UK digital bank Ziglu launches P2P payments for Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash
London-based challenger bank Ziglu said Monday that it has been licensed as an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) by the U.K.’s FCA.
Crypto-friendly banking platform Cashaa expanding in India, US, Africa
Crypto-friendly banking platform Cashaa has unveiled its expansion plans, having raised $5 million from investment and advisory firm O1ex.
HSBC to build the bank of the future by giving its 30,000 devs access to APIs
HSBC is building a new digital banking platform, with the organisation looking to power the bank of the future through the use of APIs. Turning to Salesforce-owned MuleSoft, HSBC chief architect of digital technologies Prakash Sethuraman said the bank is taking advantage of open banking to develop new, “connected” experiences for its more than 38 million customers worldwide, using this as the foundation for the bank of the future. Speaking at Dreamforce 2019 in San Francisco last week, Sethuraman said HSBC is wanting to reach out beyond the branch, the contact centre, and other more traditional channels to create those connected experiences. “When we work with our partners and they […]
Sweden’s Central Bank lays out its plans for its digital currency
Stefan Ingves, the Governor of Sweden’s central bank, Sveriges Riksbank, has laid out his six-step plan for the introduction of is central bank digital currency. Part one of the plans is that both large value and retail payments must be settled in the central bank digital currency anywhere around the world, at any time, all year round. Part two, cross-currency and cross border payments must also be settled in the central bank digital currency at any time. Part three concerns what will constitute as legal tender if banknotes disappear tomorrow. Part four is the implementation in the digital world and securing the korona with AML regulations. Part five is a distinction between wholesale central bank […]
Tencent to build virtual bank after Hong Kong regulator approves license
Chinese internet giant Tencent is set to open a blockchain-based virtual bank after the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) approved a new license. Speaking at the World Blockchain Summit in Wuzhen, China on Friday, Tencent blockchain chief Yige Cai said the company’s virtual bank received the SFC’s green-light. Moving forward, the company will assemble a team to support the blockchain-based banking platform, according to Chinese media site Sina Finance. “Hong Kong’s new regulations and supervision on digital assets transactions validates the importance of blockchain technology and digital assets, which is good news for the whole industry,” Cai said in his speech at the summit. The SFC has granted […]
Santander takes big stake in UK FinTech
Spanish bank Banco Santander is acquiring just over 50 percent of the U.K. payments platform Ebury for £350 million ($453 million), Ebury announced in a press release on Monday (Nov. 4). The Ebury payments platform gives small and medium-size companies the ability to trade internationally. The acquisition is scheduled to close in the first quarter of next year and is intended to help boost Santander’s global payments business. “Small and medium-sized businesses are a major engine of growth around the world, creating new jobs and contributing up to 60 percent of total employment and up to 40 percent of national GDP in emerging economies,” said Santander’s Executive Chairman Ana Botín. […]
Amica Financial Technologies raises $24 million in funding
Amica Financial Technologies, an upcoming digital retail bank founded by Citrus Pay cofounder Jitendra Gupta, has received $24 million in its maiden funding round. The funding is backed by a long list of institutional investors including Greyhound Capital, 3One4 Capital, Germany’s Rocket Internet, venture capital funds Matrix Partners and Sequoia Capital. Gupta, a former PayU India managing director, is among a growing tribe of second-time entrepreneurs who have attracted big bucks from marquee investors even before officially launching their companies. The Mumbai-based startup, which Gupta cofounded along with Vishnu Jerome of law firm Jerome Merchant and Partners, has also brought on board a host of angel investors. To read more, […]
Nubank surpasses Revolut, Monzo and N26 combined with 18 million app downloads over the past year
If there was ever any doubt, you best believe that Nubank is growing exponentially fast and won’t be slowing down anytime soon. Making this all the more evident is the fact that the Brazilian fintech unicorn has seen over 18 million app downloads this past year. Based on a report from Apptopia, that’s more than Revolut, Monzo and N26 combined. While these neobanks are prevalent in Europe, Nubank continues to show immense mobile banking potential in developing markets. This is particularly true in Latin America. Like other fintechs, Nubank’s target audience is the region’s population without bank accounts. Latin America’s unbanked population Compared to the U.S. and European markets, Latin Americans […]
