Apex Fintech Solutions Acquires FinTron

Apex Fintech Solutions Acquires FinTron
  • Apex Fintech Solutions has agreed to acquire fintech design agency, FinTron. Terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.
  • The digital wealth management company will leverage FinTron’s technology to provide its customers with the ability to create customized user interfaces and experiences.
  • Apex Fintech Solutions’ subsidiary Apex Clearing made its Finovate debut at FinDEVr Silicon Valley in 2015.

Digital wealth management company Apex Fintech Solutions has agreed to acquire FinTron, a fintech design agency that creates high-end digital experiences for investors and advisors around the world.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed and the deal is subject to approval by FINRA. Once completed, the strategic acquisition will enable Apex’s customers to deliver customized user interfaces and experiences for brokerage platforms that are pre-integrated into the Apex platform. This will enable them to easily deploy turnkey investing experiences and front-ends from within their current digital footprint, powered by Apex’s custody platform.

“FinTron has revolutionized the process of launching a brokerage or wealth management platform,” Apex CEO Bill Capuzzi said. “Their innovative platform aligns perfectly with our mission to empower the next generation of investors through technology. This acquisition is a significant step in our journey to provide a fully integrated, digital-first platform that meets the diverse needs of our clients.”

Known for its white-label and embedded components, as well as its Software Development Kit (SDK) for mobile and web platforms, FinTron empowers brokerages and wealth management firms to embed self-directed and managed investing functionality into their offering. Apex will leverage its acquisition of FinTron to expand its services to clients ranging from financial advisors and fintech firms to neobanks, insurance companies, and retirement planning companies. In fact, FinTron’s technology already has been integrated into the company’s suite of services to streamline investment processes, enhance the user experience, and bring more advanced investment capabilities to a wider audience of investors.

“We are thrilled to join forces with Apex,” FinTron CEO and Founder Wilder Rumpf said. “Our shared vision of democratizing financial services and providing intuitive, powerful tools to investors will only be strengthened through this partnership. Together, we can make a significant impact on the financial futures of many.”

Headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, FinTron was founded in 2017. The company has raised more than $14 million in funding from investors including Connecticut Innovations and Sage Venture Partners. FinTron’s embedded wealth solutions help broker-dealers, community banks and credit unions, investment advisors, and fintechs lower CAPEX and time to market, capture engagement, and offer clients versatile digital wealth experiences.

Apex Fintech Solutions introduced itself to Finovate audiences at our developers conference, FinDEVr Silicon Valley in 2015, via its subsidiary, Apex Clearing. Recently, the New York-based company launched its real-time cloud-native investment infrastructure, Apex Ascend, and announced a collaboration with wealth management solution provider YourStake. FinTron is Apex’s fourth acquisition; the firm purchased AdvisorArch, its third acquisition, in March of this year.


Photo by Marek Piwnicki

Worldline Launches Account-to-Account Transfer Tool in Europe

Worldline Launches Account-to-Account Transfer Tool in Europe
  • Worldline has launched Bank Transfer by Worldline, an account-to-account payment tool.
  • The new pay-by-bank solution enables retailers to accept bank draft payments and handle high-value transactions, including B2B payments, across 10 European countries.
  • Bank Transfer by Worldline also facilitates cross-border payments, leveraging Worldline’s open banking network to connect with over 3,500 banks, providing merchants a seamless way to initiate payments directly from customer bank accounts, reducing transaction fees and declines.

Payments services company Worldline is launching yet another payment tool this week. After debuting its embedded payments tool earlier this month, the France-based company is launching Bank Transfer by Worldline, an account-to-account payment method.

The new pay-by-bank solution enables retailers to accept bank draft payments and allows for non-traditional payment methods, including invoices and high-value transactions. Bank Transfer by Worldline boasts many of the same benefits that popular pay-by-bank tools offer.

The solution is notably different from traditional pay-by-bank offerings in the U.S. because it facilitates cross-border payments. This is key for merchants operating across multiple geographies. Additionally, the new payments tool specializes in high-value transactions– including B2B transactions– that typically incur higher fees and reduces the number of declined transactions, since funds are validated directly from the bank account.

“With Bank Transfer by Worldline, we have developed a payment method grounded in trust and simplicity, leveraging existing European payment networks and offering innovative customer experience,” said company Head of Merchant Services Paul Marriott-Clarke. “This launch reinforces our commitment to making payment solutions accessible for all.”

Bank Transfer by Worldline, which went live in August of 2024, allows merchants to accept payments from around 300 million customers. After a nine-month pilot phase, the solution now counts about 500 Worldline merchants clients using Bank Transfer by Worldline’s online payment solutions and pay-by-link services.

“By integrating Worldline’s open banking solution, which connects to over 3,500 banks across European countries, Bank Transfer by Worldline offers merchants a solution that simplifies payment initiation via bank transfer and unifies the customer experience,” said Worldline Head of Financial Services Alessandro Baroni.

The new tool is available for merchants in 10 European countries, including Austria, Belgium, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain. The company aims to launch in another four regions– Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Hungary– by the end of 2024. Eventually, Bank Transfer by Worldline will be available to all eligible merchants across the EU.


Photo by Adrien Olichon

How Banks Can Overcome 10 Challenges with FedNow Payment Sending and Acceptance

How Banks Can Overcome 10 Challenges with FedNow Payment Sending and Acceptance

FedNow, the U.S. Federal Reserve’s instant payment service went live in July of 2023. Now, 15 months later, adoption rates have been unpredictably slow, especially when it comes to banks that are able to send FedNow payments.

Before considering the challenges behind sending and receiving FedNow payments, here’s a look at some of the data behind adoption rates:

  • Only around 900 financial institutions have connected to the FedNow network, a fraction of the 8,000 firms the Fed stated as its goal.
  • Close to 60% of the financial institutions on board with FedNow can receive payments, while only 40% of firms have signed up to send payments.
  • Banks connected to the FedNow network range in size from under $500 million to more than $3 trillion in assets.
  • Of the FedNow participants, 78% are community banks and credit unions.

There are a handful of reasons why firms might be hesitant to participate in FedNow. The service faces competition with The Clearing House’s RTP platform, which was launched well before FedNow went live. Additionally, banks may be holding back because of the fees that come with participating in FedNow. Banks must pay $25 per month per routing transit number to use the service, plus a $0.045 per credit transfer fee charged to the sender and a $0.01 per RFP message, charged to the requestor. The Fed also charges a liquidity management fee of $1 per transfer.

Another reason firms may be reluctant to join FedNow is that the new payment rail comes with a set of challenges for both sending and receiving payment. Below, I’ve outlined five challenges financial institutions face for accepting FedNow payments, and five challenges they face when receiving FedNow payments, along with strategies to overcome each obstacle.

Challenges in accepting FedNow payments

1. Transaction validation in real time
Firms may have difficulty validating incoming payments instantly, especially considering the need to check for insufficient funds and fraud, plus ensure compliance, all in real time.

To combat this, firms can implement automated validation systems to check the accuracy, authenticity, and compliance of payment transactions in real time. They can also use AI tools for fraud detection to help banks validate transactions without human intervention. Additionally, they should enhance their AML compliance systems to conduct rapid checks.

2. Managing customer disputes
Customer disputes are always a headache when facilitating payments. And with instant payments, customer disputes can be even more of a challenge. That’s because instant payments reduce the time that dispute resolution can take place, since the funds are transferred immediately.

Banks should create dedicated customer service channels and clearly communicate the dispute resolution process to consumers. Additionally, banks should create robust communication procedures with other banks in the FedNow network in order to resolve reversals and other issues quickly.

3. Handling a high volume of payments
If the adoption of FedNow grows, banks will need to process higher volumes of payments as more customers use the new payment rail. This increase could strain legacy systems– especially if they are not optimized for 24/7 processing at high volumes– and ultimately lead to payment delays.

To overcome this, banks should scale their payment processing infrastructure by adopting cloud solutions and ensuring they have sufficient bandwidth to handle high transaction volumes, especially during peak times.

4. Ensuring compliance in real time
Just as they do with ACH payments, banks need to ensure they are complying with regulatory requirements, including KYC, AML, and other regulations. This is an additional challenge with FedNow payments, since the compliance checks and documentation need to be made in real time.

Banks can leverage automation for compliance checks and integrate real-time monitoring tools into their operations to ensure that incoming payments are compliant without delaying the transaction. As with all compliance training, firms should ensure that their compliance officers’ training is up-to-date. Fortunately, there are multiple regtech solutions, including ComplyAdvantage, Trulioo, and Fenergo, available to help.

5. Creating a seamless user experience
In today’s digital age, consumers are not only used to receiving things instantly, they expect it. With instant payments as the standard, any delays or issues in receiving funds could create a poor user experience and tarnish the bank’s brand.

To ensure the best user experience, banks should first invest in a user-friendly interface. Transparent and timely communication is also key. Firms should offer real-time notifications and ensure that customers have easy access to their transaction history.

Challenges in sending FedNow payments

1. Ensuring adequate liquidity
With the recent increased scrutiny on adequate liquidity, it is essential that banks ensure they have enough funds on hand. With instant payments, banks must have sufficient liquidity available at all times, even during weekends and non-business hours.

To overcome this, firms can implement real-time liquidity monitoring systems and use the Federal Reserve’s liquidity management services. Banks should also establish internal controls to maintain and managing their liquidity reserves effectively.

2. Maintaining 24/7 availability
This may be one of the biggest headaches for banks looking to send FedNow payments. Because FedNow operates 24/7, banks need to ensure they have adequate infrastructure and staffing to support continuous operations. This can be a particular headache for smaller institutions, which lack resources to support such uptime.

To keep up with availability requirements, banks can adopt automated processing systems, use cloud-based solutions to keep their operations scalable, and partner with third-party vendors who offer 24/7 payment support. Additionally, firms should conduct regular system maintenance during non-peak hours to ensure they are not disrupting operations.

3. Ensuring fraud and security protection
Just as when receiving instant payments, accepting instant payments does not leave banks much time to identify and stop fraudulent transactions. This increases the risk for loss.

Banks can add a layer of protection by deploying real-time fraud monitoring systems to detect suspicious activities using AI and machine learning. Also, firms can implement advanced consumer authentication methods and mandate ongoing fraud prevention training for staff to further mitigate risks.

4. Managing customer payment errors
With instant payments, there is not much time to correct mistakes. When consumers fat-finger the payment amount or send the funds to the wrong recipient, they lose the opportunity to correct errors. This could not only create customer dissatisfaction, but also lead to financial losses.

Fortunately, there are ways to mitigate such mistakes. Banks can add confirmation steps into the user interface that require users to verify payment details before the transaction is sent for processing. It is equally as important to educate customers about the finality of real-time payments and provide them with a clear process for dealing with errors.

5. Creating interoperability with other payment networks
As with other payment rails, banks need to ensure their systems are compatible across other systems. Banks should create a system that is not only compatible with FedNow, but also with other real-time payment systems, including The Clearing House’s RTP.

To ensure compatibility, banks can invest in unified payment platforms that integrate multiple payment rails. Additionally, firms may find it helpful to participate in industry-standard development efforts to help shape the conversation around compatibility and functionality.


Photo by David Clarke on Unsplash

Monzo’s New Plan Caters to Bigger Small Businesses

Monzo’s New Plan Caters to Bigger Small Businesses
  • Monzo launched Team, a new offering aimed at larger small businesses that outgrow its Business Pro and Lite plans.
  • Team includes the same tools as Pro and Lite plans, but also offers features such as employee expense cards, bulk payments, and account access for up to 15 members.
  • Team is available in the U.K. and is priced at £25 per month.

U.K.-based digital banking platform Monzo is building out its small business offerings this week with the launch of Team.

Monzo’s Team offering complements Monzo Business Pro and Monzo Business Lite plans, which collectively serve more than 500,000 businesses. The digital bank created Team to serve businesses that are too large to have their needs met by either the Pro or Lite plans.

“With Team, we’re bringing that to bigger small businesses by introducing features that teams need to help run the business day-to-day,” the company said in its blog post announcement. “Bigger, more complex teams up and down the country whose needs weren’t being met by our Lite and Pro plans before.”

Monzo’s Team product comes with all of the products and services that Lite and Pro offer, including Tax Pots for tax savings accounts, invoicing, integrated accounting and more. Additionally, the new Team accounts come with employee expense cards, offer the ability to create payment approval limits, as well as the capabilities to tailor individual account access levels for up to 15 people.

Notably, Team also allows for bulk payments. Businesses can use Team to upload payee details and make multiple payments at the same time for things like salaries and suppliers, without having to worry about manually entering the payee details every time.

Limited companies can have up to 15 team members and sole traders can have a team of three people and set what individual team members can see and do. Pricing for Teams, which is currently only available to businesses in the U.K., starts at $32 (£25) a month. 

Founded in 2015, Monzo is one of the earlier small business digital bank providers. The company also offers personal accounts. With 10 million personal credit card holders, Monzo also provides savings, pension, investments, debit cards, and loan products. Monzo’s competitors include well known brands such as Revolut, Starling, N26, and Monese.


Photo by Fox

Velera Partners with Arroweye Solutions

Velera Partners with Arroweye Solutions
  • Payments credit union service organization (CUSO) Velera has turned to Arroweye Solutions for its dual interface debit and credit card portfolio.
  • The multi-year partnership will provide faster speed to market and change orders, as well as zero inventory to avoid having to manage stores of pre-printed cards.
  • Headquartered in Nevada, Arroweye made its Finovate debut at FinovateSpring 2011.

Payments credit union service organization (CUSO) Velera has partnered with Arroweye Solutions to provide card production, personalization, and fulfillment for Velera’s dual interface debit and credit card portfolio.

The multi-year partnership announced this week will enable Arroweye to provide Velera and its financial institution partners with a variety of benefits for their card programs. These include fast speed to market and change orders; dynamic card personalization; zero inventory as cards are manufactured, personalized, and fulfilled as needed; quality materials, vertical or horizontal orientation, and other options.

“Supporting Velera’s card diversification strategy, Arroweye’s capabilities will help Velera enhance time to market and deliver a more seamless, frictionless card personalization experience to our financial institutions’ clients,” Velera SVP for Product Enablement & Growth, Cody Banks said. “We view Arroweye as a true financial services partner and look forward to integrating their suite of capabilities into our core offering.”

Arroweye CEO Dan Oswald praised Velera as a “premier fintech solutions provider for credit unions in North America.” Oswald added, “Arroweye’s solutions and capabilities align perfectly with Velera’s card issuance needs today and into the future, and we look forward to providing Arroweye’s best-in-class services to their financial institutions.”

Created via a merger between PSCU and Co-op Solutions earlier this year, Velera is both a premier payments credit union service organization (CUSO) and an integrated fintech solutions provider. Velera serves more than 4,000 financial institutions throughout North America, offering a product portfolio that features solutions for payment processing, fraud and risk management, data and analytics, digital banking, instant payments, strategic consulting, ATM and POS networks, and more. Charles E. Fagan III is President and CEO.

Founded in 2000, Arroweye Solutions made its Finovate debut at FinovateSpring 2011. In the years since, the Henderson, Nevada-based company has grown into a leading card delivery firm, offering EMV, dual-interface, and magnetic stripe cards approved by Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, and UnionPay.

This year, Arroweye has formed partnerships with small business financial services platform Affinity Finance and professional banking services provider BankPro, a subsidiary of FxPro Group. The company has raised more than $76 million in funding according to Crunchbase, and includes Multiplier Capital and Landa Ventures among its investors.


Photo by Pixabay

Tyfone Spins Out New Entity for Instant Payments

Tyfone Spins Out New Entity for Instant Payments

Tyfone announced the formation of a new spinout today. The company launched the new entity, Payfinia, to provide instant payment solutions to both financial institutions and third-party organizations.

Payfinia aims to help financial institutions access and establish ownership of their instant payments services. The company also helps third-party organizations across various industries integrate instant payments with traditional payment tools into their existing payment and money movement use cases including A2A, P2P, Bill Payment, B2B and B2C disbursements.

Tyfone formed Payfinia by shifting its IP and technology, including advanced UX and security protocols, to the new company. Payfinia hinges on Tyfone’s Instant Payment Xchange (IPX), a money movement gateway to FedNow that will serve as Payfinia’s flagship offering.

Tyfone launched its IPX platform in July 2023, in conjunction with the Federal Reserve’s FedNow instant payment service. Since launch, IPX has converted nearly 30% of same-day ACH credit transactions into send transactions on push instant payment systems, routing existing payment solutions through networks like FedNow. Launching Payfinia will help Tyfone further build on the instant payments experience.

“We’ve seen remarkable results with our Instant Payment Xchange, achieving 50% less fraud compared to Same-Day ACH and fourfold reductions over other P2P solutions,” said Tyfone CEO Siva Narendra. “As we launch Payfinia, we’re doubling down on security with cryptographic, deterministic methods aimed at countering AI-driven fraud risks, while ensuring instant payments remain efficient, secure and accessible. This is just the beginning of Payfinia’s impact across industries.”

Integrating FedNow’s instant payments service, which the U.S. Federal Reserve launched in July of 2023, has led to a host of challenges for banks. These challenges include building a complex integration for real-time payment systems, maintaining compliance with security standards, and ensuring a seamless user experience across digital platforms.

With IPX, Payfinia is positioned to help financial services companies overcome these obstacles. That’s because the IPX platform offers real-time connectivity to both FedNow and RTP networks, helping banks eliminate the need for multiple integrations when adopting both instant payment systems. Additionally, Payfinia provides enhanced security and compliance as well as user-friendly digital tools that can help firms integrate the new technology into their existing interface. Payfinia also ensures a scalable, unified experience across multiple channels.

Tyfone is one of the earlier Finovate alums, having demoed at the first Finovate event to take place in San Francisco– FinovateSpring 2008. At the show, Tyfone Co-Founder Siva Narendra demoed a memory card for a mobile phone that facilitated contactless payments. The company, which used to focus on mobile-only solutions, began developing for multiple channels in 2014.

Tyfone was founded in 2004 and provides digital banking and payment solutions. In addition to its instant payments tools, the Oregon-based company offers nFinia, an enterprise solution that allows community financial institutions to deliver a hyper-personalized digital banking experience to both retail and commercial customers. The configurable solution offers more than 300 financial functions and provides an open ecosystem with direct integrations with more than 160 players.


Photo by Pixabay

Brex and Navan Join Forces to Launch Business Travel and Payments Solution

Brex and Navan Join Forces to Launch Business Travel and Payments Solution
  • Brex and Navan have teamed up to launch BrexPay for Navan, a business travel and payments solution that combines Brex’s global payments infrastructure with Navan’s travel-booking system.
  • The new tool leverages Navan Connect and Brex Embedded, and will allow companies to use their existing payment cards while benefitting from automated receipts and reconciliation.
  • This partnership will offer Navan a competitive edge by creating a scalable travel program with local currency cards and a seamless payments integration.

Corporate card and expense management fintech Brex has partnered with travel and expense solution Navan to launch a joint offering.

The new product, BrexPay for Navan, is an integrated business travel and payments solution for Navan users that streamlines travel payments into a single workflow when using the Navan travel management system. The new tool taps Navan Connect, a card-link technology that allows companies to use their existing payment cards and banking relationships, and Brex’s embedded finance tool, Brex Embedded.

The result of the collaboration is a direct integration between Brex’s global payments infrastructure and Navan’s travel-booking infrastructure. The new tools offer Navan’s business clients higher limits than legacy cards and local currency cards across more than 50 countries, a scalable travel program that facilitates compliance and helps reduce costs, and automated receipts and reconciliation that saves companies hours of accounting time each month.

“With BrexPay for Navan, we are bringing something truly unique and monumental to the market,” said Brex CEO Pedro Franceschi. “By combining Brex’s fast onboarding, global acceptance, and homegrown financial stack with Navan’s end-to-end business travel offering into one solution, customers now have access to a payments and travel experience that is beyond any other corporate travel and payments solution.”

For Navan, integrating payments into its existing corporate travel booking tool has the potential to both attract new clients and maintain its existing client base. That’s because for Navan, integrating payments into its existing corporate travel booking tool has the potential to both attract new clients and maintain its existing client base by offering businesses a single, cohesive solution for managing both travel and payments, eliminating the need to juggle multiple platforms.

By combining Brex’s multi-faceted financial infrastructure with Navan’s travel management system, companies benefit from higher credit limits, local currency options, and automated reconciliation, making it easier to scale travel programs globally while saving time and reducing costs. The move not only simplifies operations, but also enhances the overall user experience, giving Navan a competitive edge in a market that values efficiency and innovation.

Brex was founded in 2017 to create a digital-first business banking solution. The company offers business bank accounts with credit cards that have built-in rewards, spend controls, and expense tracking. The accounts provide businesses access to their online revenue, billpay tools, and integration with popular accounting tools.

Brex quickly rose to prominence in the fintech space after positioning itself as a digital bank account and card offering for startups. The company sought to solve pain points that often come with corporate cards, including lengthy approval processes and restrictive credit limits. Within just two years, Brex managed to raise billions of dollars in funding and achieve unicorn status.

In 2022, however, as Brex expanded its focus from small businesses to larger, venture-backed companies, the company experienced a downward shift. Because Brex discontinued some of its services geared toward small businesses– its original customer base– many customers left to seek alternative solutions. negative backlash.

Despite the dip, Brex remains a major player in the fintech space, serving “tens of thousands of businesses” ranging from small private companies to large public brands, including Airbnb and Classpass.

Token.io Teams Up with Santander to Drive Innovation in Payments

Token.io Teams Up with Santander to Drive Innovation in Payments
  • Token.io has teamed up with Santander UK, a subsidiary of Banco Santander.
  • Santander UK will leverage Token.io’s open banking connectivity and infrastructure to enable account-to-account payments for credit card repayment.
  • Founded in 2015, Token.io most recently demoed its technology on the Finovate stage at FinovateEurope 2017.

Account-to-account (A2A) payment infrastructure company Token.io has forged a partnership with Santander UK.

The goal of the collaboration is for the bank to leverage Token.io’s open banking connectivity and infrastructure to enhance the customer experience and develop new, real-time payment solutions. Santander will first use Token.io’s infrastructure to enable direct payments from external bank accounts as an option for credit card repayments, creating a more seamless payment experience compared to both direct debit and manual bank transfer. These direct account-to-account payments for card repayments also support biometric Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) for payments made on mobile devices.

“We are thrilled to partner with Santander, a forward-thinking institution committed to driving open banking innovation and enhancing the experience of millions of customers,” Token.io CEO Todd Clyde said. “Token.io’s technology, combined with Santander’s dedication to exceptional service, will undoubtedly set new standards for how financial institutions leverage open banking to create innovative value propositions that meet the evolving needs of consumers and businesses.”

A subsidiary of Banco Santander, Santander UK has more than 14 million customers in the U.K. The bank offers mortgages, auto financing, unsecured loans, credit cards, banking, savings and investment accounts, as well as insurance products. In addition to using Token.io’s technology to support its A2A offering, Santander UK also plans to leverage the fintech’s infrastructure to enhance its real-time money movement capabilities for its retail banking customers.

This week’s news from Token.io comes just days after the U.K.-based fintech announced that it had expanded its partnership with global payments platform Ecommpay. The global payments platform added Token.io’s virtual accounts in four new markets — France, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Spain — to its Open Banking Advanced solution. The virtual accounts will enable e-commerce companies to get real-time settlement confirmation and make API-powered refunds or payouts, boosting both the speed and efficiency of transactions.

“Our partnership with Ecommpay continues to demonstrate the immense potential of open banking in transforming payment experiences and also highlights the opportunities that PSPs can realize when they embrace innovative, customer-centric solutions,” Clyde said.

Token.io made its Finovate debut at FinovateSpring 2015 and returned to the Finovate stage two years later at FinovateEurope in London. The company provides direct connectivity to more than 567 million bank accounts in 20 markets. Token.io’s customers include HSBC, BNP Paribas, and Global Payments, as well as fellow Finovate alums Mastercard and ACI Worldwide. The company has raised $90 million in funding according to Crunchbase, most recently securing a Series C investment of $40 million in 2022.


Photo by Markus Spiske

Finovate Podcast: Third-Party Partnerships, B2C Payments, and Staying Flexible as an Innovator

Finovate Podcast: Third-Party Partnerships, B2C Payments, and Staying Flexible as an Innovator

The conversation continues with Greg Palmer, host of the Finovate Podcast. This week, we share three of Greg Palmer’s latest podcast interviews with leaders, innovators, and analysts in fintech and financial services.


Elizabeth Osborne, Chief Operations Officer at Great Lakes Credit Union (GLCU), and Greg Palmer talk about successfully onboarding third-party fintechs, from strategy to selection to implementation. EP 231.

Osborne is an experienced operations and information technology leader with a background in both the credit union and banking industries. In her role as COO for GLCU, Osborne oversees areas such as technology, digital, contact center, deposit operations, payments, and PMO.


Max Grande, VP of Vertical Market Solutions at Onbe, and Greg Palmer discuss why you should be thinking about B2C payments. EP 230.

Onbe is a Chicago, Illinois-based fintech that manages and modernizes both consumer and workforce disbursements for corporate clients. The company’s platform powers a suite of turnkey, managed distribution solutions that enable clients to outsource their entire B2C disbursement operation.


Greg Palmer talks with Howard Xiao, Head of Partnerships at VGS, about payments, security, and the importance of staying flexible as an innovator. Ep 229.

As Head of Partnerships at VGS, Xiao leads the global partnership team, managing both VGS’ Payments Partners Channel and Alliance Partners.

VGS is a universal vault that supports the storage and transmission of payment credentials for its business customers around the world. The San Francisco, California-based company demoed its technology at FinovateSpring 2022.


Photo by Terje Sollie

Revolut Debuts Payment Terminal Hardware

Revolut Debuts Payment Terminal Hardware
  • Revolut has announced the launch of Revolut Terminal, a wireless POS device aimed at larger businesses in the U.K. and Ireland.
  • Revolut Terminal offers advanced features like multi-location management, customer analytics, and integration with Revolut Pay.
  • Revolut Terminal is different from the Revolut Reader, which targets micro-businesses.

International challenger bank Revolut is pushing further into the business-to-business space this year. The company just announced the pending launch of Revolut Terminal, an advanced Point of Sale (POS) device designed for larger businesses across the U.K. and Ireland.

The new payment terminal, which is wireless and claims 99.9% uptime, is geared toward helping businesses manage transactions efficiently and securely across multiple physical locations. Revolut plans to launch the Revolut Terminal just ahead of Black Friday, which is timely for businesses that want to prepare for the increase in retail traffic before the holiday season.

Revolut’s new POS device integrates with Revolut Pay and will allow customers to make payments directly from their Revolut accounts without having to enter card or bank details. For merchants, Revolut Pay provides competitive transaction fees, which, at 0.5% + £0.02, are considerably less than traditional card processing fees.

“We’re excited to be offering Revolut Terminal as an all-in-one, powerful POS solution for our business customers,” said Revolut General Manager of Merchant Acquiring Alex Codina. “This launch comes as we continue to invest into our B2B offering and particularly double down on the hospitality and retail industries as an acquirer. A truly reliable payment solution is the difference between closing the sale and losing money, with Black Friday round the corner, Revolut Terminal is built to withstand high customer demand; and it could be yours in time for the busy season at an exclusive, reduced rate.”

In addition to the competitive pricing, the Revolut Terminal provides access to advanced POS features, including multi-location management, table mapping for restaurant businesses, analytics and insights into customer behavior, and integration with customer catalogues.

The Revolut Terminal builds on the success of the Revolut Reader, which the company launched in 2022. The Revolut Reader is a smaller, wireless dongle-type of payment acceptance tool aimed to help micro-businesses and entrepreneurs accept payments at 0.8% + £0.02 per transaction. The lightweight, portable card reader integrates with Revolut Business accounts and offers essential POS functionalities, including tipping and analytics.

Revolut offers an entire suite of tools for its business users. In addition to its flagship multi-currency accounts, the company also provides expense management tools, corporate payment cards, as well as a line of payment acceptance tools that includes hardware, APIs, analytics, and integrations.

“We’re continuing to see lots of momentum in Revolut Business, having this summer surpassed $500 million in annualized revenue and onboarding over 20,000 new customers per month,” said Revolut Business General Manager James Gibson. “Revolut Terminal marks the latest investment in our business customers, with merchants of all sizes now able to easily accept payments directly into their Revolut Business accounts, without juggling multiple providers.”

Last month, the company spun out its wealth management app into a standalone entity. And earlier this year, the company cemented its reputation as Europe’s most valuable fintech after receiving a $45 billion valuation.

TSB Bank Teams Up with Financial Literacy App Doshi

TSB Bank Teams Up with Financial Literacy App Doshi
  • Financial literacy platform Doshi has teamed up with London-based TSB Bank.
  • TSB bank will visit schools to encourage students to use Doshi’s financial literacy app.
  • Headquartered in London, Doshi made its Finovate debut earlier this year at FinovateEurope 2024.

Gamified financial literacy platform Doshi has teamed up with London-based TSB Bank. The financial institution will spend the next six months traveling to schools to encourage students to use Doshi’s app to learn about responsible savings and spending, as well as other issues critical to financial literacy.

The initiative is targeting 1,000 students between the ages of 13 and 18. Doshi features a series of interactive lessons on financial topics based on financial goals such as managing debt or avoiding stress over saving and spending. The app leverages gamification strategies including awarding points and showcasing leaderboards to enable users to check their progress. The app also rewards students who complete the learning modules with perks like shopping vouchers to help boost engagement.

“Entering adulthood Money Confident is vital to ensuring young people are set up to enjoy a lifetime of stable finances and informed financial decisions,” TSB Head of Responsible Business Kate Osiadacz said. “We’re on a mission with Doshi to help young people boost their knowledge using the app’s innovative learning platform, so that they start their financial lives in the best place possible.”

According to the Young Persons’ Money Index, more than 81% of young people worry about money and/or personal finances. Additionally, the same percentage of young people also want to learn more about better managing their finances as part of their school curriculum.

“Only two out of five young adults have received financial education in secondary school,” Doshi CEO Daniel Rose said. “At Doshi, we believe that financial education is essential for building healthy, confident lives.”

In addition to the Doshi app, the company’s technology is available via its own branded, out-of-the-box website as well as via API integration. Regardless of environment, Doshi delivers more than 1,000 pieces of financial wellness and education content, tools, and videos. With more than 30,000 engaged users, the platform has provided more than 100,000 hours of learning and handed out thousands of rewards to users.

Headquartered in London, Doshi App made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2024. At the conference, the company demoed its white-label app that helps banks, credit unions, and fintechs promote financial literacy via a personalized, gamified, learning journeys. In August, the company partnered with Yorkshire Building Society to help provide financial education to first-time, prospective homebuyers.

The partnership between Doshi and TSB Bank is a product of the financial institution’s Money Confident Communities program. This program sends TSB Bank professionals to schools as volunteers to help young people learn more about financial wellness and financial independence. Doshi was one of the companies to successfully apply to TSB Bank’s TSB Labs program which partners with fintechs to enhance the bank’s financial literacy offering.

At the same time, such partnerships are fuel for innovation for fintechs, as well. “As a startup, you don’t get many opportunities to collaborate with senior leaders of a leading U.K. bank,” Rose noted. “Working with TSB has enabled us to co-create an exciting solution with the potential to change the lives of thousands of young adults.”


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Finovate Webinar: Innovations in AI-Powered Observability

Finovate Webinar: Innovations in AI-Powered Observability

The idea of a black box has always been unacceptable in financial services. Financial institutions must be able to explain to clients and regulators how decisions are made – are they fair, justified, and sensible?

This is where observability comes in and it can do much more than setting your moral compass right.

Join Dynatrace, Deloitte, and AWS on October 24 at 2 pm Eastern for a 45-minute live webinar tailored for executives in the financial services industry. This session will feature a panel of experts discussing the latest strategies for modernizing financial services infrastructure and applications through AI-powered observability.

In this in-depth discussion, the panel will explore the integration of AI-powered observability and financial services, focusing on how organizations can enhance their operations, ensure data protection, and comply with regulations. The experts will delve into the transformative potential of AI, including Generative AI, in boosting overall productivity and maintaining regulatory compliance.

Why should you attend?

  • Gain strategic insights: Learn from industry leaders about the latest trends and strategies in AI-powered observability tailored specifically for financial services.
  • Enhance operational efficiency: Discover how to leverage AI and automation to streamline operations, mitigate risks, and ensure compliance.
  • Real-world applications: See live demonstrations and hear real-life use cases from Dynatrace customers, showcasing practical implementations and outcomes.
  • Interactive learning: Participate in a live Q&A session with experts, allowing you to get personalized answers to your specific challenges and questions.

Among the panel of experts is Wayne Segar, Field CTO at Dynatrace; Paul Barnhill, Managing Director at Deloitte; and Eric Baran, Principal Segment Leader- DevOps – Global Financial Services at AWS.

Learn more or register today.


Photo by Ron Lach