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 […]
Koyo FinTech raises $4.9M to assist underbanked UK borrowers
FinTech startup Koyo, which uses Open Banking to offer loans to underbanked UK borrowers, announced that it has raised $4.9 million in funding. The round, a mixture of debt and equity funding, was led by Forward Partners, with participation from Seedcamp, Christian Faes (founder and CEO of LendInvest) and Charles Delingpole (founder and CEO of ComplyAdvantage). Founded last year by Thomas Olszewski, the FinTech firm aims to secure loans for people with a limited credit history through the use of Open Banking data. “If someone is new to the country, or otherwise has a thin credit file, it can be difficult for that person to access credit,” said Olszewski. “For […]
The ‘Underbanked’ Is The Next Trillion-Dollar Opportunity in Fintech
It’s expensive to participate in the mainstream financial system if you’re poor. Overdraft penalties and banking fees prevent billions of people from accessing the most basic financial tools like savings accounts and lines of credit. This has created the greatest market opportunity in fintech—low-cost, high-tech financial services for the underbanked, said Angela Strange, a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, during a panel at the Forbes Under 30 Summit in Detroit on Monday. “This opportunity [to serve the underbanked] is massive. Depending on which numbers you believe there are anywhere from 2 to 3 billion people worldwide,” said Strange. Historically, traditional banking institutions have done a bad job serving these customers […]
Hungarian Central Bank reveals Fintech strategy to foster financial innovation
The central bank of Hungary, the MNB, has just published its first strategy on fintech. The plans aim to bring greater digitization to the domestic financial sector in the country. The report, titled ‘Financial Innovation and Stability,’ is the product of central bank collaboration with Hungarian companies working in the fintech industry. It is comprised of a total of 24 new proposals and initiatives. The Magyar Nemzeti Bank believes it important to move quickly towards the digitization of the financial system. As a part of this strategy, the proposals put forward include efforts to improve financial knowledge and training for those involved in the industry. Aiding with the implementation of […]
Utrecht-based Rabo Frontier Ventures invests in UK fintech and banking company Tide
Rabo Frontier Ventures, Utrecht-based strategic investment venture fund, has invested in the mobile business platform Tide in a Series B investment round. This investment round was led by SBI Group and Augment. Notably, the RFV deal was structured through an SPV that is managed by Anthemis Group, a major early-stage investor in Tide and one of the most active fintech investors. Jeroen van Doornik, Partner at RFV, said: This investment in Tide will generate valuable insights regarding innovation and development in SME banking and further allows us to work together with Anthemis and alongside existing investors such as LocalGlobe. The funding will help Tide substantially increase its share of the […]
Cambodia’s Central Bank tests out digital wallet to reduce cross-border payment fees
Cambodia’s Central Bank wants to curtail the cost of cross-border payments and is examining its in-house digital wallet, the Hyperledger Iroha-powered Bakong. Last week, the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) signed an agreement with Malaysia’s Maybank. The banks will work together to cut down the remittance fees of their respective digital payment platforms – Bakong and Maybank2u. H.E. Chea Serey, Cambodia’s chief central banker, told the Khmer Times that the remittance fees can range as high as 30%. Chea Serey also stated that the partnership can reduce the fees. He said: “The introduction of Bakong system will provide more possibilities in enhancing payment system at both domestic and regional level” […]
Google steps up global fight for digital wallet as China dominates mobile payments
Mobile payment transactions in China added up to more than US$12.8 trillion last year, making it the world’s largest mobile payments market. Now US tech giants are playing catch up. To get a sense of how pervasive mobile payments have become in China, consider that on the eve of this year’s Spring Festival, 668 million people on Tencent Holding’s WeChat app sent virtual hongbao – digital red packets containing money – to friends and family as part of their well wishes for the new year. Now western tech giants are accelerating efforts to tap into the market, with Google this week launching Google Pay in a move that rebrands and […]
