Latest Alternative finance News: Finextra Research

Covid-19 is a call to action for regulators to boost financial inclusion

Speaking at Innovate Finance’s virtual panel for UK Fintech Week 2020, Alicia Levine, COO, Chipper Cash, believes that now is the time for regulators to step up and provide fintech companies with a clear path toward regulated activity.

21 April 2020

Company update/payments

Taulia launches Rapid Start Invoicing to help businesses impacted by Covid-19

Taulia, the leader in working capital technology solutions, has today announced the launch of Rapid Start Invoicing, a solution to support businesses affected by COVID-19.

17 April 2020

News/payments

Previse raises $11 million to help businesses get paid faster

Invoice financing platform Previse has raised $11 million in a funding round led by Reefknot Investments and Mastercard, with participation from existing investors Bessemer Venture Partners, Hambro Perks and Augmentum Fintech.

16 April 2020

News/sustainable

BofA global environmental exec: Addressing climate change goes beyond business-as-usual

Alex Liftman, global environmental executive, Bank of America (BofA), believes “significantly accelerating progress on addressing big global issues like climate change requires going beyond business-as-usual financing to find innovative approaches that can help attract a larger share of capital from a broader set of investors.”

08 April 2020

Company update/payments

Billhop collaborates with Visa to improve working capital for Irish businesses

Billhop (billhop.com/ie) has launched a collaboration with Visa in Ireland to enable businesses to pay their suppliers using card, regardless of whether the supplier accepts card payments.

07 April 2020

Company update/retail

Fablious launches online alternative finance community

As of today, Fablious launches its new online Alternative Finance Community for the UK market.

06 April 2020

Company update/regulation

Finturi wins approval for launch of invoice finance platform in the Netherlands

The Netherlands is a very strong market for invoice finance. More and more entrepreneurs in the Netherlands are using alternate financing options.

03 April 2020

News/covid-19

SMB lender Kabbage cuts off credit lines

American online lender Kabbage has begun suspending credit lines to its small business clients without notice, according to Bloomberg.

02 April 2020

News/sustainable

Bunq CEO: Covid-19 no threat to appetite for sustainability

Continuing pressure caused by Covid-19 has not put a dampener on bunq’s green-minded users, as 81% of the Dutch challenger's online community have pushed for a 'SuperGreen' commitment to plant trees for every EUR100 spent with any bunq card.

02 April 2020

Company update/covid-19

Optimum Finance introduces tech for funding referrals for cash-strapped SMEs

Invoice finance fintech firm Optimum Finance has responded to the economic uncertainty faced by millions of UK SMEs by unveiling an industry-first technology platform designed to speed up and automate the process of referrals by commercial funding brokers and accountants looking to access commercial funding for their clients through invoice finance.

27 March 2020

Company update/wholesale

Ebury has switched to a remote first organisation in response to the coronavirus outbreak

In order to preserve the security of its employees and continue to provide high quality financial services to its customers, all of Ebury’s offices and operations have moved to remote working.

23 March 2020

Company update/retail

Kreditch rebrands as Monedo

International online direct lender and Point-of-Sale (POS) financing provider Kreditech today announced it is rebranding its name to Monedo, as it looks to further grow its position in the Indian, Polish, Russian and Spanish near-prime lending markets.

10 March 2020

News/startups

Greensill buys Oz salary-on-demand startup Earnd

Earnd, a Sydney startup that allows employees to draw down their salary in installments, has been acquired by Greensill, a UK-based supplier of alternative supply chain finance. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

10 March 2020

Company update/security

ACI Worldwide debuts new machine learning kit for fraud management

ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW), a leading global provider of real-time electronic payment and banking solutions, today announced the launch of its new Incremental Learning technology – an innovative industry-first approach to machine learning that will enhance fraud protection for merchants and financial institutions and their customers.

10 March 2020

News/inclusion

Quona closes $203m financial inclusion fintech fund

Quona Capital, a venture firm focused on financial inclusion in emerging markets, has closed its second fintech fund with $203 million in commitments, led by anchor investor Accion International.

09 March 2020

News/regulation

Transformative regulation finds its feet in 2020

The true benefits and complexities of transformative regulation across financial services is set to become reality in 2020, as firms work to prepare and implement systems to meet compliance standards while maintaining a competitive edge.

06 March 2020

News/startups

German SME financing startup FinCompare doubles Series A round

Berlin-based SME financing specialist FinCompare has topped up its Series A funding round with an additional EUR12 million from, among others, ING Ventures.

06 March 2020

News/payments

‘Millennials want credit’ says ex-Visa innovation chief and i2c president Jim McCarthy

The consumer of today is educated, digitally empowered and more than ever before, wants to make informed financial decisions. This requires financial players to provide a quick, efficient and barrier-free customer service that keeps pace with the dynamic transformations of this new era of payments.

04 March 2020

Company update/retail

Lendio raises $55m

Lendio, the nation’s largest marketplace for small business loans, today announced it has secured $55 million in capital, including $31 million in equity led by Mercato Partners’ Traverse Fund and a $24 million debt facility from Signature Bank.

02 March 2020

News/Alternative finance

Euro agencies to develop blockchain forensics

Two defence agencies in Austria and France are joining forces to improve cryptocurrency security and tackle the rising rate of crime in the crypto market.

28 February 2020