Moneff is pleased to announce that Moneff has formally acquired the financial lifestyle app, StormPay.

This is the latest exciting news for our team here at Moneff, so we want to make sure you’re kept up to date with all the information you might need…

What is StormPay?

Founded in 2020 by Otabek Nuritdinov and Aziz Makhmudov, StormPay was developed specifically for businesses and consumers to better manage their money, grow their assets, and improve their wellbeing through financial health.

Through its ecosystem of fintech services, StormPay provides a tailored solution to users’ needs and financial goals.

The company has been growing exponentially for the past two years as more and more businesses and consumers realise the benefits of StormPay’s services.

What’s behind the decision?

Moneff has long been a principal partner in StormPay, and has seen first-hand how its revolutionary offerings establish a new, different way for users to manage their money.

Earlier this year, it became clear that by joining forces behind the scenes, Moneff and StormPay could further expand their capabilities, develop their value for customers, and be uniquely positioned to gain greater insights from across the market.

What will it mean for me, the customer?

In the long term, it will mean that we can develop our app, services, and the overall Moneff experience faster and better! It will also mean we can expand who can use our services in the future.

The Moneff and StormPay teams will join up, meaning we’ll be able to accelerate our technological capabilities and streamline services. However, it won’t result in any immediate and obvious changes for you or any other customers.

When did this acquisition take place?

The acquisition formally took place on 3 October 2022.

While the teams remain entirely intact, StormPay’s founder, Otabek Nuritdinov has stepped down as the company’s CEO to focus on his role as Head of Business Development with Moneff.

Both businesses will now be led by Sanjar Mavlyanov as CEO.

Do I need to do anything?

Not at all! Regardless of whether you’re a Moneff customer or a StormPay customer, there’s no action for you to take.

StormPay will continue to operate as its own company, and its mission to support greater financial well-being remains central to its running. 

So, Moneff will remain unchanged too. Your money, data, and experiences will be safe and secure, just as it’s always been.

What if I want to find out more?

If you’re interested to hear more about the acquisition or have any questions, why not get in touch with our team?

Alternatively, you can read the press release from StormPay here to understand some of the market drivers behind the acquisition, and to read a few words from the company founders.

Larky, a fintech provider proactively connecting financial institutions with their audience in the right place and at the right time, has teamed up with Finastra to provide enhanced mobile banking solutions for its customers. Larky’s nudge® is now available on Finastra’s mobile banking platform, enabling banks and credit unions to drive greater engagement with account holders, as well as boost mobile banking usage.

“Finastra’s Universal Banking core, digital, and analytics solutions are redefining end-to-end, open banking. This new collaboration demonstrates our commitment to expand our ecosystem, advance innovation and meet the new demands banks and credit unions face,” said Narendra Mistry, Chief Product Officer of, Universal Banking Business Unit at Finastra. “Larky’s advanced location and segmentation capabilities complement our digital-first strategy, driving high engagement from mobile users and enabling banks and credit unions to better reach their account holders no matter where they are.”

Integrated within a financial institution’s existing mobile banking app, Larky’s predictive push notification technology enables financial institutions to proactively communicate with their increasingly digital account holder base. With location-based mobile push notification campaigns, Larky’s nudge guides users to financial institutions’ offerings and elevates account-holder interactions by reaching them at a time, place and setting that is best suited to their needs.

Gregg Hammerman, CEO of Larky, said, “Partnering with Finastra gives Larky a fantastic growth opportunity that will enable us to extend our client base exponentially and strongly augment our brand exposure among financial institutions that use Finastra as their mobile banking provider. This collaboration signifies a momentous step forward and reinforces our belief that push notifications are not optional, but rather an integral must-have for financial institutions seeking to successfully compete in today’s digital age and enhance customer engagement.”

The implementation of Larky’s push notification technology can result in boosted app engagement and increased use of a financial institution’s mobile banking platform. Larky’s technology also unlocks access to analytics and testing that allow financial institutions to easily see and track user-level and performance data to effectively tailor push notifications to the behaviour habits and preferences of their account holders.

VizyPay, an award-winning payment processing fintech focused on rural America, today announces a strategic partnership with Wisconsin-based Shoreline Credit Union. United by a shared mission to guide Wisconsin’s small businesses to success, this collaboration provides Shoreline Credit Union members with even more access to VizyPay’s lineup of simple, affordable and money-saving payments solutions.

“We’re excited to expand our reach in the Midwest and bring simple yet powerful solutions to small businesses left behind by industry giants,” VizyPay CEO and Founder Austin Mac Nab said. “Partnering with Shoreline Credit Union will combine their knowledge of the financial services needed to run a small business and VizyPay’s programs, technology and support, to provide the best options for small business owners.”

“Just like VizyPay, we advocate for transparency in the financial services industry and have no maintenance fees on our checking and savings accounts,” Shoreline Credit Union CEO Nathan Grossenbach said. “This partnership does more than benefit our companies, it improves payments options for small businesses across the state of Wisconsin.”

WizarPOS, a trailblazer in Android terminal and payment systems, announced today that all its Android POS fulfilled the remote key injection requirements through Futurex VirtuCrypt RKI service. Compared to the on-premises key loading, the remote counterpart leverages the cloud model and over-the-air (OTA) technology to deliver 24/7 hassle-free security and convenience for both service providers and end users, such as merchants, ISOs, and banks. Since the encrypted key injection is vital for terminal providers and deployers, the OTA switch will jumpstart chain reactions and innovations in the payment industry. 

Kaishen Zhu, the co-founder and CEO of WizarPOS, states, "The Remote Key Injection (RKI) technology has matured long ago. Different from other device providers, the WizarPOS team embraces changes to scale and growth through its Android-based product design principle. Since all WizarPOS devices are Android terminals, which are easy to manage and maintain on the cloud, our partners and clients now can deploy their terminals anytime and anywhere. We are glad to partner with Futurex to stay ahead of the wave." 

The advantages of the remote key injection comprise lowering the inventory and labour costs while improving efficiency, accuracy, and standardization of the workflow. 

There are thousands of payment providers across Europe for business companies to choose from. Traditional banks, challenger banks, neobanks, EMIs and other types of Fintech institutions – all are capable of providing payment services for business clients. However, there are things that companies should take into consideration before picking the right payment provider for their particular business. What are they?

Location. Before choosing a payment provider, a company should consider the location of the set provider. Today, when money crosses international borders faster than a car or a plane, it is still important to take into account whether or not a particular payment provider operates in the areas needed for your business. For instance, if your company conducts business in the European Union area only, choosing a payment provider from Latin America may complicate matters if that payment provider has no or limited jurisdiction to operate within the EU.

Products and services. Different payment providers have different sets of products and services available for their clients. Some can offer all financial services imaginable, whereas others have a limited cohort to pick from. Sometimes limitations in payment services can set off bigger companies, however, for small and medium-sized businesses and for those with complex business models, limited services can be a more attractive option as it might have higher quality and lower prices. 

Pricing. Cutting down on costs and expenses is an important part of any business. That’s why companies that look at ways to reduce their spending, should pick their payment provider carefully. Some have very high prices for all payment activities, whereas others have monthly and balance fees with reduced pricing for transactions. Every company is different and should choose a payment service provider in accordance with their needs and financial possibilities.

Reliability and reputation. For some businesses this part might be of lesser importance, especially if pricing, location and service criteria are met. However, it is important to note that if things start to go downward, having a payment provider with a license would guarantee bigger accountability and responsibility for the money entrusted to the provider. At the same time, in the field of finance, where competition is fierce, some reputational traits might be caused simply by a rival.

Customer support. This particular element is one of the driving forces of the Fintech sector. In comparison to traditional financial institutions, Fintechs dedicate a lot of energy, time and money to their clients and their satisfaction with the services. If a fast reaction, yes-can-do attitude and personal touch are something that your business is craving, going for a Fintech payment provider would be a smarter option.

Today, unlike in the older days when the financial industry was run by traditional financial institutions, businesses can choose from thousands of payment providers across the globe with specific features that meet their business needs, expectations and possibilities. All businesses have to do is pick the right set of features that are important to them and based on them choose the best payment services, providers.  

“Regulatory pressure coupled with a mandate to implement more efficient, technology-driven methods of compliance has increased the demand for RegTech solutions, including Encompass’ automated corporate KYC platform,” said Alex Ford, President, North America at Encompass.

“Encompass entered the North American market well-positioned to take advantage of its unique technology and make an impact by providing a single point of access to integrated premium and public sources of global KYC data and documents. Since then, we have made marked progress, expanding our expert team, more than doubling our North American user base, and developing our product to meet client needs. This has included substantially increasing access to regional registries and data sources.  We have also established ourselves by joining with key industry networks locally, and continually driving awareness and recognition.”

Sage, leader in accounting, financial, HR, and payroll technology for small and mid-sized businesses, has launched a series of new tools to help accountants support the 4.2 million sole traders and landlords impacted by one of the UK’s biggest tax changes. 

MTD for ITSA will apply to unincorporated sole traders and landlords from April 2024, if their annual business or property income exceeds £10,000 in a tax year and to be compliant, businesses and property owners will need to make records and income tax self-assessment submissions digital using compatible software. 

92% of SMBs use the service of an accountant, with half (49%) using their services at least weekly, according to Sage research. With the demand on accountancy and tax services set to increase with the introduction of MTD for ITSA, accountancy practices need to properly prepare to support their clients through the changes.

NEW Sage Accounting Individual – supporting businesses with the simplest of tax needs 

Sage has launched a new, easy-to-use and affordable solution tailored to the needs of sole traders and the self-employed with the simplest tax requirements. Key details include: 

·         Automated data extraction and categorisation meantime is saved and errors reduced, direct access to the data allows timely adjustments and corrections, while seamless submissions direct to HMRC by the accountant or the client for quarterly returns, end-of-period statements and final declarations provide peace of mind. 

·         The creation and maintenance of digital records with bank feeds, coupled with digital storage, means records are securely stored for future ease of reference. 

·         Device agnostic, allowing the end-to-end workflow to be completed on mobile, tablet, web or interchangeably across these to suit user preference 

·         Connection and collaboration tools between accountant and client to help manage the MTD ITSA process.  

·         Accountants can sign up for this from today to start preparing clients ahead of the next tax year starts in April 2023. 

·         Watch demo here.

NEW Supporting landlords through Hammock 

A new strategic partnership with Hammock, the accounting platform for landlords to manage rental property transactions, will offer a dedicated solution to the 1.3m UK property owners impacted by MTD for ITSA.

Key details include:

• Providing an end-to-end solution for accountants to manage their landlord clients’ tax and compliance needs in one workflow. 
• Allowing accountants to simplify, streamline and systemise all inputs required by landlords for MTD for ITSA reporting.  
• All landlord information available in one place including income, expenses, yield, arrears and equity. 
• The partnership with Sage is available now. Sage accountants can sign up and access Hammock from S4A, leading up to the legislative deadline in April 2024.  

NEW Volume Purchase Agreement (VPA) – accountants can benefit from discounts now

To help accountants plan, prepare and get ahead of the legislation, Sage has introduced a VPA. This allows practices to forward plan for the right solutions for their clients. In addition, they can benefit from Sage for Accountants membership discounts in a fair and transparent way now, without having to buy in bulk upfront and incur costs before they or their clients use the solutions

A Digital End to End Solution 

Delivered via Sage for Accountants, these new launches give accountants all the tools they need in one place to support with MTD for ITSA - no matter the size or nature of their business records and filing requirements. This was crucial to Sage as the largest technology provider to UK accountants, who need a complete digitised end-to-end solution, from proposal to advisory

Since the launch of Sage for Accountants in November 2021, more than 2,000 accountancy and bookkeeping practices have signed up for the solution. Sage has continued to work with them to refine and expand the tools available, supported by strategic acquisitions and partnerships.  The announcement today builds on the capabilities within the solution, which already include:

• Personalised membership benefits such as a 4-Step Success Plan – together with Sage experts, practices will have support to plan with confidence and prepare their clients for MTD for ITSA, while training their own teams and preparing their business for the legislative change.   
• GoProposal & Oversuite – ongoing investment and deeper integration of these solutions into Sage for Accountants will help practices manage the increased demand from clients who need support to comply with the legislation, this includes reviewing, repricing and re-engaging new and existing clients to ensure they run a profitable practice. 
• Client Management – the new legislation will bring more deadlines and tasks to be completed for each client, and this solution helps accountants effectively manage their clients, and collaborate with teammates while giving time back by automating workflows. 
• AutoEntry, Accounting and Payroll – helps clients to keep digital records on the move, increases automation, provides client accounting, and ledger categorisation and manages client payroll where required. 
• Final Accounts, Personal Tax & Corporation Tax – can prepare year financial statements, calculate and submit tax returns, all available free of charge through Sage for Accountants. 
• Smart Reporting & Futrli – provides rich and powerful business insight and forecasting to clients, helping to showcase the true value of the work accountants do and grow practice profitability through the provision of higher margin advisory services.

Manoj Varsani MBE, CEO and Founder – Hammock, said: “Sage has an unrivalled history of supporting accountants with all their compliance needs and, through this partnership, we are integrating Hammock’s services to provide the complete solution to support practices with landlord clients. 

“Accountants are landlords’ closest ally in the management of finances and compliance. This partnership allows accountants to add a dedicated offering to landlords, enhancing real-time collaboration and unlocking access to deep insights into the clients’ property finances.”

Andrew Dick of Chartered Accountants, G W Dick & Co, said “It’s rare a company listens hard to its customers and acts on it. Thankfully, Sage understood the brief and what accountants need to make this implementation successful. 
 
“There’s a need for an end-to-end solution that caters to all client types to ensure that practices are not approaching this in a fragmented way, (particularly with Making Tax Digital for Income Tax coming).

“Sage for Accountants, coupled with the New Individual solution and the partnership with Hammock, supported by the VPA, now gives accountancy and bookkeeping practices the support and motivation to embark on their MTD ITSA journey. This is a game changer for them.”

Andreas Georgiou, VP Product - Accountants, Sage, said: “The vast majority of the 4.2m sole traders and landlords impacted by MTD ITSA still use manual paper records and wait until the last minute to submit their income tax self-assessment returns. The huge dependency these individuals have on accountants is set to grow with the introduction of MTD ITSA and create even greater pressure on the accountancy sector to truly digitise their practices to handle the increased workload as efficiently and profitably as possible.

“We’ve listened to these challenges and want to send a strong message to accountants across the UK that ‘we hear you, we’ve got your back and we’re doing everything we can to help you prepare’”.    

The Netherlands-based, white-label Payments Orchestration Platform, Akurateco, recently announced an update in the number of payment connectors available to its users via one integration. In total, Akurateco’s clients now have access to 200+ integrated payment providers and acquirers operating worldwide.

According to Akurateco, payment connectors integrated into the platform will provide users with a variety of popular traditional and alternative payment methods and make their services accessible to customers globally.

Vladimir Kuiantsev, CEO and Managing Partner at Akurateco Payments Orchestration Company, commented:

“Our vision is that one day any organization will be able to start accepting payments worldwide immediately. Therefore it is an important milestone for us. Considering the number of integrations as an element of our competitive advantage, we are proud of the average rate of connectors integrating into the platform, which is now 10 per month. Those integrations will help our current and future clients to enter new markets faster and increase the approval ratio. Obviously, it would never happen without our great team. We are thankful to all of our team members involved in the development and organizational process! The truth is, we at Akurateco never rest on our laurels, so we will continue working on new integrations.”

Akurateco is a brandable, white-label payment orchestration platform allowing users to own the ready-to-use PCI DSS payment gateway with a multi-acquirer setup to connect to payment service providers worldwide.

Trulioo, a leading global identity verification company, has updated its coverage across Latin America, expanding access to the Dominican Republic and Uruguay and significantly strengthening data sources in Colombia and Mexico. Those additions bolster the company’s ability to serve customers streamlining operations in Latin America or entering the region.

“The establishment and expansion of identity data partnerships across Latin America is integral to our continued ability to meet the evolving needs of our customers around the world,” said Michael Ramsbacker, Trulioo chief product officer. “We deeply understand the needs of global companies and are proud to extend improved consumer onboarding to companies doing business in Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Uruguay.”

Money20/20, the world’s leading Fintech show is back again showcasing the fintech industry’s diverse voices and talent in Las Vegas October 23 – 26, at The Venetian. This year, Money20/20 is pleased to partner with Synchrony, a leading consumer financial services company, as the lead sponsor for the Do.Better.Together. initiative. Building off of the Money20/20 Europe show in Amsterdam in June that had more than 41% of all speakers being female subject matter experts, at Money20/20 USA, 45%+ of all speakers will be female subject matter experts.

Money20/20 believes that to make progress towards positive movement in the space, it is imperative to highlight talent from diverse backgrounds by offering tailored opportunities through its platforms and programs, and collaborating with the fintech community to empower real change and erode systemic bias. In 2018, to address inequality, Money20/20 launched ‘RiseUp’ and later added ‘AMPLIFY’ in 2021 under the larger umbrella, ‘Do.Better.Together’ aimed at moving the dial on inequalities within financial services.

RiseUp is a global program designed to help women unlock the next steps in their careers, no matter what stage they are at. RiseUp provides women leaders with the network, tools and techniques needed to help them strategically advance and level up in the industry.

Since its inception in 2018, more than 250+ women from around the world have participated in RiseUp programs, with more than 60% of participants being women of colour. The impact of the program is far-reaching, providing aspiring women leaders with the information and, critically, the network to create a roadmap for their desired career path.

According to feedback sourced from Money20/20’s survey, to date, the program has had a significant impact:

• Over half of the participants have received a promotion/moved into a more senior role since RiseUp.
• 80% felt more prepared for promotion after RiseUp.
• 82% felt the RiseUp network helped progress their career/opened new opportunities.
• 96% would recommend the program to their peers.

AMPLIFY is a program created to provide people of colour exposure and opportunity within the industry, using the Money20/20 global platform to connect participants to the fintech community. Amplify also gives participants exclusive access to forward-thinking leaders and idea-sharing conversations with top C-level executives and special guests.

“Do.Better.Together is a strong passion area for us. We created Do.Better.Together to deliver tangible steps to real-world action – not simply facilitate another conversation on imbalance,” said RiseUp’s Founder & President of Money20/20, Tracey Davies. “RiseUp started on a piece of paper in early 2018 to further a gender-equal world, free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. We are dedicated to our goal of Money20/20 being a platform for positive, tangible and meaningful contributions to diversity in financial services. We are delighted to have Synchrony as our headline partner for Do.Better.Together, as they know, as we do, the value that diversity brings to our ecosystem.”

“Synchrony has long championed equity, diversity and inclusion. We believe that inclusivity drives innovation, fuels growth, and represents the future we envision in fintech," said Michael Matthews, Chief Diversity, Inclusion and Corporate Responsibility Officer at Synchrony. "We are honoured to have Synchrony leaders on the RiseUp and AMPLIFY boards and to partner with Money20/20 to provide a platform to develop, advance and elevate diverse voices."

Bringing together the most innovative people in payments, fintech, and the broader money ecosystem, Money20/20 is the industry's leading show. This year’s event at The Venetian in Las Vegas promises to be bigger and better, with leading names already confirmed like J.P. Morgan, Citi, Mastercard, Plaid, Stripe and Google.