Allstar Business Solutions Limited, the UK’s leading fuel management company, today announces its new partnership with leading electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure provider, EB Charging. The partnership will begin with 59 charge points before the rest of EB’s network will be added over the coming months to the multi-branded Allstar One Electric network, as they are upgraded to accept the Allstar One Electric Card.

EB is a fast growing British business working with over 50 local authority, NHS and commercial partners, aiming to improve infrastructure for the EV market and enable fleet operators to adopt the technology with greater ease. By joining Allstar Business Solutions’ network, the company will continue to support customers across the UK, providing greater access to compatible charging points.

The partnership signifies the continuation of Allstar’s EV network expansion and follows the launch of its EV charging payment solution, the Allstar One Electric card. As the 282 chargers are added to the network, the partnership comes at a time when businesses are increasingly looking to incorporate alternative fuels (AF) vehicles and EV into their fleets.

The latest EV statistics for February* confirmed this, with more than 215,000 pure-electric cars on UK roads and over 455,000 plug-in models, including plug-in hybrids (PHEVs).  However, research on Allstar Business Solutions’ customer base last year found that a third of fleet owners that participated in the research currently see a lack of infrastructure as a critical barrier to integrating AF vehicles into their operations**.

The partnership will help address this issue with the expansion of the fuel network and will aid businesses as they work towards meeting the government’s plans to ban sales of new petrol, diesel and some hybrid cars in the UK by 2030.

Paul Holland, Managing Director of UK Fuel at FLEETCOR UK, said: “It is clear that UK fleet operators are eager to incorporate even more EV into their businesses. They just need a better infrastructure to support the transition. Collaborations, such as our partnership with EB Charging, will help make this a reality by offering greater access to charging points through our Allstar One Electric card.”

Dan O’Hara, CEO at EB Charging, added: “Our main target is to reduce the UK’s collective carbon footprint and improve air quality by helping people move from petrol and diesel to electric vehicles and more sustainable energy. This switch is made so much easier by improving access and the availability of electric charging points.”

He added: “This switch to electrification for fleets is also crucial in meeting these targets and today’s partnership with Allstar Business Solutions is an exciting next step on this journey. Our joint goal of improving access to charging points will help drive our shared success and make the EV driving experience easier and more cost-effective.”

To find out more about the Allstar One Electric network and how the Allstar One Electric card can benefit your business visit: www.allstarcard.co.uk or contact our expert team at: 0345 266 5101.

* next greencar: Electric car market statistics (11^th March 2021)

**Allstar survey carried out in Nov 2020 with 477 Allstar SME customers.

Paya , a leading integrated payments and commerce solutions provider, has announced a strategic partnership with RECUR360, a cloud-based software and automation solution provider which offers recurring payment, invoicing, and collection capabilities across a number of B2B verticals. Through the partnership, RECUR360 will offer its clients enhanced capabilities and support for integrated card and ACH while also tapping into new, underserved markets such as wholesalers, distributors, and field service providers.

“With this strategic partnership, RECUR360 will offer its customers increased efficiency throughout the end-to-end payments process while also offering an enhanced user experience,” said Jeff Hack, Paya’s CEO. “The partnership also provides Paya with further opportunities to serve B2B-focused software clients within the field services industry, where our integrated payments capabilities can offer a major value proposition.”

“Our collaboration with Paya represents another significant step forward in value for our customers,” said Andrew Abrams, Founder and CEO of Recur360. “We are excited about Paya’s robust API library and its automated onboarding process, both of which will make the payments process more seamless and efficient for RECUR360’s customers.”

Hardbacon, a personal finance application that helps you achieve your financial goals, launches a national advertising campaign today encouraging Canadians to shop for financial products, while shining light on the best way to do it.

Under a new campaign, “Compare. Make Money”, Hardbacon reaffirms its commitment to help all Canadians take responsibility for their own finances by highlighting the Hardbacon app and website to compare everything from credit cards and bank accounts, to insurance and online brokers. Created by EKO productions, a Montreal-based content agency, the campaign includes a series of playful vignettes, created to spark curiosity, evoke thought and showcase the hidden money behind your financial products.

“Canadians leave a lot of money on the table by selecting the first financial product offered to them, rather than shopping for the best fees and rates,” said Hardbacon CEO, Julien Brault. “We wanted to make finding and comparing the right financial products easier and more convenient with Hardbacon.”

The Canada-wide TV and digital initiative launches today with campaigns on Facebook and Youtube, as well as with targeted TV ads through media properties such as Radio Canada’s Zone économie, hosted by Gérald Fillion, and on L’Indice McSween with Quebec personality Pierre-Yves McSween. The campaign will run throughout the 2021 summer season and into fall with new initiatives.

Hardbacon launched as an app for retail investors and transformed into an app for all Canadians to take control of their finances at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, it is on a mission to help Canadians make better financial decisions and, in turn, get the bacon to lead wealthier and more financially secure lives.

The campaign is now live and the various ads can be viewed on Youtube.

Compare credit cards : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7Bt1XA5o18   
Compare online brokers : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMivxUAa2Lo
Compare bank accounts : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQBFiPp9FKI
Compare mortgages : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYgbctv92pk

• Eka Ventures is an early stage venture fund that is integrating impact investing into mainstream venture capital
• The firm will invest in category-defining consumer technology companies that positively shape the world, making it more sustainable, healthy, and inclusive.
• Eka’s team has strong expertise in backing consumer-tech companies such as Gousto and Bloom & Wild
• Investors in the fund include British Business Bank, Big Society Capital, Isomer Capital, further institutions and technology entrepreneurs, including 12 founders the Eka partners previously backed

Eka Ventures today announces that it has had a final close on a £68m ($95m) fund, making it the largest impact-driven early stage venture capital fund focused on the UK. Investors in the fund include British Business Bank, BSC, Isomer, Guys and St Thomas Foundation, Planet First Partners, Draper Esprit, Snowball and others, including 24 entrepreneurs, 12 of whom are founders the Eka partners have previously backed.

Eka was founded on the belief that the most successful businesses of the next generation will be built to solve a clear social or environmental challenge and is integrating impact investing into mainstream venture capital.

Eka will invest in consumer technology companies focused on redefining business systems to be more sustainable, healthy and inclusive. This is reflected in Eka’s three investment themes: sustainable consumption, consumer healthcare, and the inclusive economy. The fund will focus on the UK, invest early and lead rounds, making investments between £500k-3m.

Eka was founded by Jon Coker, Camilla Dolan and Andrew Richardson. The founding team has a combined 30+ years of experience working in venture capital, and has backed some of the biggest and most exciting consumer tech companies of the last 10 years, including Gousto, Bloom & Wild, Peak and Elder.

The fund focuses on three key areas: sustainable consumption, consumer healthcare, and the inclusive economy.

Sustainable consumption: reducing emissions, waste and resource use through more efficient, circular consumption models and supply chains.

Our current consumption models are linear and inefficient creating unsustainable levels of emissions, waste and environmental degradation. 66% of global carbon emissions are created by household consumption, and a developed world consumer creates 3.5x the global average. We believe a combination of software, hardware and data science can change these models to be low waste and resource-efficient.

Consumer healthcare: reducing chronic illness and health inequality through prevention, early detection and low impact treatment methodologies.

Our treatment focused health systems are creaking under the pressures of ageing demographics and rising chronic disease. Currently, 95% of healthcare spend is on treatment rather than prevention but the quality of the treatment you receive only determines 25% of your health. We believe technology has now reached a cost point to put products in the hands of the consumer that can shift to a more proactive & preventative system.

Inclusive Economy: Reducing expenditure poverty and financial exclusion by using technology to reduce the cost to serve in life-essential products.

Whole sections of our society find it hard to access essential products. 45 - 50% of our health is determined by socioeconomic factors and healthy life expectancy is 18.5 years shorter for the most disadvantaged in our society. We now have the technology to dramatically reduce the cost to serve making life essential products more accessible and affordable to everyone.

Jon Coker, General Partner of Eka says “Over the next 20 years the effect our old business systems have on our health and climate is going to become increasingly and undeniably apparent. At the same time the power of our new technologies to meet, shape and change these old businesses systems can be realised in mainstream adoption. The combination of these two dynamics will create an environment of unparalleled opportunity for entrepreneurs to build companies of extraordinary value that positively shape the world. These are the entrepreneurs we set up Eka to back.”

Camilla Dolan, General Partner of Eka, says “When it comes to working with companies, we are clear in our desire for scale, and we will do everything in our power to help the founders we work with achieve their ambitious goals. We are looking for entrepreneurs who set the bar for impact driven innovation high and who are focused on fundamentally changing or creating a category, in the same way Tesla has single-handedly propelled the electric vehicle industry forward. We set Eka up to back companies with that level of ambition”

Timo Boldt, Founder of Gousto “Jon and Camilla are two of the best investors a founder could possibly hope for. They supported Gousto with our Series A back in 2013 and have been cheerleaders ever since. Their new venture, Eka, is tightly aligned with our own philosophy because of their focus on sustainability. Much like them, we believe in the power of people to drive change.”

Ken Cooper, Managing Director, Venture Solutions, British Business Bank said: “The Bank’s Enterprise Capital Funds programme is a key tool in helping to develop and maintain an effective venture capital provision in the UK, lowering the barriers to entry for emerging fund managers and for those targeting less well-served areas of the market.  Our commitment of £36m to Eka Ventures, will enable them to support new and growing sustainable consumer technology businesses in the UK.”

Douglas Sloan, Investment Director at Big Society Capital, “It’s been hugely rewarding and exciting to work with Eka on developing their approach to investing with impact. The team brings a track record of successful VC investing and a thoughtful thesis on identifying areas where impact and commercial value are delivered in parallel. With an impact lens embedded into its core investment tools and decision making, we’re excited about Eka’s potential to create impactful ventures which tackle the problems of those most in need, at scale.”

Catherine Dupéré, Partner at Isomer Capital, “We're impressed by Eka's focused investment strategy which addresses a rapidly growing opportunity in sustainable brands and B2C businesses. We've had the privilege of knowing the team for over ten years now and we've observed that they not only bring together significant experience and expertise to support companies as they scale, but also the passion and empathy that makes entrepreneurs want to work with them. Eka is a wonderful addition to our portfolio of over 40 early stage European VCs who all share an entrepreneurial mindset and partnership-driven approach.”

Trulioo, the leading global identity verification company, today announced new partnerships with four major European payment providers: PayDo, Pollen Technologies, Sokin and XanderPay. Following its USD $394 million Series D round of financing last month, Trulioo is looking to grow in Europe with plans to increase headcount by 300% in Dublin, Ireland, attract new customers and better serve existing partners.

Trulioo has been selected by these payment providers to help them meet compliance requirements and verify customers. Through the world’s largest marketplace of identity data and services, Trulioo GlobalGateway orchestrates real-time identity checks that adhere to a diverse range of compliance requirements, prevent fraud, and increase trust and safety online. 

"Payments providers grapple with facilitating cross-border transactions while meeting ever changing regulatory requirements. Turning to our expertise in global identity verification helps deliver frictionless customer onboarding for real-time payments, fueling the digital economy," said Steve Munford, CEO of Trulioo.

The four payments providers that chose Trulioo to verify their customers worldwide are:

• PayDo, which offers e-wallet, EU IBAN, and merchant accounts for businesses and individuals 

• Pollen Technologies, a whitelabel banking and payments platform 

• Sokin, a leading financial services provider that enables global payments for both consumers and businesses

• XanderPay, which streamlines payment solutions for hotels

Trulioo enables organizations to take a risk-based approach to identity verification, allowing  clients to choose a balanced integration of human judgment and automated technology in the Customer Due Diligence process. GlobalGateway helps organizations meet KYC/AML compliance requirements across jurisdictions and enables them to instantly verify over 5 billion customers in more than 195 countries.

detected, the global mark of trust for eCommerce, has completed its latest funding round of £900k. This newest round demonstrates impressive industry backing and strong support for detected. Participants in this round include existing angel investors and institutional stakeholder EmergeVest, plus a new tranche of high-profile investors including:

• Huw Slater - COO of TravelPerk
• Laurence Guy - Founder and CEO of We Are Pentagon
• Tink Taylor - Founder & President of dotMailer and Founder of dotDigital Group plc
• Ed Hill - SVP EMEA, Bazaarvoice
• Maropost Ventures

Huw Slater, Chief Operating Officer at TravelPerk, said: “detected has the winning trifecta: the right team at the right time with the right idea. I’m excited to invest in and support this dynamic young company to build on its already impressive traction.”

detected Chairman Rob Barnett said: “The business continues to make rapid progress, and we are well supported by our existing and new investors who share our vision.”

Liam Chennells, Chief Executive Officer at detected, said: “Twelve months ago, detected was an idea; the opportunity to build a business capable of solving an existential problem facing the entire eCommerce industry. Buyer trust, and for marketplaces, knowing who your sellers are. I couldn’t be prouder of our team and what they have achieved already.

“We have built a completely bespoke AI-powered platform that draws on seller information in more than 160 countries and checks over 1 billion business records to create a consistent profile for every online seller. We are actively solving the challenge of Know Your Business (KYB) requirements for marketplaces, and this new investment lets us rapidly scale the value we provide customers around the world.”

detected will use this capital to grow its team, develop its technology further and capitalise on its commercial traction.

This investment round follows a pre-seed round in September 2020 and a seed round in November 2020, which saw TrustPilot Chief Technology and Product Officer, Stephen Garland, join the company’s advisory board. 

Certified FinTech Practitioner MENA is a new programme developed jointly by The London Institute of Banking & Finance and LendIt Fintech, and delivered in partnership with ADGM Academy in MENA, which aims to help bank and fintech executives get to grips with this new world of fintech. It’s open for registrations now, with the course starting this September.

The fintech world moves at such a pace that is difficult for even the most seasoned executive to keep up. The London Institute for Banking & Finance, a 140-year old professional institution dedicated to serving the banking world with top-flight education, and LendIt Fintech, a founder-led media business dedicated to advancing fintech on a global scale came together to develop a six-week immersion course, and are working with ADGM Academy to deliver the programme in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Kareem Refaay, Managing Director of The London Institute of Banking & Finance MENA said: “We are delighted to launch CFP MENA, a digital practitioner programme equipping participants with required skills to excel in fintech. The programme is regionally relevant with global insights for a well-rounded learning journey experience. LIBF MENA, as a leader in the fintech education arena, aims to provide programmes from awareness to practitioner to executive level in digital, fintech, digital transformation AI, BI, blockchain and many more in the MENA banking and finance sector.”

Mansoor Jaffar, Managing Director of Abu Dhabi Global Market Academy said: “ADGM Academy believes that this new era of learning will raise a generation powered with the right knowledge, as we create the digital landscape for a new generation with the skills they need today for a brighter tomorrow. The FinTech role in society is becoming more vital than ever, particularly due to Covid-19. Today we can all witness how FinTech has reflected on the economic growth and established new successful careers in the industry.”

The programme will provide participants with expert knowledge of the evolution and impact of fintech and is designed for forward-thinking early to mid-career professionals who are looking to expand and formalise their understanding of fintech business models and the environment in which they operate. Participants will be able to develop their ability to understand and to critically analyse the factors behind the success, and failure, of fintech ventures, models and initiatives.

The Certified Fintech Practitioner MENA course is a six-week immersion in fintech for current and aspiring professionals in financial services. It is a virtual online studied online, including:

·       14 sessions with esteemed instructor Helene Panzarino

·       6 self-study sessions providing an opportunity to reflect on learnings

·       Study guide, reading materials, and a broad array of information and resources from the leaders in financial services

·       Access to the course site for the duration of the programme, and then for six months afterwards, enabling participants to refresh and renew your learning

·       On completion, a digital Certified Fintech Practitioner credential is awarded to participants

To learn more and apply, please visit the course website.

• 55% likely to buy from Western Europe and 45% from Northern Europe
• Londoners are the most willing to buy from overseas versus those in the South West who are the most reticent
• Despite ‘support local’ movements in the wake of the pandemic, buying from local retailers only matters to 14% of British shoppers, and only 8% prefer to buy from the UK 
• The research of 2,000 consumers also found one in five people believe that most online reviews are fake, yet they remain an important consideration for nearly a third (30%) of shoppers 
• Delivery options are also a key factor in driving sales, with attitudes to free delivery varying by generation -  76% Gen Z are willing to pay more for a product if free delivery is on offer 

Today, leading global payment service provider, emerchantpay, publishes the second and third instalments of its New World, One Market Report which examines consumer behaviour post-pandemic. The latest two chapters reveal stark differences in attitudes to the factors that influence a purchase decision, with splits across UK location and generational group.

The survey of 2,000 British consumers showed that despite the chaos surrounding Brexit, 55% are likely to buy from Western Europe and 45% likely to buy from Northern Europe. In addition, supporting local retail only mattered to 14% shoppers with just 8% preferring to buy from the UK, increasing to 18% of Baby Boomers and dropping to 1% of Gen Z. 3% of people said politics was a consideration when choosing where to buy an item. This paints a picture of a modern consumer uninfluenced by geographic boundaries or global dynamics.

Respondents from Greater London were consistently more likely to buy from countries other than the UK. The majority of Londoners said they were likely to buy from Western Europe if given the option (63%), and more than half (56%) said they would buy from North America. They were also most likely among those we surveyed to buy from Russia (21%), Eastern Asia (47%), Southern Asia (34%), South America (26%), Africa (28%) and the Middle East (27%). Northern Irish respondents were most likely to buy from Northern Europe (53%), and those in the South East were most likely to buy from Eastern Europe (35%). 

People in the South West were least likely among those we surveyed, to buy from countries other than the UK. 50% said they were unlikely to buy from South America if given the option. 48% declined to buy from Eastern Europe; almost a third (30%) wouldn’t buy from North America or Northern Europe; and almost a quarter (24%) wouldn’t buy from Western Europe. Welsh respondents were most likely among those who responded, to feel neutral about countries outside the UK.

Older generations are less loyal than their younger counterparts - and are less forgiving when it comes to delivery fees

More than half (55%) of consumers are willing to pay more for a product if delivery is free. Consumers are happy to spend 4.63% more on average. 

However opinions differ markedly by generational group: the majority of Gen Z (76%) and Millennials (62%) are willing to spend more, compared to the majority of Gen X (47%), Baby Boomers (62%) and the Silent Generation (56%) who are not. 

The average Gen Z consumer said they would pay up to £3.98 for delivery for an item up to £50 in value, versus Baby Boomers who are only willing to spend up to £1.74. The latter group was most likely to believe that delivery should always be free (48%).

Brand loyalty also appeared to decline with age: 7% of Gen Z and 9% of Millennials claimed not to be loyal to any brands. The same answer was given by 17% Gen X, 23% Baby Boomers and 31% Silent Generation. 

Drop in consumer trust following the pandemic

One in five people believe that more than half of online reviews are fake. However a third (30%) listed product reviews as an important consideration when choosing where to buy. 

More than a quarter (26%) said product reviews would encourage them to switch to another brand. But friends (75%) and relatives (71%) were the most important sources of advice for product recommendations, with social media influencing more than half (57%) of Gen Z.

In terms of sectors, respondents were most likely to remain loyal to grocery, food, drink or supermarket brands (49%), rising to 57% of those in the Baby Boomer generation, but dropping to 42% of Gen Z. By contrast, Gen Z were more likely to stay loyal to technology and gadgets brands (48%), or fashion, clothing and accessories (47%). Only 30% of Baby Boomers said they're loyal to particular fashion brands, with 35% instead remaining loyal to financial products.

In addition, our research found that 46% of shoppers feel that there is a greater risk of fraud now than before the pandemic. 50% believed there to be the same risk now as before - rising to 60% for Baby Boomers.

Jonas Reynisson, emerchantpay's Founder and CEO comments: “The rise of ecommerce has undoubtedly changed the way we shop and it’s great to see that Brits still look beyond geographic boundaries despite Brexit. When it comes to the things that influence where we buy or how much we spend, such as reviews or delivery charges, there are obvious differences between generational groups and it’s up to retailers to interpret these findings. One way or another, it’s up to merchants to make sure that the purchasing process is as smooth and efficient as possible to serve the needs of their customers, no matter where they are in the world.” 

This announcement follows the launch of the first chapter of the New World One Market report, which launched in May 2021.

Paydock, an enterprise-grade payments orchestration platform appoints Jenela Gunasekaran as its Chief Product Officer. This significant appointment emphasises the increasingly recognised role of payments orchestration as well as Paydock’s leadership in the sector.
Jenela brings over 16 years of experience across product, technology, and financial services to her new role at Paydock. She joins from HSBC where she held the role of Head of Product at its mobile payment service PayMe in Hong Kong for almost three years and led a team of product managers, engineers and tech writers to launch online payments for merchants and numerous distribution models for partners, serving over 2.3 million PayMe consumers.
Prior to her role at HSBC, Jenela spent over five years as Principal Product Manager at PayPal where she was responsible for multiple products focused on minimising seller fraud and credit risk across geographies. In this role, she partnered with global business units and policy makers to create product vision and lead multi-year product strategies and a scalable and robust platform to deliver business positive outcomes for PayPal.
Commenting on the appointment, Robert Lincolne, founder and CEO of Paydock, said: “We are delighted to be able to attract such high calibre international talent to our team. Innovation sits at the heart of Paydock and our market-leading team, product and services is a testament to this. Jenela’s expertise will undoubtedly add significant value and competitive advantage to our offering.
Jenela is passionate about creative use of technology to build inclusive and sustainable products. She has vast experience in e-Commerce, Digital Payments, Fraud and Credit Risk, API as a Product and Software Application Life-cycle Management.
Commenting on her appointment, Jenela Gunasekaran said: “With accelerated digitisation and businesses eager to rapidly adapt to changing consumer preferences, Paydock’s payment orchestration is uniquely positioned to play a pivotal role in helping businesses offer fast, secure, reliable, and a cost effective payments experience to their consumers in their preferred mode of payment. I am very excited to join the incredibly talented team at Paydock and I look forward to driving further innovation on the platform.”