Tillo, the leading rewards and loyalty platform that empowers innovators to evolve acquisition and loyalty initiatives using the power of digital gift cards, today announced a strategic partnership with Banked, a leading direct bank payment platform, to bring Tillo's rich brand catalogue into Banked's incentivisation and growth strategy. This turnkey solution for merchants makes it easier for them to test marketing programs and drive customer engagement with new payment methods with no additional integration required.

The collaboration will enable merchants to select from a wide range of branded incentives and set parameters for their campaigns, with Banked handling all fulfilment on behalf of the merchant. Banked also provides campaign analysis to help merchants assess performance and promote the incentive through their marketing channels and site.

Banked's integration of Tillo's digital gift cards will differentiate it from other services and solutions by providing not only a fast, safe, and secure direct bank payment solution but also the tools necessary to drive consumer adoption and awareness of the payment method.

The choice to work with Tillo was driven by their global focus and broad range of rewards and incentives from brands consumers love. Tillo has over 2,000 brands in 36 markets, making them an ideal partner for Banked's global payment network across the US, the UK, and much of Europe. 

Banked's research shows that by including an incentive at checkout, its share of checkout can rise from 10% to 23%, and this partnership with Tillo is expected to have a significant impact on Banked's merchants' performance and consumer adoption of Pay by Bank.

"We are thrilled to partner with Tillo and bring their digital gift cards into our incentivisation and growth strategy," said  Lisa Scott, CEO of Banked Europe. "This collaboration will play a significant role in driving awareness around Pay by Bank as a simple, secure and fast way to make payments and also a way to offer meaningful benefits to consumers."

"Our partnership with Banked represents a major milestone in the integration of digital gift cards with direct bank payment solutions,” said Alex Preece, CEO and Co-Founder at Tillo. “We're thrilled to bring our rewards to Banked's customers and play a role in driving consumer adoption and increasing merchants' share of checkout."

How It Works for merchants and partner’s using Pay by Bank: 

Its simple - no code or additional integration is required just tell us 

• what type of incentive you would like to offer your customer

• How long you want the campaign to run

• You can pause and stop the campaign at any time

And we do the rest!

• We will activate and fulfill the incentive campaign 

• We include adding a descriptor in the checkout to raise awareness

• At the end of the campaign we will send you a report on the performance of the campaign 

Teslar Software has been recognized by Arizent and Best Companies Group as one of the 2023 Best Places to Work in Financial Technology for the third year in a row. The company was acknowledged for its positive culture and intentional investment in its employees, both personally and professionally.

Cultivating a transparent culture where all employees are heard and valued is a top focus for Teslar Software. The company provides a welcoming environment and dedicates significant resources toward helping employees professionally grow and advance their skillsets. Teslar Software offers unlimited paid time off for their employees and they are required to take a minimum of 15 days of paid time off each year in an effort to ensure a healthy work-life balance for all.

"At Teslar Software, we understand the power and importance of the people behind the technology and prioritize creating a supportive, fulfilling work environment,” said Joe Ehrhardt, CEO and founder of Teslar Software. "Our dedicated employees are critical to our ability to help community financial institutions across the country operate more efficiently and better balance their portfolios, and it’s rewarding to be recognized for strong employee satisfaction. We are honored to once again be named a Best Place to Work in Financial Technology by Arizent and Best Companies Group.”

Teslar Software’s commitment to culture continues to attract talented employees, having doubled its employee count since 2020.

Fintechs are named to the list based on direct employee feedback around company practices, programs and benefits. For more information on Arizent’s Best Places to Work in Financial Technology program, including full eligibility criteria, visit www.BestPlacestoWorkFinTech.com. 

Avalara, Inc., a leading provider of cloud-based tax compliance automation for businesses of all sizes, today announced its new integrated plugin for ChatGPT that will allow users to ask the platform to calculate and research sales tax rates based on their location. Avalara is the first tax compliance software provider to work with OpenAI to use its protocol to build an integrated plugin for ChatGPT.

Want to find out how much sales tax should apply to the $150 sneakers you’re selling or buying in Seattle? Just ask ChatGPT and it will leverage the Avalara sales tax calculator plugin to get you the answer (It’s $15.37).      

“Avalara is a pioneer in the world of tax compliance and looks to continually apply new technologies to automate the entire end-to-end tax compliance journey for businesses,” said Vsu Subramanian, SVP of Content Engineering at Avalara. “By leveraging generative AI and launching our plugin for ChatGPT, we continue to blaze trails for tax automation and have created another way to get sales tax information. And we are just getting started with generative AI. Avalara is uniquely positioned with our industry-leading tax compliance platform and comprehensive database of tax rates, rules, and answers to help businesses determine the right rate on transactions.”

How the Avalara ChatGPT plugin works

Businesses and consumers who have ChatGPT Plus accounts can install the Avalara plugin from ChatGPT’s plugin store. Once the plugin is installed, users can ask ChatGPT for sales tax rates by location or to calculate sales tax on a specific sale by location. ChatGPT will choose when to use the plugin based on the question and conversation. Users will also be able to enter further prompts or request additional tax rates or calculations.

Avalara supports OpenAI’s commitment to safely and responsibly developing AI. As such, the Avalara plugin will gradually roll out to ChatGPT users, beginning with ChatGPT Plus subscribers in the U.S. Over time, the plugin will be available to users in other regions.

The launch of the Avalara ChatGPT plugin illustrates Avalara’s commitment to expanding the ways in which we use AI to manage tax content, improve our products, and support customers. In 2020, Avalara launched an AI-powered tax classification tool for Avalara AvaTax customers that allows users to quickly and efficiently classify their products or services to aid in taxability determinations for their U.S. domestic product catalogs. In 2022, Avalara previewed its e-invoicing and returns APIs, which will allow partners to offer their customers the ability to trigger and manage e-invoicing workflows and tax returns from within their applications.

You can access Avalara’s plugin in the ChatGPT Plugin Store.

ThetaRay, a leading provider of AI-powered transaction monitoring technology and Millennium EBS, a global leader in payment hub solutions, announced today a strategic partnership to provide an end-to-end, user-friendly and advanced compliance solution for the payments in the banking industry.

Through this partnership, ThetaRay’s compliance solution will be seamlessly integrated into Millennium EBS’s payment hub platform, providing banks and financial institutions with real-time monitoring, accurate risk analysis, and actionable insights to effectively manage risks and stay ahead of evolving regulatory challenges.

"We are thrilled to partner with ThetaRay to revolutionize compliance solutions for our clients," said Shinto J. Matthew, President of Millennium EBS. "By integrating ThetaRay's innovative compliance technologies into our payment hub platform, we are equipping financial institutions with powerful tools to strengthen risk management, safeguard their operations, and ensure regulatory compliance."

Millennium EBS's payment hub platform offers a comprehensive suite of services designed to optimize payment operations and drive operational excellence for financial institutions. Its services include payment orchestration across a wide variety of channels, compliance management for AML, sanctions screening and fraud detection, as well as remittance solutions, KYC/KYB services and ISO 20022 translation.

ThetaRay’s cloud-based SONAR solution quickly and accurately monitors financial transactions for anomalies including ‘unknown unknowns’ while maintaining up to 99% less false positives compared to legacy rules-based AML solutions. In addition to transaction monitoring, Millennium will also be implementing ThetaRay’s real-time sanctions screening.

“The basis for faster and more integrated payments of all types is a safe and secure financial system which can only be achieved with an efficient and effective AI-based solution,” said Mark Gazit, CEO of ThetaRay. “We’re excited to welcome Millennium EBS to the AI-powered AML revolution.”

BPC, a global leader in payment solutions, today announced its strategic partnership with the Financial Technology Association of Uganda (FITSPA). This symbolises BPC's commitment to fostering innovation in Uganda’s financial services sector and a willingness to contribute further to the development of the nation’s fintech ecosystem.

FITSPA, Uganda's premier fintech body, has grown to 206 members and has cultivated a reputation for building an engaged, value-driven community. FITSPA's mission to create a safe and regulated fintech ecosystem aligns seamlessly with BPC's commitment to delivering robust, reliable financial technologies. 

"We are thrilled to join FITSPA in Uganda as this gives us the opportunity to show our dedication in supporting and contributing to the fintech ecosystem in Uganda," said Frank Molla, MD for sub-Saharan Africa at BPC. "As we deepen our presence in this vibrant and evolving market, we aim to help bring about an inspiring future filled with expansive socio-economic growth and a thriving middle-income status." 

Fintech in Uganda presents a landscape filled with vast opportunities. With a rapidly growing population embracing digital transformation, there is a surge in demand for innovative financial solutions that can improve financial inclusion and socio-economic growth. Digital investment in the nation is set to reach a total transaction value of US$10.57 million in 2023, and the digital payments market is projected to encompass 18.22 million users by 2027. 

As the mobile and internet penetration rates rise, digital payments, mobile banking, and online financial services are becoming increasingly prevalent. The government's supportive regulatory framework fosters a conducive environment for fintech innovation and entrepreneurship. The evolution of fintech has the potential to drive financial literacy, increase access to credit, improve business efficiencies, and stimulate economic activity, creating a more resilient and vibrant financial ecosystem in Uganda.

As a new Platinum Member of FITSPA, BPC is uniquely positioned to contribute meaningfully to these key areas of growth. By leveraging its comprehensive suite of digital payment solutions, BPC will continue to drive forward Uganda's digital transformation, ensuring that businesses and consumers alike can enjoy the benefits of secure, efficient, and accessible financial services. 

Wisetack, the leading platform for embedded pay over time options for in-person services today announced a new partnership with Citizens.

Citizens Pay, a market-leading consumer instalment financing solution from Citizens, will offer pay-over-time options for home services projects through Wisetack’s network of merchants and SaaS integrations beginning today. Customers who apply through Wisetack will be eligible for installment financing through Citizens Pay, making life's essential purchases – such as home improvement and repairs – more affordable. Customers who qualify will benefit from attractive rates and low monthly payments, as well as flexible payment terms.

“Since inception, Wisetack has made paying over time as easy and seamless as swiping a credit card, and built an active network of tens of thousands of merchants across the country,” said Bobby Tzekin, co-founder and CEO of Wisetack. “Partnering with Citizens Pay enables us to continue scaling our platform while also enhancing the value we bring to our customers with embedded financing options.”

“Citizens Pay brings an innovative approach to consumer installment financing, creating custom solutions for businesses and consumers that help foster financial security,” said Christine Roberts, President of Citizens Pay. “We’re excited to partner with Wisetack and their growing network of merchant partners to enable more customers to responsibly pay for critical purchases like home repairs, maintenance and improvement.”

A newcomer in the financial market — Smartflow Payments is a payment service provider that offers versatile payment services for individuals and legal entities. The company provides Internet acquiring, multicurrency business and personal accounts, currency exchange, etc.

One of the most demanded services is Internet acquiring. With an online business constantly growing, companies need better service output. Smartflow offers low commission, a fast compliance process and 24/7 technical support.

The list of services also includes opening multicurrency accounts for European-based companies. Smartflow Payments can open a SWIFT/SEPA banking account within 48 hours of submitting the documents. The companies that just entered the European market will benefit from time-saving processes. It is also the best solution for startups, entrepreneurs, and e-commerce merchants.

Smartflow Payments clients can manage all currency transactions in personal accounts and analyse easy-to-use dashboards. The team provides real-time information and an individual approach.

SimpleNexus, an nCino company and developer of the leading U.S. homeownership platform for loan officers, borrowers, real estate agents and settlement agents, today announced a new integration with Empower, Black Knight’s loan origination system (LOS). The bidirectional integration, available to financial institutions including independent mortgage banks nationwide, dynamically shares loan application data, milestone updates and documents in real-time.

The integration between the SimpleNexus platform and Empower allows two-way sync of loan file data and milestone status updates. Additionally, this connection will offer borrowers all the modern conveniences of a world-class homebuying experience, such as the ability to securely photograph and upload documents from an Android or iOS mobile phone, while saving loan originators and back-office staff valuable time by eliminating the need for manual file import into other systems of record.

“We are excited about the opportunity this integration creates for us to help even more financial institutions and independent mortgage banks to work more efficiently and deliver seamless customer experiences,” said Ben Miller, CEO of SimpleNexus, an nCino Company. “Our integrations with best-in-class LOS providers like Black Knight make it easy for financial institutions to automate processes that enhance the experience for loan officers, the back office and borrowers alike.”

“Black Knight is continuing to help transform the mortgage industry by providing lenders with advanced technology capabilities to help streamline their operations and enhance the borrower experience,” said Rich Gagliano, president, Origination Technologies, Black Knight. “We look forward to continuing our collaboration with the SimpleNexus team and supporting their continued growth and success in the industry."

“Ross Mortgage is pleased to be the first to utilize the new integration between SimpleNexus and Empower LOS,” said Ericka Staton, Ross Mortgage’s EVP of marketing. “We are deeply committed to delivering an unparalleled customer experience — in fact, it’s one of our core values, which we call our #RossWays — and this integration will allow us to do just that. In addition, the automatic flow of loan applications, milestone updates and borrower documents will give us a huge lift in efficiency.”

Those interested in learning more can view a complete list of integrations or request a demo.

Startup accelerator and early-stage investor Startup Wise Guys has launched two new strategic verticals - proptech and web3 - in response to the rapidly changing needs of founders and the startup ecosystem. Both are now open for applications from founders, with accelerator programs expected to start from the end of 2023. The launches extend the accelerator’s existing verticalisation strategy to address the increasing demand from founders for specialised support and resources tailored to the unique requirements of startups in specific business niches. As well as leveraging its experience with existing proptech1 and web32 startups, Startup Wise Guys is also investing in new partnerships and specialist senior executive resource.  

In proptech, where global investment is expected to reach $94 billion by 2030, within a construction market valued at $14.4 trillion by the same date. Startup Wise Guys is working with companies and founders making an impact in solving the problems of high energy usage, unaffordable housing, and labour shortages/low productivity. According to the European Commission, built assets alone contribute to 40% of the EU’s energy consumption, over 35% of its waste generation, and 50% of all extracted resources. Startup Wise Guys will focus on proptech and construction sector startups working in various domains such as Artificial Intelligence, sustainable development, IoT, the shared economy, SaaS, construction tech, Virtual Reality, materials science, robotics and drones. The proptech programme will be run from Marbella, Spain, at the recently launched co-working space, Pool Marbella. 

The web3 economy is projected to reach just under $83 billion in 2030 with enormous potential to bring positive societal and economic improvements from greater transparency, security, and efficiency. Startup Wise Guy’s web3 vertical will support early-stage startups building on blockchain technology, developing decentralised applications (dApps), and integrating emerging technologies like AI and machine learning into web3 solutions. The web3 programme will be based in Lisbon at Startup Lisboa. 

Startup Wise Guys’ expansion into proptech and web3 aligns with its overall long term strategy and vision. The accelerator began its journey toward verticalisation with the successful launch of fintech and cyber programs before the pandemic, followed by sustainability and extended reality (XR) programs. It has already run equity-free, pre-accelerator web3 programs and previously included proptech startups in its fintech vertical. The decision to introduce dedicated proptech and web3 verticals is the next step in this process, leveraging the company’s internal expertise and strategic partnerships with industry experts and organisations.

Cristobal Alonso, Global CEO at Startup Wise Guys, said: "Startup Wise Guys’ two latest verticals have the potential to reshape the current startup landscape. Proptech, with its emphasis on sustainability, energy transition, and net zero development, will revolutionise the global construction industry. Web3, with its decentralised and blockchain-based solutions, opens up new huge possibilities in areas like DeFi, NFTs, and digital identity.

"The overall startup accelerator market is going through radical changes,” he continued”, “and we have observed that traditional, non-specialized programs are becoming less relevant for founders. By continuing to verticalise our accelerator programs, we aim to meet the demands of our customers and adapt to the evolving market reality."

The implementation timeline for these new verticals is already underway. Startup Wise Guys has commenced the scouting process, which will run throughout the summer of 2023. The proptech and web3 accelerator programs are expected to start at the end of 2023 and into early 2024. As with all Startup Wise Guys verticals, the organisation is committed to long-term support, ensuring the success and growth of the participating startups.

To attract startups to these new verticals, Startup Wise Guys will leverage its strong reputation and network in the startup ecosystem. The organisation has a track record of supporting and nurturing early-stage ventures, providing them with the necessary resources, mentorship, and access to investors.

Startup Wise Guys has also forged key partnerships to bolster the new verticals. For web3, it is co-investing with web3 specialist VC 3Comma Capital, while a new General Partner with proptech expertise, Jourdan Alexander-Younis, has joined the team and is fundraising for a separate proptech fund. Alexander-Younis, originally from California, has been in the sector for 20+ years as a founder, TED speaker and thought leader.  

Jourdan Alexander-Younis comments: “I am an LP in one of the Startup Wise Guys funds and love the company’s forward-thinking, international, collegiate and professional culture. We gelled right from the first meeting. It’s also important that the proptech fund integrates with several other verticals within Startup Wise Guys, such as sustainability, SaaS and AR/VR, to deliver one of the most comprehensive, hands-on accelerator programmes in Europe. It helps deliver better outcomes for startups that choose the accelerator route, enabling us to double-down our investments in the most promising companies, minimising risk for our LPs while simultaneously increasing returns.”