This week’s edition of Finovate Global looks at recent fintech headlines from Egypt. Valu Launches Platform in Jordan Egyptian fintech Valu has secured final approval from the Central Bank of Jordan to begin operations in Jordan. Valu was granted a Specialized Finance license that will enable the company to launch financial services in the Kingdom. Valu said it would being offering services in Q1 of 2026, providing consumers with flexible financing solutions across retail, healthcare, electronics, and education. Former Jordanian Minister of Investment and Digital Economy Mothanna Gharaibeh will serve as Chairman of the new entity, with fintech executive Mohammad Al Yousef serving as CEO. “Securing final approval from the Central Bank of Jordan under a Specialized Finance license is a pivotal moment for Valu and a testament to the strength of our platform, governance model, and long-term vision for the market,” Valu Chief Market Expansion and Strategy Officer Habiba Naguib said. “Jordan is a key pillar in Valu’s regional expansion strategy.” The decision to launch in Jordan reflects Valu’s determination to further financial inclusion and deepen its presence in the region. Valu secured initial regulatory clearance in 2025, the same year it was listed on the Egyptian Exchange (EGX), and strengthened its partnership with Amazon. Amazon purchased a 3.25% stake in the Egyptian fintech last spring. “As we prepare to begin operations in the first quarter of the year 2026, our focus remains on driving financial inclusion through innovative, customer-centric products while investing in local talent and contributing meaningfully to the Jordanian financial ecosystem,” Naguib added. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Sheikh Zayed City, Egypt, Valu is a lifestyle-enabling fintech platform and a pioneer in offering Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) solutions in the MENA region. Valu offers flexible, customizable financing plans across more than 5,000 points of sale and more than 600 websites. The company also offers investment products, savings solutions, HR payroll services for businesses, and Sha2labaz, an instant cash redemption program. Bank NXT Teams Up with IBM Egypt-based Bank NXT has selected a trio of solutions from IBM to accelerate its digital banking transformation. In collaboration with Inspire for Solutions Development, the financial institution will implement IBM’s Instana, Turbonomic, and Cloud Pak solutions to enhance real-time observability, automated resource optimization, and advanced integration. The addition of all three technologies reflects Bank NXT’s integrated approach to boosting resilience, minimizing downtime, optimizing IT resources, and delivering better banking experiences for customers. “This progress strengthens the reliability of the bank’s digital platform and boosts operational efficiency,” Bank NXT Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Tamer Seif said. “It accelerates service delivery and expands the range of digital solutions we offer, ultimately leading to a better customer experience and faster, more responsive service.” IBM Instana will provide the financial institution with real-time observability across digital banking applications to support proactive monitoring and faster issue resolution. IBM Turbonomic offers automated, intelligent resource optimization across hybrid cloud environments, helping maximize IT utilization while keeping costs low and performance consistent. IBM Cloud Pak—both for Integration and for Business Automation—runs on Red Hat OpenShift to create a unified digital platform that streamlines operations, reduces complexity, and promotes faster development and deployment of new solutions and services. “Our collaboration with IBM and Inspire for Solutions Development is a crucial part of the bank’s transformation strategy,” Seif said. “By adopting the DevOps model and improving our business automation capabilities, we have enhanced the flexibility of our technology infrastructure. This advance prepares us to integrate with fintech companies through an API-driven ecosystem, fostering a more open and innovative environment.” Founded in 1978 and headquartered in Cairo, Bank NXT serves both retail and business customers with services ranging from basic bank accounts and loans to wealth management. AFS Launches SoftPOS Arab Financial Services (AFS) announced that its subsidiary in Egypt has secured a SoftPOS license from the country’s central bank. The approval makes AFS Egypt one of the first fintechs in Egypt to bring a fully licensed SoftPOS solution to market. AFS’s SoftPOS solution transforms any NFC-enabled smartphone into a secure and fully functional payment terminal. The solution provides merchants with a fast, low-cost, and highly scalable option for accepting payments. The technology eliminates the need for expensive hardware and supports all types of contactless cards, making digital commerce more accessible for both merchants and their customers. “Going live with SoftPOS in Egypt is a transformative milestone for AFS and the Egyptian market,” AFS CEO Samer Soliman said. “This fully licensed solution allows us to instantly turn any NFC-enabled Android smartphone into a secure payment terminal, eliminating hardware costs and making digital acceptance accessible to businesses of all sizes. We view this launch as the foundation, and our immediate plan is to continuously expand its feature set and introduce innovative use cases that will further accelerate financial inclusion and power a digitally empowered economy.” AFS Egypt is a subsidiary of AFS, which was formed in 1984 to provide banks and merchants with payment services, solutions, and expertise. Today, the company is owned by 37 banks and financial institutions, serving more than 60 clients in 20+ countries throughout the MENA region. A leading digital payment solutions provider regulated by the Central Bank of Bahrain, AFS boasts a portfolio that includes digital mobile wallets, merchant acquiring services, digital payroll solutions, contact centers, and more. Here is our look at fintech innovation around the world. Central and Southern Asia Pakistan-based digital nano-lending platform Daira announced a strategic partnership with Infinix Pakistan, itel Pakistan, and Tecno Mobile Pakistan to deliver Buy Now, Pay Later services. Bangladesh’s largest private commercial bank Pubali Bank PLC and payments solution provider BPC teamed up to modernize the bank’s card management infrastructure. Forbes profiled recent fintech developments in countries in “South Asia beyond India” including Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal. Latin America and the Caribbean Latin American Post profiled the leadership transition at Argentina’s MercadoLibre. Brazilian banking and payments firm PicPay filed for an initial public offering in the US. Crowdfund Insider makes the case for why Mexico is Latin America’s next fintech hub. Asia-Pacific South Korean digital life insurance provider Kyobo Lifeplanet forged a partnership with cryptocurrency exchange Crypto.com. Japanese aggregated payment platform Netstars announced a pilot program to accept Circle’s US dollar-pegged stablecoin. Airwallex acquired Indonesia fintech PT Skye Sab Indonesia as part of its expansion strategy in the Asia-Pacific region. Sub-Saharan Africa African fintech giant Flutterwave acquired Nigerian open banking startup Mono. Nigeria’s Sterling Bank announced plans to join Thunes’ Direct Global Network. News Ghana looked at the growth of the country’s digital banking and fintech sectors. Central and Eastern Europe Payments intrastructure provider Banking Circle joined the Czech Fintech Association. Buy Now, Pay Later firm Zilch acquired Lithuanian lender Fjord Bank in bid to secure European banking license. Czech digital banking solutions provider Finshape, which won Best of Show at FinovateEurope 2022, introduced new CEO Neil Budd. Middle East and Northern Africa Digital bank Zand and business banking platform Yuze announced a strategic alliance. Fintech infrastructure platform VoPay established a new global headquarters in Qatar. UAE-based Ajman Bank completed its core banking system upgrade in partnership with Accenture. Photo by J R The post Finovate Global Egypt: New Partnerships, New Products, New Markets appeared first on Finovate.       

In our latest interview from FinovateFall 2025, Beyond the Arc CEO Steven Ramirez talks with Shruti Patel, EVP and Business CPO at US Bank, about the institution’s approach to supporting small- and mid-market businesses. The two discuss the emergence of new digital capabilities, embedded payroll and account payable solutions, as well as the role of customer experience in shaping product design. “We are super focused on our small businesses. They are looking for very simple banking products: an easy-to-use, best-in-class operating, savings, or money market account. They’re looking for a great rewards card. And then, last but not least, small dollar loans. We excel in our small business access loans. We are number four nationally and very close in California, as well. When it comes to their lending needs, when it comes to their banking needs, we’re very much focused on how can we make the life of a small business really, really easy.” Joining US Bank in 2023, Patel has brought leadership experience from across fintech, banking, and payments. Previously head of global partnerships and monetization at Shopify—and before that head of embedded payments and partnerships at JPMorgan Chase—Patel today oversees services for US Bank’s small business and mid-market customers across money movement and credit card solutions, as well as the bank’s full suite of digital capabilities. With nearly 1.4 million business customers representing up to $25 million in revenue, US Bank serves its clients at every business life stage—from starting a business to managing a growing company to selling a successful venture. US Bank provides a comprehensive and integrated suite of banking and payments solutions delivered both digitally and via its trusted banking partners. Photo by Viktor Forgacs on Unsplash The post Transforming Business Banking with US Bank’s Shruti Patel appeared first on Finovate.       

Clover is partnering with Wink to embed biometric identity directly into the payment flow across Clover’s point-of-sale ecosystem. The integration enables identity-based payments using facial, palm, and voice recognition and will support transactions, loyalty enrollment, and age verification without passwords, physical cards, or additional hardware. The partnership treats identity as a core layer of the transaction and aims to deliver faster checkout, reduced fraud, and simpler operations for merchants. Fiserv-owned Clover, a company that provides Android-powered point-of-sale tools, announced it is partnering with biometric identity and payments platform Wink to offer a new way to pay. Clover will integrate Wink’s biometric identity technology into its existing platform, enabling identity-based payments designed to improve security and streamline checkout for both merchants and customers. Texas-based Wink, a FinovateSpring 2023 Best of Show winner, provides a multi-factor biometric platform that combines facial, palm, voice, and device recognition to authenticate customer identities across in-store, mobile, and online transactions—without relying on passwords, physical cards, or additional hardware. The integration brings together Clover’s payment and loyalty tools with Wink’s biometric authentication capabilities, allowing consumers to complete transactions, enroll in loyalty programs, and verify age-restricted purchases using biometric authentication. All transactions are processed through Wink’s PCI Level 1 and SOC 2–compliant payment gateway. “The future of commerce is the unification of payment and identity,” said Fiserv SVP and Global Chief Product Officer of Merchant Solutions Sanjay Saraf. “By embedding Wink’s leading biometric security and intelligence directly into the Clover platform, we’re making cutting-edge technology simple, secure, and accessible for Main Street SMB businesses, helping them to deliver exceptional experiences and unlock new opportunities for growth.” While contactless payments tools became less exciting after COVID, the heart of this collaboration is around a more central aspect of payments: identity. By integrating Wink’s tools, Clover is bringing identity into the core layer of the transaction, rather than a separate step handled through passwords, cards, or manual checks. For merchants, this could mean faster throughput, lower fraud, and fewer operational touchpoints. Clover was originally founded in 2010 to help small businesses accept payments. Today, the company serves as a one-stop shop for multiple payment needs. In addition to offering a range of payment acceptance terminals, Clover also has software to help businesses with online orders, accounting, loyalty programs, staff management, inventory, and more. Clover was acquired in 2012 by First Data, which was acquired by Fiserv in 2019. “Wink’s strategic integration with Clover will bring unparalleled security, speed, and intelligence to every transaction across a large ecosystem of merchants, app developers, and partners,” said Deepak Jain, Founder and CEO of Wink. “We are excited to work closely with Fiserv to bring to market many advanced use cases of identity-driven payments that will define the future of connected commerce at scale across retail, hospitality, venues, and stadiums.” Clover will make the biometric capabilities available across all of its point-of-sale devices, including Station Duo, Mini, Flex, and Clover Kiosk, and will not require additional hardware changes. The new biometric technology will be available to QSRs, sports venues, and retailers, in a continuous rollout throughout 2026. Photo by Angela Roma The post Clover Selects Wink to Offer Biometric-Powered Payments appeared first on Finovate.       

UK-based paytech Modulr has entered the US as part of a strategic partnership with global fintech FIS. The partnership will enable FIS to leverage Modulr’s technology for its cloud-native orchestration platform Money Movement Hub. Founded in 1968 and headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, FIS has been a Finovate alum since 2010. UK-based payment technology provider Modulr has gone live in the United States, bringing its real-time, API-first payment capability to one of the largest payment markets in the world. Modulr has forged a strategic partnership with global fintech FIS and will provide critical technology for the company’s Money Movement Hub, a cloud-native orchestration platform that harmonizes the payments ecosystem by integrating major global networks via a single API. “Expanding into the US is a natural step for Modulr as we respond to growing global demand for real-time, reliable payments infrastructure,” Modulr Founder and CEO Myles Stephenson said. “Our partnership with FIS is a collaborative launchpad, combining our proven expertise with FIS’s deep market presence to help US financial institutions modernize, innovate, and unlock the full potential of instant payments.” FIS Money Movement Hub offers a unified point of access to real-time, batch, and cross-border payment rails, enabling financial institutions to provide their customers with faster, more flexible services. For its part, Modulr brings extensive experience in accessing payment schemes across the UK and Europe, including the company’s direct participation in the UK’s main payment schemes, Faster Payments and Bacs, as well as SEPA and SWIFT access. “Modulr’s expertise in payments and scalable solutions perfectly complements FIS’s expansive reach,” FIS Co-President, Banking Solutions, Jim Johnson said, “creating a powerhouse for innovation, efficiency, and expansion across the money lifecycle.” Processing more than 300 million transactions a year, with a total payment volume of more than £150 billion, Modulr’s API-first platform enables companies to embed payments into core solutions and services. With deployments across a network of more than 15 ERP, accounting, payroll, and travel booking integrations—including Sage, BrightPay, Xero, and Juniper—Modulr’s payments hub provides customers with greater efficiency, control, and security. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in London, Modulr is a regulated Authorized Electronic Money Institution (AEMI) in the UK under the Financial Conduct Authority and is regulated in the Netherlands by De Nederlandsche Bank. A Finovate alum since 2010, FIS most recently demoed on the Finovate stage at FinovateFall 2016. The company provides comprehensive financial services including payment processing, banking technology, and financial software, working with banks, merchants, and capital markets firms to improve efficiency, scalability, and security. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and founded in 1968, FIS works with 95% of the world’s leading banks and has more than 14,000 clients across 150 countries. FIS counts 90% of private equity firms, 70% of the top 100 insurance firms, and more than 4,900 financial services companies and credit unions among its customers and partners. FIS ended 2025 being recognized as a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for retail core banking systems in North America. Stephanie Ferris is the company’s CEO and President. Photo by Vlado Paunovic on Unsplash The post Partnership with FIS Brings UK Paytech Modulr to the US appeared first on Finovate.       

As we enter the next era of digitization 2.0, identity verification and fraud prevention have moved from supporting roles to critical infrastructure. At the same time, advances in AI are making it easier for bad actors to circumvent legacy controls, increasing both the complexity and the stakes of managing digital risk. From onboarding new customers to authenticating transactions and preventing losses in real time, banks and fintechs are under pressure to strike the right balance between security and user experience. Fortunately, fintechs are tackling this challenge head-on, building identity and fraud controls that reduce friction, strengthen trust, and make digital finance scalable. The four companies below are building some of the most cutting-edge tools in this segment and will showcase their solutions on the demo stage at FinovateEurope, which takes place February 10 and 11 in London. Candour Identity Candour Identity aims to improve digital onboarding by combining identity verification, biometrics, and fraud prevention into a single workflow. The platform is designed to help financial institutions increase conversion rates while maintaining regulatory compliance, enabling ongoing biometric authentication beyond initial onboarding. By supporting daily identity checks for login and payment use cases, Candour reduces fraud losses without introducing additional friction for legitimate users. Darwinium Darwinium helps organizations detect and prevent fraud while minimizing friction for trusted customers. Its platform distinguishes between high-risk and low-risk users in real time, allowing banks and fintechs to provide a “VIP” experience to good customers while applying stronger controls where needed. The approach is designed to reduce fraud losses without sacrificing the overall customer experience. Elephant Elephant targets false declines and chargebacks, two persistent challenges in digital payments. By improving transaction decisioning, the company helps businesses approve more legitimate transactions while reducing downstream fraud and disputes. The result is higher authorization rates, fewer customer complaints, and lower operational costs tied to chargeback management. Keyless With Keyless, users are the key. The company’s technology replaces traditional multi-factor authentication methods, such as one-time passwords, with biometric authentication. Keyless’s technology enables passwordless and tokenless login experiences while maintaining strong security controls. By removing reliance on call centers and manual recovery flows, Keyless aims to improve user experience and significantly reduce authentication-related costs for banks. Keyless was acquired by Pindrop Security in November 2025. Why banks should care Digital channels are increasingly becoming the primary point of interaction with customers, shifting the importance of verification technologies. The companies highlighted above show how banks, payments firms, and marketplaces can reduce fraud and operational costs while improving customer experience by applying smarter, more adaptive controls. Rather than relying on rigid rules or legacy authentication methods that can easily be spoofed using AI, modern identity and fraud platforms allow banks to approve more good customers, intervene only when risk is real, and scale digital growth without sacrificing trust. To watch these companies demo their newest tools in person, register for FinovateEurope, see what’s new, and shake hands with the innovators. Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko The post Four Identity and Fraud Startups Laying the Foundation for Digital Finance appeared first on Finovate.       

Czech Republic-based digital banking company Finshape introduced new CEO Neil Budd. Budd replaces current CEO Petr Koutný, who will take on a new position as Chairman of the Board. Budd comes to Finshape after serving in executive roles for companies including Finastra and Accenture. Forged in a 2021 merger between W.UP and BSC, Finshape won Best of Show in its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2022. Digital banking company Finshape, which won Best of Show in its debut at FinovateEurope 2022, has appointed a new CEO. The Prague, Czech Republic-based fintech introduced Neil Budd—a veteran financial services executive with more than 25 years of experience in banking, technology, and consulting—as its new Chief Executive Officer. “Banks are looking for technology partners they can trust for the long term,” Budd said in a statement. “Finshape has a strong, relevant product portfolio, experienced teams, and stable, trusted relationships with banks. With our Agentic Digital Bank Operating System and new capabilities in loyalty and personalization, I am confident we will continue to help banks deliver tangible value to their customers and accelerate our growth journey to new markets.” New markets, indeed. CEO Budd will be tasked with driving the company’s continued growth internationally, and expanding operations across Western Europe, the Middle East, and the APAC region. Finshape’s current CEO Petr Koutný will transition into the role of Chairman of the Board. “Clients value not only our products and expertise, but above all the practical impact that digital transformation delivers as part of their strategic programs,” Budd said. “Our goal is to continue developing technologies and services that perform in the demanding banking environment. At the same time, we are open to working with partners who share the same values—a strong focus on quality and customer orientation.” Budd’s experience includes more than three years at Finastra, where he served as Vice President & Global Head of Strategic Partnerships, Ecosystems and Alliances—as well as Global Head of Managed Services. Before that, he was Managing Director responsible for financial services at Accenture. Immediately preceding his appointment with Finshape, Budd was Senior Partner and Chief Revenue Officer at Phi Partners, a capital markets consulting firm that specializes in quantitative and technology services. Founded in 2021 via a merger between W.UP and BSC (Banking Software Company), Finshape won Best of Show in its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2022 and returned the following year for FinovateEurope 2023. In its most recent appearance, the fintech demonstrated its offering, called SME Stories, which helps banks boost digital engagement, loyalty, and sales among their micro- and small business customers via automated, easy-to-digest swipeable stories filled with actionable insights. Finshape’s C-suite announcement coincides with the company reporting 55 million Euros in revenue in 2025, with 30% year-on-year growth. Finshape also noted its August acquisition of loyalty platform Realtime XLS from Collinson Group, which Koutný called at the time a “strategic milestone,” adding that the platform would “form an integral part of our growing, customer-centric digital banking portfolio.” In October, the company announced a partnership with Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB), the world’s first Islamic bank and the largest bank in the United Arab Emirates. Photo by Tobias Reich on Unsplash The post FinovateEurope Best of Show Winner Finshape Introduces New CEO Neil Budd appeared first on Finovate.       

Barclays has made its first investment in digital currency infrastructure by backing Ubyx. Ubyx aims to simplify the redemption and acceptance of stablecoins and tokenized deposits through a many-to-many clearing system designed to unify today’s fragmented digital money landscape. The move shows that Barclays is focused on regulated interoperability rather than issuing its own stablecoin. UK-based banking giant Barclays is making its first investment in the digital currency infrastructure space this week. The bank made a strategic investment in Ubyx, a US-based clearing system for digital money. Ubyx was founded in 2025 to create stablecoin ubiquity. In other words, the company focuses on facilitating live transactions through a many-to-many clearing system to make redeeming stablecoins and tokenized deposits as simple as depositing a check. Ubyx uses a collaborative network model to transform the current, fragmented stablecoin landscape into a unified, ubiquitous payment system. “Our mission is to build a common globalized acceptance network for regulated digital money including tokenized deposits and regulated stablecoins,” said Ubyx CEO Tony McLaughlin. Barclays’ strategic involvement is especially important in Ubyx’s model, as the traditional bank adds a regulated element to the payments model. “Bank participation is vital to provide par value redemption through regulated channels. We are entering a world in which every regulated firm offers digital wallets in addition to traditional bank accounts.” While it serves as one of the top banks in the UK, Barclays has previously not been among those launching stablecoin programs. Today’s investment is Barclays’ first major move in the stablecoin space since October of 2025, when the bank joined a group of ten major financial institutions to explore a jointly issued stablecoin pegged to G7 currencies. “Interoperability is essential to unlock the full potential of digital assets,” said Barclays Head of Digital Assets and Strategic Investments Ryan Hayward. “As the landscape of tokens, blockchains, and wallets evolves, specialist technology will play a pivotal role in delivering connectivity and infrastructure to enable regulated financial institutions to interact seamlessly. We are pleased to be joining Ubyx on their journey as we drive forward our shared ambition to accelerate and shape innovation across our industry.” What’s interesting in this move is that Barclays isn’t taking a step toward issuing its own stablecoin or tokenized deposits. Instead, the bank is focused on interoperability, redemption, and acceptance at par. While clearing and settlement have long been dominated by bank-led networks, they are currently a bottleneck in digital money adoption. Ubyx’s many-to-many clearing model aims to solve that bottleneck, and Barclays’ participation adds regulatory credibility at a moment when banks are looking for ways to engage with digital assets without fragmenting liquidity or bypassing existing safeguards. Photo by Jose Marroquin on Unsplash The post Barclays Invests in Crypto Connectivity Startup Ubyx appeared first on Finovate.       

Two UAE-based companies—digital bank Zand and business banking platform Yuze—have teamed up to help small businesses, startups, and entrepreneurs secure digital business accounts. The strategic alliance between the two firms is designed to make financial services available to eligible, underserved companies via fast onboarding, an IBAN account, digital banking solutions, and advanced business tools. Both companies are headquartered in Dubai. Zand was founded in 2018. Yuze launched in 2022. Blockchain-powered digital bank Zand and digital business banking platform Yuze have teamed up to help small businesses, startups, and entrepreneurs secure digital business accounts. The strategic alliance will enable eligible, underserved businesses in the UAE to access financial services via Yuze’s platform. “The SME sector is a key growth engine driving the UAE economy,” Zand CEO Michael Chan said. “We are excited to partner with Yuze to support the business banking needs of SMEs and startups across the UAE, with our innovative and client-centric digital banking solutions.” The strategic alliance will provide companies with access to IBAN accounts, digital banking solutions, and advanced business tools to support their operational and financial management, as well as their future growth. The partnership will also streamline the onboarding process for business customers, allowing them to establish banking relationships more quickly. “At Yuze we believe that when banking becomes intelligent, businesses become limitless,” Yuze CEO Rabih Sfeir added. “Together with Zand, we are committed to providing customer-centric and next-generation banking services to businesses in the UAE.” Headquartered in Dubai, Yuze offers modern business banking solutions including digital onboarding, business banking accounts, payment cards, and expense management tools. Founded in 2022, Yuze recently announced the launch of its Yuze Freelancer App in India. Designed to empower the next generation of freelancers, the solution enables users to open a digital wallet in minutes, send and receive payments, and track income and expenses—all within a single, intuitive app. “We’re not just giving financial access,” Sfeir said when the offering was announced. “We’re giving a partner that listens, understands, and grows with people.” Founded in 2018 and based in Dubai, Zand is a digital bank that serves both retail and enterprise banking customers. A self-described “blockchain-powered bank,” Zand specializes in using AI and blockchain technology to bridge the gap between traditional and decentralized finance. The institution is licensed by the Central Bank of the UAE, the first all-digital bank in the UAE to earn this accreditation. Zand is also the first bank in the region to secure ISO certifications for information security management systems and for privacy information management systems covering Web3 services. Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash The post Digital Bank Zand and Business Banking Platform Yuze Announce Strategic Alliance appeared first on Finovate.       

Citi has selected CredAble as a fintech partner to modernize trade finance controls by adding invoice and shipping data verification to its digital trade loan tools. By integrating CredAble’s white-labelled technology, Citi aims to reduce fraud, manual reconciliation, and post-disbursement risk while improving transparency and speed for corporate clients and their suppliers. The partnership reflects a broader trend of banks embedding fintech infrastructure into core trade finance workflows, as institutions look to add automation, intelligence, and trust to increasingly complex global supply chains. Citi has selected India-based CredAble, a company that provides working capital infrastructure for banks and other businesses, to modernize trade finance controls and better verify invoices after payments are made across global markets.  Through its network of more than 20 ecosystem partners, CredAble provides liquidity programs for enterprise ecosystems, offers API-based working capital solutions and embedded credit solutions for banks, and provides an all-in-one credit, trade, and cash management platform for small businesses. Since it was founded in 2017, the company has served more than 175 corporations and 350,000 small businesses. “This partnership goes beyond product innovation. It reflects our joint vision of making trade finance smarter, more secure, and aligned with the digital expectations of global businesses,” said CredAble Co-founder and MD Ram Kewalramani. “We are proud to be Citi’s fintech partner and elevate the standard for invoice verification and supplier financing.” Citi will use a white-labelled solution from CredAble to add a verification layer to its digital trade loan tool. Integrating CredAble’s technology will allow Citi to help its corporate clients and their suppliers validate invoices by detecting inconsistencies and verifying shipping data with a user experience that offers better transparency and speed. Overall, Citi’s tool will reduce manual follow-ups and enhance the accuracy of invoices without disrupting existing business workflows. “As supply chains become more global and complex, digitization is essential to deliver control and confidence at scale,” said Citi Head of Asia South and Indian subcontinent, Trade and Working Capital Solutions, Mayank Gupta. “Our collaboration with CredAble supports our vision of modernizing trade with technology that is secure, user-centric, and built for widespread adoption.” In an increasingly digital era, traditional banks are turning to fintechs to modernize trade finance infrastructure. Embedding invoice verification and shipping data validation into digital trade loan tools will help banks address fraud, manual reconciliation, and post-disbursement risk. As international trade continues to rise, fintechs like CredAble and its competitors like Persona will increase in popularity as they help banks add intelligence, automation, and trust to trade finance processes. Photo by Tiger Lily The post Citi Taps CredAble for Trade Finance Controls appeared first on Finovate.       

Eltropy, an AI-powered conversations platform for community financial institutions (CFIs), announced this week that Nebraska-based Cobalt Credit Union has deployed its Eltropy AI Voice solution. This has enabled the credit union to secure an 83% session containment rate while maintaining high member satisfaction. Session containment rates refer to the percentage of customer interactions that are successfully resolved by the AI without the participation of a human agent. Typically, these rates range between 60% and 80%, and are lower than those for text-based systems due to the greater complexity of voice-based AI systems and the nuances of natural language processing (NLP) in spoken conversations. For Cobalt to achieve session containment rates exceeding 80% with its voice-based system is a significant achievement. “From day one, our AI-powered contact center assistant, Coby, has delivered measurable results and positive feedback from both members and staff,” Cobalt Credit Union VP of Digital Banking Chasmine McIntosh said. “What Coby does is handle routine inquiries 24/7, which frees up our team to focus on the complex situations where members really need that human touch. We consider him a vital member of our contact center team, handling high volume with empathy and accuracy.” Formerly SAC Federal Credit Union, Cobalt CU is no stranger to AI-enabled technology. The institution implemented its first AI agent in August 2024: an intent-based system that ran alongside the credit union’s new digital banking platform. Before the end of the year, Cobalt CU had added generative AI capabilities to enable its contact center assistant, Coby, to respond to an even broader range of queries. The implementation of AI Voice represents the completion of Cobalt CU’s multi-channel AI strategy, enabling members to engage with the institution via the channel of their choice. “The key to effective AI Voice is that it goes beyond just understanding member requests—it takes action,” Eltropy VP of Product, AI, Saahil Kamath said. “Members calling to check balances or transfer funds don’t want to work through phone menus and hold times. Our AI handles authentication conversationally, processes transactions in real-time, and provides confirmation—maintaining a natural, human-like interaction throughout. Cobalt members are experiencing this firsthand.” Founded in 1946 as SAC Federal Credit Union, the institution rebranded as Cobalt Credit Union in 2018. Cobalt CU is headquartered in Papillion, Nebraska—part of the Omaha metropolitan area—and has more than 20 branches serving approximately 120,000 members throughout Nebraska and Iowa. The credit union has $1.3 billion in assets under management. Robin Larsen is President and CEO. A Finovate alum since 2017, Eltropy most recently demoed its technology at FinovateFall 2022 in New York. Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, Eltropy offers a unified conversations platform that enables more than 700 credit unions and community banks to transform the member and customer experience. With more than 40 use cases ranging from straightforward 1:1 texting and video banking to appointment and lobby management, Eltropy integrates AI at every step to automate processes and streamline complexity. Financial institutions using Eltropy’s technology have seen reductions in delinquency and fraud rates, as well as up to a 20% acceleration in lending processes. Photo by John Matychuk on Unsplash The post Cobalt Credit Union Teams Up with Eltropy to Deploy AI Voice appeared first on Finovate.       

FinovateEurope 2026 takes place in London on February 10 and 11. Register to attend and save up to £400. FinovateEurope is returning to London in February, spotlighting the latest in fintech innovation. The exceptional lineup of 30+ cutting-edge demos and 1,000+ senior-level attendees—including an impressive 600+ from banks and other financial institutions—makes FinovateEurope a must-attend event. This year’s demo lineup showcases the key trends driving change across the financial services sector and the innovative technologies bringing them to life. Here’s an early look at the first wave of companies taking the stage: Stay tuned for more announcements as we reveal the next wave of innovators in the coming weeks! Interested in demoing? Applications are still open! FinovateEurope is the perfect platform for organizations driving innovation in financial services—whether you’re a startup, bank, public entity, or established leader. Demoing offers unparalleled exposure, including: 7-minute demo slot on the main stage A plug-and-play exhibit hall stand Speaker passes and lead generation reports Coaching calls with Finovate’s host and resident expert Marketing and media coverage Don’t miss the chance to kick off 2026 with a strong pipeline of leads and high ROI. Apply now to secure your spot. The post Welcome to 2026! First Look at Europe Demos appeared first on Finovate.      Related StoriesWelcome to Day One of FinovateEurope 2022Welcome to Day Three of FinovateFall 2021!Welcome to Day Two of FinovateFall 2021! 

Flutterwave has agreed to acquire Mono, bringing open banking capabilities fully in-house as it pushes toward a more interoperable financial infrastructure across Africa. The deal allows Flutterwave to natively integrate financial data access, identity verification, and account-to-account payments. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Cross-border payments company Flutterwave revealed it has agreed to acquire Mono, a fellow Africa-based fintech focused on providing open banking tools. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. For Flutterwave, investing in open banking technologies shows that it is committed to building an interoperable financial system for Africa. While Flutterwave originally partnered with Mono in 2022, the acquisition will allow the company to fully integrate Mono’s API-driven open banking elements. The native integration will offer users secure access to financial data, identity verification, and account-to-account payments. It will also create a clear path for expanding into richer alternative payment methods, authenticated payment flows, and open banking-enabled stablecoin use cases. “This acquisition reflects how we think about the future of financial infrastructure in Africa,” said Flutterwave Founder and CEO Olugbenga ‘GB’ Agboola. “Payments, data, and trust cannot exist in silos. Open banking provides the connective tissue, and Mono has built critical infrastructure in this space. This acquisition allows us to expand what’s possible for businesses operating across African markets, while staying grounded in security, compliance, and local relevance.” Mono was founded in 2020 to provide financial data, identity verification, and direct bank payments for businesses. With five million linked accounts across more than 500 banks and fintechs, the Lagos-based fintech covers three different countries. “Mono’s capabilities across financial data access, direct bank payments, and identity verification, combined with Flutterwave’s unmatched scale and global reach, create something more defensible and comprehensive,” said Mono Founder and CEO Abdulhamid Hassan. “This acquisition allows us to build the infrastructure layer that powers the next generation of African fintech at the speed and scale the continent deserves.” Once the acquisition is finalized, Mono will continue to operate independently with its leadership structure intact. Mono will also retain operational control, which will allow it to maintain its pace of innovation. Flutterwave accepts payments in more than 30 currencies, processing an average of 500,000 payments each day. In addition to its payments technology, Flutterwave also offers invoicing technology, business loans, and analytics tools. Since it was founded in 2016, Flutterwave has raised more than $470 million and has processed over one billion transactions in excess of $40 billion. The move positions Flutterwave toward full-stack financial infrastructure. It also reflects a broader industry shift toward open banking–enabled payment flows, where verified data and authenticated transfers reduce fraud, improve conversion, and unlock new use cases. For Africa’s fragmented financial ecosystem, tighter integration between payments and data infrastructure has the potential to boost interoperability while giving cross-border payment players like Flutterwave greater control over compliance, reliability, and product velocity. Photo by Muhammad-Taha Ibrahim The post Cross-Border Payments Fintech Flutterwave Acquires Open Banking Firm Mono appeared first on Finovate.       

If you stepped away from your desk over the holidays, you are probably realizing that fintech didn’t slow down while you were gone. Even if your email inbox is finally back to zero at this point, we’re here to help you filter out the noise and catch up on the important fintech news you missed. Below, we’ve rounded up the most important fintech developments that broke during the holiday lull. December 19 Mercury applies for OCC national bank charter to become the bank for builders. Business banking fintech Mercury submitted an application to the OCC for a national bank charter and applied for federal deposit insurance with the FDIC. Receiving approval from these agencies would allow Mercury to operate as an FDIC-insured national bank. The move would grant Mercury independence from its partner banks, Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., giving the fintech full control of its customers. European Central Bank (ECB) completes its technical and preparatory work on the digital euro. ECB President Christine Lagarde said during a press conference that the bank has completed technical and preparatory work on the digital euro. In the statement, Lagarde mentioned that the digital euro is a priority for Europe’s financial future. The announcement proves that central bank digital currencies are still on the table for 2026, even as stablecoins and tokenized deposits take precedence in the headlines. December 30 Retail investment platform PrimaryBid lays off about 40% of its workforce. The UK-based company’s newest registry filings indicate that PrimaryBid’s average employee headcount fell to 91, which is down from 152 during the same period last year. PrimaryBid has a long-term agreement with the London Stock Exchange to allow everyday retail investors to transact at the same time and price as institutional investors. December 22 Digital bank Erebor closed $350 million in funding at a $4.35 billion valuation. Erebor is a new digital bank that was founded by Palmer Luckey, billionaire and founder of Oculus VR and Anduril Industries. The new digital bank seeks to bridge traditional finance with the digital asset economy and has already obtained FDIC approval and conditional approval from US banking regulators. The bank is expected to launch this year. Fiserv and Mastercard partner to advance agentic commerce. Fiserv announced it is deepening its partnership with Mastercard, leveraging Mastercard’s Agent Pay Acceptance Framework to offer interoperable agentic commerce and empower merchants to embrace AI-driven payments. December 23 JPMorgan considers allowing crypto trading for institutional clients. With Jamie Dimon’s negative comments about crypto far in the past, JPMorgan announced plans to allow institutional clients to trade crypto. The announcement comes weeks after the bank’s asset management arm launched its first tokenized money fund. Photo by Ono Kosuki The post Returning to the Office? Here’s the Top Fintech News You Missed appeared first on Finovate.       

Global data, technology, and analytics company Experian announced that its commercial data is now available on its Ascend platform. The news means that companies using Ascend will be able to access and analyze Experian’s full commercial data suite within a single platform. Founded in 2006, Experian has been a Finovate alum since 2011. The company’s corporate headquarters is in Dublin, Ireland. Data, technology, and analytics company Experian reported today that its commercial data is now available on its Ascend platform. The company’s cloud-based analytics and decisioning solution, Ascend, combines Experian’s data assets and advanced analytics tools. The newly announced integration will enable companies to access and analyze Experian’s full commercial data suite within a single platform. This alleviates the need for separate integrations as well as manual data pulls. Experian UK&I Chief Product Officer, Business Information, David Gallihawk said that the enhanced offering will help customers using the Ascend platform keep pace with the “ever-growing number (of) lenders and new products entering the market.” Gallihawk added, “Experian Ascend helps lenders retain customers, identify new opportunities, launch new products, and leverage data to automate processes. Clients can have an even better view of their customers and businesses so they can make smarter, faster decisions—all within one integrated platform.” The need for access to commercial data is clear; Experian data supported at least two-thirds of SME borrowing in the UK in 2024. Commercial data provides in-depth, granular information on the borrowing and repayment history of more than eight million businesses in the UK. Access to this data will give lenders, businesses, and other organizations a more holistic view of company performance, enabling them to make better, faster, and more accurate lending decisions. The integration will provide quick and easy access to more than six years of full-file commercial credit data, including Commercial CAIS, Risk Scores, and CATO—along with their own internal datasets. Users can access the data via the Experian Analytical Sandbox on the Ascend platform. Founded in 1996 and established as a standalone public company in 2006, Experian has been a Finovate alum since 2011. Today, the company is a FTSE 100 firm that helps institutions improve lending and fight fraud with a unique combination of data, analytics, and software that enables them to secure deeper insights into their customers. Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, and boasting 25,000+ employees in 32 countries, Experian has more than 208 million customers on its free platforms alone. Along with fellow Finovate alums TransUnion and Equifax, Experian is one of the Big Three credit reporting agencies in the US. Of the three, it has the most extensive operations in the UK and Europe. Photo by Scott Webb The post Experian Integrates Corporate Commercial Data to its Ascend Platform appeared first on Finovate.       

2026 begins in earnest today as the first full working week of the year gets underway. Be sure to check in with Finovate’s Fintech Rundown over the next few days to get you up and running with the latest in fintech news and announcements! Open banking Flutterwave acquires African open banking infrastructure company Mono. Credit and analytics Experian announces availability of its commercial data via its Ascend platform. Investing and wealth management Universal Exchange (UEX) Bitget opens its TradFi trading suite to all users. Crypto and DeFi Telcoin, a digital asset bank that just won final charter approval from the Nebraska Department of Banking and Finance, launches its eUSD stablecoin. Kast, a financial platform built on stablecoin rails, expands global payouts to 11 new local currencies including GBP, EUR, and CAD, as well as a multiple currencies in the Asia Pacific region. Insurtech Zurich North America partners with modularized AI underwriting, data, and intelligent document automation workbench company Convr. Insurance broker and risk management firm M3 Insurance turns to SimplePin to modernize its finance and accounting operations. Agentic commerce Fiserv and Mastercard extend their partnership to advance agentic commerce for merchants, leveraging Mastercard’s Agent Pay Acceptance Framework at scale. Lending India-based digital lender Knight Fintech raises $23.6 million in Series A funding. Digital banking Egypt’s Bank NXT partners with IBM and inspire for Solutions Development. Photo by BoliviaInteligente on Unsplash The post Fintech Rundown: A Rapid Review of Weekly News appeared first on Finovate.       

Before heading out for the holidays, Finovate Global shared a look back at the entrepreneurs and innovators we interviewed in 2025. Today, as the new year begins in earnest for many, we are officially saluting those companies hailing from outside the US that made the journey to our fintech conferences in London, San Diego, and New York in 2025. As you can see, Finovate continues to attract innovative fintech talent from around the world to be a part of our unique events. Want to join the roster? FinovateEurope is currently accepting applications for the upcoming February conference in London, February 10 and 11. Wherever you and your team call home, we are happy to learn more about you and your ready-to-demo innovation. Check out our FinovateEurope Apply to Demo page to learn more! APIMatic Founded in 2014, APIMatic is a developer experience platform for APIs that enables organizations to drive fast, widespread adoption of their APIs. The platform supports every stage of the API journey, from design and dynamic SDKs to code sample generation and end-to-end automation. Headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, APIMatic made its most recent appearance on the Finovate stage at FinovateSpring 2025. AQ22 Founded in 2024, AQ22 offers an Agentic Orchestration Banking platform that enables banks to deploy AI agents to automate core banking processes and operations. Headquartered in Vilnius, Lithuania, AQ22 made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025. Aurem Founded in 2022, Aurem offers an intelligent operating system for retirement and wealth providers. Their platform helps institutions unify and optimize their products, processes, and data and deliver them globally in days. Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Aurem made its Finovate debut at FinovateFall 2025. b-next Founded in 1989, b-next is a corporate software provider specializing in capital markets trading surveillance and compliance solutions. Headquartered in Herford, Germany, b-next made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025. Cinareo Solutions Founded in 2022, Cinareo Solutions offers a capacity planning platform that provides pro-active resource planning and financial analysis to cost-efficiently manage front- and back-office team members, as well as support staff. The company is a winner of Finovate’s Sustainability & Inclusion Scholarship Program. Headquartered in Oshawa, Ontario, Cinareo Solutions made its Finovate debut at FinovateSpring 2025. Copla Founded in 2023, Copla is an ICT security and compliance automation platform that transforms paper compliance into real-world resilience. The platform provides the capabilities of a full cybersecurity and compliance department at a subscription cost. Headquartered in Vilnius, Lithuania, Copla made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025. Deriskly Founded in 2020, Deriskly provides AI-driven communication intelligence that deciphers customer feedback, automates compliance, and enhances trust by transforming complex regulations into actionable insights. Headquartered in London, England, Deriskly made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025. Dimply Founded in 2020, Dimply enables organizations to optimize operations, enhance customer engagement, uncover growth opportunities, and accelerate digital transformation. Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, Dimply most recently demoed its technology on the Finovate stage at FinovateFall 2025. Doshi App Founded in 2021, Doshi App empowers financial institutions to deliver engaging, rewarding, and scalable financial education experiences that build money confidence. Headquartered in London, England, Doshi App most recently demoed its technology on the Finovate stage at FinovateEurope 2025. ebankIT Founded in 2014, ebankIT empowers financial institutions to innovate quickly, reduce costs, and deliver personalized services across all channels, accelerating growth and future-proofing their digital strategy. Headquartered in Porto, Portugal, the two-time Finovate Best of Show winner most recently demoed its technology on the Finovate stage at FinovateFall 2025. FintechOS Founded in 2017, FintechOS enables banks and credit unions to launch any product faster, modernize customer experiences, and adapt quickly to market and regulatory changes—without replacing their core systems. Headquartered in London, England, FintechOS made its most recent Finovate appearance at FinovateFall 2025. Homely Founded in 2021, Homely is an AI-powered platform that empowers the journey to homeownership by combining education, spend management, and financial rewards in a hyper-personalized way. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, Homely made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025. Hyperdesk Founded in 2022, Hyperdesk provides an AI-powered search engine that helps credit unions and community banks grow their loans and deposits by better engaging with local businesses.  Headquartered in San Francisco, California, and Mexico City, Mexico, Hyperdesk made its Finovate debut at FinovateSpring 2025. ID-Pal Founded in 2016, ID-Pal facilitates business growth with AI-powered identity verification and AML screening, increasing operational efficiency and customer trust. Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, ID-Pal most recently demoed its technology on the Finovate stage at FinovateFall 2025. Intrepid Fox Founded in 2024, Intrepid Fox leverages GenAI to make KYC 10x faster for banks and fintechs. The company’s technology streamlines onboarding by instantly processing documents and engaging in value-added interactions. Headquartered in London, England, Intrepid Fox most recently demoed its technology on the Finovate stage at FinovateEurope 2025. Intuitech Founded in 2018, Intuitech uses agentic networks to automate complex workflows, maximize efficiency, and elevate the customer experience for companies in financial services. Based in Budapest, Hungary, Intuitech made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025. Keyless Founded in 2019, Keyless replaces outdated MFA with biometrics, improving UX and saving millions. One bank saved $3.5 million by eliminating call centers for OTP-based recovery. Based in London, England, Keyless won Best of Show in its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025. The company returned to the Finovate stage later in the year for FinovateFall 2025. LemonadeLXP Founded in 2018, LemonadeLXP’s InsightAI improves staff and customer education while driving significant operational efficiencies. Headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, LemonadeLXP won Best of Show at FinovateFall 2022 and again at FinovateFall 2025. MDOTM Founded in 2015, MDOTM specializes in analytical and GenAI solutions for banks, insurance companies, asset managers, and wealth management companies. Headquartered in London, England, MDOTM made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025. Mifundo Founded in 2022, Mifundo provides a data solution that offers cross-border credit information and standardized credit scores to help lower banks’ credit risk for international customers by up to 7x. Headquartered in Tallinn, Estonia, Mifundo made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025. MoneyPlanned Founded in 2021, MoneyPlanned empowers institutions to offer intelligent, automated financial planning—boosting advisor efficiency, reducing cost-to-serve, and delivering personalized client experiences at scale. Based in Bengaluru, India, MoneyPlanned made its Finovate debut at FinovateFall 2025. Moonjelly Founded in 2024, Moonjelly offers a scalable, transparent, and reliable GenAI platform that enables businesses to leverage AI agents and custom AI solutions to retrieve information, derive insights, and complete tasks. Headquartered in South Holland, Netherlands, Moonjelly made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025. Offset Labs Founded in 2022, Offset Labs (formerly Byne) enables companies to build secure LLM agents and host LLM applications within their secure perimeter (on premise or private cloud) to ensure safe handling of sensitive data and integration with internal systems. Headquartered in London, England, the company made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025. OPL Founded in 2015, OPL’s cash-flow-based lending helps banks transform their operations through agile lending, AI-driven insights, and intelligent credit underwriting—expanding credit access to SMEs. Headquartered in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, OPL made its Finovate debut at FinovateFall 2025. PayIP Founded in 2021, PayIP is a specialized fintech provider that helps banks and financial services companies optimize both interchange and Visa and Mastercard billing costs. Based in Johannesburg, South Africa, PayIP made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025. Plumery Founded in 2016, Plumery offers a cloud-native digital banking experience platform that empowers financial institutions to build distinctive and customer-centric mobile and online experiences. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Plumery made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025. Primer Founded in 2023, Primer is an AI-powered financial analysis platform for investment professionals at banks, hedge funds, and asset management firms. Headquartered in London, England, Primer made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025. PromoComply Founded in 2024, PromoComply offers a comprehensive platform for financial promotions compliance. The company helps financial sector companies ensure their financial promotion campaigns are continuously compliant with UK FCA regulations. Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, PromoComply made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025. R34DY Founded in 2019, R34DY helps organizations transform their business by taking the pain out of integrations and making it easy for business owners to create use cases and reduce time to market. Headquartered in Budapest, Hungary, R34DY won Best of Show in its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025 and returned to the Finovate stage later in the year for FinovateFall 2025. Regsearch AI Founded in 2019, Regsearch AI offers a regulatory compliance solution that leverages AI agents to streamline compliance processes. Headquartered in Luxembourg, Regsearch AI made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025. Torus Founded in 2021, Torus is a SaaS intelligence platform for banks and fintechs that enables them to enhance profits on card transactions by up to 50%. Headquartered in Vilnius, Lithuania, Torus most recently demoed its technology on the Finovate stage at FinovateEurope 2025. Tweezr Founded in 2024, Tweezr is an AI-powered developer assistant tailored for legacy environments that helps accelerate time-to-market and boost developer productivity. Headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tweezr won Best of Show in its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025. Xaver Founded in 2023, Xaver offers a sales platform that enhances advisory quality and efficiency for financial institutions by delivering an AI-enabled, personalized, omnichannel customer journey. Headquartered in Cologne, Germany, Xaver made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2025. Here is our look at fintech innovation around the world. Middle East and Northern Africa Commercial Bank of Dubai and Pay10 launched Open Finance services under the UAE’s Open Finance Initiative, AlTareq. Middle East Economy looked at the potential for growth in the Oman fintech market. The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) and the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) inked a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a pan African Gold bank. Central and Southern Asia Paytm secured approval from the Indian central bank, RBI to expand its payment aggregator license to include offline and cross-border transactions. Freedom Bank Kazakhstan added eSIM services to its Freedom SuperApp courtesy of a partnership with Boxo. VEON’s Mobilink Microfinance Bank launched Islamic banking operations in Pakistan. Latin America and the Caribbean Ecuadorean transactional network COONECTA teamed up with BPC to deploy the SmartVisa platform across 90 credit unions and 75 member institutions. International IT solutions provider JMR Infotech joined the Caribbean Association of Banks (CAB) as a Service Member. Zigi, the digital innovation unit of Guatemala’s Banco Industrial, expanded its partnership with core banking software provider Thought Machine. Asia-Pacific South Korea’s KakaoBank announced a deepened partnership with Indonesian digital bank Superbank. Mastercard introduced its Open Finance Business Solutions offering in Australia. Singapore-based fintech Fingular opened a new hub in Malaysia and launched a new Smart Limit financing solution. Sub-Saharan Africa Tech in Africa reviewed 2025 investment trends for startups in Africa, noting Nigeria’s lead in fintech spending. Zawya profiled South African SME lender Bridgement. Disrupt Africa looked at how Nigerian fintech Pay4Me is helping students make international payments. Central and Eastern Europe Lithuanian regtech iDenfy introduced an automated identity verification app for Shopify that triggers ID verification checks on high-risk orders. Romania’s Banca Centrală Cooperatistă CREDITCOOP deployed Allevo’s FINTP-Instant payments solution. German savings and investment platform Raisin announced plans to enter the US market in 2026. Photo by Saj Shafique on Unsplash The post Finovate Global: A Salute to Our 2025 International Alums appeared first on Finovate.       

Our Finovate Global interview series provides deep dives and extended conversations about fintech innovation around the world—especially in countries outside of the US. This year, we have featured seven different discussions on fintech topics ranging from payments and regtech to Islamic finance and workforce management solutions. Click the headlines below to access the interviews. If you are a Finovate alum headquartered outside the US and would like to share your story with our readers, then consider being a part of our Finovate Global interview series in 2026. Reach out to me at david@finovate.com—we’d love to have you join us! With that, we hope you enjoy these conversations and maybe even find one that you might have missed. And thanks to Jac, Karen, Kirill, Stav, Stuart, Maya, and Dilshod for being a part of our Finovate Global interviews of 2025. Here is our look at fintech innovation around the world. Central and Eastern Europe German fintech Trade Republic reached a valuation of €12.5 billion following a €1.2 billion secondary share sale. Mastercard unveiled its WhatsApp chatbot for users in Azerbaijan. Deutsche Bank has gone live with digital wallet and payments app, Wero. Middle East and Northern Africa Israel VC firm Viola Ventures launched a pair of new funds totaling $250 million to invest in Israeli fintechs innovating in AI and fintech. UAE-based Lucid Capital raised $2.5 million to expand AI-powered algorithmic trading. PayTabs Egypt teamed up with Edita Trade, a subsidiary of Edita Food Industries, to integrate a unified cash collection and payments solution across the company’s distribution network. Central and Southern Asia Bangalore, India-based tax management infrastructure startup Prosperr.io raised $4 million in seed funding. Google introduced its UPI-linked credit card in India. Unlimit secured final authorization from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate with a payment aggregator-cross border license. Latin America and the Caribbean Mexican fintech Plata secured a $500 million line of credit courtesy of an arrangement with Nomura Securities International. Payment infrastructure company Juspay launched Visa’s Click to Pay in Brazil. Contxto looked at recent venture capital investment trends in Latin America, with an emphasis on the rebound in fintech investing. Asia-Pacific Fintech holding company Fingular established a new hub in Malaysia. Invoice Lifecycle Management company Basware acquired Australian AP automation vendor Redmap. A debate over which entities can issue KRW stablecoins will determine how the digital asset is regulated in South Korea, CCN reported. Sub-Saharan Africa Payments, cash management, and capital markets solutions company Montran opened its African regional headquarters in Kenya. Zawya profiled South African SME financing company Bridgement. Ghama officially legalized cryptocurrency trading as the country’s Virtual Asset Service Providers Bill is passed. Photo by Alexas_Fotos on Unsplash The post Finovate Global: Our Top Interviews of 2025 appeared first on Finovate.       

Identity verification, compliance, and risk decisioning platform Socure has acquired Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) consumer credit database, Qlarifi. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition will create a unified, identity, anti-fraud BNPL credit infrastructure to help consumers build credit responsibly. New York-based Socure has been a Finovate alum since 2013. Johnny Ayers is Founder and CEO. Global identity, compliance, and risk decisioning platform Socure has acquired real-time Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) consumer credit database, Qlarifi. The combination will create a unified identity, anti-fraud BNPL credit infrastructure helping consumers build credit responsibly, enabling lenders to confidently offer financing to more qualified customers, while providing transparency and increased consumer protection that regulators increasingly demand. “BNPL has outgrown the legacy systems that were never designed to support their innovative lending products,” Socure Founder and CEO Johnny Ayers said. “At the same time, consumers deserve a safe path to build credit, lenders need real-time visibility to reduce fraud and risk, and regulators require transparency and reporting. Qlarifi built the first real-time BNPL consumer credit database, and by combining it with SocureID and our Identity Graph, we can deliver the unified infrastructure that all market participants have been asking for.” Buy Now Pay Later is a growing component of the e-commerce ecosystem, with nearly 6% of all online transactions in the US relying on BNPL. With growth of more than 20% in the US, spending on BNPL is poised to top $700 billion globally by 2028. The rise of BNPL presents a challenge to both conventional credit reporting systems and infrastructure, however. These systems were not built for the kind of high frequency, small dollar amount lending decisions made in milliseconds that characterizes BNPL. Moreover, lenders have little visibility into the creditworthiness of borrowers, especially when it comes to cross provider visibility. This can expose merchants to significant losses and even increased fraud rates. Furthermore, unlike other credit schemes, BNPL also tends to leave consumers without a path to build credit. In response, Qlarifi’s platform enables BNPL providers to safely extend financing to qualified customers, while identifying high-risk behavior such as loan stacking and financial crime such as first-party fraud. Already piloted effectively with its partners in Europe, Qlarifi is designed specifically to help lenders protect their customers from overextension and reduce the risk for BNPL providers. Integrated with Socure’s Identity Graph intelligence and RiskOS decisioning engine, lenders will be able to validate identity across BNPL providers, enable thin file customers (those with limited credit history) to access credit responsibly, and reduce fraud-related payment costs for merchants. “We built Qlarifi to solve a very real pain point: the lack of infrastructure to protect consumers from overextending themselves across multiple BNPL providers,” Qlarifi CEO and Co-founder Alex Naughton said. “By joining forces with Socure, we now have their tremendous commercial scale, balance sheet, and world-class analytics behind us to build the infrastructure that will enable responsible lending at scale and demonstrate to regulators that the industry can protect consumers while expanding access to credit.” Headquartered in London and founded in 2023, Qlarifi offers a BNPL consumer credit database, providing lenders with BNPL transaction history data to enable them to make more informed underwriting decisions. The solution helps consumers access the right credit products for their needs, provides enhanced fraud protection, and reduces scoring costs while enabling lenders to mitigate operational risks through an emphasis on data privacy and data minimization. New York-based Socure has been a Finovate alum since 2013. The company leverages AI and machine learning, along with trusted online and offline data intelligence, to verify identities in real time. A leading digital identity verification and trust platform, Socure has more than 2,000 customers in financial services, e-commerce, healthcare, and other industries, and includes four of the top five banks, seven of the top 10 card issuers, and more than 250 of the largest fintechs among its clients. Photo by Adi Goldstein on Unsplash The post Socure Acquires BNPL Consumer Credit Database Qlarifi appeared first on Finovate.       

Finovate alums raised more than $1.4 billion in the final three months of 2025. The funding total in the fourth quarter of the year is the best Q4 for alum funding in more than a decade. The historic Q4 also takes the annual total capital raised by Finovate alums to levels not seen since 2021. As we learn more about the overall level of fintech funding in the fourth quarter and for the full year, it will be interesting to see if this impressive performance by Finovate alums reflects broader investment trends in the industry. Previous Annual Comparisons 2024: $553 million 2023: $1.2 billion 2022: $2.7 billion 2021: $8.4 billion A total of 46 Finovate alums reported funding in 2025, totaling more than $3.3 billion. This figure represents the largest fundraising year for Finovate alums since the blow-out year of 2021 in which more than $8 billion was raised. Previous Quarterly Comparisons Q4 2024: More than $132 million raised by seven alums Q4 2023: More than $307 million raised by 11 alums Q4 2022: More than $380 million raised by 15 alums Q4 2021: More than $1.2 billion raised by seven alums The pattern of billion+plus Q4s arriving every other year continued in 2025. 11 Finovate alums reported raising more than $1.4 billion in the fourth quarter of this year. This includes one company’s investment (Qolo’s fundraising in October) for which the amount is unknown. The last time Finovate alums raised a comparable amount in funding in the fourth quarter was in 2014, when 26 alums raised more than $1.4 billion. Top Quarterly Equity Investments The top equity investments of the quarter were the $500 million secured by both Avalara and Ripple. Also among the top fundraisings of the quarter was the $280 million raised in two separate, back-to-back rounds by MoEngage. Here is our detailed alum funding report for Q4 2025. October: More than $108 million raised by four alums Basis Theory: $33 million – post Feedzai: $75 million – post Offset Labs (fka Byne): $804,000 – post Qolo: undisclosed – post November: More than $1.1 billion raised by five alums Abacus: $5 million – news Avalara: $500 million – news Kaaj: $3.8 million – news MoEngage: $100 million – news Ripple: $500 million – post December: More than $191 million raised by two alums Kobalt Labs: $11 million – news MoEngage: $180 million – post If you are a Finovate alum that raised money in the fourth quarter of 2025, and do not see your company listed, please drop us a note at research@finovate.com. We would love to share the good news! Funding received prior to becoming an alum not included. Photo by micheile henderson on Unsplash The post 11 Finovate Alums Raised More than $1.4 Billion in Q4; More Than $3.3 Billion in 2025 appeared first on Finovate.       

Welcome to Finovate’s final Fintech Rundown of 2025! DeFi and crypto have dominated the fintech news in recent weeks, with some companies in the space launching stablecoins and stablecoin-related services, while others announce expansion into new markets. We will update this post over the next several days to keep you informed on the final big headlines of the year. Investing and wealth management An investor group led by Permira and Warburg Pincus has announced plans to acquire Clearwater Anaytics in a transaction valued at $8.4 billion. DeFi and crypto Coinbase launches Stablecoins-as-a-Service solution, Custom Stablecoins. Cryptocurrency exchange Bybit re-launches in the UK. SoFi launches fully reserved stablecoin. US-based digital currency platform CoinFlip opens its Crypto Center in Mexico City. AI Pendo announces the general availability of its Agent Analytics solution. Insurtech AI-native commercial insurer Nirvana Insurance raises $100 million in Series D funding. Payments Visa and Aldar announce strategic collaboration and live implementation of end-to-end voice-enabled agentic payments. Digital banking Financial services software company Finastra announces opening of new offices in Atlanta and in Trivandrum, India. Fraud prevention and financial crime ComplyAdvantage partners with Sutherland to launch an AI-powered compliance solution for banks and fintechs. Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash The post Fintech Rundown: A Rapid Review of Weekly News appeared first on Finovate.