Tagged: covid-19

May 16, 2021 @ 11:17 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The way in which payments are conducted has been gradually changing but the shift towards all-digital platforms has accelerated following the COVID-19 outbreak. As noted in a recent report from Juniper Research: “The number of and the success of online retailers has been growing, and… Read More

May 15, 2021 @ 7:18 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Fintech Innovation Lab Asia Pacific program has now returned for its eighth edition this year with additional opportunities for early-stage and high-potential startups. Cyberport, a founding partner, will be giving finalists from the 2021 cohort the chance to take part in the 2-year (or… Read More

May 13, 2021 @ 10:27 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Thousands of UK supermarkets and other retail outlets have reportedly committed to a “cash-friendly” pledge from Which?, an expert testing, reviewing, and advice service. According to the terms of the pledge, retailers are guaranteeing that they will keep taking physical currency notes and coins as… Read More

May 13, 2021 @ 9:05 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

As the world economy continued to rebound during the first quarter of 2021 (after the COVID-19 induced lockdowns across the globe), so too did international mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity, according to a new report released by Pitchbook. Wylie Fernyhough, Senior Analyst, PE Lead, Pitchbook,… Read More

May 10, 2021 @ 2:06 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

      Payment processing and global retail banking platform Klarna announced on Monday it has launched a small business impact initiative to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Klarna reported it is donating $4.5 million in free services to SMEs… Read More

May 10, 2021 @ 1:02 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

  Digital bank Revolut announced on Monday it is temporarily waiving fees on cross-border remittance payments made to India, following the country’s latest surge in COVID-19 cases. As of this weekend, India has more than 400,000 COVID-19 cases and 7-day average of deaths more than 3,700. … Read More

May 7, 2021 @ 8:43 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Swiss Payment Monitor reveals that the trend towards credit card use and contactless payment methods has remained steady in Switzerland. The Swiss Payment Monitor is a research initiative that’s supported by the University of St.Gallen and the ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences. The… Read More

May 5, 2021 @ 11:37 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

During the past year, firms have been focused on accelerating their digital transformation strategies in order to maintain operations in a post-COVID environment. Their investments in digital technology have been essential to retaining business and clients. Companies now require the tools to conduct business remotely,… Read More

May 4, 2021 @ 11:07 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Indonesian peer to peer lender Amartha has acquired $28 million (appr. IDR 405 billion) in capital from Women’s World Banking Capital Partners II (WWB) and MDI Ventures. Amartha‘s round also received contributions from existing investors Mandiri Capital Indonesia and UOB Venture Management. WWB Capital Partners… Read More

May 2, 2021 @ 1:09 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Fintech Unicorn Marqeta is reportedly planning to conduct an initial public offering (IPO) later this year, according to a report from BI. Oakland-based payments processor Marqeta is valued at around $4.3 billion. The company provides debit cards to firms such as DoorDash and Instacart. Marqeta… Read More

May 1, 2021 @ 10:27 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Less than 6 months after its launch in Mexico’s markets, the Argentina-based Fintech firm Ualá has managed to issue over 100,000 debit cards in the country. Ualá provides a user-friendly app and various tools for effectively managing personal finances. In a recent interview with El… Read More

April 30, 2021 @ 3:45 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Fundrise, a real estate investment platform using Reg A+ to provide access to “eREITs and eFunds,” notes that their annual letter to investors (released in January 2021) had revealed that they rang in 2021 with an updated version of their proprietary fund infrastructure, “enabling the… Read More

April 30, 2021 @ 1:24 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

UK-based digital banking solution goHenry announced earlier this week the release of its annual U.S. Youth Economy Report, which revealed how the past year has transformed the money habits of Gen Z and Gen Alpha. According to the report, American kids and teenagers earned an impressive $27.2 billion… Read More

April 30, 2021 @ 7:50 am By Omar Faridi  |  

UK-based MarketFinance, one of the world’s largest peer-to-peer (P2P) invoice finance platforms, notes in a blog post that Brexit and the COVID-19 outbreak have had “dramatic effects on the price of shipping.” MarketFinance adds that if your business uses suppliers that are based in other… Read More

April 29, 2021 @ 8:35 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Almost three-quarters or 75% of financial institutions have reported an increase in cybercrime activities since the Covid-19 outbreak (around February 2020), according to a survey released by BAE Systems. The survey of 902 banking institutions and insurance providers, based in the US and the UK,… Read More

April 29, 2021 @ 8:30 am By Omar Faridi  |  

London-based Fintech firm Paymentsense, which helps small businesses take card payments, has published a 2021 UK job market report that covers how the COVID-19 outbreak has led to new business growth. During the past year, UK residents have beeen investing in their “ambitions,” by launching… Read More

April 27, 2021 @ 11:55 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Malaysia Co-Investment Fund (MyCIF) has reportedly made a co-investment of RM165 million (appr. $40.27 million) in 5,349 equity crowdfunding and peer-to-peer financing (P2P) initiatives, which aims to benefit 1,197 Malaysian MSMEs by the end of last year. Since its October 2019 launch, these Malaysia-based… Read More

April 26, 2021 @ 7:29 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Research from Aldermore bank suggests that there are some signs of recovery for SMEs, as they announce plans to make investments in their businesses in the coming year, a move that has come after the easing of nationwide lockdowns in the UK. SMEs intend to… Read More

April 25, 2021 @ 11:30 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

London-based ComplyAdvantage, a company that offers real-time financial crime insight that “puts you in control,” notes that the European Union has introduced a strategy to deal with  organized and financial crime and the US recently imposed new sanctions on Russia. While sharing recent financial crime… Read More

April 25, 2021 @ 10:47 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Productiv, a platform that helps manage software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications, recently finalized a $45 million Series C funding round. This happens to be just one of many SaaS funding and acquisition announcements this year. In its recent report, Zylo, an established SaaS management platform that manages… Read More