Goldman is looking for a way out of its partnership with Apple
Good morning,
Welcome to your daily FinTech news!
18% of the world’s population lives in Africa, and 57% of Africans are ‘unbanked’, living without a bank account or a digital wallet to their Name. The opportunity is massive, which is why fintech is the most dominant and most funded tech sector in Africa, today. Check out “The future of fintech in Africa” report by Lucidity Insights to learn more
ARTICLE
Starling Bank: Five things that defined Anne Boden’s time at the top. City A.M. looks back on five key things that have defined the leadership of one of Britain’s most high-profile entrepreneurs. Read more
INTERVIEW
Brunch with Mollie founder Adriaan Mol: 'Every scaleup should do layoffs maybe every year'. The Mollie and MessageBird founder on bootstrapping, why fintech is boring, and how AI could soon replace startup founders. Read this insightful interview with Amy O’Brien here
INSIGHTS
#fintechstats: Visa's market cap as of today is $465B ($60B+ more than JPM) and they have around 26.5k employees.
PODCAST
Miroslava Betinova, Head of Fintech, Griffin, engages in a conversation with Robin Amlôt on this IBS Intelligence podcast. The discussion revolves around Griffin's remarkable journey thus far, encompassing the creation of the pioneering API-driven BaaS platform in the UK, and more. Listen the full podcast here
FINTECH NEWS
Goldman is looking for a way out of its partnership with Apple. American Express in talks to take over Goldman’s card deal and savings account products. A deal with Amex isn’t imminent or assured, people familiar with the matter said, and it could take a while to transfer the partnership in any case.
Crowdfunding platform PeerStreet files for bankruptcy in a court in Delaware citing a challenging mortgage market and struggles to raise capital with venture capital funds. Read more
Flowie wants to make invoices flow freely. The company centralizes everything related to accounts receivable and accounts payable so that everyone in the company can see relevant information.
Kushki, has received approval from the Chilean Financial Market Commission (CMF) to enter the acquiring business in Chile. This victory adds to Kushki's continued expansion in the region, as it already has the necessary certifications to operate as a non-bank acquirer in Mexico, Peru, and Colombia.
Inclusion and personalization: Fintech targets trans borrowers. Colombian digital wallet FinZi has introduced a lending product for transgender people who want to finance sexual reassignment surgery. Read more
Stripe has laid off a few dozen employees, most of them recruiters, in its human resources department. Stripe’s cuts in the recruiting division are part of an effort to reorient locations where the company plans to hire, a person familiar with the matter said.
Clearpay to exit EU, but UK ops to continue. The move comes amid “tough economic trading conditions” in the EU. The company didn’t comment when asked whether all jobs in the EU would be lost. Read more
Google US$10 billion investment boosts India’s Fintech hub. India, the world’s third largest fintech hub, continues to make strides, underlining its position as a critical player in this burgeoning field.
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DIGITAL BANKING NEWS
CaixaBank launches FXWallets service for international payments. The new offering allows customers to open an account immediately with no opening or maintenance costs and enables international payments in more than 50 currency pairs.
Mercado Pago, a leading fintech, has integrated RedGiro QR, a new feature allowing users to withdraw cash from Redbanc ATMs without needing a physical card. By scanning a QR code on the ATM screen through the Mercado Pago app, users can access their funds.
BLOCKCHAIN
Shares secures licence for EU trading, aims to be ‘Louis Vuitton’ of trading apps. The French trading app has become the first fintech in the country to secure both crypto registration (PSAN) and a stock trading licence as an investment company (PSI- Entreprise d’Investissement).
UK crypto, stablecoin rules receive Royal Assent, passing into law. The Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 classifies crypto as a regulated financial activity. The bill was last week approved by the upper chamber of Parliament. Read more
PARTNERSHIPS
Mexican crypto market gets a boost as Paxos partners with Mercado Libre to offer USDP stablecoin. Through this partnership, all MercadoPago users in Mexico will gain access to USDP, offering a gateway to stablecoins and potentially reducing the necessity for high remittance costs.
Santander invests in trade finance network Komgo. The partnership will see Santander contribute expertise and tailor-made trade and working capital solutions for Komgo’s client portfolios in Europe and the Americas.
Mbank collaborates with Khalifa Fund to launch its corporate banking platform. The platform enables businesses to open a digital bank account in 6 steps, under 10 minutes, with no minimum balance or monthly fees, providing next-gen digital banking solutions.
Unit21 announces $45M series C. The funding has supported the growth of the Fintech Fraud DAO consortium, which is experiencing a surge in participation and now covers more than 10% of adult consumer transactions in the U.S.
Bankingly has announced new investment led by Oikocredit. With the USD 2.5 million capital infusion, the company can boost product innovation, expand in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and support financial institutions in digital transformation.
MOVERS & SHAKERS
LHV Bank appoints Rachelle Frewer as new CFO. “Rachelle will drive our financial strategy to support our business expansion, particularly as we increase our SME lending activities and prepare to start accepting retail deposits,” LHV Bank CEO Erki Kilu said.
Fiinu CFO Philip Tansey resigns. The U.K. fintech company said that in the short-term the current finance chief of the group's main operating subsidiary, Charles Resnick, will step in as interim CFO replacing Tansey.
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Cheers,
Marcel van Oost
Thank you for the mention ! Marcel van Oost
Head of New Business (Fintech) @ Google Cloud
1ynice one Miroslava Betinova!
Head of Fintech at Griffin
1yThanks for the 🗣️ Marcel ! Have a fintastic week !