Starling Bank has agreed to acquire Ember with plans to integrate Ember’s tax and bookkeeping tools into its business banking platform, giving small businesses streamlined support for invoicing, expenses, payroll, and tax submissions. Ember’s software currently serves customers of major UK banks, but will become exclusive to Starling customers in 2026. The move positions Starling to help businesses comply with His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC’s) Making Tax Digital mandate by April 2026. UK-based Starling Bank announced this week that it will acquire fellow UK fintech Ember, a tax and bookkeeping platform. Starling will build Ember’s resources into its banking platform to provide small business owners with tools they need to manage their transactions and tax submissions. Terms of the acquisition are undisclosed. Ember was founded in 2019 to give small businesses a human accountant to work with throughout the year to offer real-time insights into their finances and automated bookkeeping. The company offers tools for invoicing, expense management, payroll, tax optimization, and more to do the heavy lifting of tax and VAT compliance while maximizing companies’ visibility into their finances. “Ember’s platform is beautifully designed to simplify complex accounting tasks through a user-friendly interface,” said Starling Bank Managing Director of SME Banking Adeel Hyder. “As Starling ramps up the roll-out of best-in-class solutions for small businesses, we will continue to build, partner, or buy as best meets customers’ needs.” Ember currently serves thousands of UK-based small businesses, including customers of HSBC, Revolut, Barclays, and Lloyds. Under the agreement with Starling, however, the company’s software will be exclusively available to Starling Bank customers starting in 2026. Also, as part of today’s deal, Starling will discontinue Ember’s accountancy advisory services. This is a key move for Starling and strategic timing, given that His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has mandated a Making Tax Digital requirement starting in April of 2026. Starling’s integration of Ember’s tools will help the many businesses that aren’t prepared for online tax reporting to integrate Ember’s HMRC-recognized software by the end of 2025. The integration of Ember will be available to Starling’s business customers as part of a suite of business services. Among the bank’s other commercial customer tools are Spaces, a tool that allows business owners to put money aside for designated purposes; Bills Manager, which helps businesses pay suppliers on time; and Spending Intelligence, an AI-powered spending tracker. “We are a natural fintech consolidator, so targeted acquisitions like Ember will form a key part of our strategy as we continue to develop Starling Bank in the UK and Engine by Starling overseas,” said Starling Group Chief Financial Officer Declan Ferguson. “Just as Fleet Mortgages has flourished since we bought it in 2021, I’m confident that Ember’s best-in-class tools will become a fantastic addition to Starling Bank’s offering.” Photo by Peťka Šurinová The post Starling to Acquire Tax and Bookkeeping Startup Ember appeared first on Finovate.       

Crypto exchange Kraken has announced its acquisition of no-code, natural language-based trading tools provider Capitalise.ai. The acquisition will enable traders and investors on Kraken’s platform to build and execute complex trading strategies using everyday language rather than code. Headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel, Capitalise.ai won Best of Show in its Finovate debut at FinovateSpring 2017. Crypto exchange Kraken has acquired Capitalise.ai, an Israel-based fintech that provides no-code, natural language-based trading and analytic tools for investors and traders. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Capitalise.ai won Best of Show in its Finovate debut at FinovateSpring 2017 in San Francisco. At the conference, the company demonstrated how its technology can translate a wide variety of data inputs—including financial, social, and weather data—into actionable investment ideas across equities, cryptocurrencies, currencies, futures, options, and more. Capitalise.ai provides automated trade execution and the ability to optimize investment strategies quickly to analyze, predict, and improve performance. “This acquisition gives Kraken Pro clients a powerful new way to act on ideas in real-time—testing, optimizing, and executing bespoke strategies with unprecedented speed and confidence,” Kraken Head of Exchange Shannon Kurtas said. “Capitalise.ai’s technology transforms how people interact with financial data—breaking down barriers that have long kept scalable, advanced strategies in the hands of a few. This is a major leap forward in democratizing access to pro-grade trading tools.” Capitalise.ai’s functionality will be integrated into the Kraken Pro trading app in a phased rollout later in 2025. The company’s co-founders CEO Amir Shiovich and CPO Shahar Rabin, along with members of Capitalise.ai’s product and engineering team, will join Kraken. The acquisition comes as the evolution of Kraken’s Pro platform, with its advanced features, has increasingly required both technical skill and deep trading expertise in order for users to make the most of the solution. Capitalise provides an effective response to this challenge, enabling clients regardless of background to build, test, and automatically execute often complex trading strategies using simple, everyday language. “I founded Capitalise.ai alongside my partner Shahar Rabin, with the goal of democratizing advanced capabilities that were once reserved for hedge funds—through a simple, intuitive text interface,” Capitalise.ai’s Shiovich wrote on LinkedIn this week. “Over the years, we’ve partnered with world-leading brokers, served thousands of clients, and supported the trading of billions of dollars. By joining Kraken, we now have the opportunity to scale and drive meaningful impact across the trading industry.” Founded in 2015, Capitalise.ai is headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel. Earlier this year, the company announced an expanded partnership with FOREX.com that enabled FOREX.com’s customers in the EU and the UK to access Capitalise.ai’s platform. Among the longest-standing cryptocurrency platforms in the world, Kraken offers trading in more than 200 digital assets and six different national currencies including EUR, GBP, USD, CAD, CHF, and AUD. Founded in 2011, the company has been a pioneer in spot trading with margin, parachain auctions, staking, regulated derivatives, and index services. Kraken supports more than 15 million clients in 190+ countries and has more than $207 billion in quarterly trading volume on its platform. Photo by Angela García The post Crypto Exchange Kraken Acquires Capitalise.ai appeared first on Finovate.       

A look at the companies demoing at FinovateFall in New York on September 8 – 10. Register today using this link and save 20%. Appli Appli’s AI-powered calculators turn visitors into confident shoppers, guiding key loan and savings decisions to boost revenue across every financial product. Features Delivers personalized financial guidance using AI enabled financial calculators Boosts engagement via a trusted experience seamlessly embedded Drives revenue growth and turns trust into loyal customers Who’s it for? Credit unions and community banks. Debbie Debbie is a rewards platform for good money habits where users can earn points for saving, paying off debt, and making on time payments. Features Drives 2x average deposit lift from engaged members Delivers a 35% reduction in delinquencies Sources thousands of new consumers for half the cost Provides competitive intelligence data for upsell opportunities Who’s it for? Banks and credit unions. FintechOS FintechOS’s AI-driven product engine helps banks innovate without replacing core systems. Its low-code, composable architecture accelerates digital transformation, enhancing compliance and decision-making. Features Launch Web3 products without core changes Manage deposits and digital assets from a single platform Unlock revenue via crypto-backed lending with GENIUS Act readiness Who’s it for? Regional and community banks and credit unions. Lyzr AI Lyzr AI is a full stack AI agent infrastructure platform for enterprise. Features Safe and responsible AI built into the framework Full stack approach from building agents to taking them into production Clonable blueprints and use cases for financial institutions Who’s it for? Banks and financial institutions. Mall IQ Mall IQ (rebranded as LocatIQ) is an SF-based location AI company empowering financial institutions with real-time customer intent insights, predictive AI models, and contextual engagement. Features Delivers real-time, hyper-personalized engagement for revenue growth Uses predictive AI models for card spend potential, including affluent and churn prediction Offers alternative credit scoring, fraud prevention, and false card decline prevention Who’s it for? Card banks, credit unions, B2C fintech payment companies, loyalty platforms, and retailers. MoneyPlanned MoneyPlanned is a patented AI infrastructure for financial planning—delivering real-time, personalised, compliant advice and execution, turning every institution into a 24/7 superhuman advisor. Features Patented AI infrastructure: Builds and executes goal-based plans in minutes Behavior-aware engine: Adapts to life events, nudging action Enterprise rails: API, onboarding, eKYC, compliance, white-label Who’s it for? Advisors, banks, and consumers. Reset Reset enables banks and credit unions to natively embed earned wage access, driving growth in deposits and transaction revenue while strengthening customer financial health. Features Gives cardholders daily access to income and automated cashflow budgeting Attracts and retains direct deposit relationships Earns 4x more interchange revenue per transaction on existing cards Who’s it for? Banks, credit unions, and payment processors. The post FinovateFall 2025 Sneak Peek Series: Part 6 appeared first on Finovate.      Related StoriesFinovateFall 2025 Sneak Peek Series: Part 5FinovateFall 2025 Sneak Peek Series: Part 4FinovateFall 2025 Sneak Peek Series: Part 3 

How have the opportunities and challenges for women in fintech and financial services changed in recent years? What can community banks do to better compete in the “consumer deposit wars?” And what do banks, credit unions, and other companies in the financial services space stand to gain from effectively deploying AI in their operations? FinovateFall’s Executive Briefings will tackle all these questions and more next month, September 8 through 10, at the Marriott Marquis Times Square in New York. Check out our capsule summaries below. Then visit our FinovateFall registration hub to reserve your ticket. We can’t wait to show you what we’ve got in store this year! Executive Briefing: Women in Fintech—How can we all make sure we are moving the needle? Moderated by Michelle Tran, Founder, NYC Fintech Women, this Executive Briefing will examine a range of issues facing women in fintech and financial services. The conversation will include discussion on initiatives that are making a difference in growing and retaining female talent, the importance of diverse perspectives in AI development, and how to drive positive change in the industry. Mon, Sep 8, 10:20 am. Featuring: Sherry Wu, Chief Technology Officer, University of Michigan Credit Union Pam Hannett, Vice President, Liberty Bank Sarah Biller, Co-Founder, Fintech Sandbox Vanessa Larco, Former Partner, Premise Ventures Lily Page, Head of Embedded Payments, SVB, a Division of First Citizens Bank Laura Sweet, VP of Marketing, Riva International Executive Briefing: The Coming Storm for Community Banks Moderated by Jason Henrichs, CEO, Alloy Labs, this Executive Briefing will investigate ways that community banks can develop a winning strategic plan that enables them to embrace innovation and better serve their customers. The panelists will share their insights on topics ranging from the so-called consumer deposit wars to the challenge of aligning culture, strategy, and execution when integrating enabling technologies like AI. Tue, Sep 9, 10:40 am. Featuring: Angi Milano, Founder and CEO, Maven Advisory Laurie Stewart, CEO, Sound Community Bank Wayne Miller, SVP, Innovation Programming, ICBA Pam Kaur, Head of Bank Technology, BankTech Ventures Executive Briefing: The AI Competitive Imperative—The ten AI solutions you need to know about today Moderated by Kate Drew, Partner, Director of Research, CCG Catalyst Consulting, this Executive Briefing will focus on real-world applications and use cases for AI in financial services. The panelists will discuss how to implement AI safely and within regulatory requirements, as well as share strategies to ensure that AI is aligned with the institution’s business and change management strategy. Tue, Sep 9, 10:40 am. Featuring: Kimberly Kirk, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, Queensborough National Bank & Trust Company Jamie Twiss, CEO, Carrington Labs Katie Quilligan, Investor, BankTech Ventures Andrew Szabo, Head of Industry Vertical, Financial Services, UiPath The post FinovateFall: Women in Fintech, Community Banking, and What You Need to Know About AI appeared first on Finovate.       

Payment infrastructure provider Finzly announced an integration with Q2. Finzly will bring its payment experience to Q2’s Digital Banking Platform, enabling financial institutions to offer their customers greater payments capabilities. Both Finzly and Q2 won Best of Show awards at our all-digital conferences in 2020. Finzly has announced an integration with fellow Finovate alum Q2 that will bring its payment experience to Q2’s Digital Banking Platform. This will enable financial institutions to offer their customers the ability to send and track a variety of payments, including cross-border, domestic, and instant payments—without having to leave the platform. “In today’s connected world, businesses and consumers expect their banks to deliver seamless payment experiences. With fintechs setting new expectations for simplicity, speed, and transparency, banks and credit unions must be able to meet these demands effortlessly,” Finzly CEO and Founder Booshan Rengachari said. “By integrating Finzly’s solution into Q2’s Digital Banking Platform, we’re providing financial institutions with a simple, efficient way to offer exceptional payment experiences—including international payments—that exceed account holder expectations, without the need for a complex overhaul.” A payments infrastructure provider for financial institutions, Finzly offers a payment experience that delivers real-time visibility, competitive FX rates, and built-in regulatory compliance and fraud monitoring. Importantly, the technology is “rail-agnostic,” supporting FedNow, RTP, Fedwire, ACH, and SWIFT. Integrated into the Q2 Digital Banking Platform, Finzly’s technology will help financial institutions expand their offerings, generate new revenues, and grow their customer base. The integration was made possible by the Q2 Partner Accelerator Program. The program is a component of the Q2 Innovation Studio and enables in-demand financial services companies that are working with the Q2 SDK to pre-integrate their technology into the Q2 Digital Banking Platform. This makes it easy for banks and other financial institutions to collaborate with these companies, buy their solutions, and quickly deploy the technologies for their customers. A Finovate alum since 2011, Q2 won Best of Show at our all-digital conference in 2020. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, Q2 offers a Digital Banking Platform that provides a range of secure, data-driven banking and lending solutions to banks, credit unions, fintechs, and other companies in financial services. Financial institutions using the company’s platform have reported 54% higher deposit growth, 48% higher loan growth, 27% higher revenue per employee, and 13% higher return on assets compared to companies that do not use the platform. This week, the company reported that Open Payment Network (OPN) has become the first integration partner for Q2 Instant Payments Manager, a solution designed to help financial institutions manage instant payments workflows. Finzly made its Finovate debut at FinovateFall 2019 and won Best of Show in its return to the Finovate stage the following year. Most recently demonstrating its technology at FinovateSpring 2022, Finzly showed how its bank operating system, FinzlyOS, can quickly launch a modern, digital bank equipped with direct connections to all the major payments networks—from ACH and wires to RTP, FedNow, and SWIFT. Earlier this month, the company announced that it is gearing up to support both stablecoin and tokenized deposits in response to a demand for these digital assets that the company described as “exponential.” “The momentum behind stablecoins is undeniable, and we’re seeing remarkable interest from US banks who recognize this isn’t just a trend,” Rengachari said. “Financial institutions that prepare now with the right infrastructure will be positioned to capitalize on what could be a $2 trillion market by 2028, while those that wait risk being left behind in an increasingly digital financial ecosystem.” Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Finzly was founded in 2012. Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash The post Finzly Integrates with Q2’s Digital Banking Platform appeared first on Finovate.       

Incode has acquired AuthenticID to combine AI-driven fraud detection with enterprise-scale expertise, aiming to become a top global identity verification provider. The deal strengthens Incode’s defenses against rising AI threats like deepfakes and synthetic fraud. Together, the companies serve major banks, telecoms, and neobanks worldwide. Identity verification company AuthenticID has been acquired by biometric identity organization Incode. The acquisition will bring together Incode’s AI solutions with AuthenticID’s enterprise expertise to combat fraud. The amount of the deal is undisclosed. Incode said that the acquisition will accelerate its growth and position it as a leader in the identity authentication market. California-based Incode has seen an 80% year-on-year organic growth rate, and with AuthenticID on board, the company aims to broaden its global reach and solidify its position as a top-tier provider of end-to-end identity verification solutions. “In the age of synthetic fraud, AI impersonation, and Agentic AI, verifying human identity has become the foundation of digital trust. Together with AuthenticID, we’re hardening the front line against these threats, so every enterprise can trust every interaction,” said Incode Founder and CEO Ricardo Amper. Founded in 2015, Incode offers advanced neural networks and large visual language models that help detect and prevent identity fraud in real time. AuthenticID will add its expertise in regulated environments that require a high volume of verification. Together, Incode and AuthenticID will strengthen defenses against advanced AI-driven threats, including deepfakes, which have fueled a 300% year-over-year surge in account opening fraud, and AI agents operating without identity safeguards. Collectively, the two companies serve eight of the ten largest US banks, protect eight of the nine biggest telecom providers in North America, work with four of the top five banks in Latin America, secure three leading global neobanks, and safeguard hundreds of organizations against retail fraud. AuthenticID was founded in 2001 and offers identity proofing, ID verification, biometric authentication, and fraud shield tools to support the fight against cybercrime. Additionally, the company’s Identity Fraud Taskforce continuously develops new algorithms to improve AuthenticID’s identity decisioning engine to help identify and stop fraud. Last June, the company launched a new solution to detect deepfake and generative AI injection attacks.  “As AI-driven fraud becomes more sophisticated, our clients need more than just point solutions—they need a holistic AI-first approach delivered by a true strategic partner,” said AuthenticID CEO Reed Taussig. “Incode’s vision and AI technology leadership, leveraging foundational vision models, enable us to deliver an identity orchestration platform that is fast, secure, and highly adaptive across our expanded customer base.” Today’s deal is a good example of how identity verification is a strategic pillar of digital trust. As AI-driven fraud accelerates and regulators tighten controls, financial services firms need partners that can combine speed, accuracy, and adaptability at scale. By uniting Incode’s AI-first innovation with AuthenticID’s enterprise and regulatory expertise, the acquisition signals a future where identity is more holistic. Photo by cottonbro studio The post Incode Acquires Identity Verification Company AuthenticID appeared first on Finovate.       

Small business management platform Xero has teamed up with UAE-based digital bank Wio Bank PJSC. The partnership will enable Wio Bank’s business customers to access a range of business finance management and accounting solutions. Xero is headquartered in New Zealand. The company made its Finovate debut in 2011. A newly announced partnership between UAE-based digital bank Wio Bank PJSC and small business management platform Xero will help small and medium-sized businesses in the region streamline and simplify their accounting operations. Wio Bank’s business customers will benefit from ready access to seamless bank feeds, automated reconciliation, and real-time financial insights. The integration will help businesses working with Wio Bank to leverage automation to reduce error-prone, manual data entry. The technology will also help enhance cash flow visibility thanks to seamless invoice matching. Real-time insights ensure an accurate view of overall financial health, making it easier for business owners to make more informed decisions. “We’re pleased to work with Xero to bring effortless accounting to UAE businesses,” Wio Bank Chief Commercial Officer Prateek Vahie said. “This integration reflects our commitment to making business banking smarter, faster, and more efficient. By automating financial workflows, we’re giving business owners more time to focus on growth.” Xero provides small and medium-sized businesses with financial management solutions—including accounting software and invoicing technology that helps them be more efficient. With more than 4.4 million users of its solutions around the world, Xero offers flexible subscription plans for businesses ranging from solopreneurs to established enterprises. Xero’s platform features solutions that facilitate invoicing, payment acceptance, inventory management, payroll, expense management, and more. “Our integration with Wio Bank is a significant step towards supporting more UAE businesses with better visibility of their finances, helping them spend less time on admin and more time doing what they love, growing their business,” Xero Regional Director EMEA, Colin Timmis said. Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Wio Bank PJSC serves individuals with a platform that helps them save, spend, borrow, manage, and invest. The institution also offers Banking-as-a-Service and embedded finance solutions to serve small and medium-sized businesses. Launched in 2022, Wio Bank is backed by shareholders including ADQ, Alpha Dhabi, e&, and First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB). Xero made its Finovate debut in 2011. The New Zealand-based company was founded in 2006. Earlier this summer, Xero announced its acquisition of SMB billpay platform Melio. Already available via the Xero App Store, the Melio platform makes payment workflows easy and flexible, providing a diverse range of payment methods to better serve customers and help vendors get paid faster. Photo by David Rodrigo on Unsplash The post Wio Bank Partners with Xero to Enhance Accounting for SMEs in the UAE appeared first on Finovate.       

Klarna has secured a $26 billion funding deal with Nelnet to expand its Pay in 4 product in the US, diversifying capital sources beyond banks and securitizations. The multi-year agreement provides off-balance-sheet funding, giving Klarna predictable access to capital at scale and strengthening its long-term growth strategy. The deal bolsters Klarna’s IPO story as it postures for public markets amid rising BNPL regulation and credit risk. IPO hopeful BNPL company Klarna revealed today that it has closed an agreement with investment firm Nelnet, which will support the expansion of Klarna’s Pay in 4 product in the US. Under the multi-year agreement, Nelnet will purchase Klarna’s US Pay in 4 loans on an ongoing basis over the life of the program, up to $26 billion in total payment volume. In addition to diversifying Klarna’s funding sources beyond banks and securitizations, the transaction is expected to power the company’s US growth and support its long-term capital strategy. “This is a landmark transaction for Klarna in the US,” said Klarna CFO Niclas Neglén. “Our partnership with Nelnet allows us to scale a core product responsibly, while continuing to deliver smooth, interest-free payment experiences to millions of consumers.” Klarna notes that the structure of the funding arrangement will offer predictable, off-balance-sheet funding and showcase its ability to structure and execute large-scale capital markets transactions. The Swedish-based company will continue to originate and service all of its receivables under the program. “Nelnet is thrilled to work with Klarna on this important transaction and support their continued success,” said Nelnet Financial Services Chief Investment Officer Judd Deppisch. “This strategic partnership leverages our expertise and financial strength to invest in attractive cash-flowing assets while supporting Klarna’s valuable offering to U.S. consumers, with the support of our lending partners.” This comes as Klarna has been positioning itself to go public. While the company postponed its IPO plans earlier this year, it has partnered with Clover for in-store BNPL, signed an agreement to serve as Walmart’s BNPL provider, and teamed up with Marqeta on a debit card. Additionally, Klarna reached 100 million active consumers in April 2025.  For Klarna, today’s deal with Nelnet provides a critical pillar in its IPO story. The stable access to capital at scale signals to investors that Klarna has the key to sustaining growth while navigating BNPL’s rising regulatory and credit risks. Additionally, the structured, off-balance-sheet arrangement signals Klarna’s intent to present itself as more bank-like and responsible ahead of its IPO. Photo by Aurelijus U. The post Klarna Lands $26 Billion Scalable Funding Round appeared first on Finovate.       

Casca has raised a $29 million Series A round led by Canapi Ventures, with participation from major bank customers including Live Oak, Huntington, and Bankwell. Today’s investment comes just 15 months after its pre-seed round and brings Casca’s total funding to $33 million. Casca’s AI-powered loan origination platform helps smaller financial institutions compete with fintechs and large banks by accelerating loan processing, reducing costs, and keeping capital within local communities. AI loan origination company Casca (formerly known as Cascading AI) announced a $29 million fundraising round today. The California-based company said that the round, which was led by Canapi Ventures, will help it to redefine business lending. The company’s flagship customers, including Live Oak Bank, Huntington National Bank, and Bankwell Bank all invested in today’s round. Bankwell, Y Combinator, and Peterson Ventures multiplied their investments from the pre-seed raise. Alliance Funding Group participated as well. “Casca simplifies and accelerates our lending processes while equipping us with the insights needed to build lasting relationships,” said Live Oak Bancshares CEO and chairman Chip Mahan. “The tangible value Casca has demonstrated gives us confidence to invest in their future.” Today’s round comes just 15 months after Casca’s pre-seed raise and brings its total funding to $33 million. Casca said it will use the investment to scale its operations, expand its team, and accelerate go-to-market efforts and make its platform more accessible to financial institutions. “Casca stands out in many ways,” said Canapi Ventures Co-Founder and General Partner Neil Underwood. “They’ve worked alongside top AI researchers and within banks themselves to simplify business lending using responsible AI and bank-grade underwriting. With Casca, local financial institutions become the lender of choice—offering more affordable rates and keeping capital within the community. It’s a big step for banking, and we’re proud to be part of it.” Casca leverages AI to speed up the loan application and origination process. The company was founded in 2023 and its loan origination platform is used by leading SBA lenders and FDIC-Insured banks. At Casca’s first FinovateSpring demo in 2024, it won Best of Show honors. The company most recently demoed its technology at FinovateSpring 2025 where it showed automated document collection that can save loan officers 20 hours a week, AI that reads 10,000 pages in 5 minutes, instant pre-qualification that accepts applications after business hours, digital account opening, and a voice assistant that can intelligently discuss loan files in real-time. “We’re driven to be a force for good, using technology to make capital more accessible to small businesses and fueling the American Dream,” said Casca CEO and CoFounder Lukas Haffer. “Partnering with the top SBA lenders and key industry players, we’ve built a platform that fully automates commercial loans in record time, setting a new industry standard. This is a game changer, and now we are ready to scale responsibly, reaching more institutions with the white-glove service our clients.” Today’s raise is a nod to how AI is becoming standard and is now central to how banks win small business relationships. By shaving weeks off loan processing, Casca gives local banks a competitive edge in retaining small business borrowers who might otherwise turn to fintechs or big banks who can offer speed. Photo by James Wheeler The post Casca Raises $29 Million Series A for AI Loan Origination appeared first on Finovate.       

A look at the companies demoing at FinovateFall in New York on September 8 – 10. Register today using this link and save 20%. Castellum.AI Castellum.AI is a financial crime compliance platform with in-house risk data, AML/KYC screening, and AI agents. Through its use, institutions identify risk and take on business with confidence. Features 83% less time reviewing AML alerts 94% reduction in false positives Instant AML alert adjudication Who’s it for? Community banks, BaaS sponsor banks, credit unions, fintechs, and crypto exchanges. CD Valet CD Valet is a digital marketplace connecting financial institutions with consumers to compare and open CDs with the best rates and terms nationwide. Features Offers comprehensive data to price CD offers that win deposits Delivers insights that help users understand competitor strategies and consumer behavior Provides marketing services to help companies succeed on a digital marketplace Who’s it for? Credit unions and banks with $1B+ in assets, CMOs, and CFOs. Charm Security Charm Security is an AI-powered scam defense platform proactively protecting financial institutions and their customers from scams, social engineering, and human-centric fraud. Features Delivers AI-powered scam defense agents Offers protection, prevention, and remediation of scams, social engineering, and human-centric fraud ⁠Reduces losses and operational costs Builds customer trust and company reputation Who’s it for? Banks, credit unions, and payment providers. Fideo Intelligence Fideo Intelligence’s Verify provides an AI-powered, unified series of real-time risk checks through a single API to help banks, financial institutions, and financial platforms proactively verify identities pre-KYC. Features Comprehensive: Eight categories of checks per session Cost-Effective: Low-cost application, saving operational and fraud-related expenses AI-Powered: Dynamic, adaptive, real-time risk scoring Who’s it for? Financial services (including banks and credit unions), fintechs, and telecom companies. Fravity Fravity’s AI Agentic Copilot for investigations and operations in Fraud Risk and AML Compliance (FRAML) works alongside existing tools, acting as an AI expert to help investigate complex cases, enforce policies, perform investigative leg-work, and help users make faster, more accurate decisions with complete confidence. Features Offers a catalog of tuned AI agents and workflows for FRAML investigations operations Provides Copilot as a plug-n-play browser extension for analysts Delivers an AI studio that lets users build their own agents and workflows Who’s it for? Banks, credit unions, payment providers, and fintechs. Sequretek Sequretek offers AI-powered, cloud-native, open, modular, and cost-effective solutions that simplify security and empower business growth. Features Utilizes single console visibility Produces organizational risk scores Offers Defense-in-Breadth and Defense-in-Depth Provides asset threat mapping Delivers AI-based attack detection enhanced by GenAI analytics Who’s it for? Financial services, credit unions, community banks, healthcare, manufacturing, SMB’s, pharmaceuticals, retail, technology, and more. Warrant Warrant is an AI platform that reviews marketing content against 1,500+ regulations, flags risks instantly, and streamlines approvals and recordkeeping to keep teams compliant. Features Flags risks instantly across 1,500+ regulations with AI compliance checks Delivers faster approvals, cutting review time down from weeks to minutes Reduces labor costs, savings average $200K+ annually Who’s it for? Banks and credit unions. The post FinovateFall 2025 Sneak Peek Series: Part 5 appeared first on Finovate.      Related StoriesFinovateFall 2025 Sneak Peek Series: Part 4FinovateFall 2025 Sneak Peek Series: Part 3FinovateFall 2025 Sneak Peek Series: Part 2 

Lending platform provider Vine Financial announced partnerships with a pair of financial institutions: HSLC of Ohio and Triad Bank of Oklahoma. Both institutions will deploy Vine’s platform to manage the entire commercial loan lifecycle, including document reading, financial spreading, and document generation. Austin, Texas-based Vine made its Finovate debut at FinovateFall 2024 in New York. AI-powered lending platform Vine Financial has announced a new partnership with HSLC, a $227 million community bank serving customers in Ohio and Kentucky. The institution will leverage Vine’s technology to eliminate manual document processing in its commercial lending, equipment financing, and agricultural lending portfolios. Integrating Vine’s lending platform will enable HSLC to boost accuracy and reduce commercial loan processing time from days to hours. “HSLC has a true dedication to their community and especially the businesses they serve,” Vine CEO and Co-Founder David Eads said. “A big part of our mission is freeing community bankers up to do what they do best: build relationships with their customers. Chris and his team are a great example of that, and we are proud to support the banks making a difference in their local economies.” The partnership will give HSLC a single, unified system that covers the entire commercial loan lifecycle. Vine’s platform automates document reading, financial spreading, and document generation, replacing the costly and time-consuming manual processes that continue to plague commercial lending. Vine’s technology will provide HSLC not only with greater efficiency, but also with greater accuracy, as well. The company notes that institutions using its technology have seen accuracy improvements of up to 30%. Headquartered in Kenton, Ohio, HSLC recently opened doors on new branches in Lexington, Kentucky, where the institution does the lion’s share of its lending to businesses. Founded in 1888, HSLC’s full name is The Home Savings and Loan Company of Kenton, Ohio, and is a mutual financial institution that is owned by its customers. “When I first heard about Vine, I knew we had an opportunity ahead of us. If there was something out there that could truly cut our loan processing time down from days to just hours, we needed that,” HSLC President, CEO, and Director Chris Jones said. “Anything that streamlines our work and makes us more efficient is a win for us and for our borrowers. We’ve had a great implementation with Vine and look forward to working with them.” Founded in 2019, Vine Financial is headquartered in Austin, Texas. The company made its Finovate debut last year at FinovateFall in New York, demonstrating its comprehensive Loan Lifecycle platform that uses AI to provide document import, financial analysis, and document generation. Vine Financial notes that its technology enables credit teams to work 5x faster and with 30% greater accuracy. Vine’s partnership news with HSLC comes just a month after the fintech reported that Oklahoma-based Triad Bank had begun using its commercial lending technology to streamline its lending workflows. Founded in 1983, Triad Bank has $224 million in assets and a pair of branches in south Tulsa, including the institution’s headquarters. “Vine offers a highly customizable loan analysis platform, allowing us the ability to tailor data inputs, risk metrics, and report outputs to fit our specific underwriting framework and portfolio review strategy,” Triad Bank, Tulsa, SVP Melissa Patocka said. “As a community bank with a credit policy different from a larger institution, Vine was able to adapt to our workflow, making it easy to align the platform with our specific underwriting and analysis needs.” Photo by Jeremy Doddridge on Unsplash The post HSLC, Triad Bank Turn to Vine Financial to Enhance and Automate Lending appeared first on Finovate.       

Payoneer has partnered with Stripe to expand its Online Checkout, giving SMBs selling cross-border direct-to-consumer access to BNPL options and digital wallets. The partnership will launch in the Asia Pacific where wallets and BNPL are often preferred over credit cards. Payoneer, which went public in 2021 and has a market cap of around $2.5 billion, has rapidly grown Online Checkout to nearly $1 billion in annual volume. Global payments company Payoneer is teaming up with payments infrastructure fintech Stripe to improve the checkout experience for global merchants. The strategic partnership will enable Payoneer to expand its Online Checkout offering for merchants selling cross-border goods direct-to-consumer. Payoneer’s new capabilities will help small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) accept more payment methods at their online point of sale. Stripe will help Payoneer facilitate buy now, pay later (BNPL) options like Affirm and Klarna, as well as digital wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay. At launch, Payoneer’s new checkout capabilities will be available in the Asia Pacific region first, including in China and Hong Kong, geographies where digital wallets and BNPL are often preferred over credit cards. Payoneer and Stripe expect that the partnership will help merchants enhance their customer conversion rates, improve acceptance rates, reduce fraud, and expand payment acceptance options for SMBs selling to direct-to-consumers browsing their own ecommerce sites. “We are committed to simplifying cross-border online trade for SMBs,” said Payoneer Chief Growth Officer Adam Cohen. “This partnership with Stripe is a strategic step in our journey to expand our Checkout offering and deliver a best-in-class user experience at scale. By combining Payoneer’s local market distribution and expertise with Stripe’s exceptional checkout technology, we’re combining the strengths of both companies to deliver unmatched value to our customers.” Launching new payment methods will help Payoneer attract SMB merchants, as it can help them compete globally by offering a sophisticated checkout experience with multiple payment options that are often offered by larger retailers. Payoneer was founded in 2005 to help SMBs transact, do business, and grow globally. The company’s global financial stack helps remove barriers and simplify cross-border commerce to make it easier for businesses to connect to the global economy, pay, get paid, manage their funds across multiple currencies, and grow their businesses. The New York-based company launched Payoneer Checkout in 2022 and has since scaled from zero to almost $1 billion in run-rate annual volume. From June 2024 to June 2025, Payoneer generated $30 million in revenue, representing over 100% year-over-year growth. Payoneer went public via a SPAC merger with FTAC Olympus Acquisition Corp. in 2021. The company listed on the NASDAQ in June of that same year under the ticker PAYO and has a current market capitalization of approximately $2.5 billion. Photo by HT_NGUYEN The post Payoneer Taps Stripe to Improve Checkout for Cross-Border Merchants  appeared first on Finovate.       

Check out some of the latest additions to our FinovateFall 2025 speaker line-up! From leveraging AI to streamline workflows to incentivizing outperformance in financial services teams, this year’s crop of FinovateFall Special Addresses tackles many of the critical aspects that determine how well financial institutions engage customers, build and market new solutions, and grow their businesses. Take a look below at who will be speaking from the main stage in just a few weeks time. FinovateFall 2025 comes to New York’s Marriott Marquis Times Square, September 8 through 10. Get your ticket. Book your room. And join us for three days of live tech demos, insightful keynotes, and networking with hundreds of fellow fintech and financial services professionals. Growth Amid Uncertainty: How Financial Services Leaders Can Use Incentives to Outperform Lindsey Bly, Senior Director, Product Marketing, CaptivateIQ, will talk about why outdated compensation structures are eroding growth, and what financial institutions can do to fix this problem. Mon, Sep 8, 11:05 am. Bly will also explain how firms can use incentive compensation as a flexible tool to better manage market uncertainty, margin pressure, and evolving product priorities. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, CaptivateIQ offers a platform that combines quota, territory, headcount, and compensation into a single, AI-powered workspace that is built for agility, alignment, and scale. Founded in 2017, CaptivateIQ bridges the gap between incentive compensation management and sales planning. Sharpen Your Tech Stack: Boost Agility in a Shifting Landscape Anna Van Erven, Strategic Awareness & Advocacy Lead, Progress ShareFile, will discuss how ensuring that your tech stack is lean and adaptable is key to controlling costs, automating low-value work, and keeping the focus on strategy rather than on software. Mon, Sep 8, 12:20 pm. Van Erven will also share insights into how companies can audit their own tech stack to help build a resilient, adaptable foundation for the future. Headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, Progress ShareFile provides technology to streamline document and client-facing workflows. The company’s automation, e-signing, and secure document sharing solutions help businesses become more efficient and collaborate more effectively. The Hidden Threat in Identity Verification — Why the First Step is Everything Bryan Lewis, President and Chief Executive Officer, Intellicheck, will explain why the first step in identity verification is the most important and how everything that follows this step is compromised if this initial step is wrong. Tue, Sep 9, 9:25 am. Lewis also will talk about the key role of the barcode and why facial recognition alone is insufficient as an authentication strategy. Intellicheck provides an identity validation and proofing service that leverages its proprietary analysis of Department of Motor Vehicles-issued identification documents to build trusted, real-time customer identity verification. Headquartered in New York, Intellicheck was founded in 1994. From Chaos to Clarity: A CIO + CEO Conversation on Confident Tech Decisions UPSTACK’s Chris Trapp (Founder & CEO) and Josh Jewett (Operating Executive) will discuss lessons learned and share practical guidance on their experiences from both sides of the buying table when it comes to investments in everything from AI and cloud technology to CX and enterprise IT. Tue, Sep 9, 12:25 pm. The two fintech veterans will talk about how financial institutions can cut through vendor noise to move from stalled evaluations to confident action. Founded in 2017, UPSTACK is a full-service technology brokerage that helps businesses make smarter technology investments. The company takes a vendor-neutral approach to offer expert advisory and execution across colocation, cloud, connectivity, networking, cybersecurity, AI, and more. The State of Business Identity: Why Trust Starts with Better Data Andrea Hong, Head of Product, Middesk, will talk about how fraud risks have never been higher for businesses and how the current identity infrastructure is failing to protect businesses from synthetic identities, shell companies, and more. Tue, Sep 9, 1:40 pm. Hong will discuss how more companies are leveraging better data and workflows to detect fraud risks earlier and make better decisions across the customer lifecycle. San Francisco, California-based Middesk offers simple and trusted business onboarding. The company’s technology enables firms to use instant, reliable insights to verify and onboard more business customers faster. Founded in 2019, Middesk includes fintechs such as Affirm, Brex, Plaid, and Gusto among its customers. Photo by Jopwell The post FinovateFall: Incentivizing Outperformance and Building Trust with Better Data appeared first on Finovate.       

We’re past the mid-way point of August, and last week brought some notable fintech funding rounds. What will this week bring? Here’s your look at the latest fintech news this week. We’ll continue adding news to this post throughout the week, so stay tuned! Payments UAE employees can now receive salaries in digital wallets as UAE telecom operator du launches new platform. Lending Finastra supports JICA with Loan IQ to transform private-sector investment finance system in Japan. Insurtech UK-based AI insurance broker Meshed raises £950K in pre-seed funding to transform SME insurance market. Personal finance PayLaterr partners with Experian to enhance fraud detection and leverage alternative data for smarter budgeting decisions. Photo by Efrem Efre The post Fintech Rundown: A Rapid Review of Weekly News appeared first on Finovate.       

Worldpay is partnering with Trulioo to bring trust, consent, and accountability to agentic AI commerce, where AI agents shop on behalf of consumers. The collaboration uses the Know Your Agent (KYA) framework, which is powered by the Digital Agent Passport, to verify agent identities, ensure code integrity, confirm user consent, and monitor agent behavior. The goal of the partnership is to enable secure, transparent AI-powered transactions with smarter controls for verified agents, real-time fraud detection, and enhanced consumer and merchant confidence. Payment technology company Worldpay announced this week that it is preparing for a future of agentic AI commerce by partnering with digital identity platform Trulioo. Worldpay selected Trulioo to bring trust, consent, and accountability to AI-powered digital payments. Because agentic AI commerce involves AI agents that shop on behalf of consumers, it is important to verify agent identities and obtain consent from the human on the other side of the agent. Knowing exactly who is in charge of each aspect of the transaction is key to not only maintaining trust and preventing fraud, but also in staying compliant with regulatory requirements. “Innovation in payments must always be grounded in integrity and trust,” said Worldpay Chief Product Officer Cindy Turner. “By partnering with Trulioo, we’re delivering the trust infrastructure our ecosystem needs and empowering businesses and consumers to embrace AI-powered commerce with confidence, knowing that safety and transparency are at the heart of every transaction.” Under today’s partnership, Worldpay and Trulioo will deliver tools that follow the Know Your Agent (KYA) framework to ensure that merchants, payment providers, and consumers can trust agent-based transactions. KYA is powered by Digital Agent Passport, a secure digital ID and trust certificate for AI agents. The certificate confirms who made the agent, ensures their code hasn’t been tampered with, checks that they have user consent, and monitors their behavior continually so merchants can process agent-initiated transactions confidently. “Agentic commerce has significant potential, but it can only scale with trust built in from the start,” said Trulioo CEO Vicky Bindra. “With Worldpay, we’re laying the foundation for a more secure and accountable digital ecosystem – one where AI agents can operate transparently, and consumers stay in control.” Adding the new KYA framework will help merchants and platforms create new experiences at the point of sale, including smoother checkout flows and real-time fraud detection, while maintaining security. Additionally, instead of blocking AI agents by default, the partnership offers smart controls that allow verified agents to gain access, while inserting friction for unknown agents, and blocking malicious bots. As both consumers and merchants face uncertainty in navigating the new world of agentic AI commerce, Trulioo and Worldpay aim to provide a roadmap for inserting trust into the process. By embedding identity verification, consent management, and ongoing monitoring directly into the payment process, the partnership seeks to ensure that AI agents can participate in commerce without sacrificing safety or transparency. The hope is that with a solid trust infrastructure in place, agentic AI can move from experimental novelty to a mainstream, reliable part of the digital economy. The post Worldpay Taps Trulioo to Safeguard Agentic Commerce appeared first on Finovate.       

Jack Henry is launching Tap2Local in partnership with Moov to enable banks and credit unions to offer small business clients tap-to-pay card acceptance. Tap2Local is exclusive to financial institutions, offers automated account reconciliation, and doesn’t require any extra hardware. Tap2Local integrates into the Banno Digital Platform and will roll out to over 1,000 banks and credit unions after closed beta testing. Small banks are under increasing pressure to match the tech-forward tools offered by larger competitors. Financial services platform Jack Henry is aiming to help them rise to the challenge with its latest solution, which is designed to enable banks and credit unions to provide merchant acquiring services to their small business clients. The Missouri-based company developed the new tool, Tap2Local, in partnership with payment infrastructure company Moov. With Tap2Local, businesses will be able to accept debit and credit card payments using tap-to-pay, which eliminates the need for hardware. The tap-to-pay functionality is available on both Android and iOS through all major card networks. Tap2Local also offers continuous, automated account reconciliation to the business’ accounting platform of choice. “Tap2Local is the first new key component of our overall SMB strategy to help banks and credit unions win with small businesses and capture significant new market opportunities,” said Jack Henry President  and CEO Greg Adelson. “This innovative solution integrates with banking services, enabling financial institutions to simplify the payments experience for small businesses, capture more deposits, and win back business from payments-only fintechs.” Moov’s Tap2Local is offered exclusively through banks and credit unions. The technology, which is in closed beta testing with several financial institutions, will be rolled out to more than 1,000 banks and credit unions using Jack Henry’s Banno Digital Platform over the next several months. For many small banks, competing with tech capabilities that legacy players offer is more than just a challenge; it has increasingly become a survival issue. Merchant acquiring, in particular, has become a lucrative area dominated by fintechs and large institutions. Tap2Local will help level the playing field. “Tap2Local helps all small businesses and the millions of people who participate in the gig economy accept card payments face-to-face and on-the-go,” Jack Henry Chief Technology Officer Ben Metz said. “We’ve made it easy for them to enroll through their bank or credit union and start accepting payments in their banking app within minutes. Additionally, our automated accounting feature can save them time, giving them back valuable hours to focus on their passion.” Moov was founded in 2017 by Wade Arnold, who originally launched Banno in 2008 before selling it to Jack Henry in 2014 for an undisclosed amount. Moov’s cloud-based payment processing technology helps businesses accept, store, send, and spend money through a single integration. The company has built its platform with developers in mind, offering open-source libraries and a growing community. Photo by Afta Putta Gunawan The post Jack Henry Teams with Moov to Launch Tap2Local to Facilitate Merchant Acquiring appeared first on Finovate.       

A look at the companies demoing at FinovateFall in New York on September 8 – 10. Register today using this link and save 20%. Boucoup Boucoup supercharges youth accounts to drive revenue, increase deposits, and fuel long-term growth—all while keeping the financial institution in full control. Features Delivers a seamless core integration that keeps the financial institution’s brand front and center Offers secure, controlled deposits with full data ownership Boosts engagement and card usage to drive lasting revenue growth Who’s it for? Credit unions and community banks. Clarista Clarista transforms fragmented data into real-time AI-powered insights, empowering financial institutions to accelerate decisions, improve compliance, and unlock growth opportunities with built-in trust. Features Provides real-time AI insights from all data sources Includes built-in governance and compliance alignment Delivers faster, smarter lending and investment decisions Who’s it for? Banks, credit unions, asset managers, private equity firms, insurance providers, and other financial institutions. R34DY R34DY’s ABLEMENTS integration-as-a-service platform addresses integration problems that financial institutions encounter. Features AI-driven system discovery Unified data without migration Process automation Architecture insights Production flow control Who’s it for? Banks, insurance companies, solutions providers, system integrators, neobanks, credit unions, fintechs, payment/EMI providers, embedded finance entities, government entities, and energy companies. Veep Software Veep Software’s AI platform for banks and credit unions uses patent-pending risk & wellness scores to deliver real-time funds access and promote financial wellness. Features Attracts and retains younger, digitally savvy account holders Builds trust with AI insights that protect the institution and those they serve Makes lasting financial wellness simple and achievable Who’s it for? Community banks and credit unions. The post FinovateFall 2025 Sneak Peek Series: Part 4 appeared first on Finovate.      Related StoriesFinovateFall 2025 Sneak Peek Series: Part 3FinovateFall 2025 Sneak Peek Series: Part 2FinovateFall 2025 Sneak Peek Series: Part 1 

Payments infrastructure company Stripe is moving into the blockchain, according to Forbes, which uncovered a job posting regarding the move. According to the posting, Stripe is planning to launch a payments blockchain called Tempo. “Tempo is a high-performance, payments-focused blockchain,” the advertisement on the Blockchain Association’s website said. Here’s a look at five things that matter about Stripe’s move, including details about the new blockchain, why it’s launching it now, how it fits into the company’s strategy, what it means for the wider industry, and what’s still unknown. What is Tempo? Tempo is a Layer 1 blockchain built from the ground up (as opposed to a fork). A Layer 1 blockchain is the base network in a blockchain ecosystem. It serves as the foundational layer where transactions are processed, validated, and recorded. With Tempo, Stripe is optimizing the network for payments and making it compatible with Ethereum Solidity toolchains, meaning that developers can use the same set of familiar tools they use for Ethereum. Tempo was built stealthily by a small team of around five people in partnership with crypto VC firm Paradigm. Until the job posting, which was dated August 3, the new project operated under the radar. Why now? Stripe’s crypto build-out strategy Launching its own blockchain is Stripe’s latest move into the crypto industry. Stripe has been steadily entering the crypto world, from its acquisition of stablecoin platform Bridge for $1.1 billion, to buying wallet developer Privy in June. Since then, Stripe has also made a non-crypto acquisition, acquiring payment orchestration company Orum in June. Launching Tempo will add the final piece of this equation. Owning its own blockchain rails will give Stripe full control of the payment flow, from the wallet to the payment settlement. The benefits of building its own blockchain As with all of its acquisitions, Stripe’s move to create a blockchain from scratch is strategic. Launching Tempo will offer it full-stack control, which will allow Stripe to optimize network speed, lower fees, and integrate with other stablecoins and wallets. Additionally, the custom payments blockchain could displace legacy systems like SWIFT or even FedNow, with faster, cheaper rails. And since Tempo will be compatible with Ethereum it is developer friendly, which means that it will not require new tools or talent to align with its infrastructure. Bigger implications for payments & crypto Stripe has been operating in the fintech arena since 2010. With its own blockchain, the company could accelerate mainstream adoption of stablecoins and blockchain payments via a merchant network. The move showcases how traditional fintechs are taking steps to operate in the crypto space. Not only this, but it is also indicative of a new competitive landscape in which fintechs control their own payments rails, disrupting traditional ecommerce and cross-border transactions. What We Still Don’t Know Even though it is interesting to speculate on the impacts Tempo will have across the industry, there is still a lot we do not know. Much of this is because the news originated from a job posting, not an official company announcement. Details such as whether Tempo will come with its own native token, how it will be governed, and a clear timeline for the launch are still unknown. What is clear, however, is that it is worth keeping an eye on Stripe not just as a payments innovator, but also as a player in the crypto arena going forward. The post 5 Things to Know About Stripe’s Move to Build Its Own Blockchain appeared first on Finovate.       

Mesa has secured $24 million in strategic funding from Lowe’s, Paramount Residential Mortgage Group, Trinity Capital, and other mortgage industry partners, bringing its total funding to over $33 million since its 2023 launch. The Texas-based platform rewards homeowners through its fee-free Mesa Homeowners Credit Card and Mesa Mortgage, allowing members to earn points on mortgage payments, home-related spending, and everyday purchases. Today’s funding will help Mesa accelerate growth by expanding product development, adding industry partners, and growing its team. Mortgagetech company Mesa announced a $24 million funding round today. The investment comes from Lowe’s and Paramount Residential Mortgage Group, with Trinity Capital and other strategic mortgage lenders and servicers also participating. Mesa is a homeowner membership platform launched in 2023 with a mission to make homeownership both more affordable and more rewarding. The Texas-based company has spent the past two years building a loyalty ecosystem centered on homeowners. At its core, Mesa offers two standout products: The Mesa Homeowners Visa Credit Card The fee-free card allows homeowners to earn 1× Mesa Point for every $1 spent on their monthly mortgage (up to 100,000 points annually), as long as they spend a minimum of $1,000 per month. The card also offers 3× points on home‑related categories (such as home improvement, utilities, and even daycare); 2× points on groceries, gas, and EV charging; and 1× point on other purchases. Mesa Mortgage The mortgage product helps users secure a new home loan or refinance their current loan to earn Mesa Points on the principal amount of their mortgage. CEO and Founder Kelley Halpin said the funding comes at a time when homeowners face mounting financial pressures. “In today’s economy, homeowners are being hit from every angle—high interest rates, insurance premiums, and aging homes in need of repair. We must work across every part of the homeownership ecosystem to drive positive change,” said Mesa CEO and Founder Kelley Halpin. “Together, we’re building a platform that makes it easier for brands to reach this key consumer and puts a lot of value back in the homeowner’s pocket.” The round boosts Mesa’s total funding to over $33 million since it was founded in 2023. The company will use the investment to fuel its growth by accelerating product development, signing on new partners across industries adjacent to homeownership, and hiring new employees. “We are proud to partner with the team at Mesa as they work to redefine the homeownership experience,” said Trinity Managing Director of Asset Based Lending Steven Lambe. “Their innovative model not only rewards homeowners but also promotes long-term financial well-being for today’s homebuyers.” Lowe’s and Paramount Residential Mortgage Group are joining the funding round as strategic investors. The addition of these strategic backers illustrates how Mesa operates at the intersection of financial services, retail, and the home improvement sector. Aligning with partners like these that are key to the homeowner journey will help Mesa expand its reach, enrich its rewards ecosystem, and deepen customer engagement. Photo by Kelly The post Mesa Brings Home $24 Million in Funding appeared first on Finovate.       

Financial crime solutions provider Minerva announced two platform updates to give compliance teams more control and greater visibility when it comes to sanctions and watchlist screening. The two new features are a screening analytics dashboard and a sanctions list source selection tenant configuration page. Minerva made its Finovate debut at FinovateFall 2022 in New York. The company is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Financial crime solutions provider Minerva recently unveiled a pair of platform updates designed to give compliance teams more control over and greater visibility into sanctions and watchlist screening operations. The company introduced a new screening analytics dashboard that gives users a view into the performance of their screening program. Additionally, Minerva launched a sanctions list source selection tenant configuration page for administrators that allows customers to customize their sanctions list coverage. “I’m excited to share our latest product update,” Minerva Head of Product Jordan Bibla wrote on the company blog. “We released a new screening analytics dashboard to provide visibility into your screening program’s performance over time. We also rolled out sanctions list source selection to provide control over which underlying sanctions sources you screen against.” Minerva’s new screening analytics dashboard now features a Current Snapshot view that provides point-in-time profile metrics including total profile count, monitored count, and escalation, acceptance, and rejection rates. This information will help compliance teams see exactly how well their screening program is performing. The dashboard also provides charts that show historical trends to let users see how profile statuses are changing over time. This feature enables compliance teams to more readily identify patterns and track performance. The platform also now has a tenant configuration page to enable users with administrative access to empower customers to customize their sanctions list coverage based on their individual compliance requirements. The new page features Source Management, which enables administrative users to deselect sanctions lists that are not relevant for their screening program; Regional Filtering, which displays both active and inactive sources and can be filtered by geographic region; and Tenant-Wide Application, which enables selections to apply to the entire tenant for ongoing monitoring and risk assessment searches to provide consistency across the entire screening program. Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Minerva made its Finovate debut at FinovateFall 2022 in New York. At the conference, the company demonstrated how its AI-powered AML platform provides accurate sanctions and watchlist screening, KYC, KYB, enhanced due diligence, and ongoing monitoring insights in seconds. Use cases for Minerva’s technology include not just AML compliance in banking, but also in industries such as real estate, law enforcement, cryptocurrency exchanges, payments facilitators, and more. Minerva began the year with the news that it had partnered with financial crime and compliance automation platform Hummingbird to integrate Minerva’s screening data directly into the Hummingbird platform. This will enable Hummingbird users to access comprehensive global screening for sanctions, politically exposed persons (PEPs), open source intelligence (OSINT), and adverse media. This spring, Minerva introduced its Automated Screening Workflow solution that automates as much as 97% of screening activity. Photo by Arturo Castaneyra on Unsplash The post Minerva Brings More Control, Visibility to Sanctions Screening appeared first on Finovate.