Finextra Research: Latest fintech news, analysis, interviews, features and opinion by industry experts

SoFi moves beyond lending with acquisition of mobile banking startup Zenbanx

Online lender SoFi is stepping up its efforts to take on America's banks by buying fellow fintech player Zenbanx, enabling it to offer checking accounts, credit cards and international money transfers. Financial terms were not disclosed.

01 February 2017

Company update/Non-bank competitors

Crossflow Payments wins Calibrate Management investment

Crossflow Payments (Crossflow), the technology driven alternative finance platform delivering innovative supply chain finance solutions, has today announced a significant investment from Calibrate Management (Calibrate), a leading investor focused on early stage, high growth firms.

01 February 2017

News/Non-bank competitors

Former Visa president raises $125m for new fintech fund

Nyca Partners, a fintech startup-focused venture capital firm set up by former Visa president Hans Morris, has raised more than $125 million for its second fund.

27 January 2017

News/Non-bank competitors

China's fintech dragons roar

2016 was the year that China's fintech dragons roared, dominating VC spending while investment in some previously feted leaders in other parts of the world wilted, according to a report from Citi.

26 January 2017

Company update/Non-bank competitors

Tesco extends mobile payments app to all UK stores

Tesco is making it faster and easier for customers to pay for their shopping by extending the availability of its mobile payments app, PayQwiq, to every Tesco store in the UK.

25 January 2017

Company update/Non-bank competitors

Azimo signs former Gunner Kanu for Nigerian glory

Azimo, the online digital money transfer service, has announced the signing of legendary former Arsenal and Nigeria striker Kanu Nwankwo as a brand ambassador to help bring low cost online money transfer to the Nigerian community.

24 January 2017

News/Non-bank competitors

US regulator cites fintech as risk to banking system

Emerging financial technology poses a threat to US banks that are unable to compete with this developing field, according to an official report from the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).

06 January 2017

News/Non-bank competitors

P2P lender gets £40m boost from UK government

UK startup Funding Circle has received £40m from the state-owned British Business Bank (BBB)on the condition that the funds be used to lend to small businesses, according to a report from news website Business Insider.

05 January 2017

News/Non-bank competitors

Indonesia issues new rules for fintechs

The Indonesian Financial Services Authority (OJK)has introduced new regulations for fintech firms running a peer to peer lending business, according to a report in the Jakarta Post.

04 January 2017

News/Non-bank competitors

Paytm gets RBI nod for payments bank launch

Indian mobile wallet giant Paytm has received the regulatory green light to begin operating one of the country's new wave of payments banks.

03 January 2017

News/Non-bank competitors

Monese raises $10m to expand mobile banking service for immigrants into Europe

Monese, a London-based digital banking service targeting immigrants that have trouble opening accounts with traditional high street players, has raised $10 million to help it expand into mainland Europe.

03 January 2017

News/Non-bank competitors

House of Fraser invests £35m in neobank Tandem

A UK department store is making a multi-million pound investment in an app-only challenger bank in order to offer its shoppers an exclusive banking tool and payment method.

03 January 2017

Company update/Non-bank competitors

Rakuten invests EUR10m in Kreditech

Kreditech, the leading consumer finance company, has raised EUR 10m equity from Rakuten, Inc.

15 December 2016

Company update/Non-bank competitors

FCA-accredited P2P short term lender launches

The Money Platform, the UK’s only FCA accredited peer to peer (P2P) short-term lender, has launched today. After only two months, the company has already seen high demand from both borrowers and lenders during a highly successful beta test/soft launch.

15 December 2016

News/Non-bank competitors

Asic launches licence exemption scheme for fintechs

Australia's securities watchdog has released a number of waivers that will enable eligible fintechs to test services without the need to hold an Australian Financial Service licence or to make individual applications to the regulator.

15 December 2016

Company update/Non-bank competitors

Online lender BlueVine closes $49m Series D round

BlueVine, a leading online provider of everyday financing to small businesses, announced today it has closed $49 million in funding.

14 December 2016

Company update/Non-bank competitors

ECrowd! raises more than €300K in second round of funding

The debt crowdfunding - also known as crowdlending- platform ECrowd!, specializing in sustainable investments, has closed an investment round of € 307,900 through the online investment platform Crowdcube (equity crowdfunding).

25 November 2016

Company update/Non-bank competitors

Prosper Marketplace CEO Aaron Vermut quits

Prosper Marketplace, a leading online marketplace for consumer credit, today announced that the company’s board of directors has named David Kimball Chief Executive Officer.

15 November 2016

News/Non-bank competitors

Digital wealth manager Nutmeg raises £30m

UK digital wealth management startup Nutmeg has raised £30 million in a funding round led by Hong Kong-based independent financial advisory firm Convoy.

14 November 2016

News/Non-bank competitors

New lending platform targets underserved communities

A new $100 million Clinton Foundation-sponsored platform bidding to take on predatory online lenders by offering America's underserved communities a low-cost alternative, is opening its doors for beta testing.

11 November 2016