Category: Innovation

Venture Summit Virtual Connect Global 2021

Whether you’re a Fintech startup seeking capital and exposure, or an investor seeking new deals, Venture Summit \ Virtual Connect [Global] presented by youngStartup Ventures – is the event of the year you won’t want to miss. Featuring a dedicated Fintech Track. A highly productive venture conference, this exclusive program is dedicated to showcasing early […]

UK fintech investment shook off its Covid blues in Q1 2021

Levels are up 331% versus the start of 2020 when Covid shut down fintech investment. Over 100 fintech investment deals were struck in the first three months of the year, marking a solid start to 2021, and in contrast to the dour beginning of 2020. According to figures from Innovate Finance and compiled from PitchBook, UK fintechs […]

Fintech apps outperform banks as pandemic shakes consumer finances

Finance app downloads spiked by 15% during the pandemic, with mobile fintech applications outperforming banks by a factor of up to 10.8x, according to figures from mobile anlaytics platform App Annie.The report found that amid economic uncertainty, demand grew for finance apps across investing, banking, cash transfers and government aid. Finance apps were downloaded 4.6 […]

Mastercard unveils carbon calculator for banks

Mastercard has teamed up with Swedish fintech Doconomy to develop a carbon calculator that banks can integrate into their apps to give customers a snapshot of the emissions generated by their purchases across spending categories.Mastercard and Doconomy have been working on carbon footprint tracking based on purchases for the past couple of years but are […]

Pine Labs acquires Southeast Asian startup Fave for $45 million

Pine Labs said on Tuesday it has acquired Southeast Asian startup Fave in a deal valued at $45 million as the Indian firm looks to strengthen its consumer-focused offerings in the domestic and international markets. Fave helps an offline merchant connect and retain customers by using gift cards and vouchers. The startup allows merchants to accept digital payments […]

Contactless payments surge across Europe

In less than a year since contactless limits increased across Europe, Visa has hit a processing milestone of one billion additional PIN-free transactions. The growth of contactless has been a key trend during the pandemic, with touch-free payments seen by the public and merchants as a means of minimising the risk of Covid-19 transmission. Charlotte […]

UK fintech Lendable reaches unicorn status

Lendable, the London-based personal loans fintech, has achieved unicorn status. The dynamic startup which launched in 2014 offers competitive, fast loans that are assessed using a soft credit search system so that users requesting a loan quote will not have their credit score affected.  The platform has proven popular with customers, who, according to the […]

Spiral raises $14m for charitable giving banking app

Spiral, an “ethical banking app” that makes it easy for users to give to charities, has raised $14 million in a funding round led by Team8. Communitas Capital, Phoenix, Nidoco AB and MTVO joined the round for New York-based Spiral, which says it want to make it easier for Americans “to do good”. The startup […]

Lithuania, EU’s Fastest Growing Fintech Hub Sees ‘Evolutionary’ Shift Away From Banks

Lithuania, the European Union’s fastest-growing fintech hub, is seeing an “evolutionary” shift away from traditional banks with surging transactions for e-money and payment companies. The Baltic country, whose financial industry is dominated by Nordic lenders like SEB Bankas AB and Swedbank AB, joined the global push to shakeup traditional banking four years ago by offering simplified, fast licensing […]