online transactions as simple and worry-free as possible, and collaborating with Stripe allows Vesta to directly reach more merchants with what we love to do – help them grow revenue and eliminate the losses from fraud.” Hynes adds, “The real winners here are the merchants we will jointly serve.”

Akurateco, a cutting-edge white-label payment software vendor operating worldwide, has recently announced a strategic partnership with HAYVN Pay, a globally regulated cryptocurrency payment solution serving business, corporate, and institutional clients.

Through this integration, Akurateco's broad client base will now benefit from HAYVN Pay's services. This partnership aims to propel the global acceptance of cryptocurrency payments among clients while also providing an extra revenue channel for businesses inclined towards digital currencies for online transactions.

Commenting on the partnership, Jonathan Wood, Chief Commercial Officer at HAYVN, said, "The partnership between HAYVN Pay and Akurateco is a significant step in fortifying the cryptocurrency payments landscape. Aligning with Akurateco plays a pivotal role in expanding HAYVN Pay's reach and delivering a comprehensive payment solution to its clients globally."

Vladimir Kuiantsev, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Partner at Akurateco, commented: "Strategic alignment with HAYVN is fundamental to enhancing the cryptocurrency payment landscape for Akurateco clients as the collaboration between Akurateco and HAYVN Pay empowers them to extend their global presence and broaden payment options." 

HAYVN Pay ensures a seamless and efficient payment experience, processed almost instantly. The flexible payment infrastructure of HAYVN Pay taps into an international network, allowing merchants to settle payments using fiat money or cryptocurrency without additional charges.

Tech-focused investment bank ICON Corporate Finance has advised VaultSpeed, the automated data transformation company, on its $15.9 million (€ 15.1 million) in Series A funding. This funding round is led by Octopus Ventures, one of the largest and most active venture capital investors in the UK and Europe, with additional participation from the current lead investor Fortino Capital, PMV, and BNP Paribas Fortis Private Equity. Following two consecutive years of triple-digit revenue growth, VaultSpeed intends to use the proceeds to expand its strong international presence with a particular focus on the UK and US markets and to further develop the platform automation capabilities.  

As more and more enterprise companies move their data to the cloud for faster analytics and data-driven decision-making, data teams are faced with the problem that without automation, it becomes nearly impossible to transform and integrate multi-source data on time, without compromising on quality or quantity. According to market research by Gartner, Worldwide Public Cloud End-User Spending will grow 17.5% to $725 billion by next year. Spending on cloud infrastructure represents the fastest-growing market segment. 

Launched in Belgium four years ago with seed investment from the Cronos Group and Fortino Capital, VaultSpeed has redesigned data transformation. It not only handles data complexity through transformation but also consolidates the data into a comprehensive target data model, allowing data engineers to customize it according to their requirements in a matter of days and weeks as compared to traditional methods.

VaultSpeed is already offering its automation solutions to global enterprises, particularly in finance, healthcare, and utilities sectors. The company has established strategic partnerships with Snowflake, Microsoft, and Databricks, and has developed a network of over 30 service partners to serve clients on a global scale.

“All data teams are looking at increasing productivity and agility. We automate every step of their cloud data warehouse or lakehouse. From setup to maintenance and beyond,” said Piet De Windt, CEO and co-founder of VaultSpeed. “We’re excited to team up with Octopus Ventures, they resonated with our ambition from the start to revolutionize the cloud data market. With this funding we aim to triple our revenue by 2025.” 

Paul Davidson, Partner from Octopus Ventures: “Data warehouse automation is rapidly replacing conventional approaches to data warehouse creation which are becoming ineffective and obsolete. VaultSpeed have developed a no-code automation platform that we consider to be a best-in-class solution to address modern data engineering challenges, which often requires an ability to execute business intelligence or analytics projects in a matter of hours rather than months.

We are delighted to partner with Piet and Dirk who have executed well on their vision for their solution to date and are confident that we can help them."

Marcel van der Heijden, Partner at Fortino Capital: “We’re delighted to continue to support Piet De Windt and Dirk Vermeiren and their team on their mission to push the boundaries of automation. The company has navigated well throughout the pandemic and post-pandemic period and has seen continued traction because they do fundamentally change the productivity of data teams. A must in the current AI era.”

“VaultSpeed is at the forefront and will use the proceeds to maintain its competitive advantage.  We have only just begun to tap into the vast potential of automation in the cloud data warehouse and lakehouse market. We are, for example, exploring how AI and abstraction can further revolutionize automation and target data model delivery." stated Dirk Vermeiren, CTO and Co-Founder of VaultSpeed.

Roald Borré, Group Manager Equity Investments at PMV: “Automation of data-migration towards cloud environments is a key catalyst towards digitalization of companies. PMV is thrilled to support VaultSpeed in its rapid growth towards a leadership role in the data space. Combining the talents of the team and extra financial means, is a perfect recipe to further success.”

Ben Kolada and Eddie Harding at ICON Corporate Finance, who advised on the transaction, added: “We’re immensely proud to have advised Piet and the VaultSpeed team on this transformational funding round. The high-speed expansion VaultSpeed is experiencing is proof that the advanced automation capabilities of VaultSpeed’s data transformation platform are just what the market is asking for. Furthermore, Octopus Ventures’ deep sector experience and extensive international network makes them the perfect investor to partner with VaultSpeed for the company’s next growth stage.”

Fabrick, a European pioneer in Open Finance, and Banque Edel (E.Leclerc) are excited to announce a  collaboration aimed at modernizing the invoicing process of gift cards for its CSE customers. 

To boost operational efficiency, Banque Edel has embraced Fabrick's ‘Fabrick Pass’ (PISP) solution, allowing for the seamless integration of payment processing into the accounting workflow. This innovation streamlines the entire process, from the initial request to reconciliation, all while maintaining continuous oversight. As part of this collaboration, the traditional invoicing method, in conjunction with IBAN, a document confirming the bank account issued by French banks, has been redesigned. Alongside the invoice, a unique link is now dispatched, allowing customers to promptly activate and complete payments directly from their current accounts, without disrupting the accounting process.  

The result is a streamlined process that simplifies accounting reconciliation, accelerates payment processing, and, most importantly, elevates the overall customer experience. This partnership marks a significant milestone for Banque Edel, which processed over 1000 gift card orders in the fourth quarter of 2022, amounting to approximately 14 million euros. 

Frantz Wazé CEO of Banque Edel explains: “We are very pleased to offer this new payment service to our customers. This innovation accelerates the delivery of gift cards by simultaneously streamlining payment on the customer side and order management on Banque Edel’s side. Banque has found in Fabrick a lot of skills in his DNA, listening to needs, availability of teams, and strength of proposal. Moreover, Fabricks teams ensure optimal support during each project phase. This partnership opens new payment methods and use cases. Thanks to the responsiveness and support of the Fabrick teams.” 

Paolo Zaccardi, CEO of Fabrick, adds: “Our collaboration with Banque Edel solidifies our presence in the French market and throughout Europe, establishing us as a preferred partner for financial and non-financial organizations looking to embark on digitalization and technological innovation journeys with embedded finance. Our solutions are designed to optimize financial processes, and the growing interest we're witnessing is a testament to the rising prominence of embedded finance as a reference model.”