Founder of Challenger Insider blog and blogging here about digital banks since 2020.
Klarna has acquired the assets of Laybuy in New Zealand and plans to relaunch the service, bringing its global expertise to enhance payment flexibility and user experience for local consumers and merchants.
Zip has expanded its partnership with Stripe to the US, enabling merchants to easily integrate Zip’s BNPL solution, potentially driving customer growth and enhancing conversion rates.
ANZ has partnered with Microsoft to launch the first AI Immersion Centre in the banking sector across Australia and New Zealand.
In a historic partnership, FIFA has announced Bank of America as the Official Bank Sponsor for FIFA World Cup 26™, marking the first time the global financial institution has entered the world of international football sponsorship.
Chinese tech giant Tencent has sold off its 14% stake in British challenger bank Tide, marking a significant step back from its international investment ventures. The move aligns with Tencent's broader strategy of scaling back its global expansion, amid tightening regulatory scrutiny at home and abroad.
Amazon and Barclays have unveiled their latest collaboration, a co-branded credit card that rewards customers for everyday purchases, both on and off Amazon.
How France's leading bank is shaping the future of finance through Artificial Intelligence?
Amazon Visa rewards customers with 1% back in points for purchases on Amazon.de and 0.5% for other purchases; Prime members get 2% back in points during select Amazon.de shopping events.
Standard Chartered joins a suite of other institutional investors in the Digital Transformation platform.
The global fintech now enters the PRA's ‘mobilisation’ stage, having received authorisation with restrictions, designed for new banks to complete the build out of their banking operations.
Collaboration aimed at exploring ways to provide customers with access to the growing tokenised asset sector.
bunq reports €53.1 million in net profit in 2023, becoming Europe’s second most profitable neobank.
Visa is a worldwide partner of FIFA, enabling Visa cardholders to benefit from exclusive activations, promotions, and unique access at FIFA tournaments including the FIFA World Cup 2026.
AlphaTauri will emerge from the Formula 1 winter break with an all-new team name after the decision was made to undergo a rebranding to RB ahead of the 2024 campaign and main sponsors will be Visa and Cash App.
Donald Trump: "I will never allow the creation of a central bank digital currency."
N26 will offer customers the opportunity to buy and sell stocks and ETFs directly in the N26 app, at a competitive and transparent price of 0.90 EUR per trade with no hidden fees.
Becoming a financing company is a key milestone in Nu's growth plan, as the company aims to become a leader in digital financial services in Colombia.
Back in early December 2023, Revolut launched their own internal HR tool for other companies' usage. According to FNLondon, over 325 companies join the waitlist for using Revolut People.
New data by Innovate Finance, the industry body representing the FinTech community in the UK, reveals the global FintTch investment trends of 2023.
BNPL fintech Tabby secures $700 million in debt financing from J.P. Morgan and extends its Series D round to $250 million with participation from Hassana Investment Company.
HSBC is set to debut Zing, the international money transfer app launches in the UK. Europe's biggest bank is planning to roll out the app in other countries in the coming months.
Visa is enhancing the North America Fintech Fast Track program to equip early-stage fintechs with the necessary tools to stand out.
Affirm now offers 'buy now, pay later' loans at over 4500 Walmart store.
AMP is working with Engine, the SaaS subsidiary of Starling Bank, a leading UK digital bank.
Salt Bank becomes Engine by Starling’s first client and is expected to be available to Romanian customers in early 2024. Engine by Starling expands its European reach.
TerraPay and Papara have announced a ground-breaking partnership aimed at reshaping the landscape of global money movement. With this strategic alliance, both company are set to provide nearly 17 million Papara wallet users with a secure, simple, and seamless way to transfer money worldwide.
In an era where over 3 billion people identify as gamers, the gaming industry stands at a pivotal juncture. Payments are an important part of this vast economy, and Mastercard aims to be at its center.
First U.S. Techbank Offers Free, Instant People-to-People Payments to Anyone with a U.S. Debit Card
Consumers must receive accurate and specific reasons for credit denials.
Treasury releases principles for Net-Zero Financing & Investment, applauds $340 million philanthropic commitment and other pledges.
Mastercard and Saxo Bank will offer customers an easier, faster and trusted way to top-up their investment account by using open banking payments.
Citi Treasury and Trade Solutions (TTS) announces the creation and piloting of Citi Token Services for cash management and trade finance.
Plug and Play's program with Visa aims to foster diversity and inclusivity in the fintech sector by supporting and empowering diverse founders. The application process for the accelerator is currently open and will close on September 29, 2023.
Card owners can pick from one of five Xbox-inspired card designs, in addition to the option to have their Xbox gamertag printed on the back of the card, bringing together virtual experiences and everyday purchases.
JPMorgan Chase & Co has increased its stake in Brazilian digital bank C6 to 46% from 40%.
Dutch payment company founded in 2006, Adyen, has been granted authorization as a UK bank from PRA and FCA according to official statements.
MetaMask cryptocurrency wallet users now cash out their digital assets for fiat currency and send to PayPal accounts.
Acquisition accelerates XBTO’s capability to offer institutional investors a comprehensive suite of digital assets services.
Creating new touchpoints for Casio users with Limited Distribution of free NFTs for event participation.
The Federal Reserve announced that its new system for instant payments, the FedNow® Service, is now live. Banks and credit unions of all sizes can sign up and use this tool to instantly transfer money for their customers, any time of the day, on any day of the year.
Kuwait International Bank (KIB) takes the lead worldwide as the first commercial launch of biometric payment cards based on Zwipe’s platform. This innovative card will be offered to the elite VIP clients of the bank under the Visa Infinite Black product.
South African digital bank TymeBank raises $77.3 million from Norrsken22 and Blue Earth Capital.
Revolut officially launched Revolut Business in Australia! This app is full of powerful, personalised tools to get ultimate control over your company finances.
Under the patronage of the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB), the three-day event will be held in a strategic partnership with the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB), and powered by Bahrain FinTech Bay (BFB)
Through the Digital Asset Lab, the bank is establishing a robust platform with industry experts, enabling co-creation and experimentation for the development of innovative ideas in financial services using digital assets and its underlying technologies.
First edition of Dubai FinTech Summit, organised by DIFC, set to convene over 5,000 international experts and policymakers in Dubai.
Ras Al Khaimah to open world’s first free zone for digital and virtual asset companies.
Holvi forecasts to double turnover in 2023 – January profits at an all-time high. The growth is a result of a major strategic shift and product developments
The Programme comprises nine (9) key initiatives to enable the UAE’s competitiveness to become the financial and digital payment hub and a centre of excellence for innovation and digital transformation.
Zopa announced have raised £75 million ($93m) to drive their next phase of growth, with vision to become Britain’s best bank.
Kraken had said last year it would reduce its workforce by 30%, or about 1,100 employees, as rising rates and worries of an economic downturn soured the sentiment on crypto.
The lender aims to increase headcount in its global banking and markets business in Saudi Arabia by 10-15% this year
Released by Recap, the study placed London as the leading crypto hub in the world, thanks to its strong financial infrastructure and thriving start-up ecosystem.
Ultra is Revolut’s new exclusive top-tier membership, above the current plans of Plus, Premium and Metal
Monument Bank is focused on the overlooked ‘mass affluent’ segment in the UK.
Nubank secures loan of up to USD$150 million from IFC to strengthen its operation and expand access to financial services in Colombia.
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.
Australian Xinja bank came to the end of the road. But why its happened? Not raising a new round of investment can really cause this?
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.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly confronted the whole world with an unprecedented challenge, but, at the same time, it has turbocharged a technology revolution worldwide.
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.
In this article, we take a look at two subscription management fintech companies working with several banks: Subaio and Minna Technologies.
This investment round has been led by the Swedish investment fund Segovia Capital, and the agreement has been advised by WP Capital Group, according to a statement.
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.
