Global

April 21, 2025 @ 1:50 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The rise of cryptocurrencies and decentralized finance (DeFi) has reshaped the financial landscape, offering alternatives to traditional finance (TradFi) while introducing unique risks. A report from the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), titled Cryptocurrencies and Decentralized Finance: Functions and Financial Stability Implications, examines these developments,… Read More

April 21, 2025 @ 1:40 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

In a new report, KPMG has explored the evolving landscape of private company investments, highlighting key drivers such as financial performance, technological advancements, and rigorous governance practices. Addressing investor concerns regarding overvaluation, economic volatility, and cybersecurity threats, the research study shared by KPMG provides insights… Read More

April 21, 2025 @ 11:11 am By Omar Faridi  |  

In a recent update shared via X, Bybit CEO Ben Zhou revealed that approximately 27.59% of the $1.4 billion in cryptocurrency stolen from the exchange has become untraceable, marking a significant development in one of the largest hacks ever to hit a centralized crypto exchange…. Read More

April 21, 2025 @ 9:06 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The digital assets and blockchain ecosystem in early 2025 has experienced considerable volatility and it has been impacted by global economic / political uncertainty as well, based on insights drawn from CoinGecko’s 2025 Q1 Crypto Industry Report and Sumsub’s Crypto Industry Report 2025. These research… Read More

April 21, 2025 @ 8:37 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The fintech sector continues to reshape global finance, with Royal Park Partners’ Fintech Report offering an analysis of its trajectory. The report highlights key trends, transactions, and challenges shaping the Fintech (financial technology) industry, emphasizing the resilience and adaptability of fintech firms in a dynamic… Read More

April 20, 2025 @ 9:52 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Swift announced the launch of an enhanced solution for managing payment investigations that could save the financial industry millions and significantly reduce the time it takes to “identify and resolve issues when international payments are delayed.” Financial institutions spend more than $1.6 billion each year… Read More

April 20, 2025 @ 9:06 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Digital identity is transforming how individuals interact with online systems, offering a secure, reusable way to verify who they are. According to a Juniper Research whitepaper, digital identity is defined as a digital representation of an entity, encompassing identifying data, events, or assurance signals. In… Read More

April 20, 2025 @ 6:47 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Veriff, a global identity verification platform, has seen verification volumes grow by 335% in the past year. The company continues to report more than “80% year-over-year profitable revenue growth, as businesses across industries battle sophisticated online fraud.” To support this global market demand, Veriff appointed… Read More

April 20, 2025 @ 6:43 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Crayhill Capital Management LP, a $3 billion alternative asset management firm specializing in asset-based finance, announced the close of Crayhill Principal Strategies Fund III with approximately “$1.31 billion of capital commitments, including $162 million of committed co-investment capacity, exceeding its $1 billion target.” The flagship… Read More

April 20, 2025 @ 6:18 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Castlelake L.P., a global alternative investment manager with 20 years of experience investing in asset-based private markets, announced that it has entered into an agreement with Invictus Capital Partners, an alternative asset manager that specializes in residential credit, “to invest in up to $2 billion… Read More

April 20, 2025 @ 3:09 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Ethereum and Cosmos, two major blockchain networks, are inching closer to seamless integration, which is a development that could redefine decentralized ecosystems, according to an update from CertiK. According to a recent CertiK research report, efforts to merge these protocols—through EVM-compatible chains, consensus-layer swaps, and… Read More

April 20, 2025 @ 12:16 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Zain Fintech, the financial services arm of Zain Group, launched its “Bede” Digital Wallet in Sudan, enabling customers to carry out financial transactions via mobile phones without a traditional bank account or card. The platform, designed for both basic feature and smart phones, offers services… Read More

April 20, 2025 @ 7:51 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Pathlight Capital LP announced it is serving as the Administrative Agent on a $210,000,000 senior secured credit facility for Spring Venture Group, LLC (SVG), one of the omnichannel distributors of Medicare Advantage, and Medicare Supplement distributors. As part of the facility, Pathlight underwrote and “provided a… Read More

April 20, 2025 @ 7:12 am By Tony Zerucha  |  

PalmPay, a digital bank and fintech platform focused on emerging markets, has launched the PalmPay Debit Card in Nigeria in partnership with Verve, an African domestic card scheme. The PalmPay Debit Card brings advanced features such as savings yield on deposits and merchant rewards within reach for mass… Read More

April 20, 2025 @ 6:27 am By Michael Wong  |  

Nigeria’s Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) said it would strengthen its regulatory function by moving its public officer asset declarations online through a new On-line Assets Declaration System (OADS), aiming to deepen transparency and enforce compliance in the fight against corruption. Abdullahi Bello Usman, CCB… Read More

April 19, 2025 @ 10:52 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

European fintech Pliant has reportedly acquired the Austrian Insurtech hi.health. The acquisition enables Pliant to apply its payment expertise to the insurance sector while “gaining industry-specific know-how.” This marks the company’s second acquisition “following the purchase of Friday Finance in 2023.” hi.health will continue to… Read More

April 19, 2025 @ 10:49 pm By Michael Wong  |  

A newly launched research initiative is exploring the potential of voice‑based technologies to improve fraud detection in digital financial systems. The project, drawing on human‑computer interaction and user behavior modeling, investigates how speech‑driven identity verification can strengthen authentication processes while preserving a seamless user experience…. Read More

April 19, 2025 @ 10:46 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

M&G announced a partnership with platform technology provider FNZ, paving the way for “greater access” to its flagship £64 billion PruFund range through many of the UK platforms, powered by FNZ. FNZ, the end-to-end wealth management platform, partners with over 650 of the world’s financial… Read More

April 19, 2025 @ 5:11 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Allica Bank, the UK banking institution built for established SME businesses, recently shared its 2024 Annual Report, revealing a near doubling in profits of £29.9 million in 2024 (FY23 £16.1m). The growth has been attributed primarily to significant investment in its digital infrastructure, leading to… Read More

April 19, 2025 @ 4:58 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Research from European Fintech iwoca reveals the “overwhelming” majority of UK SMEs are leveraging social media, as “97% say they use platforms to boost their business.” The survey of SME owners, conducted by iwoca – one of Europe’s large SME lenders – “shows Meta channels… Read More