Hey, this is Sami. I'm blogging here about digital banks.
Plans for roll-out in the MENA and CEE regions are underway through a joint venture with global investment conglomerate Dubai Holding.
Strategic investment sets the stage for expanded future omnichannel merchant acquiring capabilities for European SMBs, value-added services and payments innovation.
Square and POS machines are in big trouble?
SAMA announced the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia witnessed the highest adoption of contactless payments through Near-Field Communication (NFC) with 94%, the highest in the Middle East and North Africa, above of the European Union average, and ahead of Hong Kong and Canada.
The Board of Mox announces the appointment of Barbaros Uygun as the CEO of Mox and Executive Director of the Board with effect from 27 September 2021.
NFTs mark a new chapter for digital commerce.
Digital financial institution wamo has started operations in Europe where it expects to attract 10,000 customers before the end of 2021.
The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) has announced that it has completed the procedures related to studying the two license applications for two local digital banks to conduct banking business in the Kingdom.
Gen Z dishes on what they’re looking for in a bank & how they’re taking control of their financial futures.
Mastercard's new feature enables banks to equip people with carbon footprint data and insights to help inform consumer spending and offer ways to contribute to reforestation.
Tallinn headquartered SPARQ is releasing its much-anticipated MVP application.
The initiative builds on Revolut’s new hybrid working policy announced in February, whereby its 2,000+ employees have flexibility to choose where they work - home, office or a combination of the two.
Total amount of investments in digital banks globally within the first quarter of 2021 exceeded $3.7 billion
Curve’s NFT Collection - a family of custom character illustrations inspired by Curve’s product and energy. Curve lovers can now collect the whole squad and bid on digital arts.
New appointment to strengthen its executive team based in Sydney, Australia as the fast-growing fintech continues to strengthen its senior leadership team in line with future growth plans.
The University of Athens has demonstrated in practice that it is responding in the wake of the times, in terms of the impact of emerging technologies on our daily lives.
Tinkoff has integrated its assistant Oleg into Clubhouse, making it the first voice assistant, speech recognition and synthesis solution available in this audio-chat social network.
Midas, basically the Turkish version of the Robinhood app, committed to providing free stock trading for Borsa Istanbul and US exchanges, raises $1M from Deniz Ventures.
The first independent digital banking platform in the United Arab Emirates launched on Sunday, a neobank hoping to become a leader in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.
Beginning of WeLab-Allianz partnership on insurance and investment products. WeLab Bank and AllianzGI plan strategic cooperation on digital wealth management solutions.
Starling Bank announces £272m funding round led by Fidelity Investments, UK-based digital bank now valued at £1.1 billion.
Canada’s leading challenger bank KOHO makes waves in the fintech space today with the launch of its first no-fee savings account, KOHO Save.
The Family Office Company B.S.C. (c), the Bahrain-based global wealth manager (with an office in Saudi Arabia regulated by the Capital Markets Authority, and its investment management arm Petiole Asset Management in Zurich, Switzerland), announced the launch of its proprietary digital platform.
Texas-based digital bank Zytara targeting millennials, Gen Z gamers and esports enthusiasts. Digital banking platform also highlighting their own stablecoin, ZUSD.
London-based remittance fintech startup TransferWise announced rebrands as Wise. It's a bold move ahead of the expected-IPO.
Collaboration of Mastercard, Central Bank of The Bahamas and Island Pay gives people additional option to use The Bahamas Sand Dollar central bank digital currency
Stockholm-based digital bank Northmill raises $30M to accelerate the geographical expansion. The capital round led by M2 Asset Management.
Mambu and Ta3meed announce a strategic partnership to accelerate the development of Islamic fintech in KSA.
We are happy to announce that Challenger Insider will be a Media Partner at Sthlm Fintech Week and will be joining at this year's online conference on 9th - 10th of February.
Özgür Bayraktar, who leads the critical fintech projects in Turkey and in Europe, draws up this historic transformation of traditional banking in his third book of the Next Generation Banking.
Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (CBRT) launched FAST System, the Easy Addressing System, which makes it easier to initiate electronic payments by using registered Turkish ID numbers, phone numbers or e-mail addresses,
Mambu, a SaaS banking platform, announced its latest funding round of €110 million in new capital. The new round brings the company’s valuation to over €1.7 billion.
Series D Investment will drive Divvy's expansion beyond business expense management.
MoneyGram's direct-to-consumer digital business, MoneyGram Online (MGO), delivered 142% year-over-year cross-border transaction growth in December and reported the largest number of transactions ever in a given month.
According to Mastercard SpendingPulse™, holiday retail sales excluding automotive and gasoline increased 3.0% this expanded holiday season.
sync., a smart open banking app, has been awarded a license from the Qatar Financial Centre Authority, marking its expansion into the Middle East.
SPARQ would like to formally announce that we have begun looking for investors for our personal finance platform as we look to launch our highly anticipated MVP in the first quarter of 2021.
The wamo.io app is a financial management and organisation platform designed for individuals, and businesses of all sizes.
Istanbul-based open banking solutions startup BirAPI revealed Turkish banks' open banking readiness.
The new N26 Smart premium subscription will bring together The Mobile Bank’s most iconic money management features to help customers stay on top of their finances with confidence and ease.
Investment led by WestCap Group will support the expansion of Addepar's industry-leading platform.
In partnership with Visa and Marqeta, online and mobile banking experience offers personalized financial services, tools and advice designed for and by the LGBT+ community.
15th November 2020 - 22nd November 2020
Lanistar has recently revealed its world-first polymorphic payment card, known as the Volt card.
Visa announced that it has completed the acquisition of YellowPepper, a fintech pioneer with proprietary technology and partnerships supporting leading financial institutions and startups in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Sydney-based fintech aircrex, today is pleased to announce it has partnered with financial technology and data intelligence company Finch, to power it’s autonomous finance platform targeting Australian millennials and Gen Z set to launch in 2021.
Business customers can now accept card payments online and get access to funds quickly with Revolut.
8th November 2020 - 15th November 2020
Nigeria-based challenger bank Kuda has raised $10 million in funding to expand in the whole Africa continent.
The Central Bank of Turkey's new system will allow fund holders to transfer money between their accounts at different banks within seconds on a 24/7 basis.
The new investment will enable Railsbank to continue to be the global leader in Banking as a Service through the launch of Credit Cards as a Service in the USA, continued expansion in SE Asia and strengthening its business in the UK and Europe.
AideXa has raised over €45 million in the largest-ever “seed” round carried out by an Italian fintech and the largest “seed round” in Europe in 2020.
1st November 2020 - 8th November 2020
Smart transactions allow Garanti BBVA customers and clients to streamline their daily banking activities and keep their personal finances under control using the bank’s mobile app.
Vivid Money, a Berlin-based financial platform, announced a 15 million € financing for expansion and product development, reaching a valuation of 100 million €.
The upcoming hybrid conference has two editions: The UAE edition on November 23, followed by a Saudi Arabia edition on November 25.
LHVs presence in London will be more prominent and the focus on the banking services even sharper.
According to a new Juniper Research study found that value of unsecured loans issued via AI underwriting platforms will reach $315 billion in 2025, up from just $24 billion in 2020.
Istanbul Fintech Week 2020 (IFW) will be held online in the week of 9-13 November this year due to ongoing pandemic.
Business professionals can now take card payments directly on their Android phone with the new Soft POS solution myPOS Glass by the European fintech provider myPOS.
Jiko, a Berkeley-based fintech company, has raised $40 million in VC funding. Series A round led by Upfront Ventures and investment firm Wafra.
25th October 2020 - 1st November 2020
PPS, formerly PrePay Solutions and subsidiary of Edenred, the everyday companion for people at work, today announces its partnership with Yolt, the smart money app, following the inaugural launch of its contactless debit Mastercard.
Hong Kong FinTech Week will be live on 2-6 Nov 2020! Hear from some of the biggest names in the fintech industry.
BANKING ON IT is the first-hand account of one woman's quest to rebuild Britain's broken banking system and how Starling Bank established.
The findings highlight that 37% of respondents report being happy with their financial health and 26% feel in complete control of their finances.
Future of Fintech (Nov. 16-18) will address today’s most pressing challenges and identify what’s next for the industry.
Boston-based financial technology company PAYMYNT Financial, filed a patent application for its novel universal rewards system.
Open Banking Expo launches its Digifest virtual event from 24th to 26th November 2020. The newest event in the Open Banking Expo portfolio continues to deliver game-changing content delivered direct to a senior digital transformation audience across financial services and beyond.
Danske Bank has now taken the step to phase out existing payment cards and replace them with new more eco-friendly payment cards made from 86% recycled plastic.
J.P. Morgan unveiled Liink, a new brand name for the firm’s blockchain-based Interbank Information Network (IIN) and introduced new applications available to Liink participants.
Australian fintech aircrex provides compelling solutions towards autonomous finance and creates a seamless connection to people's lives.
UBS launches UBS Next with a strategic collaboration with anthemis, a global VC fund with expertise in fintech investing. UBS Next portfolio is an additional step for UBS to further engage with fintechs and the broader tech ecosystem.
Savii is a digital banking app and Visa prepaid debit card with flexible parental controls for 11-18-year-olds. Dubai-based Savii planning to launch in UAE in early Q1 2021.
Banking platform Curve has announced the establishment of a subsidiary in Lithuania.
Australian digital bank Up released a new version of their app and they have launched its own widgets for iOS 14 and Android.
18th October 2020 - 25th October 2020
Lunar, the Nordic bank which has more than 200k customers in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway raises €40 million Series C investment to jump BNPL space.
Mobilexpress announced today that it has raised $2 million in a Series A financing round led by Collective Spark.
Mox is a month old and Hong Kong-based virtual bank released an infographic about how they perform in their first month.
Tap to Phone enables businesses to accept contactless payments on any NFC-enabled Android device with no need for additional hardware.
Mastercard, IDEMIA and MatchMove pilot fingerprint biometric card in Asia to enhance security and safety of contactless payments.
Klar, a challenger bank in Mexico, closed on $15 million in Series A funding led by Prosus Ventures with participation from also former investor Quona Capital.
As Challenger Insider, we are happy to become a media partner of this great event organized by Money 20/20.
The Central Bank of Bahrain launches a first of its kind fintech platform to drive innovation in the region.
Monzo launched their newest account type Monzo Premium and it comes with a metal card.
A program founded by Accenture and the Partnership Fund for New York City to strengthen New York’s fintech community seeks companies leveraging cloud, cyber-tech and sustainability technologies.
insha has announced a seed financing round of €2.5 million with a €25 million valuation just in 25 months.
With Varo Advance, qualifying Varo customers can instantly obtain up to a $100 cash advance to help stretch a paycheck.
Swiss-based luxury watch manufacturer has chosen to work with blockchain startup Arianee. With this partnership, the company will provide a digital certificate of ownership securely.
11th October 2020 - 18th October 2020
Trading 212 integrates TrueLayer's Open Banking platform, enhancing the investor experience.
Leading experts from the banking, finance and investment industry will come together for an exciting and informative two-day virtual conference called Future Banks Summit KSA schedule on 23-24 November 2020.
A wooden card aims to reduce plastic usage. Each card features a unique wood grain and is made from sustainably sourced cherry wood.
sync., digital smart open banking app, has been selected to be part of the highly competitive Qatar Fintech Accelerator programme.
French designer Philippe Starck designed AEKLYS, a ring that can store all of your cards in your pocket on a wearable device. Ash nazg durbatulûk*.
According to CNBC, Revolut, the biggest European digital bank with 13 million users, is close to applying for a banking license in the U.S.
Chase First Banking account built by Chase in collaboration with Greenlight - a company on a mission to help parents raise financially smart kids.
Highlighting the next step in its transformation, Commonwealth Bank has this week unveiled its refreshed brand identity and complementary marketing campaign.
#BlackLivesMatter. Greenwood wants to be a digital bank for black people and business owners.
