General News

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

April 26, 2024 @ 7:57 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The British Business Bank has appointed Kristen McLeod CBE as its new Chief Strategy Officer, effective from September 2024. Kristen joins the British Business Bank from HM Treasury, “where she has served as Advisor to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on Growth, Investment and Business… Read More

April 25, 2024 @ 9:33 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

API infrastructure Fintech Setu has announced the appointment of Anand Raisinghani as its new CEO. Anand is said to vast experience in “building high-performance teams and joins at a time when consent-based structured data sharing via the Account Aggregation model is gaining prominence.” Prior to… Read More

April 25, 2024 @ 9:40 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Smart Pension, which claims to be one of the UK’s leading workplace pension providers, has appointed Claire Misata as Business Development Director. Claire will lead relationship development for Smart Pension “with trustees and Employee Benefit Consultants (EBCs). Her appointment follows Smart Pension’s recent announcement that… Read More

April 24, 2024 @ 4:42 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Xero, the global small business platform, released its latest Xero Small Business Insights (XSBI) quarterly update for Canada, based on data from October to December 2023. The data showed that Canada’s small business sales decline “may be levelling off, which is an encouraging signal for… Read More

April 24, 2024 @ 11:26 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Figure Technology Solutions, provider of a scaled technology platform built to enhance efficiency and transparency in financial services, announced the appointment of Michael Tannenbaum as Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors, effective immediately. In conjunction with the appointment, Mike Cagney,… Read More

April 24, 2024 @ 8:23 am By Omar Faridi  |  

UK Finance, in association with law firm Addleshaw Goddard LLP, is announcing a report on the use of model clauses to support the development of the Variable Recurring Payments (VRPs) for commercial applications in the UK. VRPs are a form of payments instruction that “allows… Read More

April 23, 2024 @ 9:43 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

According to PensionBee’s latest Pension Confidence Index, Brits feel more positive than negative about their retirement prospects, for the first time in six months. Positive pension sentiment has “surged in the last three months, with the Pension Confidence Indicator soaring to +22 in March 2024.”… Read More

April 22, 2024 @ 11:00 am By JD Alois  |  

The former PM of Italy, Enrico Letta, has released a report on how to improve the EU single market. The 147-page document, called “Much More Than a Market,” is a “call to action” to improve upon the single market and monetary union. Letta states that… Read More

April 22, 2024 @ 8:45 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Yael Selfin, Chief Economist at KPMG UK, says that inflation could soon “return to target, but risks remain.” Yael Selfin points out that the overall outlook for inflation “remains broadly positive, however there are several risks which could cause a setback.” Yael Selfin adds that Oil prices have… Read More

April 22, 2024 @ 8:25 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Manchester Digital has launched its new Manifesto for the Northern Tech Economy, in advance of the Greater Manchester Mayoral elections on 2nd May. They are calling on the new Mayor of Greater Manchester “to seize the opportunity to turbocharge the northern tech economy with the… Read More

April 22, 2024 @ 8:24 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Chris Pacey is said to have more than 20 years’ experience with deep technical knowledge of receivables and ABL products. Prior to joining ThinCats, Chris was working as Head of Relationship Management at ABN AMRO Commercial Finance. Chris will work alongside the ThinCats business development… Read More

April 22, 2024 @ 8:22 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The British Business Bank’s Investment Fund for Scotland has agreed £5 million of deals to support the growth of small businesses, just six months since the fund was launched to improve access to finance and provide a boost to the Scottish economy. The milestone comes… Read More