General News

May 3, 2024 @ 8:31 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Zopa Bank, which began operations as a P2P lending platform but has evolved into a digital bank, has reportedly surpassed £4 billion in customer deposits. Zopa Bank says it achieved this milestone in under 4 years since acquiring its banking license. It has helped that… Read More

May 2, 2024 @ 3:16 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Nova Credit’s second UK partnership provides one of the country’s top 10 building societies with access to foreign credit histories to get more mortgage finance into the hands of skilled and professional new-to-country UK applicants. In line with their UK expansion strategy, we’re excited to… Read More

May 1, 2024 @ 10:52 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Lloyds Bank’s latest Business Barometer has found that overall business confidence is unchanged in April – staying at 42%. The result means the overall confidence figure “remains at an elevated level compared to the Barometer’s long-term average (28%), with only January 2024 seeing businesses report… Read More

May 1, 2024 @ 3:46 pm By JD Alois  |  

The US Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) decided to hold rates steady today. While no one was expecting a move in either direction, markets were keenly watching the FOMC statement to determine the Fed’s thinking regarding future rate adjustments. The target range for the… Read More

May 1, 2024 @ 8:02 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA), through its Financial Supervisors Academy (FSA), recently carried out a session focused on “The Future of Securities Supervision: A 2035 Outlook.” Chaired by MFSA Chief Officer Supervision, Christopher P. Buttigieg, the discussion brought together figures from European Union regulatory… Read More

May 1, 2024 @ 7:54 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Monument Bank is pleased to announce a significant milestone in their journey of growth. After reaching £1 billion in deposits on 3rd January this year, they have now reportedly “crossed the £2 billion mark in client deposits this morning, doubling their balances in less than… Read More

April 30, 2024 @ 6:36 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The majority of Australia’s mid-market businesses are still feeling cautiously optimistic, the annual KPMG Enterprise pre-Budget survey finds. But nearly a quarter say business growth is “being significantly impacted by the cost of living, while cost and margin pressures are the top concern of mid-market… Read More

April 30, 2024 @ 10:26 am By Omar Faridi  |  

UK small business hiring continued to show signs of recovery in the face of a challenging macroeconomic environment, with employment rising 1.4% year-on-year (y/y) in the first quarter of the year (January-March 2024). According to the latest Xero Small Business Insights (XSBI) data from global… Read More

April 29, 2024 @ 5:42 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Carta has released its latest report, titled, State of Pre-Seed: Q1 2024. Carta notes in the research report that fundraising for pre-seed companies “stayed robust in Q1 2024, dominated by SAFEs and convertible notes; valuation caps remained flat.” While commenting on the actual definition/criteria for… Read More

April 29, 2024 @ 3:38 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Equifax (NYSE: EFX) Workforce Solutions continues to help businesses transform the employee experience with the launch of Forms HQ, a new offering designed to help automate the delivery, completion, and tracking of essential employee forms, “including those related to onboarding, tax withholding, state requirements, annual notices,… Read More

April 29, 2024 @ 7:29 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Liz Oakes has been appointed and Carolyn Wilkins has been reappointed as external members of the Financial Policy Committee (FPC), the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, has announced. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, has appointed Liz Oakes as “an external member of… Read More

April 29, 2024 @ 7:12 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Bank of Ireland is investing more than €4 million in a range of financial literacy initiatives as part of its long-running national Financial Wellbeing campaign. Over 2024 and 2025 this investment, with a particular “focus on youth financial literacy, will help equip people with the… Read More

April 28, 2024 @ 11:59 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

British Business Investments announces a £15m facility to Catfoss Finance Limited. The transaction will be structured as “a block discounting agreement that will allow Catfoss to provide funding support to smaller businesses looking to acquire business-critical assets to accelerate their growth.” British Business Investments, a… Read More

April 28, 2024 @ 3:54 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has awarded a Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) license to M/s Edufi Financial Services (Private) Limited. This license marks a notable advancement in the Pakistani financial sector by establishing the first digital platform for ‘Study Now, Pay Later’… Read More

April 28, 2024 @ 1:37 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Marqeta (NASDAQ: MQ), the global card issuing platform that enables embedded finance solutions for the world’s innovators, today announced a partnership with OakNorth, the digital bank for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs, to offer a commercial card for OakNorth’s Business Banking customers. Thanks to the speed, flexibility… Read More

April 28, 2024 @ 11:23 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Digital Currency Group (DCG) recently announced the appointment of Aimie Killeen as Chief Legal Officer (CLO). An experienced legal executive with a track record executing legal strategies that drive corporate success and shareholder value, Killeen brings “to DCG 20+ years of deep expertise in… Read More

April 27, 2024 @ 4:53 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The Bank of Uganda (BoU) has mandated ID verification for all digital transactions exceeding one million Uganda shillings ($260), according to local reports. Announced on April 19, 2024, through its official X account, this directive requires users to present a government-issued ID for transactions at… Read More

April 27, 2024 @ 4:51 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The UK experienced a year-on-year (YoY) decline in venture capital (VC) funding deal volume and value during the first quarter (Q1) of 2024 as investor sentiment remained weak, the GlobalData report noted. A total of 281 VC deals of worth $2.7 billion were announced during… Read More

April 27, 2024 @ 4:47 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Rippling has reportedly raised $200M in new financing and signed agreements with investors to repurchase up to $590M of equity from current employees, former employees, and early investors. The financing was led by Coatue with participation “from Founders Fund, Greenoaks, and other existing investors.” Dragoneer… Read More

April 26, 2024 @ 9:01 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Ahead of the anti-greenwashing rule coming into force on 31 May, the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is supporting industry with guidance to help them meet the standard. The new rule is designed to protect consumers “by ensuring sustainable products and services they are sold… Read More