Google LLC today announced the completion of its acquisition of Mandiant, Inc., a recognized leader in dynamic cyber defence, threat intelligence and incident response services. Mandiant will join Google Cloud and retain the Mandiant brand.

Google and Mandiant share a long commitment to industry-leading security. Over the past two decades, Google has innovated to build some of the most secure computing systems in the world. Google Cloud customers and partners benefit from these pioneering security capabilities including world-class threat intelligence, zero trust architecture, and planet-scale analytics for security operations. Mandiant, which is known for delivering unparalleled frontline expertise and industry-leading threat intelligence, is a proven first responder to the world’s largest cybersecurity incidents. Mandiant’s services, delivered by their team of security and intelligence individuals spread across 22 countries, are widely recognized for helping top enterprises and organizations prepare for and react to cybersecurity incidents.

With this acquisition, Google Cloud and Mandiant will deliver an end-to-end security operations suite with even greater capabilities to support customers across their cloud and on-premise environments.

“The completion of this acquisition will enable us to deliver a comprehensive and best-in-class cybersecurity solution,” said Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud. “We believe this acquisition creates incredible value for our customers and the security industry at large. Together, Google Cloud and Mandiant will help reinvent how organizations protect themselves, as well as detect and respond to threats.”

Organizations today are facing cybersecurity challenges that have accelerated in frequency, severity and diversity, creating a global security imperative. Enterprises need to be able to detect and respond to malicious actors quickly, with actionable threat intelligence to continually protect their organizations against new attacks.

“Mandiant is driven by a mission to make every organization secure from cyber threats and confident in their readiness,” said Kevin Mandia, CEO, Mandiant. “Combining our 18 years of threat intelligence and incident response experience with Google Cloud’s security expertise presents an incredible opportunity to deliver with the speed and scale that the security industry needs.”

Hear from others on the impact of this acquisition:

• “The power of stronger partnerships across the cybersecurity ecosystem is critical to driving value for clients and protecting industries around the globe. The combination of Google Cloud and Mandiant and their commitment to multi-cloud will further support increased collaboration, driving innovation across the cybersecurity industry and augmenting threat research capabilities. We look forward to working with them on this mission.” - Paolo Dal Cin, Global Lead, Accenture Security
• “Google's acquisition of Mandiant, a leader in threat intelligence, security advisory, consulting and incident response services will allow Google Cloud to deliver an end-to-end security operations suite with even greater capabilities and services to support customers in their security transformation across cloud and on-premise environments." - Craig Robinson, Research VP, Security Services, IDC
• “Bringing together Mandiant and Google Cloud, two long-time cybersecurity leaders, will advance how companies identify and defend against threats. We look forward to the impact of this acquisition, both for the security industry and the protection of our customers.” - Andy Schworer, Director, Cyber Defense Engineering, Uber

Wise Platform has today launched our newest integration solution, International Receive. From today, customers at partner organisations using International Receive will be able to quickly, easily and affordably receive cross-border payments, even if their bank is not connected to the SWIFT network.

SWIFT allows banks to speak to one another using financial messages. The network carries over 5 billion financial messages per year and is used by major financial institutions to support cross-border transactions.

However, it can be more difficult for smaller neobanks in particular to get connected to SWIFT due to the extensive paperwork a formal application process requires, which can take up significant time and resources. As a result, it can be more difficult for their customers to send money abroad.

That’s not what we’re about here at Wise, so we came up with the International Receive solution to make it easier for neobank customers in particular to efficiently and reliably receive international payments using their existing account details.

And to make life easier for our partners, rather than connecting with the SWIFT network themselves, they can use Wise as a correspondent and leverage our connection to power their FX payments; it’s all of the benefits and none of the hassle.

The feature also enables financial institutions with an existing SWIFT setup to switch to Wise’s service and receive these incoming payments more quickly, cheaply and conveniently.

The rollout expands our Wise Platform offer, which has long-provided partners with a service that allows their customers to send money affordably and quickly, by adding the ability for them to receive money as well.

The service has gone live with a European neobank after a quick - or swift - integration.

Steve Naudé, Head of Product, Wise Platform, said:

“Wise Platform’s International Receive service benefits all banks, whether they’re a centuries-old institution or a nascent neobank. Established banks have long been connected to SWIFT, but many newer banks are unable to commit the resources required to join it. This service helps both. It allows established banks to benefit from Wise Platform’s speed and affordability, while it gives neobanks an easy route to enabling customers to receive money from abroad. The integration can be done in a matter of weeks and with minimal effort for our partners - we’re hugely excited by its potential and what it means for customers.”

Nochex Ltd, the UK's leading independent provider of payment services, has today announced it will be working with Mastercard to roll out Click to Pay.

The Leeds-based provider is pleased to be working with the leading payments brand once again following a series of previous successful collaborations.

Click to Pay makes guest or online checkout easier for consumers by eliminating the need to manually enter details such as name, card numbers or billing address when purchasing online as the information will be stored securely during the initial set-up phase. Details are embedded directly within checkout, creating a better user experience for consumers with fewer interruptions and buttons to click at checkout.

Intelligent recognition, tokenization of card credentials and adherence to global standards provide a simple and secure checkout experience and gives consumers instant access to their preferred cards on every device. Millions of cards are enrolled in Click to Pay and more than 10,000 merchants globally have already enabled their customers with the Click to Pay solution. It allows merchants to offer a faster and more secure payment method during the checkout process.

With users becoming increasingly cautious of online fraudsters Mastercard and Nochex Ltd have continued to prioritise putting purchasers at ease during the checkout process with the Click to Pay function secured via tokenisation and remaining compliant with PSD2 requirements.

Accelerated by the change in online behaviour following COVID-19, Nochex Ltd is delighted to be paving the way for easier online transactions and are making it as simple as possible for merchants to adopt. The Nochex product is unique to the market with no additional integration required, the function will be automatically added to all merchant web stores through the Nochex API and hosted payment pages.

Andrew Baiden, Nochex Ltd, Commercial Director, commented: “We are excited to be working with Mastercard again on this new payment initiative. If the last two years have shown us anything it’s the importance of online payments to modern businesses. Consumers transacting online now have a lot more choices than ever before and are looking for retailers who allow them to checkout as securely and quickly as possible. We know our merchants are busy running their businesses, so our solution gives them access to the new service and removes the requirement for any additional work from their side.

Suren Nawalkar, Senior Vice President, Business Development, Mastercard UK & Ireland commented: “Payments are the backbone of our business, so we are pleased to expand our partnership with Nochex, supporting customers with advanced, secure payment technology. Click to Pay is an enhanced online payment experience, which provides security, convenience, and control for consumers, enabling checkout completion in just a few clicks.”

Marqeta, the global modern card issuing platform, today announced that it has been chosen by Bread Financial, a tech-forward financial services company that provides simple, personalized payment, lending and saving solutions, to enhance the in-store checkout experience for shoppers using Bread Pay^TM, its flexible suite of Buy Now, Pay Later products.

Using Marqeta’s platform, Bread Financial, which gives shoppers more ways to pay in the channel of their choice, will launch the Bread Pay^TM One-Time Use Card, delivering Pay in 4 and instalment loan products in-store and online. In-store shoppers at participating retailers will have the ability to apply for and immediately use their preferred Bread Pay product without downloading a third-party application for an improved, frictionless experience for both the consumer and the merchant.

“Bread Financial is at the forefront of innovation in the BNPL space, and this relationship is a continuation of our dedication to creating tech-forward and industry-changing solutions that give shoppers more flexibility and choice,” said Val Greer, EVP and Chief Commercial Officer at Bread Financial. “We are proud to partner with Marqeta to offer new flexible payment options that will keep the merchant’s brand at the forefront of the path to purchase and deliver a more seamless experience for the end user.”

Marqeta’s modern card issuing platform has played a notable role in supporting the evolution of the Buy Now, Pay Later industry, helping in powering the flexible payment solutions that have been growing in popularity in recent years. Nearly half of consumers (47%) surveyed by Marqeta in 2021 said they had used a BNPL solution, up 27% from 2020. Working with more than 600 merchants in a variety of verticals, Bread Financial will use numerous features of Marqeta’s platform, including virtual card issuance, industry-leading Just in Time Funding Capabilities, and tokenization innovations.

“Consumers demand flexible and convenient payment solutions, and growing demand for BNPL has led merchants across industries to look into new ways to offer that flexibility,” said Simon Khalaf, Chief Product Officer at Marqeta. “Marqeta is constantly evolving our platform and seeking ways to offer our customers the latest advancements in payments. We’re excited to work with Bread to streamline its BNPL offering and make it simpler for customers to implement BNPL across their checkout experiences.”

TransUnion announced today that it is ranked #12 on the 2022 IDC FinTech Rankings, continuing a steady ascent up the IDC rankings in recent years. 

The Fortune 500-style ranking categorizes and evaluates the top global providers of financial technology based on calendar year revenues from financial institutions for hardware, software and/or services. FinTech providers supply the technological backbone of the financial services industry, an industry in which IDC forecasts worldwide spending on IT across the globe to be $590 billion (USD) by 2025. TransUnion ranked #16 on the prestigious list last year.

TransUnion is a FinTech industry leader at the forefront of lending innovation, providing solutions that allow FinTech lenders to find and make uniquely tailored offers to more consumers. TransUnion’s unique fusion of FCRA-compliant trended credit and alternative data, in addition to traditional credit data, offers FinTechs deeper consumer insights and a more precise view of lending risk.

The information helps FinTechs incubate, diversify, and accelerate growth by turning data into action. And TransUnion continues to innovate and expand offerings for FinTech through its recent acquisition of Neustar, whose distinctive data and digital resolution capabilities will further enable safe and more personalized online experiences for consumers and businesses.

“In today’s dynamic consumer credit market, TransUnion continues to serve the FinTech industry as a leader deeply committed to fostering innovation,” said Jason Laky, executive vice president of financial services at TransUnion. “In providing customers access to a wide range of trended and alternative data solutions, TransUnion offers them the insights they need to drive results and achieve growth while providing more credit access to consumers. Now more than ever, TransUnion is firmly positioned as an essential resource to the lending industry and a valuable partner to FinTechs as they grow and evolve.”

2021 was recorded as a year in which the fintech sector ran towards record worldwide. The sector was supported greatly by new players like cryptocurrencies, blockchain, contactless payment, and cybersecurity stepping in. As stated in the "Pulse of Fintech" report by KPMG in 2021, which is a company offering corporate finance and consulting services, 5,684 transactions with a total value of $210 billion were made in the fintech sector. These operations were recorded as an increase of 55% compared to the previous year and centred in the USA, Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia Pacific regions in particular. Usul Law & Consulting Lawyer Kaan Ozcelik stated that companies that don't cooperate with fintech couldn't carry their businesses into the future; therefore Usul Hukuk aims to provide an up-to-date service by adopting the newest fintech solutions to its business standards.

Fintech, a combo of the words "financial" and "technology" is included in every part of daily life today. As mentioned by Lawyer Kaan Özçelik, the traditional banking system is affected by digital trends and is full of numerous opportunities. According to Ozcelik, who said there are some risks in this favourable sector mostly caused by lack of knowledge, also stated that financial literacy is a key for hedging. Usul Hukuk, a law & consulting firm based in Istanbul, sets a great example about how to bring transparent lawyer services through the power of blockchain and fintech solutions. By having expert attorneys along with work-efficient fintech developments, Usul Hukuk solves problems in every field of public and private law, including Commercial Law, Labor Law, Criminal Law, Tax Law, Administrative Law and Execution and Bankruptcy Law.

"A New Banking Concept is Evolving to Offer Fast Solutions With Fintech"

Recent studies showed that in 2021 the size of online and contactless payments increased by 41% compared to the year before, and money transfers and bill payments became one of the most demanded e-services. The veteran lawyer Ozcelik examined this data and indicated that digital banking is the driving force for the Fintech sector and the widespread use of the online and contactless payment systems carries Fintech studies into the future.

Saying that Fintech studies carry on in many industries simultaneously, Ozcelik added: "It's a fact that digital revolution after the pandemic reshaped mobile and i̇nternet banking systems. What users love about these structures is the fast and comfy usage scheme. As fintech solutions are digital-based, they don't require many expenses; thus users not only have low-priced services but also benefit from personalized financial instruments."

"Blockchain Technologies Are Now Accepted As Fintech Instruments"

Lawyer Kaan Ozcelik specialized in capital market law and crypto assets regulations, and manages the process of public listing for internationally recognized US companies, commented about the place of blockchain technologies in the Fintech world: "Even though blockchain-based cryptocurrencies are not entitled by authorities, they have already included in the Fintech ecosystem. Despite the slow progress of understanding and regulating this technology, it's unarguably unfolded that cryptocurrencies are being used as financial and investment instruments. Regulations by the EU, mainly intended to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing. Today many crypto-asset platforms are based in Lithuania and Switzerland as long as platform operators can prove their assets and liquidity providers. The reason is that the adjustment laws in both countries have a mediator approach for Fintech solutions. Also, the tax advantages in specific regions draw investors' attention. Likewise, some locations in the USA allow crypto mining provided that crypto-fiat conversion is made and the taxes are paid properly. In line with these regulations, some authorities whose crypto-asset approaches are at an intermediate level, desire to benefit from cryptocurrencies by understanding blockchain technology. Nevertheless, it's one of Usul Hukuk's duties to help people and companies about comprehending how to engage with these new resolutions as a part of preventing money laundering and terrorist financing rules."

"Fintech Risks Could Be Eliminated With Financial Literacy"

Lawyer Kaan Ozcelik indicated that new players brought by the Fintech sector led banks to collaborate especially for protecting consumer rights and being more transparent. Emphasizing that there are some risks in this fast and advantaged system, Ozcelik added, "Reformer banking system has many tools that work to the advantage of its users. In addition, even though it is not officially accepted, more universal technologies such as cryptocurrency and blockchain are available now. These types of equipment have lots of advantages along with some risks such as uncertainty of digital consumer rights and unavailability of taking fast-made money transfer orders back."

Ozcelik underlined the key element to prevent risks is to follow sectoral developments closely and said, "FinTech tools continue to be renewed by going through a high-speed adaptation process. Ongoing studies also show that these tools will become much more common in the future. Usul Hukuk, whose goal is giving universally accepted law and consulting services, is heading towards improving financial literacy and providing comprehensive information about the tools used. To do so, the company aims at informing customers about legal rights to be prepared for cyber attacks and personal data security."

Anchor, the autonomous B2B billing & collections platform, partners with the California Society of Certified Public Accountants (CalCPA) to bring its platform to the largest statewide professional association of CPAs in the U.S. Through the partnership, Anchor provides CalCPA members exclusive pricing and discounts as well as dedicated staff to support our members to access its end-to-end billing & collections automation platform, which eliminates late payments, revenue leakage, manual work, and high operational costs.

As more industries embrace automation to streamline operations, cash-flow-sensitive small and medium businesses are often left behind. Addressing the progress gap is especially vital to benefit everyday accounting professionals that deal with tedious and manual multi-step processes, constant technological changes, pressure to remain cost-effective, and limited time to deliver billable services.

Through this partnership, CalCPA members can now leverage Anchor’s platform to completely automate every laborious step in the billing and collections process– including agreements, e-signatures, invoicing, payment collection, and reconciliation. The software eliminates businesses late payments and firms revenue leakage, which impacts 2-5% of business’ top lines on average. Additionally, Anchor’s end-to-end platform helps members cut costs during the market downturn by consolidating multiple software technologies into one solution. This enables firms to save resources spent on manual administrative work and focus them on billable hour tasks, contributing directly to their top-line revenue by an average of 5-9% annually.

Anchor’s platform addresses the complex and dynamic needs of accounting firms and financial professionals. The platform does this by allowing firms to create live agreements which accommodate flexible billing terms, easily setting up hourly, fixed, recurring, and non-recurring agreements. Once the billing date arrives, the platform automatically distributes invoices based on the pre-approved agreement terms. These terms can include variables such as price, hourly quantity caps, services, terms, and additional data from integrated office software. 

Clients add their payment details to the live agreement prior to initiating the service, allowing the system to automatically charge clients through a pre-approved payment method, ensuring the business always gets paid on time. Anchor then reconciles the transaction into the firm’s general ledger. 

“We are thrilled to partner with CalCPA to facilitate the growth of everyday accounting firms and CPAs, by changing the way payments and billing processes are managed today,” says Rom Lakritz, CEO and Co-Founder at Anchor. “CalCPA is an incredibly prestigious and innovative organization and we are proud to provide our platform to their wide network of CPAs and financial professionals across many different industries and sectors.”

“Anchor is emphasizing how technology and automation can help accounting match other complex industries in innovation,” says Denise LeDuc Froemming, CPA, CAE, President and CEO of CalCPA. “Creating benefits and bringing innovation to our members is a priority for CalCPA, and partnering with a new company helps address more efficiency and business management challenges for CPAs everywhere.”

liwwa Raises $18.5 Million Pre-Series B Round

Jordan-based Fintech liwwa closed an $18.5 million pre-Series B round of equity and debt. Founded in 2015, liwwa employs technology across its operations to provide tailored financial solutions. It also owns and operates the liwwa Investment Platform, a peer-to-peer platform that enables retail investors to finance liwwa loans and earn returns. The round included $4.5 million in equity investment led by existing investors, DASH Ventures, Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank FMO, Edgo, and Bank al Etihad, in addition to German Development Finance Institution DEG approving an investment of $0.79 million.

Mesh Payments Raises $60M to Expand Finance Automation Platform

Financial management startup Mesh Payments has landed $60 million in new funding, 10 months after its last raise. Founded in Israel and now with headquarters in New York, Mesh Payments is one of a growing group of startups focused on helping companies manage their spending through automation. It’s a hot and crowded space that includes the likes of Ramp, Brex and Airbase, and more recently, TripActions and Rho, among others.

RegTech Scale-up SteelEye Raises $21M in Round Led by Ten Coves Capital to Accelerate Growth and Meet Demand for

SteelEye, the compliance technology and data analytics firm, has announced the completion of a $21M Series B fundraise to accelerate its global expansion – with an emphasis on North America. The funding round – led by Ten Coves Capital alongside existing investors Fidelity International Strategic Ventures, Illuminate Financial, Beacon Equity Partners, and a large family office – takes SteelEye’s total capital raised to $43M.

MetaWeb Ventures Raises $30 Million For Builder Focused-Blockchain Fund

MetaWeb Ventures, a global venture capital firm focused on pre-seed and seed investments in crypto start-ups, announced the launch of its first fund ("Fund I" or "the Fund"), with total capital commitments of $30 million USD. LPs in the Fund include NEAR Foundation, Sequoia Capital, Dragonfly Capital, GSR Markets, Octopus Network, SevenX, Mentha Partners, as well as notable entrepreneurs such as NEAR’s co-founder Illia Polosukhin, Matrix China’s co-founder Bo Shao, Alchemy Pay’s founder Shawn Shi, Dodo’s co-founder Mark Wang, and more.  

21.co Raises $25 Million, Becoming Switzerland’s Largest Crypto Unicorn

21.co, the world’s leader in providing access to crypto through simple and easy-to-use products, announced a $25 million round led by Marshall Wace. This round values the business up to $2 billion, making 21.co Switzerland’s largest crypto unicorn. With this round of financing, 21.co will continue to drive rapid, targeted growth through first-of-their-kind products, key market expansions and strategic talent acquisitions. Other investors in the round include Collab+Currency, Quiet Ventures, ETFS Capital and Valor Equity Partners.

After a record-breaking year in 2021, investment in Canadian fintech dropped by more than 50 per cent in the first six months of 2022, mirroring a broader decline in the technology sector, according to KPMG’s Pulse of Fintech H1’22 Global report.

Partnerships 

Zai and TerraPay Partner to Accelerate Cross-border Payments Globally

Zai, the global financial technology company delivering embedded finance orchestration solutions, has announced a partnership with TerraPay, a leading global payments infrastructure company. This partnership enhances both companies’ ability to scale their offerings and deliver real-time, transparent cross-border payments globally. Zai supports businesses across a wide range of industries internationally - from fintechs to property technology companies - in simplifying, streamlining, and scaling complex payment workflows.

Easy EP Partners with Carta Worldwide in Boost to Southern European Fintech

Easy Payment & Finance (Easy EP), a leading financial payment and technology enabler in Spain, announced it has selected proven global digital payments pioneer, Carta Worldwide, a subsidiary of Mogo Inc., to underpin its new card offering. Easy EP is among Spain's leading banking and payments infrastructure providers. It enables a broad array of financial services for its corporate and private customers including real-time SEPA money transfers, global cross-border payments and IBAN banking account management.

Yapily forms Strategic Partnership with Pleo to Enable a Simplified Payments Experience for its UK Users

Fintech unicorn Pleo, which offers a smart business spending solution, has formed a strategic partnership with open banking platform Yapily to enable a simplified payments experience for its UK users. Research shows that 82% of businesses that fail do so due to poor cash flow management. Together, Pleo and Yapily are helping to address this problem through the power of open banking.

BankID Expands Digital Identity Protection with OneSpan, Extending to Millions of Customers

OneSpan, the digital agreements security company, announced a significant expansion of its OneSpan Cloud Authentication service with BankID. BankID first launched with OneSpan in September 2021 and has already reached a multi-million user milestone that is expected to continue growing as BankID’s technology adoption increases. This expanded partnership further solidifies the crucial role BankID has entrusted to OneSpan to provide high-assurance security and meet compliance standards within the Norwegian critical national infrastructure.

Creditcare Partners with Moneygram

Creditcare Technology, an innovative, multinational consumer finance company, announced that they have partnered with MoneyGram International, Inc., a global leader in the evolution of digital P2P payments, to expand further into the emerging markets of the Philippines, Vietnam, and, now Nigeria with Moneygram.CreditCare provides formal, innovative financial products, including personal loans and remittances, to the unbanked population, with a fully digital experience or at CreditCare’s 35,000 brick-and-mortar locations.

Maps.me Partners with Monavate to Provide up to 60 Million Active Users with Prepaid Pards Linked to Digital Wallets, Powered by Mastercard

Maps.me, alongside Monavate, announce a new prepaid card offering, powered by Mastercard. Today's consumers are digital, borderless, and proving to be increasingly open to using financial products that are integrated with apps that they use daily and trust. With a waiting list of more than 1 million users for the Maps.me digital wallet, this means all 60 million users of Maps.me could be able to make payments wherever Mastercard is accepted.

SlimPay and Tink Partner to Offer Open Banking Payments to European Merchants

Leading payments fintech SlimPay and Tink, Europe's leading open banking platform, have entered into a European partnership to offer merchants access to open banking powered, account-to-account payments. By combining Tink’s technology with SlimPay's open banking solutions, merchants using ‘SlimCollect’ can now offer their customers a quick and seamless payment journey.

SmartStream and Kynec form Strategic Alliance to Deliver an Integrated OTC Bilateral and Cleared Margin Solution

SmartStream, the financial Transaction Lifecycle Management (TLM®) solutions provider, announces the strategic alliance with Kynec, a leading provider of front office clearing solutions, to deliver consolidated margin positions across global OTC cleared and bilateral markets. Financial institutions are looking to better manage their collateral - this alliance integrates cleared margin data from Kynec’s Rubicon platform, together with bilateral OTC margin data from SmartStream’s TLM Collateral Management solution.

OxPay Partners with Pi Pay to Explore International Payments Alliance

OxPay Financial Limited announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, OxPay SG Pte. Ltd., has entered into a memorandum of understanding (the "MOU") with Pi Pay, a payments solutions platform headquartered in Cambodia, to explore an international payments alliance between various countries including but not limited to Cambodia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia.

Easy4Cloud Joins Forces with Fabrick to Expand Offer And Launch Bancheincloud In Italy & Spain

Easy4Cloud, which operates in Italy, the UK, Spain and the USA, digitising different business areas and simplifying their management, has chosen Fabrick to expand its offer and launch BancheinCloud, a Business Intelligence platform for the aggregated management of Current Accounts through which personal, family and corporate accounts can be linked to optimising administrative work.

Fingerprints and Technical Equipment & Supplies Company (Tesco) Partner to Promote Contactless Biometric Payment Cards in the Middle East

World-leading biometrics company, Fingerprint Cards AB (Fingerprints™) and leading financial and banking solution provider, Technical Equipment & Supplies Company (Tesco), are collaborating to promote and support the adoption of contactless biometric payment cards in the Middle East. The partnership follows a strong start to the year for Fingerprints, with its biometric sensors and software platform for biometric payment cards gaining new grounds in Africa, India, and now the Middle East – a key market for the global biometrics company.

Launches 

First In-store Open Banking Payments for Automotive Sector Launched by Vyne and Pendragon

Vyne, the specialist account-to-account payments platform, announces that in a global first, leading automotive retailer Pendragon PLC will offer its account-to-account payment method as the first and preferred payment method both in-dealership and in the future online. The partnership will introduce Vyne’s account-to-account payment capabilities to Pendragon’s automotive brands, including Evans Halshaw, Stratstone and CarStore.

Neobank Revolut Introduces Online Checkout Feature With One-Click Payment

Fintech super-app Revolut is taking on PayPal with its own one-click payment checkout feature for online purchases. UK and EEA merchants can now present ‘Revolut Pay’ as a payment method - alongside the likes of PayPal and Apple Pay - across product, cart, and checkout pages. Shopify, Prestashop, WH Smith and Funky Pigeon are already onboard. Existing Revolut users can use Revolut Pay and pay via saved cards or directly via their account balance.

Griffin Launches Verify, the First Product Available from its API-first BaaS (Banking as a Service) Platform

BaaS (Banking as a Service) fintech firm Griffin announced the launch of Verify, a customer onboarding product. Verify will help regulated fintechs onboard customers at scale while meeting regulatory requirements.The technology behind Verify has always been a core pillar of Griffin's vision to help fintechs launch financial products quickly without compromising on compliance. The company realised there was a gap in the market for a product that addresses the unique challenges of regulated fintechs.

SEBA Bank Launches Ethereum Staking to Enable Institutional Access to Staking Economy

SEBA Bank, a leading global crypto bank, simplifying access to the digital assets economy through a suite of fully regulated banking services, launched Ethereum staking services, an institutional-grade offering enabling clients to earn staking rewards on Ethereum, the second largest cryptocurrency by market cap. The launch of SEBA Bank’s Ethereum staking services caters to growing demand from institutions to manage a range of digital asset yield use cases from staking to decentralized finance (DeFi). 

Digital Lending Platform mPokket launches #MyTeacherMyHero Campaign as an Ode to Unsung Gurus

mPokket – India’s youngest and fastest-growing lending platform – launched its Teacher’s Day campaign, #MyTeacherMyHero, celebrating the contribution of teachers in shaping the future of students. The campaign captures the heroism of every teacher by being a guiding star for every student. The social media campaign has been released on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Merger & Acquisition

Aurora Payments Acquires One Payment

Aurora Payments, LLC announced the acquisition of One Payment, a Florida-based fintech payment company. Co-founded by Luis Requejo and Jorge Calzadilla, One Payment boasts over 6,000 merchants in its portfolio with particular emphasis on minority-owned small and medium-sized businesses. With over $1 billion of volume processed annually, One Payment adds immediate scale to the Aurora platform through its acquisition.

FNZ to Acquire German Wealthtech Diamos

FNZ, the global wealth management platform, announced that it has agreed to acquire DIAMOS AG, the specialised wealthtech provider for the asset and wealth management industry, to further enhance its global wealth management platform. The acquisition will strengthen FNZ’s global client proposition by adding advanced product and service solutions to its existing end-to-end wealth management platform.

Job Moves

PayPal Appoints John Kim Chief Product Officer

PayPal announced that John Kim will join the company as Executive Vice President (EVP), Chief Product Officer (CPO), effective September 26, 2022. Kim brings unique skills and experience building foundational consumer products and marketplaces from the ground up. Throughout his career, he has driven innovative product development to compete and win in rapidly evolving and competitive markets. 

iBanFirst Appoints Six C-Level Executives Supporting its Accelerated Growth

Specialised in international payments, iBanFirst has experienced an average growth of 100% over the past several years and announces a string of new appointments. Ivo Mertens is appointed Chief Revenue Officer. Former Chief Risk Officer Diane Reille is appointed Chief Operating Officer which will include the CSM, Due Diligence, Settlement, and FI relationship teams. Véronique Vingerhoets joins iBanFirst and the Comex as Chief People Officer.

Skilling Appoints Industry Heavyweight as Executive Chairman

Skilling, the international multi-asset fintech company with a Scandinavian heritage has announced the appointment of Jon Squires, as Executive Chairman. Mr. Squires will actively advise the company as it continues to scale up its expanding operations. Based in Cyprus and working closely with Skilling Group CEO Michael Kamerman, Mr. Squires brings nearly 20 years of company leadership experience, within the media and corporate sectors, to Skilling.

Digital Micropayments Platform DT One Announces New Leadership

DT One, a leading global B2B digital micropayments platform powering cross-border transfers of mobile top-ups, data bundles, gaming pins and gift cards, announced it has appointed Myles Bertrand as the new Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) and  Shradha Kampani as the new Chief Product Officer (CPO). Both hires will support DT One’s global growth strategy. These appointments follow the recent announcement of an investment in DT One by Apis Growth  Fund II, a private equity fund managed by Fintech investment specialist Apis Partners.

Paysend Strengthens Executive Leadership Team with Wilhelm Rohde as Group CFO

Paysend, the UK-based fintech, announced the appointment of Wilhelm Rohde, as Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO), effective 01 September, 2022. Mr. Rohde joins Paysend from Swisscard AECS GmbH - a joint venture between American Express / Credit Suisse Joint Venture - where he held the role of CFO and was a member of the Executive Board. A highly experienced senior finance executive, Mr. Rohde spent over a decade at American Express in international business development and finance leadership roles.

Lentra Ramps Up C-Suite with CFO and CHRO Appointments

Lentra, the fastest growing enterprise SaaS company, empowering lenders with a digital lending ecosystem, announced the appointment of Haribandhu Patra as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Bhuvaneswar Naik as the Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO). These appointments will enhance Lentra’s ability to rapidly scale-up operations and launch innovative technology platforms that empower banks and financial institutions to democratize credit in India.