Standard Bank Taps Flutterwave to Enhance Payments in African Nations

Standard Bank Taps Flutterwave to Enhance  Payments in African Nations

Africa-based Standard Bank announced this week it is partnering with payments technology company Flutterwave. The bank is looking to Flutterwave to help improve the digital payment experience for customers in Nigeria, Zambia, Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana, Mauritius, Cote D’Ivoire, and Malawi.

By integrating Flutterwave, Standard Bank aims to help commercial customers– from sole proprietors to large companies– grow their business by leveraging digital payments and ecommerce tools. Specifically, Flutterwave will help Standard Bank’s merchant clients to build e-commerce, card issuing, payments, collections, USSD, lending, and buy-now-pay-later capabilities for end consumers.

“Our partnership with Standard Bank demonstrates that fintechs and banks are not competitors but trusted partners with the key focus being the customer,” said Flutterwave CEO Olugbenga GB Agboola. “We plan to grow financial and digital inclusion through this partnership and in the long run, we expect to generate more jobs in the digital economy and enable rapid business growth across the continent.”

Flutterwave was founded in 2016 and has since processed over 140 million transactions worth over $9 billion. The company aims to create a flexible and affordable way for Africans to pay in the digital era. In addition to its payments technology, the company also offers invoicing technology, business loans, and analytics tools.

Standard Bank’s Chief Executive of Africa Regions Yinka Sanni anticipates the benefits of today’s partnership will transcend the bank’s merchant clients. “Coupled with the innovation offered by Flutterwave, we can deliver real impact and growth opportunities to clients across the continent,” he explained. “We believe when our clients grow, Africa grows.”

Earlier this year Flutterwave teamed up with PayPal to connect its African merchant clients with PayPal’s 377 million accountholders, making it easier for them to navigate the complex payments infrastructure in Africa. Flutterwave has raised $235 million and is headquartered in California.


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Visa Invests in Deserve to Boost Access to its Credit Card-as-a-Service Product

Visa Invests in Deserve to Boost Access to its Credit Card-as-a-Service Product

Credit card innovator Deserve is getting a boost this week. That’s because Visa invested an undisclosed amount into the credit card company, which already counts $287 million in total funding.

The two have also formed a strategic partnership with an aim to expand access to Deserve’s credit-card-as-a-service for financial institutions, fintechs, and brands. This comes after the two parties collaborated in Visa’s Fintech Fast Track program to launch a credit card with crypto rewards in partnership with BlockFi.

“Visa’s Crypto team collaborated with BlockFi and Deserve to launch a crypto rewards credit card that would appeal to crypto enthusiasts and introduce crypto to the masses,” said Visa’s Vice President of Crypto AJ Shanley. “The BlockFi Bitcoin rewards credit card has been an immediate success. We are excited about our partnership and new investment in Deserve and are looking forward to continuing to drive the adoption of crypto powered card programs together.”

Founded in 2013, Deserve rebranded from SelfScore in 2017. The company has re-imagined traditional credit cards, thinking outside of the 3.37 inch by 2.125 inch plastic square. Deserve is bringing credit cards into the digital era by transforming the application and onboarding processes, as well as the credit card itself.

The company’s products include a co-branded credit card program to help firms create and launch their own credit card, a credit card-as-a-service offering that provides a turnkey card solution, and a direct-to-consumer digital-first card with a tandem mobile app. As Deserve Co-Founder and CEO Kalpesh Kapadia explains, “We’re transforming credit cards into software that lives on mobile devices not in wallets.”

Part of operating in today’s digital-first world includes helping firms compete with fintechs. Deserve offers commercial customers tools that go beyond traditional credit card rewards. For example, the company delivers additional capabilities to include Buy Now Pay Later, installment loans, and even payroll advance. Deserve’s clients include Sallie Mae, BlockFi, OppFi, Seneca Women, and Notre Dame.


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A Preview of FinovateEurope’s All Star Speaker Lineup

A Preview of FinovateEurope’s All Star Speaker Lineup

We are still 143 days away from FinovateEurope— the show is taking place in London on March 22 through 23, 2022– but we’ve been getting ready for Finovate’s first in-person show in Europe since 2020.

Our favorite part of these preparations involves the people. Since Finovate’s first show in 2007, we’ve been building up our relationships in the industry and many of the folks we’ve met have become part of our fintech family. As the industry has grown, so has our network. And while we expect to have stellar thought leaders both on stage and in the audience, we’ve already started curating our speaker lineup for next year.

So far, we’ve secured a list featuring some of the greatest minds in fintech. Here’s a very small taste of the speakers you can expect to see at next year’s event:

Our FinovateEurope 2022 speakers are coming from a variety of companies across the banking and fintech sector. Some of the companies represented on panels and in discussion sessions include Nasdaq, Morgan Stanley, Forrester, Monzo, Lloyds Banking Group, Aite Group, HSBC, Blackrock, ING, and more.


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OurCrowd Raises $25 Million to Democratize Access to VC Funds

OurCrowd Raises $25 Million to Democratize Access to VC Funds

Venture investing platform OurCrowd announced today it landed $25 million in funding. The convertible equity investment comes from SoftBank Vision Fund 2, a subsidiary of Softbank Group that specializes in growth capital and social impact investments.

Since it launched in 2013, OurCrowd’s platform has helped 140,000 accredited investors from more than 195 countries invest in over 280 companies and 30 funds. OurCrowd will use today’s round to build its investor base and more quickly identify high-potential, tech-enabled private companies.

“We are excited to be working with SoftBank Investment Advisers, one of the world’s largest technology-focused investors,” said CEO Jon Medved. “As a strategic investor with a global reach and a network of market-leading technology companies, they will be a pivotal partner in helping OurCrowd realize our vision of democratizing access to venture capital.”

Today’s deal also involves a strategic partnership between OurCrowd and SoftBank Investment Advisers (SBIA). Softbank will consider investment opportunities via OurCrowd’s VC platform and the two will work together to evaluate market trends.

“Softbank has been investing ahead of major technology trends for over 40 years and we believe there is huge, embedded potential in the private markets ecosystem,” said Head of SBIA Operations in Israel Yossi Cohen. “In OurCrowd, we have an investment partner with the networks and pedigree to help promising Israeli startups to potentially emerge as international tech champions.”

2021 has been a good year of growth for OurCrowd. The Israel-based company saw new registered subscribers increase from 25,000 last year to 75,000 so far this year– a 300% boost. This uplift is fueled by OurCrowd’s ability to curate a diverse portfolio of startups that are poised for both growth and success. More than 50 companies in OurCrowd’s portfolio have made profitable exits, including Lemonade, Beyond Meat, Kenna, Argus, and Wave.


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Marqeta Partners with Amount to Help Banks Enter the BNPL Space

Marqeta Partners with Amount to Help Banks Enter the BNPL Space

Payment processor Marqeta teamed up with buy now, pay later (BNPL) company Amount this week. The two are working together to help banks compete in the BNPL arena. The partnership will integrate Amount’s BNPL solution and Marqeta’s instant virtual card issuance tools to help banks launch their own BNPL offering and virtual card.

“With escalating consumer expectations for simple, digital experiences at every step, banks must compete or continue to lose market share to digital challengers who offer a more flexible way for their customers to pay,” said Amount CEO Adam Hughes. “We continue to develop and expand our platform to give banks the agility and tools they need to create high-value interactions at the point of sale. As a leader in modern payments and innovation, Marqeta shares our vision and is the ideal partner to bring best-in-class solutions to banks.”

Banks have traditionally been left out of BNPL spending, since they lack the tools to provide such offerings to their customers. However, Amount takes a modular approach to BNPL that integrates with legacy platforms. The configurable nature of Amount’s tools gives banks flexibility to provide customers split pay or installment payments across multiple channels and payment vehicles.

“This partnership creates a pathway for banks to become more agile and meet customer demand for more flexible ways to pay, including BNPL,” said Marqeta Chief Revenue Officer Darren Mowry.

The new offering comes at a good time; consumer interest in BNPL has been steadily increasing in the past two years. And according to Juniper Research, money spent using BNPL tools is expected to nearly quadruple between 2021 and 2026, amounting to a 274% increase.

Amount was founded in 2019 and has since raised $243 million. The company’s BNPL technology aims to help traditional FIs compete with the rising wave of challenger banks by helping banks go digital in a matter of months. Amount’s white-labeled products help banks with omnichannel digital account opening, fraud prevention, identity verification, loans, deposits, and credit cards. The Chicago-based company is planning to add home equity, auto, and small business loans to its retail banking suite.

Marqeta is a modern card issuing platform that offers banks and fintechs the tools to create customized payment card programs. The company was founded in 2010 and went public earlier this year in an IPO that raised $1.2 billion on the NASDAQ exchange. Marqeta trades under the ticker MQ and has a market capitalization of $16.8 billion.


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Why PayPal Actually Should Acquire Pinterest

Why PayPal Actually Should Acquire Pinterest

Last week the rumor mill was turning rapidly with news that PayPal was in talks to purchase visual bookmarking tool Pinterest. The purchase would have been a big one, as PayPal was said to have offered $45 billion for Pinterest.

PayPal has been quick to quash the gossip, however. The company issued a release on Sunday stating, “In response to market rumors regarding a potential acquisition of Pinterest by PayPal, PayPal stated that it is not pursuing an acquisition of Pinterest at this time.”

But there are a few arguments why acquiring Pinterest would actually be good for PayPal. Let’s take a look.

Bolster online shopping

Integrating Pinterest into its own app would give PayPal the potential to be an online shopping powerhouse. The curated nature of the images on Pinterest makes the social media company, in effect, a staged showroom for potential ecommerce purchases.

This is thanks to Pinterest’s Product Pins, a tool that essentially helps users purchase items they see in a pin without leaving the Pinterest app, and Shoppable Pins, affiliate links that content creators can add to pins to receive a commission from purchases.

PayPal is already known for offering payments, loyalty programs, money transfer capabilities, and a high-yield savings account. If the company integrated Pinterest within its own app, it could serve as a shopping inspiration app. Pinterest users already spend hours browsing to get ideas for everything from clothing to gifts to vacations. If PayPal could insert these habits into its own app, it could become the app where consumers go before they even think about the transaction.

Compete with Amazon

Buying Pinterest would help PayPal compete even with the likes of Amazon and eBay, PayPal’s own former parent company. While the transaction volume wouldn’t come near that of Amazon’s, PayPal would have a small leg up on the online retail giant.

That’s because Pinterest would bring an addictive, continuous scroll interface with a built-in client base. What’s more, users can plan and purchase almost anything from Pinterest– even travel tickets and experiences. For example, users planning their trip to the Maldives can purchase their hotel stay from within the Pinterest app. In contrast, when an Amazon customer searches “Maldives,” they are directed to purchase a book or a t-shirt.

Bolster its reputation as a superapp

The new release inches PayPal closer toward becoming the first super app in the U.S. Last month, the company launched a new version of its mobile app.

However, the app lacks some elements of more traditional super apps. Even though PayPal has a wide variety of financial tools and capabilities– including a high-yield savings account, loyalty and rewards tools, billpay management tools, a direct deposit feature, gift card management, credit access, buy now, pay later services, and crypto transactions– the app lacks breadth.

As we reported earlier this year, there are 10 key elements to a super app. And even if PayPal successfully integrated Pinterest, it would be missing most of the elements, including food delivery, transportation services, travel services, health services, insurance, and government services.

What’s holding PayPal back?

Why might PayPal be hesitant to acquire Pinterest? A lot of it likely has to do with the price tag. Pinterest has a current market capitalization of around $32.7 billion. The rumored $45 billion acquisition represents about 15% of PayPal’s own market capitalization of $290 billion.

An acquisition of this size wouldn’t be out of the ordinary in the fintech industry. However, the deal would be sizable enough that PayPal would need a very clear value proposition with the integration of Pinterest.

Envestnet Makes Strategic Investment in YieldX

Envestnet Makes Strategic Investment in YieldX

Investment solutions provider Envestnet announced it has made a strategic investment in fixed income investing platform YieldX this week. Illinois-based Envestnet was the lead investor in YieldX’s most recent, Series A funding round.

The round, which totaled $18 million, brings YieldX’s total funding to $36 million. YieldX will use the money to scale its quant, engineering, and analytics teams and to expand its API suite. Specifically, YieldX aims to further personalize its offerings, add new data and integrations, expand existing ESG customization, and execute its go-to-market strategy.

Through the newly formed partnership, Envestnet will distribute YieldX’s products to its nearly 108,000 advisors and 6,000+ enterprise customers. The tie-up will help Envestnet clients offer their end consumers better fixed-income investment outcomes.

“We are fully vested in enhancing our ecosystem to intelligently connect financial lives, and we believe income and protection solutions are critical to helping make financial wellness a reality,” said Envestnet Chief Strategy Officer Rich Aneser. “Through our strategic partnership with YieldX, and investing to expand its capabilities, we are able to bring more income related solutions to market for helping advisors meet a critical client need.”

Founded in 2019, YieldX offers tools for fintechs, wealth managers, broker dealers, and asset managers. Company Cofounder and CEO Adam Green called the partnership a “powerful way to level the fixed income playing field for Envestnet’s broad network of advisors and end investors with solutions that simplify the traditional complexities of sourcing and trading fixed income assets.”

Envestnet was founded in 1999 and has since made 13 acquisitions, including its most notorious buy, Yodlee, in 2015. The company’s purchase of data aggregation firm Yodlee broadened its offerings from advisor technology and launched it into the world of open finance. Envestnet is a publicly-traded company on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker ENV and has a market capitalization of $4.66 billion.


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Klarna Adds Online Trip Planning with Inspirock Acquisition

Klarna Adds Online Trip Planning with Inspirock Acquisition

Does COVID have you dreaming up your long-awaited vacation? Consumer payment services firm Klarna’s latest acquisition may be of help.

The Sweden-based company snapped up Inspirock, an online trip planning service, for an undisclosed amount. Klarna CEO and Co-Founder Sebastian Siemiatkowski described the addition of travel planning “a natural extension of the benefits Klarna brings to payments and shopping.”

Founded in 2012, Inspirock leverages AI to help its customers explore a destination’s offerings and create personalized itineraries utilizing local expertise. On an annual basis, the California-based company sees 25+ million customers each year.

The integration will allow Klarna’s 90 million customers to use the Klarna app to pay for a trip in installments. In addition to the payment aspect, Klarna will also help users plan for their trip. Inspirock matches travelers’ preferences with over 230 million data points to optimize their travel itinerary and discover hidden gems.

“For customers, this makes the whole journey from inspiration to planning and preparing for a trip simpler, less stressful, and more fun, while enabling our retail partners to better reach and engage with their audiences by offering more personalized content,” said Siemiatkowski.

Combining travel planning with its existing payment capabilities inches Klarna towards becoming more like a super app. Founded in 2005 and with $3.7 billion in funding, Klarna offers buy now, pay later options to help users avoid credit cards while enjoying payment flexibility. Klarna also offers a shopping app to provide users with a holistic shopping experience– from payments to shipment tracking– and a rewards club it describes as the “vibeyest community in shopping.”


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UpEquity Lands $50 Million to Help Home Buyers Make All-Cash Offers

UpEquity Lands $50 Million to Help Home Buyers Make All-Cash Offers

Mortgagetech player UpEquity landed $50 million this week to help democratize home buying. The investment brings the Texas-based company’s total funding to $76.7 million in combined debt and equity.

The Series B round, which consisted of $20 million in equity and $30 million in debt, was led by 3 Ventures with participation from Next Coast Ventures, BP Capital Management, Alumni Ventures, Gaingels, Launchpad Capital, and Early Light Ventures.

UpEquity was founded in 2019 and, simply put, is a digital mortgage provider. The company offers three main products for potential homebuyers. Buy with Cash helps average homebuyers make all-cash offers on a home, Buy Before You Sell enables buyers to purchase a new home before selling their current one, and UpEquity’s third solution enables homeowners to refinance their existing mortgage.

For the end consumers, the cost of getting a mortgage from UpEquity is similar to costs they would incur with a traditional mortgage lender. UpEquity aims to compete by not only helping buyers make an all-cash offer, but also by doing so quickly. UpEquity’s average time-to-close is 18 days.

“At the end of the day, our vision is to create equal access to the American dream through frictionless, on-demand homebuying, and it starts with bringing technology into the underwriting process,” said UpEquity Co-Founder and CEO Tim Herman. “By removing cost and inefficiencies from the mortgage process, our customers can make all-cash offers at zero cost to them and still get access to competitive interest rates. They get the best of both worlds.”

UpEquity is part of a newly emerging set of companies called Power Buyers that purchase a home on a buyer’s behalf using cash, then sell it back to them using a traditional mortgage. Rivals in this space include Knock, Homeward, Orchard, and Blend. Like these players, UpEquity makes money on interest paid on the mortgage and commissions from reselling loans.

UpEquity’s revenue has grown 500% year-over-year. The company anticipates it will originate more than $1 billion in mortgages over the next 12 months.


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11 of the Newest Insurtechs in the U.S.

11 of the Newest Insurtechs in the U.S.

Insurtech has already taken off across the globe. What’s more, the fintech subsector is finally beginning to heat up in the U.S. as consumers become increasingly comfortable with digital financial services.

According to CB Insights, fintechs in the insurtech subsector raised $7.4 billion in the first half of this year alone. This figure already surpasses the amount insurtechs raised in all of 2020 by more than $300 million.

The number of new insurtechs driving competition in the space is also growing, so we thought we’d look at some of the newly launched insurtechs in the U.S. this year. Here are 11 of the newest insurtech startups in the U.S.:

ArmadaIQ

  • Leverages AI to insure autonomous vehicles
  • Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina

Armadillo

  • Offers home warranty plans designed for digital-first homeowners
  • Headquartered in Clarksville, Indiana

Ascend

  • Provides a modern, all-in-one payments solution that offers a buy now, pay later option for commercial insurance
  • Headquartered in Palo Alto, California
  • Has raised $5.5 million

Limit Financial

  • Operates as a managing general underwriter that specializes in credit insurance and reinsurance solutions
  • Headquartered in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey

Nirvana Insurance

  • Provides fleet insurance that uses an IoT device to reward safe habits
  • Headquartered in San Francisco, California
  • Has raised $3.2 million

OCHO

  • Helps users in underserved communities build credit by paying their auto insurance
  • Headquartered in San Francisco, California

Oyster

  • Provides personal insurance for everything from bicycles to event insurance to travel insurance
  • Headquartered in New York, New York

Risk Advisor

  • Helps insurance agents advise their clients of their true risk
  • Headquartered in Lexington, South Carolina

SALT Insure

  • Offers agents a home and auto insurance application that helps them close more deals
  • Headquartered in Grapevine, Texas
  • Has raised $250k funding

Shepherd

  • Provides commercial insurance for contractors in the construction industry
  • Headquartered in San Francisco, California
  • Has raised $6.2 million

Stere.io

  • Offers a one-stop-shop for businesses to launch, improve, and grow insurance programs
  • Headquartered in Dover, Delaware
  • Has raised $850k

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Currencycloud Taps Plaid to Streamline Account Funding

Currencycloud Taps Plaid to Streamline Account Funding

Global payments platform Currencycloud has teamed up with open finance network Plaid this week. Through the collaboration, the two will offer a joint solution to make it easy for U.K. banks and fintechs to operate in multiple currencies.

The overall objective of the partnership is to reduce friction for Currencycloud customers. Currencycloud will embed Plaid’s Payment Initiation Services (PIS) into its app, allowing customers to pull money directly into their account from any bank without ever leaving the app.

The rollout will begin with customers using the Currencycloud Direct white-label solution, and will later roll out to the entire Currencycloud platform.

“The internet has made business more borderless than ever before, but it is incredibly difficult to move money across countries. Accepting, settling, and converting payments is complicated, expensive, and can take time,” said Plaid Head of European Partnerships Farid Sedjelmaci. “Combining Plaid’s Payment Initiation Services with Currencycloud’s all-inclusive platform for foreign exchange provides a smooth payment experience that obscures all of the complications with online global money movement.”

Prior to the partnership, the only way customers using Currencycloud Direct could top up their account was to leave the app, log into their bank app, and submit the payment. Embedding Plaid’s PIS reduces this friction, streamlining the account funding process.

Currencycloud was founded in 2012 and has since processed more than $100 billion to over 180 countries. The U.K.-based company works with FIs and fintechs including Visa, Dwolla, and Mambu to help them provide cross-border infrastructure solutions to their clients.

Plaid helps 11,000+ FIs offer their customers access to third party financial services via a suite of APIs to connect consumers, financial institutions, and developers. The company was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.


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Zopa Raises $304 Million Ahead of IPO

Zopa Raises $304 Million Ahead of IPO

Peer-to-peer lending platform and digital bank Zopa landed $304 million (£220 million) this week. The investment marks Zopa’s largest round to-date, and brings the U.K.-based company’s total funding to $792 million.

According to TechCrunch, today’s funding, which follows a $28 million investment received earlier this year, gives Zopa a post-money valuation of $1 billion (£750 million).

Softbank Vision Fund 2 led the round, which saw contributions from existing investors including Silverstripe, Northzone and Augmentum. Zopa anticipates the cash will help bring its banking tools to more U.K. consumers.

Zopa is on track to hit profitability by early next year. If it does, it will be one of the fastest digital banks in the U.K. to do so. Additionally, if Zopa continues on this path of success, the company is likely to IPO at the end of next year.

Founded in 2004, Zopa debuted its peer-to-peer lending platform at FinovateSpring 2008. The company has since evolved as a player in the challenger banking space. Zopa’s differentiator from competitors, however, is that it is not a fully-fleged bank. The company does not offer a checking account or payment card. Instead, it focuses on savings, loans, and credit-building tools.

Zopa received its banking license in June of 2020. Since transitioning from its flagship peer-to-peer lending model, Zopa has reached $931 million (£675 million) in customer deposits for its savings accounts, has issued 150,000 credit cards, and is now a top 10 credit card issuer in the U.K. based on new customers.

The company’s lending products have also seen success. So far this year, Zopa has disbursed over $8.3 billion (£6 billion) in loans. The company lends over $138 million (£100 million) each year in car loans.

Zopa has formed two recent partnerships that centralize on helping users build and access credit. Its partnership with ClearScore helps provide a pre-approved credit card to Zopa customers who have been declined credit, and its integration with CreditLadder enables renters to build credit by reporting their rental payments.

As for what’s next, Zopa says it is “focused on building a sustainable, profitable business model” that benefits both customers and shareholders.


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