General News

July 9, 2021 @ 5:27 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

BigPay is focused on expanding its business operations into Thailand after Airasia’s acquisition of Gojek’s Thailand division via its digital unit in a deal valued at RM208 million (appr. $50 million). This move has been announced ahead of AirAsia‘s plans to offer a Super app… Read More

July 9, 2021 @ 1:28 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Digital banking platform Revolut notes that they already know that Revoluters are “exceptional people.” However, the Fintech firm points out that what makes its team extraordinary is how well they have adapted to remote work in a post COVID environment. Revolut writes in a blog… Read More

July 8, 2021 @ 9:28 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Workmate, a Southeast Asian Workforce Management Platform and marketplace for informal workers, has reportedly acquired a senior secured loan of “up to $10 million” from Lendable Inc., a provider of debt to Fintechs in emerging and frontier markets. As mentioned in the announcement: “A committed… Read More

July 8, 2021 @ 2:52 am By Omar Faridi  |  

ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW), an international provider of real-time payments and digital payment software applications, reveals that it has teamed up with Swedbank, a leading issuing and acquiring bank in the Nordic and Baltic regions. The company has contributed to a 55% decrease in payment… Read More

July 7, 2021 @ 11:28 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

A group of local and regional representatives has thrown its support behind the European Union’s stance on regulating digital markets. During the June plenary session, the European Committee of the Regions (ECR) adopted an opinion supporting the European Commission’s intention to provide tougher regulation of… Read More

July 7, 2021 @ 9:42 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

A new partnership announced this week between Pipit Global and Cellulant promises to provide Africans living abroad with a cheaper option to send money back home. The agreement allows people in Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Mali, Senegal, and Ghana to transact on Pipit Global at… Read More

July 7, 2021 @ 7:00 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Mette Ingeman Pedersen will reportedly be joining Saxo Bank as the firm’s newly appointed Group Chief Financial Officer and member of the Board of Management and Executive Team. Mette will be reporting directly to Kim Fournais, CEO and Founder at Saxo Bank, a Danish investment… Read More

July 7, 2021 @ 6:26 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

Some old favorites top the list of the most attractive countries to invest in post-COVID-19, the 2021 Venture Capital and Private Equity Country Attractiveness Index reveal.  The USA takes the top spot, with the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, and Canada rounding out the top five…. Read More

July 7, 2021 @ 9:00 am By Tony Zerucha  |  

P2P university recruitment platform Unibuddy has raised $20 million in financing in a Series B round led by Highland Europe and also featuring Stride.VC. Since its 2017 debut, Unibuddy has raised $32 million in total. More than 200 universities around the world have signed on… Read More

July 7, 2021 @ 7:58 am By Omar Faridi  |  

UK-based Creditspring, the Financial Conduct Authority-regulated consumer credit solution provider, now claims around 50,000 members since it launched operations back in 2016. This is a key milestone for Creditspring, a company that aims to improve the financial wellbeing of 100,000 members by the end of… Read More

July 7, 2021 @ 1:20 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Cirralto Limited (ASX: CRO) has committed to a binding share sale agreement in order to acquire Sydney-headquartered Fintech firm, Invigo Pty Ltd. with a completion date of July 12, 2021. The deal is currently subject to the fulfillment of conditions precedent under the SSA. The… Read More

July 7, 2021 @ 12:22 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The New Payments Architecture (NPA) will aim to offer various benefits for businesses and personal clients residing in the United Kingdom, which may assist with improving the way they control their professional and personal transactions while creating more innovation opportunities. The adoption of the ISO… Read More

July 6, 2021 @ 12:06 pm By JD Alois  |  

The British Business Bank has published final data on the COVID relief programs that saw £79.3 billion in government-backed loans distributed to 1.67 million businesses. The UK government created multiple lending schemes designed to support businesses impacted by the Coronavirus. Both traditional financial services firms,… Read More

July 6, 2021 @ 7:53 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Leading European digital asset manager CoinShares will be acquiring Global Blockchain Equity Index, according to a release. As noted in the announcement, dated July 6, 2021, CoinShares is set to expand its footprint into equities market with its acquisition of the exchange-traded -fund or ETF… Read More

July 5, 2021 @ 9:04 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Build for Bahrain Acceleration Program, held in partnership with Bahrain Fintech Bay and the US State Department’s MEPI, has now ended with the three winning teams successfully completing the acceleration program and 3-month incubation period (held at Bahrain FinTech Bay). The program (in Bahrain)… Read More

July 5, 2021 @ 1:22 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Switzerland’s banking company Credit Suisse (SWX: CSGN) has announced that ex- Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) technology executive Joanne Hannaford will now serve as its Chief Technology and Operations Officer. Joanne Hannaford will be replacing current COO James Walker who will be taking up a new role in the United… Read More

July 5, 2021 @ 11:33 am By Priyanka Pani  |  

Apollo Global Management, Inc. (Apollo) has acquired a 24.9% stake in a Fintech-focused private equity firm, Motive Partners’ (Motive) management company, for an undisclosed amount. However, industry experts value the deal at $1 billion. With this, Apollo and its affiliates would become limited partners in… Read More

July 5, 2021 @ 10:56 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Startups currently being supported by the Swiss Innovation agency Innosuisse will soon have the option to visit Japan or South Korea in order to expand their businesses globally. These initiatives will be supported and facilitated by setting up two new camps this year to address… Read More

July 5, 2021 @ 9:36 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Tesco Bank, a British retail bank that has been wholly-owned by Tesco plc since 2008, has confirmed the appointment of Gary Duggan as the institution’s interim CEO, Tesco Underwriting, and interim Chief Insurance Officer. Tesco Bank, which was formed as part of a venture between… Read More

July 4, 2021 @ 5:43 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Hong Hong-based digital banking platform Airstar Bank has confirmed the appointment of Xiaomi’s Chief Financial Officer Alain Lam Sai Wai as its new Chairperson of the Board of Directors (BoD). The previous Chair, Lei Jun, the Chinese billionaire businessman who established Xiaomi, has now stepped… Read More