This year, global mergers and acquisitions (M&A) dealmakers have powered through geopolitical tensions and trade policy uncertainty. In Q1 2026, total deal value reached an estimated US$1.6 trillion, setting a new quarterly record and marking a 50.6% year-over-year (YoY) increase, according to new data released by capital markets research platform PitchBook. The number of transactions also climbed 18% YoY to an 13,877,  landing at the same record levels observed in Q4 2025 and underscoring the strength of the M&A market. Global M&A activity by quarter, Source: Global M&A Report Q1 2026, PitchBook, Apr 2026 Energy leads M&A growth In Q1 2026, investors’ priorities shifted towards the energy sector, which led M&A growth with value up 59.8% quarter-over-quarter (QoQ), followed by business-to-consumer (B2C) at 38.6%. Energy also posted the most dramatic valuation expansion. The enterprise value multiple jumped from about 6.6 times annual earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, to 9 times those earnings, marking a 36.5% jump. This indicates that investors were willing to pay significantly more for similar levels of profit, which suggests stronger confidence in the sector’s future growth, profitability, or attractiveness. This was driven largely by increased demand for infrastructure and energy-transition-related assets, PitchBook notes. Median M&A EV/EBITDA multiple by sector, Source: Global M&A Report Q1 2026, PitchBook, Apr 2026 SpaceX’s xAI transaction drives IT M&A value IT sector figures were strong as well, primary led by the xAI transaction, a US$250 billion related-party sale to SpaceX with clear shared ownership, which inflated the picture considerably. The transaction helped propel the sector to its highest quarterly value on record to an estimated US$409.5 billion. SpaceX and xAI are two companies founded and led by Elon Musk. This transaction units aerospace capabilities with xAI’s AI and social media assets from X, creating a combined entity valued at US$1.3 trillion. According to PitchBook, this strategic move is a precursor to SpaceX’s anticipated initial public offering (IPO). By merging with xAI before going public, SpaceX is transforming its investor narrative from “rocket developer and Internet provider” into “AI and space-infrastructure platform.” IT M&A activity by quarter, Source: Global M&A Report Q1 2026, PitchBook, Apr 2026 Large transactions dominate financial services M&A Financial services M&A meanwhile held steadily in Q1 2026 against the momentum seen at the end of 2025. Levels remained elevated relative to the sector’s historic figures despite a QoQ decline. In Q1 2026, there were an estimated 976 deals worth a total value of US$170.2 billion in the financial services sector. These totals are over 30% above pre-pandemic averages despite declining 6.5% and 29.8% QoQ, respectively. Financial services M&A activity by quarter, Source: Global M&A Report Q1 2026, PitchBook, Apr 2026 This year, financial services M&A activity continued shifting toward larger transactions. There were 23 financial services megadeals totaling US$108.9 billion in Q1 2026, compared with 19 totaling US$66.2 billion in Q1 2025. Elevated megadeal activity reflects market participants’ push for scale and consolidation in an evolving sector, as well as continued appetite for bold M&A despite macroeconomic volatility, PitchBook says. Asset managers turn to M&A to remain competitive Asset managers were especially active in Q1 2026, turning to M&A to remain competitive. In March, Corebridge Financial acquired Equitable Holdings for US$22 billion to create a retirement, life insurance, wealth, and asset management platform with US$1.5 trillion in assets under management (AUM). The acquisition will expand the offerings available to customers, accelerate technological initiatives, and potentially deliver more than US$500 million in expense synergies by the end of 2028 through the elimination of redundant roles, vendors, and IT systems. The combined company will also enhance origination and investment capabilities through Equitable’s active asset management subsidiary AllianceBernstein, with plans to shift over US$100 billion of Corebridge’s accounts to AllianceBernstein over time. Another notable transaction in Q1 2026 was the acquisition of UK-based Schroders by US asset manager Nuveen. The deal, valued at US$13.5 billion, is set to expand the company’s geographic footprint and create an asset manager with a combined AUM of US$2.5 trillion. Fintech M&A activity declines Fintech M&A activity, meanwhile, continued to decline in Q1 2026, reaching 199 transactions in Q1 2026 and marking a 26% QoQ decline, according to CB Insights data. Notable deals that quarter were concentrated in areas that saw outsized funding growth in 2025, particularly cryptocurrency, spend management, and business-to-business (B2B) technology. In particular, Capital One completed its US$5.3 billion acquisition of Brex, following the spend management sector’s fourfold funding growth in 2024 and 2025; Fireblocks acquired Tres Finance in crypto accounting and tax reporting; and Mastercard announced a US$1.8 billion deal for BVNK in the crypto payment processor vertical, which was up 3.5-fold. The transaction is still pending regulatory approval. Quarterly fintech M&A, Source: State of Fintech Q1 2026, CB Insights, Apr 2026 Public listings also fell in Q1 2026, with only 11 companies going public compared to 24 in Q4 2025. Several high-profile IPOs, including Clear Street and Kraken, were postponed at the start of the year, citing unfavorable market conditions. Notable IPOs in Q1 2026 included PayPay, a Japanese payments app; PicPay, a Brazilian digital bank; and BitGo, a crypto custody firm.   Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by thanyakij-12 via Magnific The post Global M&A Surges and Hits US$1.6 Trillion Record in Q1 2026 appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

AMINA Bank has become the first bank to support Canton Coin (CC), the native token of the Canton Network, by offering custody and trading services to its clients. Canton Network is a public blockchain that focuses on privacy for capital markets. It has recently attracted participation from traditional finance and decentralised finance organisations, including DTCC, Visa and BitGo, which are developing settlement, tokenisation, custody and collateral applications on the network. The network is also building an on-chain capital markets ecosystem covering repo, lending and wrapped asset flows designed for regulated market participants. Through its offering, AMINA will provide institutional clients, including Super Validators and professional investors, with custody and trading access to Canton Coin. The service is delivered through a single FINMA-regulated institution. Myles Harrison, Chief Product Officer at AMINA, said: Myles Harrison “By making Canton Coin available for custody and trading, AMINA is providing clients, whether they are Super Validators or investors seeking exposure to Canton Network’s growth, with the regulated access they need to engage with this ecosystem.” Viv Diwakar, Head of the Canton Foundation, said: Viv Diwakar “For Canton Network participants who need a compliant, supervised home for their Canton Coin holdings, AMINA provides that with the credibility and regulatory standing that the ecosystem demands.” AMINA has previously introduced several digital assets to its institutional client base, including being the first globally to support Ripple USD (RLUSD) and among the first to offer SUI trading and custody. The bank said it intends to continue expanding its involvement in the Canton Network ecosystem as it develops.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by mrsiraphol via Magnific The post AMINA Becomes First Bank to Support Canton Coin Custody and Trading appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Signicat, a European provider of digital identity solutions, has appointed Emma Bauer as Global Chief Product Officer. She will join the leadership team to support the scaling of the company’s Software-as-a-Service platform, as Europe prepares for regulatory changes including eIDAS 2.0 and the EU Anti-Money Laundering Regulation (AMLR). The company noted that the European digital identity market remains uneven, with high adoption of electronic identities in Nordic countries compared with more fragmented approaches in parts of Southern Europe. Signicat has expanded its offering through eight acquisitions, building a product portfolio aimed at supporting cross-border identity and authentication needs for regulated industries and public sector organisations. Emma Bauer began her career as a software developer and has held product leadership roles in technology companies operating in growth environments. Signicat said she brings experience in scaling product organisations and working across distributed teams. As Chief Product Officer, Bauer will oversee product strategy and development, with a focus on incorporating artificial intelligence and maintaining compliance with evolving regulatory requirements across Europe. Emma Bauer “Digital identity is the foundation of a modern society, but differing consumer behaviours and upcoming regulations across Europe create a complex challenge,” said Emma Bauer, CPO of Signicat. “Signicat is positioned to address this by providing a unified platform for cross-border transactions. I was drawn to its purpose, culture, and market position. This is a significant scaling phase, and I look forward to contributing to its development.”     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image digitizesc via Magnific The post Signicat Names Emma Bauer CPO as EU Identity Rules Tighten appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

In the financial services industry, artificial intelligence (AI) has evolved into a mainstream standard, with machine learning (ML), and generative AI (genAI) emerging as the most widely adopted technologies in the category, according to a new study by the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) at Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge. However, the realization of profitability gains and operational improvements depend heavily on an organization’s AI maturity, sophistication, and investment levels, the research found. Released in April 2026, the study was conducted between October 2025 and January 2026, and captured insights from 628 financial institutions, AI vendors, and regulatory authorities operating across 151 jurisdictions. Results highlight the widespread adoption of AI in finance, with 81% of industry players now adopting AI at some level and 40% reporting advanced AI adoption, including “Scaling” or “Transforming”. This underscores the industry’s recognition of AI’s critical role in enhancing efficiency, risk management, and customer personalization. AI adoption maturity: industry versus regulators, Source: 2026 Global AI in Financial Services Report: Adoption, Impact and Risks, Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF), Apr 2026 Fintech firms lead in adoption Findings show a clear divide between fintech companies and incumbents, with fintech firms leading in AI adoption and being more than three times more likely as traditional financial institutions to have reached the “Transforming” stage at 19% versus 6% for incumbents. Conversely, incumbents show higher shares of “Exploring” (21%) and “Piloting” (44%), underscoring slower progression through the AI adoption maturity curve. This disparity reflects the fact that fintech firms are digital-first, more agile adopters of new technologies, whereas traditional financial institutions often face organizational inertia, legacy complexity and more demanding integration and security requirements that complicate the path to scaling deployment. AI adoption maturity by type – fintech firms versus traditional financial institutions, Source: 2026 Global AI in Financial Services Report: Adoption, Impact and Risks, Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF), Apr 2026 ML and genAI as primary frontiers Looking at specific technologies, the study found that classical ML is the most widely adopted AI technology among the financial services providers, embraced by 75% of respondents. These systems learn statistical patterns from labeled historical data and are commonly applied to fraud scoring, credit underwriting, and anti-money laundering (AML) anomaly detection. However, several newer technologies are rapidly scaling. GenAI, in particular, is recording an adoption rate of 71%. GenAI involves large ML models trained once on a vast corpus of text, code, or other data, and then adapted to many downstream generation tasks. Additionally, agentic AI has emerged as a booming frontier technology, with 52% of industry respondents actively adopting it. This demonstrates rapid uptake in a relatively short period of time. Agentic AI refers to systems that pursue objectives through autonomous, multi-step sequences of actions. Common applications include autonomous trading, dynamic portfolio rebalancing, and real-time risk mitigation. Active AI adoption by AI type and stakeholder group – % active adoption covers Piloting, Scaling or Transforming, Source: 2026 Global AI in Financial Services Report: Adoption, Impact and Risks, Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF), Apr 2026 AI deployment in financial services The research also looked at the deployment of AI within financial institutions, and found that AI is mostly used in operational and back-office functions. The most mature and widely adopted use cases globally are process automation, data visualization, and software development, with adoption rates of 79%, 75%, and 75%, respectively. Within the front-office, AI-powered customer support leads at 73%, followed by sales, customer relationship management (CRM) and outreach at 67%, and marketing and personalization at 64%. These applications primarily support client relationship management and enhance customer acquisition strategies. Industry AI adoption maturity across use cases, Source: 2026 Global AI in Financial Services Report: Adoption, Impact and Risks, Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF), Apr 2026 The impact of AI Findings from the study also show that AI adoption is increasingly generating measurable improvements across financial services, especially regarding productivity. The strongest gains were observed in technology, data, and product functions, where 79% of respondents reported positive outcomes. Back office and operations followed closely at 75% overall. AI productivity impact by function and firm type, Source: 2026 Global AI in Financial Services Report: Adoption, Impact and Risks, Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF), Apr 2026 Crucially, the research found strong correlations between AI maturity, sophistication, and spend. 64% of more mature adopters of AI reported increased profitability compared with 33% of less mature firms. Similarly, 56% of fintech firms recorded productivity gains compared with 34% of financial institutions, a divergence which aligns with the 17% maturity gap in advanced AI adoption between fintech firms and finance incumbents. Investment levels also play a pivotal role, with 61% of firms that invested over US$100,000 in the most recent financial year observing increases in profitability compared to 40% of firms spending less than US$100,000. Furthermore, firms with fully in-house or fine-tuned AI models reported higher profitability gains at 54% compared with those relying on off-the-shelf or vendor-built solutions at 39%. Taken together, these findings indicate that realizing financial value from AI may depend less on adoption alone and more on organizational maturity, technical capability and the level of control over AI development. Reported AI profitability impact across key comparison groups, Source: 2026 Global AI in Financial Services Report: Adoption, Impact and Risks, Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF), Apr 2026 Workforce implications of AI and future outlook Regarding the impact of AI on employment in the financial services sector, the results show that the actual effect on headcount has remained very limited for the last three years, with 74% of respondents reporting that no significant job losses or gains have been observed due to AI implementation. Looking ahead to 2030, the industry expects structural transformation rather than simple contraction. 25% of firms expect “Reskilling and Transformation” of the workforce. Combined with the 10% of respondents expecting a net increase, a total of 35% of the industry anticipates a future where job roles are transformed through reskilling or positively impacted by the use of AI. Nevertheless, a quarter of firms predict a net reduction in jobs by 2030, with the payments sector being the most pessimistic, with 21% of respondents projecting a significant decline. Expected job impact of AI by 2030 by sub-sector, Source: 2026 Global AI in Financial Services Report: Adoption, Impact and Risks, Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF), Apr 2026 Challenges to AI adoption Despite growing AI adoption, the CCAF study also highlights persistent challenges, especially around data quality, fragmented systems, technology and infrastructure challenges, and limited institutional capabilities. Data availability and quality are the leading pain point hindering AI adoption, cited by 66% of AI vendors, 46% of regulators, 40% of industry participants. Vendors also reported specifically acute data-related challenges when working with their clients, with 72% citing data quality and completeness, 46% legacy systems and siloed environments, and 41% reporting data-sharing restrictions. For surveyed regulators, lack of AI training and capacity building (48%), talent (47%), and technology and infrastructure (45%) are also core constraints for AI adoption in addition to data issues. Top six pain points for AI adoption by stakeholder group, Source: 2026 Global AI in Financial Services Report: Adoption, Impact and Risks, Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF), Apr 2026   Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by tamirt via Magnific The post AI Adoption in Finance Tops 81% appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Financial technology vendor FIS has partnered with AI company Anthropic to introduce new automation tools for banks. The collaboration centres on deploying FIS Anthropic agentic AI technology to accelerate anti-money laundering investigations and reduce compliance costs. The first product from the partnership, the Financial Crimes AI Agent, cuts the time required to review suspicious activity. The system automatically gathers evidence across a bank’s core platforms, checks account activity against known money laundering patterns, and flags high-risk cases for human review. North American lenders BMO and Amalgamated Bank will be the first financial institutions to deploy the technology. Broader availability for the tool is scheduled for the second half of 2026. Anthropic engineers are working directly with FIS to design the initial agent and train the company’s internal teams. This will allow FIS to build future tools independently. The architecture relies on Anthropic’s Claude models for reasoning. Client data remains entirely within FIS infrastructure to maintain regulatory compliance. Stephanie Ferris “Every bank in the world wants AI that acts, not just assists. The future is about a trusted provider who manages the data, who governs the agents, and who stands between your customers and the AI making decisions about their money.” Stephanie Ferris, CEO and President, FIS, said. Jonathan Pelosi, Head of Financial Services at Anthropic, said FIS provides the regulatory knowledge and transaction data necessary for practical applications. Jonathan Pelosi “They needed a model that could reason through complex investigations accurately, explain its work, and operate safely inside regulated workflows,” Pelosi said. Scaling FIS Anthropic agentic AI in banking Banks currently spend billions annually on compliance operations. A large portion of this cost stems from investigators manually compiling data from disconnected systems before they can begin their analysis. The new tool connects to both FIS and proprietary bank systems to assemble complete case files at the start of an investigation. Following the release of the compliance tool, FIS plans to expand its AI roadmap. Future applications will focus on credit decisions, customer onboarding, and fraud prevention.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by topntp26 via Magnific The post FIS and Anthropic Launch Agentic AI for Bank AML Investigations appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

SIX has received approval from the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) to merge its digital central securities depository, SIX Digital Exchange, into SIX SIS. The consolidation brings digital and traditional asset services under a single legal entity, forming the basis for integrated post-trade services across both asset classes. Separately, SIX has also obtained FINMA approval to offer crypto custody services through its licensed central securities depository. The development allows financial institutions to access crypto custody within the same regulated infrastructure used for traditional securities. According to SIX, the arrangement will operate under a combined model that links traditional and digital assets through a single post-trade environment, aiming to reduce operational complexity. Rafael Moral Santiago “Our objective is to provide financial institutions with a unified, secure, and regulated gateway to digital assets,” said Rafael Moral Santiago, Head Securities Services and member of the Executive Board at SIX. “By extending our CSD infrastructure to include crypto custody and integrating digital asset capabilities into our core offering, we combine digital asset innovation with the regulatory certainty and operational robustness of established financial market infrastructure.”     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by topntp26 via Magnific The post SIX to Merge Digital Exchange into SIS After FINMA Crypto Custody Approval appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Santander has agreed to participate in funding rounds totalling approximately £550 million for Ebury, its cross-border payments and international trade platform. Centerbridge Partners is leading the investment alongside existing backers Santander, Vitruvian Partners and 83North. Santander will invest £50 million and retain a 55% majority stake. The parties will execute the transactions in two stages, subject to regulatory approval. Ebury operates in 30 regulated markets and serves over 27,000 businesses. Its platform enables payments in more than 140 currencies across 160 countries. It also allows clients to manage foreign exchange risk, transfer funds between subsidiaries in real time, and integrate with financial systems. Since Santander invested in 2020, Ebury has grown its revenue by more than 30% annually. The company will use the proceeds to expand geographically and develop new products. It also plans to strengthen its AI capabilities to improve payment processing, optimise foreign exchange services and enhance the client experience. Ana Botín, Executive Chair of Banco Santander, said: Ana Botín “These transactions support both Ebury’s continued growth and Santander’s focus on disciplined capital allocation and value creation. The additional investments will enable Ebury to scale faster and enhance its offering to SMEs globally.” Juan Lobato, Ebury’s CEO, said: Juan Lobato “These investments come at a pivotal time, as the evolution of digital money infrastructure and agentic payment workflows will provide strong tailwinds and further accelerate our growth.” After completion, Santander will apply the equity method to account for its stake, which will remove Ebury’s revenues and costs from its consolidated reporting with minimal impact on the income statement. The transaction should add around four basis points to CET1, with completion expected by the first quarter of 2027.     Featured image credit: Ebury press release The post Santander Raises Stake to 55% as Ebury Secures £550M Funding Round appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

The global fintech industry has entered a new era defined not by speculative exuberance but by a balanced focus on scalability, profitability, and operational and regulatory maturity. A new report by McKinsey & Company, in partnership with QED Investors, offers an overview of this landscape, outlining four trends shaping this “new age” of fintech. The report highlights artificial intelligence (AI) and digital assets as pivotal technologies driving efficiency and unlocking new business opportunities. It also notes a strategic shift among established firms towards securing banking licenses to fully integrated financial institutions that control the entire value chain. Finally, the report identifies the rise of “horizontal” fintech companies. These software providers, which are helping modernize incumbents, are experiencing robust growth and attracting investors. AI as the great accelerant AI represents the most consequential force reshaping fintech, acting as an accelerant behind most structural trends that have been eroding incumbent advantages for years. Fintech firms are deploying AI to build products in weeks rather than years, serve customer segments that were previously not economically viable, and compress cost structures so aggressively that legacy operating models cannot compete on price. Early adopters are already tangible returns. According to a 2026 report by the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance, AI adoption in financial services is generating measurable improvements, especially in technology, data, and product functions, where 79% of respondents reported positive outcomes. Fintech firms reported greater benefits than traditional firms, with 86% observing gains compared to 68% for incumbents. Back office and operations followed closely at 75% overall, with fintech and traditional firms reporting similar results at 76% and 72%, respectively, indicating that operational automation is delivering consistent benefits across firm types regardless of origin. AI productivity impact by function and firm type, Source: 2026 Global AI in Financial Services Report – Adoption, Impact and Risks, Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance, Apr 2026 However, McKinsey warns that for incumbents that have not yet moved decisively, the competitive gap is widening. As for scaled fintech companies, AI has now become a double-edged sword that powers their current advantage while also simultaneously lowering the barriers that once protected them from the next wave of insurgents. Stablecoins for payment transactions Another key trend highlighted by McKinsey is the rise of digital assets, including stablecoins and tokenized deposits. Stablecoins offer instant, near-free settlement, making them highly promising for cross-border payments and remittances. However, the report notes that the use of stablecoins for real-world applications remains modest, with the vast majority still utilized for trading, arbitrage, and crypto-native activities. Of the US$35 trillion in reported annual stablecoin transaction volume, only US$390 billion, or about 1%, represented true end user payments such as remittances, and supplier payments, in 2025, according to McKinsey estimates. This figure represents a small fraction of total volume that is nevertheless more than double the 2024 level, underscoring growing utility. Annualized stablecoin volume, by type, estimate, US$ trillion, Source: McKinsey, Feb 2026 The stablecoin market has expanded rapidly in recent years, and industry forecasts reflect strong expectations for continued growth. Citi believe that total stablecoin issuance could reach between US$1.9 trillion and US$4 trillion by 2030. In comparison, aggregate stablecoin supply stood at US$280 billion in September 2025, up 40% from approximately US$200 billion at the start of 2025. This reflects a surge in adoption and increasing integration of stablecoins into payment systems. Estimating stablecoin market size by 2030 (US$ billion), Source: Stablecoins 2030: Web3 to Wall Street, Citi Institute Global Perspectives and Solutions, Sep 2025 Banking licenses as strategic assets The third trend highlighted by McKinsey is the accelerating race to secure banking licenses. These licenses are no longer perceived as regulatory hurdles but rather strategic assets that allow fintech companies to transition from peripheral service providers to fully integrated financial institutions. In 2025 alone, 21 fintech firms applied for banking charters in the US, a figure that exceeds the previous four years combined. These include industry giants such as PayPal, Ripple, and Interactive Brokers. Number of new bank charter applications to the US Office of Comptroller of the Currency, Source: The new age of fintech: AI, digital assets, and new paths to success, McKinsey and QED Investors, Apr 2026 Securing a banking license grants these companies direct control over their financial infrastructure, significantly reducing operational costs and unlocking superior scalability. They can accept customer deposits for a more stable source of funding, and connect directly to payment systems, removing dependency on intermediary banks. They can also offer a broader range of financial services under one roof, improving margins and customer retention. For crypto-focused companies like Ripple, a banking license also provides regulatory legitimacy and closer integration with the traditional financial system. The rise of horizontal fintech Finally, the fourth and last trend highlighted by McKinsey is the rise of horizontal fintech, a sector that’s gathering momentum and attracting a disproportionate share of investment. Horizontal fintech firms are software companies and ecosystem enablers that help digitize incumbents and improve efficiency across the financial-services value chain. For example, agentic AI players like Omilia offers self-learning AI solutions for regulated industries like financial services that can be deployed quickly and deliver cost and customer benefits within days. Others, like Alloy and Footprint, provide automated identity decisioning and risk management tools used by banks, credit unions, and fintech startups to automate know-your-customer (KYC), know-your-business (KYB), and anti-money-laundering (AML) screening and fraud detection. Today, horizontal fintech companies represent about 13% of industry revenues, but have grown 25% faster than firms directly competing with financial-services players over the past four years. This accelerated growth stems from their role as enablers of the entire industry’s transformation. These companies are less dependent on consumer trends and are driven by the structural necessity for banks to modernize. This makes their growth trajectory more robust and resilient to market saturation. Investors are increasingly recognizing the potential of these firms. In 2021, firms underwriting insurance direct to customers attracted 75% of investment in the UK’s insurtech industry, while horizontal insurtech firms attracted just 25%. By 2024, that proportion had flipped, with more than 90% of funding going to insurtech firms focused on digitizing incumbents. UK insurtech funding, by business model, % of total funding, Source: The new age of fintech: AI, digital assets, and new paths to success, McKinsey and QED Investors, Apr 2026     Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by geetaroy via Magnific The post McKinsey Report: A New Era of Fintech appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Zühlke has announced the acquisition of nxt digital, a boutique advisory firm focused on digital transformation in financial services. nxt digital will continue to operate as a separate entity under the name nxt, part of Zühlke Group. The acquisition combines Zühlke’s engineering and delivery capabilities with nxt digital’s banking sector expertise and executive advisory services. The firms said the combined offering is intended to provide end-to-end support for financial services clients, from strategy and advisory through to implementation. Gregor Bieler “This acquisition brings together best-in-class capabilities in financial services transformation. By combining strategic advisory with our strong engineering and execution expertise, we can deliver even greater value and measurable impact for our clients,” said Gregor Bieler, CEO of Zühlke Group. For clients operating in complex, technology-driven environments, the integrated approach is expected to support more coordinated delivery across strategy and execution. Zühlke and nxt digital have worked together since 2024. The acquisition is intended to support growth for both organisations and expand their joint offering, particularly in the insurance sector. Fabian Lötscher “Joining Zühlke is a natural next step following our successful collaboration. It allows us to scale our consulting expertise on a broader platform, access new opportunities, and continue growing our business, while delivering even greater value to our clients,” said Fabian Lötscher, Founding Partner at nxt digital.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by Frolopiaton Palm via Magnific The post Zühlke Acquires nxt Digital to Boost Financial Services Push appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

This year, global fintech funding is flowing towards scaled banking startups competing directly with traditional banks, as well as digital asset companies despite overall funding volumes continuing to contract, according to new data released by CB Insights. In Q1 2026, late-stage deal share in banking reached 35%, more than twice the quarterly average of 2024-2025. At the same time, total banking fell to a multi-year low of 34, and total funding dropped to US$934 million, roughly half of US$1.8 billion raised during the same period last year. Of the capital still entering the banking vertical this year, funding is concentrated on established banking competitors rather than banking enablers like core systems and digital onboarding providers, which saw declines. Among the top ten banking deals in Q1 2026, eight went to banking challengers competing for deposits and customer relationships. These include: Uala, an Argentinian digital bank targeting consumer banking across Latin America (LatAm) which raised a US$195 million Series F at a US$3.2 billion valuation to support regional growth; Allica Bank, a digital bank for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that raised a US$150 million Series D at a US$1.2 billion valuation to fuel lending growth, deepen investment in its proprietary stack, and expand outside of its UK home market; Anchorage Digital, a federally chartered digital asset bank in the US that raised a US$100 million Series E at a US$4.2 billion valuation to build federally chartered crypto banking infrastructure; and Uzum, an Uzbekistan-based digital platform combining e-commerce, fintech, and logistics, which raised US$82 million in a Series C to expand product depth, strengthen infrastructure, and increase access to digital services nationwide. Top digital banking equity deals in Q1 2026, Source: State of Fintech Q1 2026, CB Insights, Apr 2026 Crypto startups: high valuation relative to team size Another notable trend this year is the high valuation of crypto startups despite their small sizes. In Q1 2026, these ventures commanded an average valuation of US$6.4 million per employee, nearly twice the broader fintech average of US$3.5 million per employee. This suggests that investors are placing bigger bets on smaller crypto teams, expecting them to generate substantial value with leaner operations. This is partly due to their use of blockchain technology and smart contracts, which allow them to automate settlement, reconciliation, and custody work that would otherwise require large operations teams. CB Insights data show that of the top ten deals in Q1 2026 by valuation per employee, seven are crypto startups. These include World Liberty Financial, a crypto-focused financial company and a business venture of the Trump family with a valuation per employee of US$60 million; Kalshi, a prediction with a valuation per employee of US$48.5 million; and Rain, a enterprise-grade infrastructure for stablecoin-powered payments with a valuation per employee of US$16.8 million. Top fintech companies by valuation per employee, Source: State of Fintech Q1 2026, CB Insights, Apr 2026 Fintech M&A declines In Q1 2026, fintech mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity continued its downward trend. The quarter saw 199 transactions, marking a 26% decrease from Q4 3035 and reaching a six-quarter low. Notable deals this quarter were concentrated in areas that saw outsized funding growth in 2025, particularly cryptocurrency, spend management, and business-to-business (B2B) technology. In particular, Capital One completed its US$5.3 billion acquisition of Brex, following the spend management sector’s fourfold funding growth in 2024 and 2025. Fireblocks acquired Tres Finance in crypto accounting and tax reporting, and Mastercard announced a US$1.8 billion deal for BVNK in the crypto payment processor vertical, which was up 3.5-fold. The transaction is still pending regulatory approval. Quarterly fintech M&A, Source: State of Fintech Q1 2026, CB Insights, Apr 2026 Public listings also declined in Q1 2026, with only 11 companies going public compared to 24 in Q4 2025. Notable initial public offerings (IPOs) include PayPay, a Japanese payments app valued at more than US$10 billion when it debuted in March; PicPay, a Brazilian digital bank valued at about US$2.6 billion during its IPO in January; and BitGo, a crypto custody firm valued at US$2.1 billion when it completed its public listing in January. Several high-profile IPOs were postponed at the start of the year. Clear Street, which provides a modern, cloud-native platform for institutional investors and family offices, cited unfavorable market conditions, while crypto exchange Kraken has deterred its IPO plans until conditions improve, two people with knowledge of the matter told CoinDesk. Top fintech IPOs in Q1 2026, Source: State of Fintech Q1 2026, CB Insights, Apr 2026 Fintech funding continues to slump Fintech deals continued to fall in Q1 2026, totaling 762 transactions and marking a fifth consecutive quarterly decline and multi-year low. However, funding dollars rebounded to prior levels at US$12.1 billion following a Q4 2025 spike. This suggests that capital is concentrating on fewer companies, later in their lifecycle, with greater conviction. This trend is reflected in larger deal sizes. In 2026 year-to-date (YTD), the average deal size stood at US$22.5, marking a new high and a 10.8% increase from 2025. Median deal size also rose to US$6 million, growing 27.7% from US$4.7 million in 2025. Annual average and median deal size, Source: State of Fintech Q1 2026, CB Insights, Apr 2026 This year, AI remained the dominant investment theme, totaling US$226.2 billion in venture capital (VC) funding raised in Q1 2026 and representing 79% of all funding for the quarter. AI secured some of the period’s largest transactions, including US$122 billion for OpenAI, US$30 billion for Anthropic, US$16 billion for Waymo, and US$7.5 billion for xAI. Market outlook Looking ahead, industry experts expect several trends to shape the 2026 fintech landscape. Stablecoins and other digital assets are poised to continue to gain momentum as traditional corporates, maturing startups, and new startups capitalize on new opportunities amid enhanced regulatory certainty. Capital markets are set to experience significant disruption throughout 2026, with investors looking at all aspects of the market, from equity, stocks, and shares to debt capital markets, project and export finance, and the shift to private credit. Finally, asset management will remain an area of interest as well-established managers start to take significant strides to improve the efficiency of their front, middle, and back offices, including moving to the cloud, embracing data solutions, integrating AI agent, and tokenizing funds.   Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by freepik via Magnific The post Fintech Deals Target Banking Challengers and Emerging Crypto Startups appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

By 2030, tokenized assets, stablecoins, and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) will no longer be experimental concepts, but will be industry staples. According to a new report by IBM, these technologies are poised to dominate retail payment systems, disrupt wholesale payment rails, and revolutionize capital markets. The report shares insights from a global survey and perspectives of 500 financial services executives. It outlines three scenarios for how tokenization will reshape banking through 2030, detailing each of these scenarios’ distinct advantages and drawbacks. CBDCs take over retail payment systems The first scenario involves CBDCs taking over retail payment systems. In this vision, governments and central banks gain greater oversight of monetary flows, enabling faster fund distribution to citizens and reducing bureaucratic friction, while committing to preserve privacy rights. Everyday users benefit from lower transaction fees. For traditional banks, this scenario poses a relevant threat. If CBDCs sideline card networks and conventional accounts, banks could forfeit billions in interchange fees and deposit-based interest income, as well as the strategic advantage that comes with controlling transaction data. To remain relevant, banks would need to redefine their value proposition, shifting toward advisory services, holistic digital wealth management, or custody of tokenized assets. One-third of the executives polled by IBM believe CBDCs are very likely to replace traditional card networks. Stablecoins replace payment rails Privately-issued stablecoins backed by assets like fiat or treasuries offer reliability, potential yields, and programmability. These features make them a compelling choice for enterprises, especially when operating cross-border. Widespread adoption of privately-issued stablecoins would enable borderless, instant payments, optimized liquidity through built-in yield features, and innovative business models that streamline global finance. However, it would also introduce risks to traditional banks. Programmable payments and smart contracts could spike liquidity demands, forcing enterprises to hold more idle capital to avoid balance sheet strain. Furthermore, if major corporations issue their own stablecoins, a scenario 42% of executives see as likely, banks could see transaction fees evaporate, deposit bases shrink, and customer data slip away. To counter this, banks can adopt tokenized deposits and tokenize their operations to realize substantial cost efficiencies and boost profit margins. They can also evolve into full-service providers for tokenized operations, from digital custody to liquidity optimization, and offer bridge platforms to foster interoperability across a fragmented stablecoin ecosystem. Tokenized securities overtake traditional market infrastructure In this scenario, exchanges, clearing houses and custodians fade into the background as blockchain platforms handle issuance, trading and settlement directly. The benefits here include near-real-time transactions, automated compliance, and fractional ownership that broadens investor access. For established intermediaries, this would bring a mix of threats and opportunities. Margins might tighten as trading and reconciliation costs plummet, cannibalizing existing revenue. Executives rank these concerns as the top two major threats they face. However, new niches could emerge, such as enhanced liquidity services, compliance tools, and integrated risk management. Similarly, investors and issuers would gain efficiency and agility, but also face fresh vulnerabilities. Wallets and smart contracts could become primary targets of cyberattacks, and regulators would grapple with overseeing decentralized networks to ensure transparency, prevent market abuse, and uphold standards in a programmable financial ecosystem. 18% of the financial executives polled by IBM believe it is very likely that tokenized securities will overtake traditional capital markets infrastructure. The state of tokenization While the future of the tokenized economy remains uncertain and is still unfolding, industry stakeholders agree that the technology is here to stay and are aggressively moving toward adoption. 26% of industry executives say tokenization is now core to their strategic direction. However, only 9% report being live or ready to deploy initiatives in 2026, reflecting persistant implementation gaps. Talent is a key factor holding them back, with 71% of executives stating that they face talent deficiencies, with 14% saying these gaps are profoundly limiting. Despite the challenges, IBM expects 2026 to be a turning point for tokenization, propelled by accelerating development fueled by advancing regulation, including the US GENIUS Act, maturing blockchain technologies, and the transition of pilots to live deployments. Notable examples include parts of Singapore’s Project Guardian ecosystem, China’s e-CNY, and Cambodia’s blockchain-based retail system Bakong. Market projections Estimates by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and ADDX suggest that tokenized assets could reach US$16 trillion by 2030, which would represent nearly 10% of global GDP. McKinsey offers more modest baselines, projecting between US$2 trillion and US$4 trillion in total tokenized market capitalization, excluding cryptocurrencies, by decade’s end. Asset tokenization by 2030, Source: Boston Consulting Group and ADDX, Sep 2022 Looking ahead to 2030, banks are expected to play different roles in the tokenized economy. Financial executives polled by IBM anticipate their institutions will participate across multiple roles, with service providers (64%), custodian services (61%), and issuer roles (56%) cited most frequently. Interestingly, only 32% see their organization actively providing wallet solutions, despite wallets being a primary client touchpoint in a tokenized economy.   Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by ahmedemad11 via Magnific The post Tokenization, Stablecoins and CBDCs in 2030 appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

In 2026, global retail crypto activity continued to fall, driven primarily by macroeconomic tightening and reduced retail participation. According to blockchain intelligence company TRM Labs, retail crypto activity in the first quarter of the year reached US$979 billion, marking the continuation of a two-quarter contraction, and following a significant 23% drop in Q4 2025. This signals a sustained pullback in retail engagement across the sector. Compared to the same period last year, global retail crypto activity went down 11%. According to the firm, this downturn has been largely fueled by a global risk-off environment characterized by uncertainty surrounding US tariff policy, a strengthening US dollar, and elevated real yields. These factors have put pressure on the price of cryptocurrencies, with Bitcoin declining 22% over the quarter, ending near US$68,000. This pattern is consistent with how crypto had behaved across previous market cycles. Bitcoin returns are more often than not aligned with broader macro regimes, with strong performance during periods of liquidity expansion and sharp drawdowns during risk-off episodes, such as the 2022 tightening cycle. Steep declines in Asia Across the top ten countries by retail volume in Q1 2026, South Korea recorded the steepest decline. Ranking second globally, South Korea saw its volume fall 31% year-over-year (YoY) to reach US$66.6 billion in Q1 2026 from US$96.1 billion a year prior. This sharp contraction reflects the outsized role of domestic retail speculation in a market sensitive to global risk sentiment, the report says. Vietnam and Ukraine also experienced significant downturns, each recording YoY declines of 22%. Retail volume in Vietnam dropped to US$31.6 billion in Q1 2026 while Ukraine fell to US$31.6 billion. Despite these declines, the two countries remained significant players in the global retail crypto landscape, ranking eighth and ninth, respectively, in Q1 2026. Top 10 countries by retail crypto volume, Q1 2026 vs Q1 2025, Source: TRM Labs and SimilarWeb, Apr 2026 In Q1 2026, the US maintained its position as the largest market for retail crypto volume at US$213.3 billion. The figure is nearly three times the next largest market, South Korea. Following these is Russia with a volume of US$47.5 billion in Q1 2026, sustained in part by activity on Grinex, which filled the void left by the enforcement actions against Garantex. Crypto volumes sustained in Russia despite sanctions Garantex was sanctioned by authorities for facilitating money laundering and illicit financial activity. Investigations by the US Treasury found that the exchange had received millions of dollars in crypto transactions associated with darknet markets, ransomware, and state-sponsored hacking groups. Grinex emerged as a successor or rebrand of the sanctioned Russian exchange, sharing infrastructure, funds, and activity patterns. Although registered in Kyrgyzstan, Grinex has strong ties to Russia and is one of the largest exchanges for exchanging Russian rubles for cryptocurrencies. The US has stated that Grinex is helping customers circumvent sanctions via a RUB-backed stablecoin called A7A5. This comes as Russia’s major banks are being disconnected from the international SWIFT system following EU sanctions related to the military campaign in Ukraine, prompting the nation to develop sophisticated crypto infrastructure to facilitate foreign trade. In April 2026, however, Grinex announced that it had suspended its operations after assets worth RUB 1 billion (US$13.1 million) were stolen during a cyberattack, Reuters reports. Escalating pressure on Iran In Q1 2026, retail crypto activity in Iran unfolded amidst heightened geopolitical tension and escalating sanctions enforcement targeting the country’s financial infrastructure. In January, the US Treasury took the step of sanctioning two crypto exchanges, Zedcex and Zedxion, for facilitating transactions tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), marking the first time digital asset platforms were designated for operating in Iran’s financial sector. Consequently, crypto activity in Iran fell significantly. Iranian-attributed crypto volumes declined 59% from a peak of US$2.1 billion in Q4 2024 to US$510 million in Q1 2026, reaching their lowest levels in the past year. Total incoming volume to Iranian-registered VASPs (US$ million), Source: TRM Labs, Apr 2026 Turkey as a top mover Compared to its international counterparts, Turkey performed relatively better, rising from seventh place in Q1 2025 to fifth in Q1 2026 despite a slight 7% YoY decline in volume to US$34.9 billion. Last year, Turkey dominated value received in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) with nearly US$200 billion between July 2024 to July 2025. The figure is almost four times that of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which follows as the second-largest market in the region at US$53 billion, according to blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis. Top countries in MENA by total value received, July 2024 – June 2025, Source: The 2025 Geography of Crypto Report, Chainalysis, Oct 2025 These large volumes are being partly attributed to Turkey’s challenging economic circumstances, including currency devaluation and inflationary pressures. This has driven crypto adoption for economic necessity, serving as an alternative financial infrastructure and an investment vehicle to escape financial hardship. Chainalysis estimates that gross crypto inflows in Turkey totaled approximately US$878 billion between early 2021 and mid-2025, outpacing all other regional markets. Cumulative gross cryptocurrency inflows in MENA, Source: The 2025 Geography of Crypto Report, Chainalysis, Oct 2025 Stablecoin use surges in Venezuela Another bright spot this year is the rise of crypto activity, and most particularly stablecoins, within the sanction-constrained economy of Venezuela. In January 2026, US authorities escalated pressure on the Maduro regime through a superseding indictment and a military operation that resulted in Maduro’s capture and removal from power, intensifying uncertainty around the country’s political and economic outlook. Against this backdrop, Venezuela witnessed a relative surge in crypto activity. In Q1 2026, the country rose to become the 17th largest retail crypto market by volume with US$17.9 billion, up from 22nd in Q1 2025. In particular, stablecoins, particularly those pegged to the USD, dominated Venezuelan crypto activity, accounting for a large share of transaction activity in the country. Three structural factors are driving this pattern, namely local currency instability, capital controls with restricted banking access, and the longstanding habit of using of informal exchange channels. EUR-denominated stablecoins gain ground Though globally, USD-denominated stablecoins are seeing a decline in volume, EUR-denominated stablecoins are experiencing significant growth. In January 2025, USD stablecoins processed at retail virtual asset service providers (VASPs) totaled US$310 billion. By March 2026, that figure stood at US$274 billion. In contrast, EUR-denominated stablecoins grew from US$69 million in January 2025 to US$777 million in March 2026, representing a 12-fold increase over 15 months. TRM Labs attributes this growth to several factors, including the introduction of the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework, which is providing clear rules for stablecoin issuance and compliancey; ongoing macroeconomic uncertainty and US-centric financial conditions prompting demand for diversification; and European exchange and payment providers increasingly supporting EUR-denominated products, making it easier for users to enter and exit crypto markets without converting into USD.   Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by MDStudio via Magnific The post Global Retail Crypto Activity Falls Amid Geopolitical Tensions appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

LemFi has announced a £100 million commitment to the UK economy over the next five years, alongside the establishment of London as its global headquarters. Bilateral trade between the UK and Nigeria now reaches £8.1 billion annually, and the UK’s Department for Business and Trade (DBT) describes the commitment as the largest single fintech investment pledge facilitated under the UK–Nigeria Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership. He added that it also reinforces the UK’s position as a hub for high-growth firms supporting more accessible financial services for diaspora communities. Rian Cochran, Co-Founder and Chief Financial Officer of Lemfi, said the company’s global workforce informs its product development. Rian Cochran “Our team across five continents reflects every corridor we serve; to us, that lived experience is not a diversity metric; it is our product advantage,” he said, adding that centralising operations in London would support infrastructure and regulatory engagement across markets. The company will direct the £100 million commitment towards hiring across engineering, compliance and product functions, expanding regulatory and compliance infrastructure, and continuing investment in technology and research and development. The announcement follows LemFi’s 2025 acquisition of London-based credit fintech Pillar and regulatory approval in Ireland to acquire Bureau Buttercrane, extending access to the European Economic Area. The company currently holds licenses and approvals in the UK, Ireland, Australia and 14 US states.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by 21studio via Magnific The post LemFi Commits £100M to UK Expansion, Names London as Global HQ appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Banking Circle has launched stablecoin settlement services after securing a Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP) licence from Luxembourg’s financial regulator. The licence, granted by the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier on 15 April 2026, allows Banking Circle to expand its digital asset services within a regulated framework. The new service enables institutions to move between fiat currencies and stablecoins through Banking Circle’s core platform. It supports fiat-to-stablecoin and stablecoin-to-fiat settlement with stablecoins including USDC, USDG and EURI. The service is designed for institutions seeking faster settlement through stablecoin rails while meeting the compliance, security and risk management standards expected of a regulated bank. Laust Bertelsen Laust Bertelsen, CEO of Banking Circle, said, “The award of our CASP license is an important milestone for Banking Circle, as well as for the broader payments ecosystem. Stablecoins have fast evolved from a peripheral innovation into core infrastructure for cross-border settlement, treasury management, and financial inclusion.” Banking Circle cited a global stablecoin market capitalisation of about €250 billion, annual payment-related transaction volumes of around €330 billion and monthly on-chain volumes exceeding €8 trillion. Kirit Bhatia Kirit Bhatia, Chief Digital Asset Officer at Banking Circle, said, “We have spent years building the financial infrastructure that enables more than 750 payment companies, financial institutions, and marketplaces to efficiently move and convert over €1.5 trillion annually across the globe. Stablecoins are a natural extension of that infrastructure and central to our mission of eliminating unnecessary cost and complexity through technology.” The stablecoin settlement service adds to Banking Circle’s payments infrastructure as demand grows for real-time and always-on settlement options.       Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by ghiska via Freepik The post Banking Circle Secures Luxembourg Crypto Licence, Launches Stablecoin Settlement appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Akbank AG, the German subsidiary of Turkey’s Akbank TAS, has completed Phase 1 of its core banking transformation on the Mambu SaaS cloud platform. Innovance, Mambu’s strategic technology partner, delivered the project in partnership with Akbank AG and Mambu. The phase covers the migration away from Akbank AG’s legacy core system for its Retail and Private Banking segments. All customers and accounts in these segments now run on Mambu’s API-first, cloud-native core banking platform. Germany’s financial regulator, BaFin, supervises the transformation, which follows a phased migration approach. The architecture is hosted on Microsoft Azure. Mambu provides the core banking layer, supporting integration with external partners and reducing operational complexity. A custom Core+ layer manages orchestration and business logic, connecting Mambu with other systems and handling product configuration, transaction validation and limit management. Innovance built and integrated the Core+ layer across the system landscape. In 2022, Akbank AG delivered the Limit Proposal Application. This enabled it to launch a digital corporate credit approval process within four months. The platform now integrates core banking, accounting, payments and digital channels. It also connects wealth management back office, document management and financial crime detection systems. Configuration-based controls enable the bank to adjust pricing, fees and interest rates without code changes. Akbank AG has started the next phase of the programme, which will focus on Corporate Banking and Lending and more complex lending requirements. Osman Kara, Core Banking Technologies Vice President at Akbank AG Osman Kara “The industry is undergoing rapid transformation, and customers increasingly expect agility and seamless digital experiences,” said Osman Kara, Core Banking Technologies Vice President at Akbank AG. “With the successful completion of Phase 1 on Mambu, and in close collaboration with Innovance, we have modernised our core banking foundation and established a scalable architecture to support our next phase of growth.” Mark Geneste, Chief Revenue Officer at Mambu, said: Mark Geneste “A show of our strength in the region, as well as our continued partnership with Innovance, this project will transform the banking capabilities of the region, as well as the offerings from Akbank AG. We look forward to the next phase of transformation.”     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by noob via Freepik The post Germany’s Akbank Completes Mambu Core Migration, Modernises Banking Stack appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

In 2026, artificial intelligence (AI) funding maintained strong momentum, with volumes surging and major technology firms acquiring AI capabilities at an early stage. These findings come from the Q1 2026 State of AI report, released in April by CB Insights. The report looks at equity financing activity into private AI companies during the first quarter of the year, sharing funding, thematic, and exit trends. AI funding triples According to the report, AI funding intensified in 2026. In the first quarter, global private AI funding surged by a staggering 216% quarter-over-quarter (QoQ), jumping from approximately US$72 billion in Q4 2025 to US$226 billion in Q1 2026. Notably, this single quarter already exceeds the entire year of 2025, which stood at US$217 billion. Quarterly equity funding and deals, Source: State of AI Q1 2026, CB Insights, Apr 2026 Deal count remained stable in Q1 2026 at 1,965, compared to 2,076 in Q4 2025 and 2,030 Q1 2025. Mega-rounds of US$100 million and above dominated AI funding activity, with xAI, Anthropic, and OpenAI accounting for more than 70% of total AI funding in Q1 2026. These transactions comprised: US$122 billion raised by ChatGPT parent firm OpenAI in March to build a “unified AI superapp”; A US$30 billion Series G raised by Anthropic in February to fuel the frontier research, product development, and infrastructure expansions; and A US$7.5 billion Series E secured in January by xAI to scale its compute infrastructure and buildout of the “largest GPU clusters in the world”. These companies are racing to cover the compute, talent, and energy costs required to stay at the frontier of model development. The transactions reflect the enormous capital requirements of their advanced AI systems. Physical AI leads In Q1 2026, physical AI led all sectors with an 11% deal share and capital flowing into defense, industrial, and mobility. Industrial humanoid robot developers dominated with 17 deals as investment shifts from research and development (R&D) toward commercial deployment. Pilot programs are already underway. Boston Dynamics’ new Atlas robot will be deployed at Hyundai facilities and Google DeepMind this year, European airplane manufacturer Airbus will use UBTech’s Walker S2 humanoid robots on its assembly line, and the BMW Group has launched a pilot project with humanoid robots at the Leipzig plant in Germany. According to CB Insights, humanoid robot companies are on pace for a record US$10 billion in 2026 funding. Autonomous driving was another significant investment theme in Q1 2026. Notably, Waymo, Wayve, and Waabi together raised US$18 billion and are already operating at commercial scale. Waymo now operates more than 3,000 robotaxis completing over 500,000 paid rides every week. Wayve, from London, plans to run its own robotaxi rides in London and Tokyo in 2026 in partnership with Uber and Nissan. Physical AI leads all markets in AI deal activity, Source: State of AI Q1 2026, CB Insights, Apr 2026 Bigtechs drive AI M&A activity Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity in AI continued in Q1 2026, driven by bigtech firms. A total of 266 AI M&A transactions were recorded, representing a slight 9% QoQ decline, but a 90% year-over-year increase. Bigtech firms focused primarily on young startups with an average time of exit of 4.5 years. Across all AI M&A transactions, the average time to exit stood at 7.6 years, reflecting how bigtech firms acquired AI capabilities before they scale. At the stage, many targets are still built around a single core capability, making them more affordable and easier for incumbents to integrate into existing product stakes. Google was the most active dealmaker, with at least five acquisitions: Intrinsic, a software and AI robotics company; Common Sense Machines, which develops generative AI (genAI) models producing three-dimensional assets from two-dimensional images; Hume AI, an AI voice startup; ProducerAI, an AI music editor; and Wiz, a cloud and AI security platform. Microsoft acquired at least two AI startups – Cove, an AI collaboration startup, and Osmos, an agentic AI data engineering platform -, while Amazon purchased Fauna Robotics and Rivr, two robotics startups. Notable Q1 2026 bigtech AI acquisitions by years since founding, Source: State of AI Q1 2026, CB Insights, Apr 2026 Looking at regional distribution, CB Insights data show that the US continued to dominate AI funding, securing US$206 billion through 980 deals. The US accounted for 91% of the global AI funding volume, and 50% of the total deal count. Europe followed with US$10.5 billion across 44 deals, while Asia secured US$8 billion and 438 deals. Africa trailed significantly with US$3 billion with just six deals. Overall, AI led venture capital (VC) funding in Q1 2026, capturing 79% of all VC funding for the quarter, according to CB Insights data, reflecting how AI remains the primary focus for capital deployment.   Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by rawpixel.com via Freepik The post AI Funding Surges Led by Frontier Models appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

NatWest has launched NatWest Venture Banking, a dedicated business unit aimed at supporting high-growth UK companies and the investors backing them. The initiative is designed to help innovation-led firms scale, create jobs and contribute to long-term economic growth. The bank said venture-backed businesses are playing an increasingly important role in improving productivity, attracting investment and generating skilled employment in the UK. The bank has set up the new division to meet demand from founders and investors for more integrated financial services across the company lifecycle, from early-stage development through to global expansion. NatWest Venture Banking brings together specialist teams from across the bank into a single proposition. It will operate a relationship-led regional model, with dedicated teams across the UK offering sector expertise and capital solutions tailored to growth companies. As part of the launch, NatWest has also announced a strategic partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS). The collaboration will give venture banking clients access to AWS’s technical infrastructure, network and sector expertise. The companies said the aim is to support UK startups in scaling through improved access to technology and advisory support. The division will also work with venture capital firms and other investors to support portfolio companies and provide fund banking services. Paul Thwaite, Chief Executive of NatWest Group, said: Paul Thwaite “Innovation-led businesses are central to the UK’s future prosperity, driving productivity, jobs and global competitiveness. Too many founders still face barriers to scaling, and NatWest Venture Banking is designed to change that.” Alison Kay, Vice President and Managing Director of AWS UK and Ireland, said: Alison Kay “By combining AWS’s cloud and AI technology with NatWest’s banking capabilities, we can help founders build, scale and compete globally.”       Featured image credit: NatWest The post NatWest Launches Venture Banking to Scale UK Startups with AWS Partnership appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

A high-level delegation from Abu Dhabi, led by ADGM, has concluded a series of meetings in Milan, Italy with financial institutions and industry representatives. The engagements were part of efforts to strengthen Abu Dhabi’s position in financial services and support economic growth priorities. The discussions involved asset managers, private equity firms, banks, and family offices. Talks focused on capital deployment, cross-border expansion, and investment structuring opportunities. Participants also discussed Abu Dhabi’s regulatory and business environment. The engagements form part of the UAE-Italy strategic partnership signed in 2025 to expand cooperation across key sectors. They follow a visit by an Abu Dhabi economic delegation to Italy in January 2026. During that visit, agreements were signed in entrepreneurship, manufacturing, advanced manufacturing, financial services, and agritech. Through ADGM, Abu Dhabi operates a legal and regulatory framework based on the direct application of English common law. The framework is designed to support international business operations and cross-border investment activity. During the visit, Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi attended the launch of Salone del Mobile. The event is a major international platform for the design and manufacturing sectors. The visit formed part of broader efforts to strengthen collaboration between Abu Dhabi and international markets. It also aimed to support industry engagement and knowledge exchange. Al Zaabi said: Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi “Moments like this bring together a high concentration of global financial institutions and influential decision-makers. Our priority is to engage where capital is being allocated and to ensure Abu Dhabi remains part of those conversations. “We have built a financial centre that offers clarity, enforceability, and long-term stability. Through ADGM, capital can be structured and deployed with confidence, within a jurisdiction designed to support cross-border investment at scale.” The engagements reflect Abu Dhabi’s wider approach to linking financial services, industrial sectors, and emerging industries within a broader economic framework.     Featured image credit: ADGM This article first appeared on Fintech News UAE The post Abu Dhabi Targets Cross-Border Capital Flows in Push to Deepen Italy Ties appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Despite large jurisdictions like China and the US lead the world in artificial intelligence (AI) funding and development, smaller countries like Switzerland and Singapore lead in AI research. According to a new report by the Stanford University’s Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), Switzerland had 110.5 AI authors and inventors per 100,000 inhabitants in 2025, followed closely by Singapore with 109.5. Top AI authors and inventors per 100,000 inhabitants by country, 2025, Source- 2026 Artificial Intelligence Index Report, Stanford University’s Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), Apr 2026 Switzerland also has one of the highest share of PhD holders at 43.6%, behind the UK (51.1%), and Australia (50.5%). This underscores the country’s robust foundation of advanced education and highly specialized expertise, which directly fuel its leadership in AI research and innovation. Switzerland also maintains a relatively high concentration of AI talent. LinkedIn’s metrics on the concentration of AI talent within countries and the movement of that talent across borders show that in 2025, Switzerland held the fifth highest concentration of AI talent among LinkedIn members, with a 1.25% share. Singapore ranked second with a 1.82% share. AI talent concentration by geographic area, 2025, Source: 2026 Artificial Intelligence Index Report, Stanford University’s Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), Apr 2026 Migration patterns, which illustrate the dynamic global redistribution of AI talent, reveal that in 2025, Switzerland recorded the fifth highest net inflow relative to other tracked countries, with 1.72 per 10,000 LinkedIn members. This suggests that Switzerland is successfully attracting international AI experts, effectively competing against much larger economies. Net AI talent migration per 10,000 LinkedIn members by geographic area, 2025, Source: 2026 Artificial Intelligence Index Report, Stanford University’s Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), Apr 2026 Switzerland also ranks relatively high in “AI diffusion”, a metric which measures how widely AI tools are being adopted across populations, countries, occupations, and everyday tasks. By the end of 2025, AI adoption in Switzerland reached 34.8%, ranking 15th globally. AI diffusion by top 30 geographic areas, first vs second half 2025, Source: 2026 Artificial Intelligence Index Report, Stanford University’s Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), Apr 2026 Despite these strengths, Switzerland demonstrates relatively low excitement about AI, a trend consistent with the rest of Europe, where populations are generally clustered at lower levels of excitement and higher levels of nervousness. This suggests that while the Swiss ecosystem is highly successful at the expert level because of rigorous academic standards, the general public remains wary of the implications, privacy concerns, and rapid disruption associated with AI. In contract, Asian countries showcase among the highest levels of excitement, and the lowest levels of nervousness. The most eager jurisdictions are Indonesia and China, which show the highest levels of excitement, with nervousness remaining below 50%. Global opinions about products and services using AI by country, 2025, Source: 2026 Artificial Intelligence Index Report, Stanford University’s Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), Apr 2026 Globally, many respondents associate AI with practical personal benefits, particularly time savings and entertainment. In 2025, 56% of individuals believed that AI would reduce the amount of time it takes them to get things done, a figure rises to 78% in China and exceeds 60% in Southeast Asian countries. Similarly, Swiss respondents identified these as the primary benefits, with 46% citing time savings, and 43% citing entertainment. Global opinions on the potential of AI to improve life by country, 2025, Source: 2026 Artificial Intelligence Index Report, Stanford University’s Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), Apr 2026 AI capabilities and adoption progress Globally, AI capability is advancing and adoption is accelerating. In 2025, industry produced over 90% of notable frontier models, with a small set of organizations accounting for a large share of release. Top contributors in 2025 were OpenAI, with 19 models, Google with 12, and Alibaba with 11. Several of those models now meet or exceed human baselines on PhD-level science questions, multimodal reasoning, and competition mathematics. Number of notable AI models by sector, 2003-2025, Source: 2026 Artificial Intelligence Index Report, Stanford University’s Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), Apr 2026 However, the most capable modern models are also the least transparent. The Foundation Model Transparency Index, which measures how openly major AI companies disclose details about their models’ training data, compute, capabilities, risks, and usage policies, saw average scores drop from 58 in 2024 to 40 in 2025. This may suggest that as AI systems become more powerful and complex, major players are increasingly prioritizing proprietary secrecy and competitive advantage over public disclosure and safety oversight. The report also highlights the narrowing performance gap between the US and China. In February 2025, DeepSeek-R1 briefly matched the top model in the US. By March 2026, however, Anthropic’s leading model held a 2.7% advantage over its top Chinese rival. Over the past year, the gap has fluctuated between near parity and low single digits. Performance of top US versus Chinese models on the Arena, Source: 2026 Artificial Intelligence Index Report, Stanford University’s Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), Apr 2026 Overall, the US remains an undisputed global leader in AI. In 2025, the country hosted the most AI data centers with 5,427 facilities, more than ten times any other country. Germany, the UK, and China followed with 529, 523, and 449 data centers, respectively. Global distribution of data center, 2025, Source: 2026 Artificial Intelligence Index Report, Stanford University’s Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), Apr 2026 The US also leads in AI investment and entrepreneurial activity. In 2025, US AI investment totaled nearly US$285.9 billion, 23.1 times greater than the amount invested in the next highest country, China, with US$12.4 billion, and 48.5 times the amount invested in the UK with US$5.9 billion. Global private investment in AI by geographic area, 2013-2025, Source: 2026 Artificial Intelligence Index Report, Stanford University’s Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), Apr 2026 That same year, the US saw 1,953 newly funded AI companies, more than ten times the next closest country, the UK, with 172 companies, and China, with 161 ventures. Number of newly funded AI companies by geographic area, 2025, Source: 2026 Artificial Intelligence Index Report, Stanford University’s Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), Apr 2026 These developments come on the back of soaring AI adoption. Within just three years, generative AI (genAI) reached 53% population adoption, well above the initial trajectories of the personal computer and the Internet over comparable time frames. Speed of AI adoption by technology, Source: 2026 Artificial Intelligence Index Report, Stanford University’s Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), Apr 2026 However, adoption varies widely from one country to another. As of the end of 2025, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Singapore were the biggest adopters of AI, posting adoption rates of 64% and 60.9%, respectively.   Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by sosiukin via Freepik The post Switzerland Lead Global AI Research Despite China and the US Dominating Innovation appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Nexi and Visa have announced a partnership to scale managed issuing solutions in Germany. The partnership aims to help banks modernise card issuing. The payments sector continues to evolve. This evolution is driven by ongoing technological development, increased fraud and security requirements, advances in wallets and tokenisation, regulatory obligations, and rising expectations for digital customer experiences. Under the long-term agreement, Nexi will provide end-to-end managed issuing services for banks offering Visa cards. The model reduces operational complexity and shortens time-to-market, while giving banks access to ongoing product and service updates. Nexi will manage implementation, operations, compliance, and product development. This allows banks to focus on customer-facing services. Nexi bases its approach on its “fully managed product” model, which already operates in Italy. In Germany, Nexi will deliver this through Nexi Ready. This enables banks to launch card products without building or maintaining full issuing infrastructure internally. The offering supports a range of card programmes. These include premium products for affluent customers, SME and business cards with control features, and digital-first youth-focused cards with simplified onboarding. Christian Segersven, Co-lead of Issuing Business at Nexi Group, said: Christian Segersven “This partnership with Visa will accelerate a paradigm shift in the way issuers in Germany are supported by third-party specialists like Nexi.” Visa said the collaboration reflects a shift in how banks approach issuing. Tobias Czekalla, Country Head, Visa Germany, said: Tobias Czekalla “Nexi brings a proven ability to deliver scalable payments capabilities and a new era of fully managed issuing products. This collaboration recognises the need for banks to modernise faster. It also allows them to benefit from Visa’s global network, innovation drive and security expertise.” Both companies will work together to roll out the model in the German banking market.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by freepik The post Nexi and Visa Aim to Reshape Card Issuing in Germany with Managed Model appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.