Marble, the free platform that makes it easy and rewarding to take control of all your insurance in one place, has officially announced their seed plus of $4.2 million in investment, alongside the launch of new features including Rate Watch, Automated Shopping, and Apple Wallet Integration.

Founded in 2020, Marble is a one-hub digital wallet that allows members to shop, compare, optimize, and — for the first time ever — earn rewards on their insurance. There's no cost to join. Marble members are insured by the nation's largest insurance agencies and can link their automotive, home, renters, pet, life, and other types of personal insurance all in one secure place.

Marble has raised $6.7M in funding to date, and their latest round was led by Distributed Ventures, with participation from new investors Blue Collective, Goodwater Capital, and CE Innovation Capital; existing investors IA Capital Group, MS&AD Ventures, Reciprocal Ventures; and veteran angel investors from across the finance and insurance industry.

With this fresh capital, Marble will continue to invest in new ways for their members to protect whatever, and whoever, they love. In particular, Marble will expand its engineering and marketing teams, invest in deeper user research practices, and — using that expanded team and those new insights — double down on launching more features that are unique to the space.

“Marble has completely reimagined how consumers engage with insurance carriers, forging a clear path to fundamentally transforming insurance distribution through digitization,” said Adam Blumencranz, Partner at Distributed Ventures. “With Marble, consumers can manage and compare all their insurance policies from different carriers in one mobile wallet, empowering them to act as their own insurance broker. Under innovative leadership and a dynamic team, Marble has implemented an impressive cost-effective acquisition strategy that continues to strongly resonate with consumers, as indicated by the tens of thousands of users generated in less than 18 months.”

The latest fundraise helped power the newest features to hit the platform just this month, including Rate Watch, Automated Shopping, and an Apple Wallet Integration. The Rate Watch program automatically alerts users about any rate changes filed by major insurance companies that might impact their insurance rates. So for example: if a Marble member’s auto insurance provider files for a rate change that would impact an active policy held by that member, they would then receive a notification from Marble. Put simply, any time an insurance provider moves to change its policy pricing, Marble will flag it for their members. No other platform allows individuals to track and prepare for rate changes in this way.

Taking that feature a step further, Marble recently launched automated shopping for eligible members. When Marble members have a policy that enters the renewal period, Marble will run the existing policy pricing by their partners to see if Marble members might be able to save money by switching providers. Marble members will then receive a notification informing them of possible savings, without having to do any work themselves. With the release of this feature, Marble has taken on one of the most time-consuming (and annoying) aspects of being a policyholder — regularly shopping for and comparing rates — so that their members don’t have to. With automated shopping, Marble members now have the peace of mind that comes with knowing that they’ll always have the most cost-effective coverage on the market.

And as an added bonus, Marble members can now sync their Marble account with Apple Wallet, allowing them to easily access all of their insurance policies alongside their other important digital cards. This functionality also allows members to easily share or revoke access to single policies or all policies, making it perfect for sharing insurance information with roommates, partners, neighbours, and more.

“Our goal is to help individuals keep track of all their policies, understand when they might see changes to their policies, and know whether to renew or to shop around when the time comes,” said Stuart Winchester, CEO and Founder of Marble. “2023 is a year of unprecedented household expenses, and insurance rate increases will, unfortunately, be a big part of that story. We believe US consumers deserve simple, intuitive digital tools and rewards that they can use in their daily lives to take control and save on their insurance. It’s about more than just trying to sell another policy — it’s about helping Americans feel confident in their coverage, knowing that they are protecting what matters to them most.”

It was less than a year ago that Marble launched its free mobile app, empowering millions of American households to confidently organize, optimize, and save on all of their insurance, while also earning rewards. Today, Marble's tens of thousands of members (and counting) are enjoying the latest features, with many more to come. You can download Marble’s 5-star rated, free app from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

Allied Payment Network, Inc. (Allied), the industry leader in real-time, open-network payments solutions to banks and credit unions, today launched its new brand to better align with its core mission of empowering banks and credit unions with world-class payments tools that help establish them as the heart of their local economies.

Allied’s new brand reflects its commitment to helping financial institutions provide better payments tools, matched by a superior experience. Since its founding in 2010, Allied has continued to experience strong growth, adding over 50 new financial institution clients in the last year. Currently, the company works with nearly 500 financial institution clients across 49 states, representing over $310 billion in assets.

To support increased demand for its services, Allied continues to expand its team, adding several key executives in the past year, including Geoff Knapp as Chief Executive Officer, Kathi Klawitter as Chief Operating Officer, David French as SVP of Finance, and Mark Forbis to its Board of Directors. Along with recent additions to the sales team, these new executives position Allied for continued growth and expansion into new markets.

Allied has also formed several strategic partnerships over the last year, including Bankjoy, Tyfone, and Q2, bolstering its solutions and enabling more financial institutions to seamlessly leverage its superior digital payment tools. Additionally, Allied secured a substantial capital investment last year from RF Investment Partners, Plymouth Growth Partners, and several others, underscoring the company’s commitment to continue evolving as an innovative market leader and fueling Allied’s continued product innovation and growth strategies.

"Through years of dedicated effort and innovation, Allied has grown to become the industry’s leader in real-time open payments solutions. As we continue to evolve and expand our offerings and team, we recognized the need for a new, modern brand that better reflects our commitment to serving financial institutions,” said Ralph Marcuccilli, Founder and Chairman of the Board. “We look forward to continued growth and leading innovation in digital money movement technologies.”

Geoff Knapp, CEO of Allied, said, “Most bankers know that today’s payments systems are broken. The support is inadequate, the interface and tools are outdated, and innovation has stalled, resulting in low engagement and adoption. Allied is changing this. We’re helping financial institutions transform their payments strategy into a true customer engagement solution. We are energized by the growth we’ve seen over the last year and pleased to unveil our new brand. We are the experts in real-time money movement today and will continue to build onto a more flexible and open payments solution of tomorrow.”

Sagicor Bank Barbados, the English-speaking Caribbean’s first fully digital bank, has gone live for customers in Barbados. The launch was delivered by Mbanq, the USA-based fintech innovator and global Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) provider.

Mbanq’s BaaS solution is hosted in-situ in Barbados by Sagicor Bank Barbados. Mbanq provides the bank with the technology stack to operate at the peak of modern digital banking with easy-to-configure banking products and all required back-office and regulatory functionalities.

“Mbanq’s technology enables Sagicor Bank Barbados to bring cost-efficient, cutting-edge digital financial services to the people and businesses of Barbados,” said George Thomas, CEO of Sagicor Bank Barbados. “We focus on quality and Mbanq’s technology base allows us to deliver a superior customer experience. Additionally, a major fintech innovation and user enhancement sees Sagicor Bank Barbados as the only bank in Barbados to offer virtual debit cards and cardless transactions via our automated banking machines.”

With Mbanq’s comprehensive solutions, thoughtfully designed mobile apps streamline account opening to just a couple of minutes. Subsequently, the entire financial landscape opens to customers. Deposit and savings accounts, access to credit cards, auto loans and mortgages or making payments locally and internationally, can be done with the tap of a finger.

Sagicor Bank Barbados offers a full suite of banking services, including deposit and savings accounts, virtual and physical cards and a range of lending products including loans and mortgages. Customers are onboarded in minutes with immediate access to virtual cards and banking services via Android and iOS apps. Building on its stylish, user-friendly approach, the bank makes banking services easy to access, simple to use, safe, secure and rewarding.

“Sagicor Bank Barbados has launched a standout bank that allows retail customers and business organizations access to digital financial services extremely efficiently, without delays or undue costs,” said Lars Rottweiler, co-founder and CTO at Mbanq. “Sagicor Bank Barbados’ stylish app, focus on customer service and cost-efficiency means it is well positioned to offer outstanding service to communities and businesses in Barbados.”

Mbanq’s team worked closely with Sagicor Bank Barbados, both remotely and face-to-face, for technology development, training and continuous post-launch support, to deliver the project to the highest possible standard.

Brex today announced new global capabilities that significantly expand its ability to support US multinational businesses operating in Brazil, Canada, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, South Africa, the Philippines, 36 European countries, and more.

Paysend, the global card-to-card payments platform, has announced a new multi-year partnership with the world's leading Spanish-language content and media company, TelevisaUnivision.

As part of the partnership, TelevisaUnivision will become a shareholder in Paysend and will help the brand scale its presence with U.S. Hispanics and Latinos globally by leveraging TelevisaUnivision’s massive reach and media assets.

For TelevisaUnivision, this partnership reinforces its commitment to empowering its audience with the tools they need to stay connected to their families and communities, no matter where they are.

The U.S./LATAM corridor is a top priority for Paysend, serving the 62M Hispanic population based in the U.S., representing 20% of the overall population.

Currently, a significant population in Latin America is unbanked, but still rely on money being sent from family members that have migrated to the U.S. Without a bank account, they have little option but to use expensive, time-consuming, and unsafe methods to send and receive remittances.

Paysend’s commitment to financial inclusion now brings a safe and rapid alternative through its affordable card-to-card offering. With this partnership, TelevisaUnivision joins Paysend’s mission to make money transfers simple and accessible to everyone.

The partnership will allow Paysend to expand its global reach and further develop its technology, making it easier for users in the U.S. to send money to families and businesses in Latin America.

Glia, unifying digital, phone and automated customer interactions on a single platform, is one of two diamond sponsors of Formation ’23, the global user conference of Duck Creek Technologies, the intelligent solutions provider defining the future of property and casualty (P&C) and general insurance. The marquee customer event takes place at Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek in Orlando, Florida from May 8 - 10.

Formation ’23 unites a community of over 900 insurance and technology leaders to brainstorm, collaborate and share best practices and ideas that drive the P&C insurance industry forward. Glia’s CEO and Co-Founder, Dan Michaeli joins an impressive list of speakers and will discuss how insurance companies can rethink and redefine how they interact with policyholders and producers to drive new business opportunities.

Duck Creek Digital Customer Service powered by Glia enables insurers to interact with producers and policyholders across digital, phone and automated channels for a seamless experience that increases conversions, drives efficiencies and builds deeper brand loyalty. The combined offering redefines how insurers serve their producers and policyholders, delivering the ability to sell more policies, increase customer and producer satisfaction scores, and improve operational efficiency.

“We know carriers are hyper-focused on profitability and delivering a world-class customer experience. From policy applications to claims, insurance interactions with policyholders and producers can be complex. Delivering a seamless interaction across all service channels can accelerate overall resolution, while increasing brand loyalty that drives increased annual premium,” said Michaeli. “We’re excited to show attendees new ways to approach how they interact with agents and policyholders and share lessons learned from handling over 2 billion interactions on the Glia platform during our onstage presentation at Formation ‘23.”

OKX, the second-largest crypto platform by trading volume and a leading Web3 technology company, has issued updates for the day of May 8, 2023.

OKX Highlights Long-term Commitment to Bitcoin Community Through Longstanding Support of Lightning Network

OKX has highlighted its continued support for the Bitcoin community by emphasizing that it was among the first exchanges to introduce support for the Lightning Network over two years ago, on April 19, 2021.

The Lightning Network is a decentralized payment protocol that allows for instant, off-chain transactions on a blockchain, such as Bitcoin. By integrating Layer-Two solutions like the Lightning Network, OKX is able to offer an improved trading experience for its users, with lower costs and faster transactions.

This announcement comes after OKX upgraded its wallet and NFT marketplace to enable users to view and transfer Bitcoin (BTC) ordinals. Mint and trade functionality for ordinals on the OKX NFT Marketplace is coming soon, which will allow users to create, buy and sell ordinals on the platform.

QistBazaar, a leading Pakistan-based Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) Fintech, announces a significant equity and Shariah-Compliant embedded finance partnership with Bank Alfalah - one of Pakistan’s largest commercial banks.

The partnership is worth PKR 500 million (US$1.7m) , and includes Bank Alfalah taking a 7.2% equity stake in QistBazaar, as well as becoming the Company’s embedded lending partner.

The transaction is a milestone for Pakistan’s fintech landscape, as it is the first time a commercial bank has taken an equity stake in a BNPL fintech. 

QistBazaar is a fast-growing, Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) licensed, BNPL, non-bank financial company (NBFCs) platform. The Company caters to all Pakistanis; from those unbanked and with little to no financial history, up to those banking at established institutions. It is unique in various different ways including that since day one of trading, it has been EBITDA positive.

Since inception in 2021, QistBazaar’s platform has delivered over 20,000 products to unbanked consumers: everything from mobile phones to refrigerators - available via affordable monthly payments. With over 30 years of historic data, spanning 250,000+ individuals, QistBazaar has revolutionized the scoring process for instalment-based purchases. The Company’s eligibility criteria is simple - “Every Pakistani”. Unlike other BNPLs, QistBazaar’s sales are on a 12-month plan, and include an element of extra profit on every sale.

QistBazaar will benefit from enhanced digital financing products, via Bank Alfalah, within its platform to offer embedded consumer durables financing on BNPL - deepening its ability to serve customers with limited/no access to formal credit. The partnership will also enhance the overall customer experience, improving financial inclusion, and providing innovative solutions. 

Atif Bajwa, President and CEO of Bank Alfalah, commented:

“Bank Alfalah is committed to working with partners to address the needs of customers with limited access to credit and lower purchasing power. Our collaboration with QistBazaar through an equity investment and Islamic-embedded financing deal marks a significant step forward. This partnership aims to provide inventive financial solutions, creating new opportunities for growth and support for these underserved customers.”

Arif Lakhani, CEO of QistBazaar, said: 

“QistBazaar has been on a mission to democratise purchasing power. In our first 18 months of existence, we have served over 17,000 Pakistanis - most of whom do not have bank accounts, and could not have completed their purchases without going through us. Our milestone achievement with Bank Alfalah - coming in as our equity and embedded financing partner - and with their guidance and experience, makes our work and mission much easier to execute. We look forward to the future with great confidence.”

The signing ceremony was attended by QistBazaar’s co-founders Arif Lakhani and Karim Gilani, plus other executives. Bank Alfalah’s senior leadership also attended, including Atif Bajwa, President and CEO; Aasim Wajid Jawad, Group Head of Strategy, Transformation, Customer Experience and Venture Capital Investments and Yahya Khan, Group Head of Digital Banking. 

The Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) facility is becoming increasingly popular among consumers due to its affordability, convenience and financial flexibility while offering a cost-effective solution to traditional means of purchasing in times of high-interest rates. 

XS.com, the global fintech and financial services provider, has recently announced that it will be participating in the Trading Influencers Awards as the event’s Global Sponsor  - this event aims to honour outstanding traders and top trading influencers in the financial industry. The awards ceremony will be organised by the TradingLive team and will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 

The event which will show recognition for influencers for categories including Best Quantitative Trader, Best Marketing Trader and Best Forex Strategies Analyst is scheduled to take place on 14th May at the Pullman Kuala Lumpur City Centre Hotel. Participants have over the past weeks voted for their favourite influencers.

The ceremony will be attended by top influencers from the trading and financial services industry as well as managers from brokerages including of course the Global Sponsor’s management team - 100s of people from around the world will gather to celebrate the achievements of these key individuals.

Andrea Ilies, the Global Head of events at XS.com, expressed her enthusiasm for the upcoming event, saying: "This event has brought the global finance community together. We look forward to meeting our existing clients, IB’s and partners who have been recognised with an award.” 

She continued to say: “We are looking forward to networking with all the attendees while also promoting the XS Group’s vision of becoming the leading service provider for traders, IB’s and affiliates in the industry.”

TradingLive management expressed gratitude towards XS.com for supporting the awards ceremony and being the Global Sponsor, and noted that the online trading industry for affiliates and IB’s is growing rapidly, with an increasing number of traders partaking in online investments and brokers building a strong international presence. 

TradingLive is the world's first multi-lingual financial streaming community dedicated to the mission of making learning about investments more efficient and making knowledge sharing easier. Organising events like this and partnering with exceptional brokers such as XS.com allows them to do this better than anyone else.

BajajCapital, a pioneer in financial services is delighted to announce the launch of its new mobile application designed to revolutionize the way INDIA invests. The BajajCapital App provides a comprehensive investment experience by offering a complete 360 degree view of Networth of a customer. The app users get access to all mutual funds from top asset management companies and cutting-edge reports. 

The BajajCapital App boasts of a user-friendly interface that allows investors to navigate through the app with ease. The app's design is intuitive, ensuring that even first-time investors can effortlessly make investments. The app provides real-time updates on the performance of various mutual funds, allowing users to make informed investment decisions.

Sanjiv Bajaj, Jt. Chairman & MD, BajajCapital said, "We are delighted to announce the launch of the BajajCapital App, an innovative solution that empowers our customers to take control of their financial future. At BajajCapital, our priority has always been to deliver exceptional customer service, and the BajajCapital App is the latest manifestation of our commitment. We are confident that the BajajCapital App will revolutionize the way INDIA invests and help our customers achieve their financial goals.We are immensely proud of the hard work and dedication that has gone into developing this app, and we wholeheartedly believe that it will significantly enhance the investment journey for our valued customers.

Aabhinna Suresh Khare, Chief Digital & Marketing Officer said, “ We have ensured that every feature of the BajajCapital App is meticulously crafted to provide a seamless, intuitive, and user-friendly experience. Catering to both novice and experienced investors alike, our app aims to be a comprehensive solution for all your investment needs. By providing a comprehensive view of one's net worth and enabling goal-based investing in mutual funds, our One App reflects our unwavering commitment to delivering state-of-the-art financial solutions that simplify the investment journey for our valued clients”

The app comes with a lot of unique features which are based on research & design thinking with over 4.1 Mn of investors. The prominent being Goal based Investing, where the user can select the Life goals and build the proper financial life plan. Another unique feature allows them to filter schemes based on their risk profile thus helping them make informed investment decisions. Integrated with the latest APIs , Investors can access detailed fund insights, including sector-wise allocation, product allocation, returns over the past year, and more. With real-time updates and expert analysis, the Bajaj Capital App empowers investors to take control of their financial future.

One of the app's most notable features is the ability for investors to initiate lump sum investments immediately from the scheme page, making it simple to invest with just a few clicks. Investors have complete control over their investments with various transaction choices such as selling, switching, or using the Systematic Transfer Plan (STP), allowing them to manage their portfolios with simplicity.

Another standout feature of the BajajCapital App is its robust transaction reporting functionality. This feature empowers investors with a comprehensive summary of their mutual fund investments, ensuring that they stay informed about their investment performance at all times. With this data, investors can make informed decisions and take necessary action to optimize their portfolio performance. The transaction report also enables investors to track their investment history, providing a detailed breakdown of their transactions and holdings. This feature demonstrates our commitment to providing investors with the tools and resources they need to make informed investment decisions.

BajajCapital has always been committed to catering to the demands of its consumers, and the launch of their new mobile application demonstrates this dedication. The BajajCapital App, with its cutting-edge features, user-friendly layout, and professional analysis, is going to revolutionize the way India invests.

Investors can now easily manage their portfolios and take control of their financial future with just a few clicks. Everyone can benefit from the app's unique features, such as the suggested scheme list, real-time updates, and full transaction reporting functionality, from beginners to seasoned investors.