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Finovate Blog
Tracking fintech, banking & financial services innovations since 1994
Avaloq has received a strategic investment from BlackRock.
The amount of the investment is undisclosed, but it gives BlackRock a minority stake in Avaloq.
BlackRock will integrate Avaloq’s wealth management technology into its Aladdin Wealth product.
BlackRock announced a strategic investment in wealth management technology provider Avaloq this week. The amount of the investment was not disclosed, but BlackRock has taken a minority stake in the Switzerland-based company.
“This partnership will help us empower our clients to streamline processes, enhance risk analytics, and make more informed portfolio decisions, ultimately delivering greater value to their clients,” explained Avaloq Co-CEO Martin Greweldinger.
Their collaboration will combine Avaloq’s core banking, client relationship management, and mobile banking services with the risk analytics and portfolio management capabilities of BlackRock’s Aladdin Wealth. This combination will empower wealth managers and private banks to offer enhanced, more holistic services.
“BlackRock and Avaloq joining forces will help clients reduce the complexity and friction inherent in many of today’s digital transformations,” said Aladdin Wealth Tech’s Global Head Venu Krishnamurthy. “Our combined offering will make it extremely convenient for clients to implement and adopt Aladdin Wealth’s industry leading capabilities as it will be deeply integrated with Avaloq’s core banking solutions.”
Founded in 1991, Avaloq was acquired by Japan-based NEC in late 2020 for $2.2 billion. Prior to the acquisition, Avaloq had raised $392 million in funding.
Originally a core banking provider, Avaloq has narrowed its focus to serve private banks and wealth managers and now counts more than 150 clients across 35 countries. The company has four main product lines: Avaloq Engage increases client engagement, Avaloq Wealth supports the client journey, Avaloq Insight offers access to data, and Avaloq Banking Operations supports the back office.
Navan is launching Navan Connect, a card-linked, automated expense management tool.
Navan Connect is an upgraded version of the company’s expense management product, NavanExpense, which it launched in 2020.
With Navan Connect, businesses can link their existing corporate Visa and Mastercard cards to Navan Expense.
Corporate travel and expense management company Navan (formerly TripActions) is giving its Navan Expense product an upgrade this week. The San Francisco-based company is launchingNavan Connect, a card-linked, automated expense management tool.
Navan first debuted Navan Expense tool in 2020 and has since seen 80x growth in spend volume. The expense tool’s features, such as smart policy controls and auto-itemization, help reduce out-of-policy spend.
Similar to Navan Expense, the Navan Connect program offers a business’ finance team access and control over corporate cards by ensuring the spending lines up with company policy. It also offers visibility into both pending and cleared transactions in real time. Unlike with Navan Expense, however, Navan Connect, allows the company’s business clients to be keep their existing corporate card programs, along with the loyalty rewards, rebates, and banking relationships that come with the program.
“This is a game-changer when it comes to managing expenses,” said Navan Expense EVP and General Manager Michael Sindicich. “It’s a big step forward for finance leaders, who want to keep their employees happy with a modern solution but without the disruption caused by changing corporate card programs. We’re excited about this groundbreaking solution, which helps organizations streamline their processes and focus on what really counts.”
To take advantage of Navan Connect, businesses can link their existing Mastercard or Visa corporate cards to benefit from the Navan Expense corporate card control features. “With Navan Connect, we’re expanding this convenience and efficiency to the corporate cards that our customers prefer, harmonizing personal choice with corporate needs,” said Navan Co-Founder and CEO Ariel Cohen. “It’s not just a product; it’s our pledge to simplify expense management while enhancing flexibility and control for businesses.”
Navan was founded in 2015. The company leveraged AI to create an enhanced user experience around booking corporate travel. Since then, Navan has made four acquisitions and now counts 2,900+ employees across 40 markets. The company expanded into India in April of this year after acquiring Tripeur.
Experian is launching its Mule Score, a new service to help banks identify and close down money mule accounts.
Money mule accounts are used by criminals to launder money and facilitate fraud.
According to Experian, 42% of first-party checking account fraud is mule-related.
Information services company Experian has unveiled the Experian Mule Score, a new service that will help U.K. banks identify and shutter so-called money mule accounts, or accounts that criminals use to launder money and facilitate fraud.
The “mules” are people that allow criminals to use their legitimately obtained accounts in exchange for cash. Banks can’t see where the money is coming from or being sent to. This lack of visibility makes it difficult to identify and investigate accounts being used by money mules. The issue is widespread– according to Experian, 42% of first-party checking account fraud is mule-related.
“Mule Score is the first solution of its kind, giving financial companies a comprehensive view of account activity, helping prevent them from onboarding potential mule accounts and detect already opened accounts which are suspicious,” said Experian UK&I Managing Director, Identity and Fraud Eduardo Castro.
Experian anticipates the new solution will help banks avoid onboarding suspicious accounts before they are opened, reduce fraud losses and operational costs, support at-risk consumers, and prevent fraudulent funds entering the financial system.
Experian is leveraging its bureau data, combined with account opening history and turnover activity to create the Mule Score that flags potential money mule activity. The score, which was developed by Experian DataLabs, also uses machine learning to model characteristics of more than 200,000 historical mule cases. As a result, banks can assess their accounts to easily spot suspicious activity.
“The level of fraud and financial crime in the U.K. represents a threat to financial institutions and their customers,” said Castro. “Experian, thanks to our data, analytics and technology, is uniquely placed to help. We are committed to helping eliminate financial crime and ensuring safe financial access for all.”
Originally known for its consumer credit reporting, Experian has leveraged its extensive access to data and has honed its expertise in fraud prevention technology. In 2021 alone, the Ireland-based company prevented more than $2.25 billion (£1.8 billion) in fraudulent transactions. In addition to consumer credit reporting and fraud prevention tools, the company also offers identity theft protection, credit building tools, and a loan comparison marketplace. And on the commercial side, Experian provides a range of services for small businesses, including business credit reporting, marketing products and services, debt collection tools, and more.
SoFi’s SoFi at Work is launching a Student Loan Verification service this week that will help employers match their workforce’s student loan repayments with retirement contributions.
The tool comes in response to Congress’ SECURE 2.0 Act that allows employers to match their employees’ student loan repayments with retirement contributions.
In addition to Student Loan Verification, SoFi at Work also helps employers offer student loan refinancing, repayment options, a debt navigator tool, financial education resources, and more.
SoFi’sSoFi at Work program is launching a new Student Loan Verification (SLV) service this week. The new tool will help companies match their employee’s student loan repayments with retirement contributions.
SLV will be added to SoFi at Work’s portfolio of employer financial wellness benefit solutions. The launch comes in response to Congress’ Securing a Strong Retirement Act (SECURE 2.0), which allows employers to match their employees’ student loan payments with contributions toward retirement plans.
“At SoFi, we’re dedicated to helping people get their money right, and SECURE 2.0 and the provision that makes it easier for companies to support all employees’ financial well-being is a great example of that,” said SoFi at Work Vice President, Business Lead Barrett Scruggs. “Our Student Loan Verification service makes it easy for companies to put this emerging, yet highly impactful benefit into action for a more inclusive future.”
According to a 2019 study from MIT, 84% of adults with student loan debt say it has impacted the amount they’re able to save for retirement. With SLV and SECURE 2.0, companies can enable their workers to contribute to their 401(k) or 403(b) plan while paying down their student debt.
Launched in 2016, SoFi at Work aims to help employers offer their workforce student loan refinancing, repayment options, a debt navigator tool, financial education resources, and more. Seven out of 10 Fortune 500 tech firms currently offer the perk to their employees.
Great news for those who missed out on FinovateSpring last month– the demo videos from the event are now available!
You can now watch all 44 demo videos that graced the Finovate stage. Don’t know where to start? Take a peek at the six Best of Show-winning demos, linked below.
Want to know their secrets to earning the Best of Show title? This year’s Best of Show-winning companies offer their tips on winning Best of Show in the video highlight below:
Thanks to our demo companies, presenters, panelists, partners, sponsors, and to our audience for participating in this year’s event. We’ll see you at FinovateFall!
Plaid released updates to its digital identity verification tool it launched last fall.
The update taps into the scale of the Plaid network to offer faster identity verification and a deeper risk insights.
Plaid’s overhaul also expands the types of identity documents it accepts, adds front-end support for more languages, provides a fake ID risk score, and improves the document capture experience.
Financial infrastructure fintech Plaid is updating a feature it launched last year that tackles one of the most pressing topics in fintech– digital identity.
At launch, Plaid’s identity verification tool offered consumers a one-click identity verification product that standardized a “verify once, verify everywhere” approach. As a result, users could authenticate themselves faster and with less friction, and organizations could remain KYC compliant.
And on the business side, these efficiencies are paying off. Companies using Plaid’s identity verification are reporting an average of 50% improvement of identity verification success rates.
Today’s update makes a handful of improvements on the current offering.
First, the upgrade enables Plaid Identity Verification customers to benefit from the scale of Plaid’s network. By leveraging its network, Plaid is able to offer faster verification experiences for end users while providing the organization with a more complete view of a user’s risk via their identity, financial account, and transactions.
“Now, when a user verifies their identity and links their accounts with Plaid, we detect if your customer is linking a bank account that belongs to them,” the company explained in a blog post. “We match onboarding data from identity verification with the financial institution information on file for an added layer of security.”
Next, Plaid has added a new score that indicates the likelihood that an identity has been stolen, fabricated, or manipulated. The company has also expanded the ID document types it accepts to include green cards and temporary ID cards like B1/B2 visas, and now supports front-end support for more languages including Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, and French. In addition, Plaid has improved its document capture experience to increase conversion by guiding the user’s capture window, optimizing image file sizes, and supporting more devices.
Plaid’s identity verification service is crucial for financial services firms and third-party providers. While these entities excel in their respective subsectors, they may lack a seamless identity verification solution. However, such a solution is essential not only for creating a pleasant user experience but also for meeting regulatory KYC requirements. Plaid’s service acts as a lifeline, bridging this gap and providing the necessary identity verification capabilities.
With $734 million in funding, Plaid helps 12,000+ financial institutions offer their customers access to its network of 7,000 third party financial services via a suite of APIs that connects consumers, financial institutions, and developers. The company also offers a suite of analytics products that provides further insights into transactions. Plaid was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.
Flutterwave is integrating account-to-account payment infrastructure from Token.io.
Using Token.io’s technology, Flutterwave will add A2A payments to its Collect Payments and Send by Flutterwave products.
A2A payments are projected to exceed 6.5 billion in annual global volumes by 2027.
Africa-based payments technology company Flutterwave announced this week it has selected account-to-account (A2A) payment infrastructure provider Token.io to power A2A payments– also known as pay-by-bank capabilities– on its platform.
The move is expected to simplify money transfers for Flutterwave’s African users in the U.K. and E.U. looking to send money back to their home country.
Token.io was founded in 2016 and leverages open banking to offer payment providers the infrastructure they need to launch A2A payment capabilities without a team of developers. With a single API, payment providers can help their end users pay without a payment card. Token.io supports more than 567 million bank accounts– representing more than 80% of bank accounts held– in 16 supported countries.
Flutterwave has integrated Token.io’s technology to help clients of its Collect Payments product offer their end customers A2A payments. The pay-by-bank capabilities will also be available on Flutterwave’s cross-border payments platform, Send by Flutterwave, in the third quarter of this year.
The addition of the new payments method comes at an ideal time. According to Token.io CEO Todd Clyde, A2A payments are projected to exceed 6.5 billion in annual global volumes by 2027.
“Our partnership with Token.io will make it even faster and easier for individuals and businesses to pay and receive money,” said Flutterwave CEO Olugbenga “GB” Agboola. “By partnering with Token.io to provide Account-to-Account payments to our customers, Flutterwave will advance its mission of connecting Africa to the global economy.”
Flutterwave aims to create a flexible and affordable way for Africans to pay in the digital era. The company, which accepts payments in more than 30 currencies, processes 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 400 million transactions worth over $25 billion.
Global trade financing platform Mitigram landed $11 million in funding.
The investment will bring Mitigram’s total funding to $38 million.
Mitigram will use the funding to scale its operations via software-as-a-service offerings.
Digital global trade financing platform Mitigramannounced today it received $11 million in funding, boosting its total raised to $38 million.
The company will use the funds to scale its operations via software-as-a-service (SaaS) offerings and add competitive advantage by scaling its network. “The lack of connectivity is trade finance’s biggest cost,” said Mitigram’s Interim CEO Malin Bäcklund. “Around 4 billion paper documents are manually generated, checked and transported in trade each year, which creates the perfect storm for high operating costs and a spiraling lack of control. At Mitigram, we are passionate about closing the gap that is estimated to cost the industry $4 trillion in total each year. This new funding round will allow us to continue doing exactly that.”
Mitigram was founded in 2014, creating a digital exchange in global trade financing. The company offers three main products:
MitiSquare, which helps companies assess risks, capacity, and pricing from partner banks in global trade financing.
MitiManager, which allows organizations to view, manage, and structure all trade financing data.
MitiGateway, which digitizes origination records and manages the end customer experience.
Among the company’s clients are Louis Dreyfus Company, Bridgestone, Vale, Ericsson, ArcelorMittal, Trafigura, Siemens Healthineers, and over 150 banks.
As part of today’s announcement Mitigram CEO Milena Torciano is stepping down, but will remain on the company’s board of directors. Bäcklund, who currently serves as CEO of Moor Holding, will act as interim CEO until a replacement is found.
“We founded Mitigram with the mission to open up a closed market, and to streamline and augment global trade and I am incredibly proud of the tremendous growth that we have achieved since I joined six years ago,” said Torciano. “Today, we are trusted by more than 300 multinational corporations, leading commodity traders and financial institutions, and have facilitated $100+ billion in flows currently across 185 markets. This investment is an excellent opportunity to further build on the strong foundations we have established, and to deliver best practice for digitalized trade finance.”
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced today it has charged Coinbase for operating as an unregistered securities exchange, broker, and clearing agency; and for failing to register the offer and sale of its crypto asset staking-as-a-service program.
Specifically, the SEC is alleging that Coinbase:
Provides a marketplace and brings together the orders for securities of multiple buyers and sellers using established, non-discretionary methods under which such orders interact
Engages in the business of effecting securities transactions for the accounts of Coinbase customers
Provides facilities for comparison of data respecting the terms of settlement of crypto asset securities transactions, serves as an intermediary in settling transactions in crypto asset securities by Coinbase customers, and acts as a securities depository
“We allege that Coinbase, despite being subject to the securities laws, commingled and unlawfully offered exchange, broker-dealer, and clearinghouse functions,” said SEC Chair Gary Gensler. “In other parts of our securities markets, these functions are separate. Coinbase’s alleged failures deprive investors of critical protections, including rulebooks that prevent fraud and manipulation, proper disclosure, safeguards against conflicts of interest, and routine inspection by the SEC. Further, as we allege, Coinbase never registered its staking-as-a-service program as required by the securities laws, again depriving investors of critical disclosure and other protections.”
Coinbase Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal, who testified yesterday before the House Committee on Agricultural Services on the new Digital Asset Market Structure Discussion Draft, said in a blog post that U.S. crypto firms are lacking clear rules for operating in the crypto space. In fact, Coinbase has been asking regulators for months to work together to help build regulation around crypto. The fintech has been straightforward that it wants to operate within regulation, but the SEC hasn’t been willing to work with Coinbase to define regulations.
Much of the issue between the two parties hinges on a lack of definition. Coinbase insists that it does not list securities on its platform, while the SEC has called out 61 cryptocurrencies that it believes are securities.
All of this back-and-forth has made two things clear. First, as Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong explains in a TV commercial, crypto in the U.S. has valuable use cases, and companies need clear rules to operate in the space:
Second, regulators are making it very difficult for U.S. companies to facilitate crypto transfers. Today’s news comes a day after the SEC sued Binance CEO and Founder Changpeng Zhao for operating unregistered exchanges, broker-dealers, and clearing agencies; misrepresenting trading controls and oversight on the Binance.US platform; and for the unregistered offer and sale of securities.
In a tweet earlier today, Armstrong highlighted that the SEC’s suit against Binance is different from its suit against Coinbase. “Btw, in case it’s not obvious, the Coinbase suit is very different from others out there – the complaint filed against us is exclusively focused on what is or is not a security. And we are confident in our facts and the law,” he said.
Regardless of the differences, in my view, the SEC is making examples out of these crypto firms to not only serve as a warning to other companies operating in the crypto space, but to also drive down consumer interest in holding digital assets.
Armstrong also used Twitter to reinforce what his company has been saying for months. “Regarding the SEC complaint against us today, we’re proud to represent the industry in court to finally get some clarity around crypto rules,” he said. “Remember:
The SEC reviewed our business and allowed us to become a public company in 2021.
There is no path to come in and register – we tried, repeatedly – so we don’t list securities. We reject the vast majority of assets we review.
The SEC and CFTC have made conflicting statements, and don’t even agree on what is a security and what is a commodity.
This is why the US congress is introducing new legislation to fix the situation, and the rest of the world is moving to put clear rules in place to support this technology.
Instead of publishing a clear rule book, the SEC has taken a regulation by enforcement approach that is harming America. So if we need to avail ourselves of the courts to get clarity, so be it.”
I just returned from FinovateSpring, where I spent three days watching live product demos, listening to panels and keynote discussions, and shaking hands with new and old connections alike. As with all events, this one showcased new ideas. Unlike other events, however, this year’s FinovateSpring event signified a shift in the fintech landscape.
I’ve summarized this shift, along with other key themes presented, in seven key takeaways below.
Regulations are here
Pending regulations was a prominent topic at the event, extending beyond the crypto sector to include traditional finance. Despite many instances of regulatory oversight in the crypto sector over the years, last years’ FTX scandal was big enough to raise the red flag for regulators. Since then, traditional banks including Silicon Valley Bank and Cross River Bank have raised concerns about lack of oversight, and banking-as-a-service, respectively. Regulators are being held accountable, and their response to oversight issues is becoming increasingly important.
Fintechs and banks have shifted to consider regulation more heavily when and how they build products. Not only this, banks have also learned that they need to step up their due diligence before partnering with third party players.
AI is becoming table stakes
The integration of AI has moved beyond mere discussion and has become crucial for fintech firms. They now recognize the need to leverage AI across various aspects– including customer service, personalization, business intelligence, underwriting, and more– to stay competitive and meet customer expectations.
However, the good news is that it’s easier now than ever for firms to get involved with AI. We saw a few live demos at FinovateSpring that showcased accessible, no-code methods for firms to engage with AI. No developers? No problem.
The froth of 2019 is not coming back
The fintech industry has entered a new phase, and the environment of low interest rates and excessive fundraising we experienced from 2012 to 2019 is not sustainable. Firms must adapt to this new normal by focusing on unit economics and operational efficiency to ensure their survival, as down rounds and exits become more prevalent.
Things can only improve. Or will the slide continue?
On our Investor All Stars panel, the venture capitalists on stage expressed differing views on the market trajectory. Three out of four said that in their view, we are “bouncing around the bottom” of the downturn, and that things can only go up from here.
However, many folks I spoke with on the networking floor disagreed with the positive sentiment, and said they thought that the economy would see a downturn before things improve. Consumers are feeling the pain in their wallets, and the looming debt ceiling–as well as a spike in consumer debt– aren’t helping.
Beyond customer acquisition
Merely acquiring a large user base or having a unique product is no longer sufficient for fintech success. VCs and banks now require a clear monetization strategy and a focus on unit economics. Fintechs must demonstrate how their customer base supports their bottom line in order to attract investment and partnership opportunities.
Consolidation will continue
In both the banking and fintech sectors, we’ve seen an uptick in M&A activity. Some of these deals have been unexpected, like the case of Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse, for example. At the conference, there was much discussion about a potential shakeout in the fintech sector. Startups who are running out of funds and can’t renew a new round will either have to fold or be acquired. The neobank sector will also see a reckoning. Niche neobanks that have launched in the past four years will either have to find a way to mine value from an expanded user group or merge with like-minded fintechs.
Regulatory challenges with DeFi and crypto
Notably absent from the event’s discussions were decentralized finance (DeFi) and cryptocurrencies. In contrast to two years ago, when every session included a discussion about crypto, only a few presenters brought up the topic at last week’s event. The reason? Regulatory challenges.
Regulatory concerns have spiked due to the fallout from last year’s FTX scandal and other crypto collapses. Regulators fear loss of control with decentralized finance and lack understanding of the underlying mechanics behind crypto.
If you missed the keynote address from Sam Everington, CEO of Engine by Starling Bank at FinovateEurope earlier this year, here are some highlights that will make you feel as if you were in the room.
During his address titled, “From payments to core platforms: How can banks leverage data and technology to meet changing customer,” Everington relayed his experience at Starling Bank, detailing how the newcomer has remained competitive by using customer data in context to not only create a better user experience, but also cut costs.
Everington discussed the shifting expectations of consumers, who now anticipate a digital-first experience similar to those offered by big tech companies. Additionally, because customers seek fair, reasonably priced, and affordable services, in today’s current cost of living crisis, it is key that banks keep their costs low in order to retain consumers’ appetites.
Cost, in fact, was a big part of Everington’s keynote. He emphasized the potential cost savings for banks by increasing the use of technology and enhancing user experiences. He acknowledged that in the banking sector, technology is often viewed as a cost center and technology investments are primarily driven by cost reduction.
“In banks especially, technology and technology investment decisions are all about the business case,” Everington said. “Technology is a cost center to be controlled, and technology investment is by and large a cost reduction exercise.”
In his keynote, Everington identified real-time and flexible systems as essential elements needed to meet customers’ ever-changing financial situations, which can fluctuate multiple times a day. Banks need to proactively understand their customers, be aware of the products and services they hold, and respond promptly to any changes.
To address these needs, Starling Bank developed Engine, a technology platform that supports their operations. Engine offers flexibility, comprehensiveness, scalability, and reliability. These features not only enhance the customer experience but also ensure compliance with U.K. regulations.
Ultimately, Everington emphasized the importance of banks having an innovative platform that allows them to adapt and meet the evolving needs of their customers.
Real estate-focused insurtech Obie announced it received $25.5 million in funding.
The Series B investment brings Obie’s total raised to $39 million since it was founded in 2017.
Obie’s embedded insurance tool helps change the way insurance for landlords and real estate investors is bought and sold.
Insurtech company Obieannounced a Series B round today. The company will use the $25.5 million investment to help change the way insurance for landlords and real estate investors is bought and sold.
Today’s round brings Obie’s total equity raised to $39 million, following the $10.7 million the company raised in its 2021 Series A round. Battery Ventures led the investment, which also saw participation from Brick and Mortar VC, DivcoWest, and real estate funds and investor groups.
“We’re excited to have the ongoing support of our investors as we continue to build insurance products that drive efficiency and change the way insurance is bought and sold,” said Obie Co-founder and CEO Ryan Letzeiser. “This funding supports the future of embedded insurance, as we expand our partnerships across industries and offer additional insurance products to clients.”
Obie was founded in 2017 to improve the way insurance was bought and sold in the real estate investing industry by launching an embedded insurance option. The company’s embedded insurance solutions underwrite investors by pulling more than 1,000 data points from multiple databases. Additionally, it creates a better user experience by offering instant, bindable quotes via its partner platforms, such as Baselane, Awning, and Marketplaces Homes.
Obie has grown 300% over the past two years. And with 18 million real estate investors across the U.S., the company expects to continue that trajectory. Earlier this month, Inc. Magazine named Obie to its 2023 Best Workplaces List.
