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

The Redsand Group to launch sustainable fintech fund

Founder and managing partner of The Redsand Group, Nicole Anderson, announced in a recent interview with Finextra TV that the group will launch a fund to work with the venture community to support fintech aimed at tackling sustainability across financial services through tools such as blockchain and tokenisation.

27 February 2020

News/Personal finance

Barclays invests in Open Banking-based utility switching app Youtility

Youtility, a London-based startup tapping into Open Banking to help people track their household expenses and switch utility suppliers, has raised £4.5 million in a funding round joined by Barclays.

27 February 2020

Company update/Personal finance

Happy Money forms partnership with Teachers Federal Credit Union

Happy Money, a fintech company building financial tools and services for human happiness, today announced the launch of its partnership with Teachers Federal Credit Union (TFCU), Hauppauge, NY.

26 February 2020

Company update/Personal finance

Finastra welcomes more apps to FusionStore marketplace

Finastra today announced the launch of four new retail banking apps on FusionStore, the firm’s app marketplace. Built during Finastra’s first appathon in North America, at the tail end of last year, the apps – which provide innovative saving, spending control and personal finance management services – use open APIs, accessible via the FusionFabric.cloud development platform.

26 February 2020

News/startups

2020’s ‘fintech asset class’ is brimming with IPOs

With private markets continuing to show strong interest in fintech and many firms reaching maturity, Pawel Szaja, partner at Shearman and Sterling, predicts 2020 will deliver a surge of fintech IPOs.

25 February 2020

Company update/retail

Intuit confirms Credit Karma acquisition

Intuit (Nasdaq: INTU), proud maker of TurboTax, QuickBooks and Mint, today announced that it has agreed to acquire Credit Karma, the consumer technology platform with more than 100 million members in the U.S., Canada and U.K., for approximately $7.1 billion in cash and stock.

25 February 2020

News/sustainable

How to apply lessons learned from Open Banking to Sustainable Finance

While Open Banking initiatives are being drip fed by regulators across the world, it is evident that this shift must not be considered merely a regulatory change: it is a global movement that will shape the future of the financial services industry.

24 February 2020

News/inclusion

JP Morgan acts as a Catalyst for financial inclusion

Finextra interviews Boston-based accelerator Catalyst Fund about JPMorgan's recent investment in its goal to boost financial inclusion across emerging markets.

17 February 2020

News/payments

Uber Money bolsters team in India

Ride-hailing company Uber has set up shop at the Hyderabad Tech Centre in India, welcoming over 100 technology professionals to a new Uber Money team.

12 February 2020

News/Personal finance

Starling unveils three new Marketplace partners

The addition of Molo, Underpinned, and Paystream to the Starling Business Marketplace will take the neobank’s business integrations to 14, building on services catering to their 100,000+ business customers.

05 February 2020

News/Personal finance

N26 and Monese growth announcements bolster fintech strength in 2020

Ballooning customer bases and strong valuations are set to solidify confidence in fintech during 2020.

23 January 2020

News/inclusion

MaPS announces UK-wide strategy to tackle Financial Wellbeing

The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) has launched a UK-wide strategy to improve the financial wellbeing of individuals and the community across the country.

21 January 2020

News/Personal finance

Open Banking platform Tink raises EUR90 million

Swedish Open Banking platform Tink has closed a EUR90 million investment round at a post-money valuation of EUR415 million to supports its continued expansion across Europe.

20 January 2020

Company update/Personal finance

First Community Bank to offer Plinqit savings app

First Community Bank announced today that it will offer Plinqit, a savings app and the only savings tool that pays users for learning about personal finances, helping customers save money and creating higher engagement for financial institutions.

15 January 2020

News/Personal finance

Charity uses open banking to speed up debt advice

A Scottish money advice charity is piloting the use of open banking technology from Experian to quickly gather a picture of its users' financial positions.

14 January 2020

News/Personal finance

Starling extends its offering for business customers

UK digital bank Starling is offering a range of new services to its business customers as it seeks profitability in the next two years.

13 January 2020

News/retail

Monzo and Starling raise overdraft fees, following HSBC, Nationwide and First Direct

Days after it hit headlines that Monzo would be scrapping their fixed 50p a day overdraft charge, Starling Bank followed suit and hiked fees.

16 December 2019

News/payments

ICBC, Alibaba and Ant Financial strengthen fintech partnership

Giants in their own right, ICBC - the world's largest bank in terms of assets - will work with Alibaba and Ant Financial by leveraging their collective expertise in electronic payment settlement and cross border finance to promote the wider use of digital technology in financial services.

16 December 2019

Company update/retail

B-North picks Newcastle Strategic Solutions

B-North, the Manchester-based firm building an SME lending bank for the UK, has selected Newcastle Strategic Solutions Limited to provide its deposit-taking solution. B-North will be offering a range of fixed-term retail savings products when it launches in 2020, and will be using Newcastle Strategic Solutions for account opening and account management.

16 December 2019

Company update/retail

Commonwealth Bank launches rewards feature

To mark the launch of Commonwealth Bank’s app feature for eligible* customers, new research has lifted the lid on our shopping habits and revealed that we are a nation on the hunt for a bargain, with more than 9 out of 10 (94 per cent) of Aussies surveyed using shopping hacks to reduce spending.

16 December 2019