July 8, 2025 @ 5:43 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The UK’s pension system is still failing to serve swathes of the workforce – and urgent action is needed to ensure that people are saving adequately for retirement. That’s the message from PensionBee, a firm focused on the consumer retirement market, as the Pension Schemes… Read More

July 8, 2025 @ 5:10 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Bank of England has recently published a series of working papers and a notable speech by Professor Alan Taylor, shedding light on critical economic issues ranging from historical inflation to modern monetary policy tools. These publications offer insights into the UK’s economic history, the… Read More

July 8, 2025 @ 5:04 am By Michael Wong  |  

Southeast Asia’s financial technology (Fintech) sector raised $776 million in the first half of 2025, up 31% from the $593 million recorded in the second half of 2024, according to Tracxn’s SEA FinTech Semi Annual Funding Report. While overall funding fell 22% compared to $1… Read More

July 8, 2025 @ 4:52 am By Omar Faridi  |  

European Payments Initiative (EPI), a digital payment alternative to for consumers in Europe, has announced five new members in Belgium. Argenta, Bank Van Breda, Beobank, Crelan, and vdk bank will “prepare to roll out Wero, EPI’s digital wallet and instant account-to-account (A2A) payment solution, and… Read More

July 8, 2025 @ 4:47 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Curve, the digital wallet, announced deepening its collaboration with Thales, the global enabler of advanced technologies, “delivering secure payment solutions for financial institutions.” This partnership comes on the back of Curve launching Curve Pay on iOS, marking a key moment in mobile payments. This partnership… Read More

July 8, 2025 @ 4:46 am By Michael Wong  |  

Tali Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of stc group, has led a strategic investment in Tarmeez Capital, marking the fintech’s first external funding after growing for four years without outside capital, the companies said on Monday. Tarmeez Capital, licensed by Saudi Arabia’s Capital Market… Read More

July 8, 2025 @ 1:54 am By Omar Faridi  |  

BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK) announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire ElmTree Funds, a net-lease real estate investment firm with $7.3 billion in total assets under management as of March 31, 2025. Upfront consideration will be paid primarily in stock, “with… Read More

July 8, 2025 @ 1:39 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Blackstone (NYSE:BX) announces a key senior leadership appointment in Japan, as the firm continues to expand its footprint in the market and strengthen its commitment to Japan. Muneya Taniguchi will join as Vice Chairman of Japan and Executive Advisor to lead the firm’s expansion, focusing… Read More

July 8, 2025 @ 12:57 am By Omar Faridi  |  

SIX Group, an operator of financial market infrastructures in Switzerland and Spain, has released its monthly key figures for June 2025, highlighting trading and listing activities on the SIX Swiss Exchange and BME Exchange. Concurrently, S&P Global Ratings has affirmed SIX Group’s ‘A’ credit rating,… Read More

July 8, 2025 @ 12:55 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Sumsub announced the release of its commissioned Total Economic Impact (TEI) study conducted by Forrester Consulting. The study aims to examine the potential return on investment (ROI) enterprises may achieve by using Sumsub’s Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Transaction Monitoring. While a report like this is self-promoting,… Read More

July 7, 2025 @ 10:16 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Metro Bank has completed a £19.725m, comprehensive asset-based lending deal with Hepworth Clay and its new owners 4D Capital Partners LLP. The package “includes Invoice Finance, Stock Finance and a Plant & Machinery Term Loan, alongside ongoing working capital facilities.” Hepworth Clay is the UK’s… Read More

July 7, 2025 @ 10:05 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is drafting a new circular aimed at mitigating risks from online gambling for users of digital financial platforms, as part of its broader financial consumer protection and wellness agenda. The proposed circular would apply to BSP-supervised institutions (BSIs), including… Read More

July 7, 2025 @ 9:08 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Sweden’s central bank, Sveriges Riksbank, has introduced significant initiatives to strengthen its financial systems and enhance monetary policy communication. These updates reflect the Riksbank’s commitment to resilience, transparency, and adaptability in a rapidly evolving global economic ecosystem. This month, the Riksbank proposed new regulations requiring… Read More

July 7, 2025 @ 8:14 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The web3 and cryptocurrency ecosystem in Europe is undergoing a transformative shift, as outlined in a new report released by Bitpanda. The Bitpanda report explores the region’s accelerating adoption of digital assets, the regulatory frameworks shaping the market, and the economic implications of this rapidly… Read More

July 7, 2025 @ 6:02 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), the post-trade market infrastructure for the global financial services industry, announced that its Fixed Income Clearing Corporation (FICC) subsidiary “processed through its Government Securities Division (GSD) a new peak volume of USD$11.8 Trillion in cleared transactions on June… Read More

July 7, 2025 @ 12:37 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

UK’s Starling Bank has announced a series of updates. Starling is a licensed digital bank offering a full stack of banking services augmented by a marketplace feature. While boosting its marketing team alongside a brand relaunch, Starling has introduced an AI-powered banking tool, and robust… Read More

July 7, 2025 @ 12:18 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

In an evolving global financial services landscape, bunq, one of Europe’s largest digital banks, continues to push boundaries with new features and international expansion plans. bunq currently reports 14.5 million users across 30 European countries. Founded in 2012 by entrepreneur Ali Niknam, bunq has prioritized… Read More

July 7, 2025 @ 11:21 am By Omar Faridi  |  

KPMG UK has offered commentary on economic and regulatory updates, reflecting the firm’s engagement with the UK’s financial landscape. Drawing from its experience in financial services, KPMG’s professionals have analyzed the Bank of England’s (BoE) Q2 Credit Conditions Survey, Money and Credit data, inflation figures,… Read More

July 7, 2025 @ 9:48 am By JD Alois  |  

In Deloitte’s Q2 CFO survey, the UK is deemed to be the most attractive destination when it comes to investment, alongside India, with a net 13% describing it as very or somewhat attractive. The survey was conducted  last month between the 16th and 19th of… Read More

July 7, 2025 @ 8:32 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The blockchain landscape is evolving rapidly, with institutions worldwide embracing its potential to transform financial systems. Two recent developments highlight this shift: Mercado Bitcoin’s plan to tokenize $200 million in regulated financial assets on the XRP Ledger (XRPL) and Ripple’s partnership with Tenity to launch… Read More