Global

July 8, 2021 @ 11:21 am By JD Alois  |  

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and Banque de France (BdF) say the two agencies have successfully completed a test using central bank digital currency (CBDC) for a wholesale cross-border payment and settlement. Both jurisdictions have been known to be experimenting with CBDCs with the… Read More

July 8, 2021 @ 10:03 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Israel’s National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing (NBCTF) has shared information on the “seizure” of virtual currency held by several different crypto wallets that are believed to be associated with donation campaigns “carried out by Hamas.” As noted in a report from Chainalysis, the seizure… Read More

July 8, 2021 @ 10:00 am By JD Alois  |  

Pollen Street Capital has invested €193 Million in Bunq, a Netherlands-based digital bank. The investment represents a 10% stake in the Fintech valuing Bunq at €1.6 billion, according to multiple reports. It was reported last month that Bunq was looking to raise additional growth capital…. Read More

July 8, 2021 @ 8:41 am By Omar Faridi  |  

UK-based digital banking platform Monzo has teamed up with Wise (previously dba TransferWise and now having completed a direct listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) on its Main Market) in order to provide clients with a simple and affordable way to send funds overseas…. Read More

July 8, 2021 @ 8:38 am By Omar Faridi  |  

European P2P lending platform Bondora reports that it has been making a “strong comeback” after the “universally challenging” 2020 (due to the COVID outbreak and resulting socioeconomic challenges). The Bondora team writes in a blog post dated July 8, 2021 that this ongoing recovery is… Read More

July 8, 2021 @ 8:34 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The cryptocurrency markets had been “brimming” with excitement to start the year. However, as we get ready to enter the “dog days” of summer 2021, Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and other virtual currencies are “flatlining,” the Kraken team notes in an update while pointing out… 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 8, 2021 @ 1:50 am By Omar Faridi  |  

ikigai, the very first UK app to combine everyday banking and wealth management services, has decided to offer Apple Pay, a safe, secure and private way to make payments. Apple Pay helps clients maintain privacy and control by not requiring them to hand over their… 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 @ 9:01 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Real-time payments are becoming increasingly common as cash as a payment solution or method for consumers in Southeast Asia, according to research from ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW) and YouGov. Three out of five or around 60% of consumers residing in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore… Read More

July 7, 2021 @ 7:46 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Interchain Foundation and BlockScience are pleased to confirm their new partnership in order to bring “robust” and complex systems engineering to the Cosmos stack. As noted in an update from the Interchain Foundation: “To date, the Interchain Foundation has made significant investments in the… 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 @ 5:18 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS), a global financial institution that’s owned by reserve banks and aims to “foster international monetary and financial cooperation and serves as a bank for central banks,” notes that advancements in technology, along with rising demand for digital payment methods… Read More

July 7, 2021 @ 11:26 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The team at IOST recently released their Ecosystem Growth Report for H1 2021. As mentioned in an update, dated July 6, 2021, by the IOST team: “Amid the spike in interest, IOST continues to witness important partnerships and asserting our position as a leader in… Read More

July 7, 2021 @ 10:35 am By JD Alois  |  

Wise (formerly dba Transferwise) has successfully completed a direct listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) on its Main Market. The accomplishment is another milestone mark for the global Fintech that has transformed the industry of moving money around the world. The listing on the… Read More

July 7, 2021 @ 9:33 am By JD Alois  |  

Splitit (ASX:SPT), has announced a buy now, pay later (BNPL) service that is available at retail locations around the world. “Splitit InStore” also features Apple Pay as well as Google Pay to facilitate credit. Splitit also announced several new brands that have signed on to… 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 @ 8:35 am By JD Alois  |  

Entercard, a Nordic credit firm operating in Norway, Sweden and Denmark, is partnering with European open banking company Nordigen to improve their credit assessment and scoring models. The partnership is described as significantly increasing the accuracy of the existing credit scoring models by adding new… Read More