Special Deliveries: Talking AI, Quantum Computing, and More at FinovateEurope

Special Deliveries: Talking AI, Quantum Computing, and More at FinovateEurope

What makes an address “special”? This year at FinovateEurope 2025, the designation is going to speakers addressing an especially wide range of topics — from AI to quantum computing. Some of the presentations we’re highlighting today will be on the mainstage at FinovateEurope. Others will be offered as part of our focused tracks examining topics in payments, customer experience, AI, lending, and banking risk and regulation. All of them promise to be insightful discussions on key topics impacting fintech and financial services today.

Our slate of speakers for FinovateEurope is growing by the day. Visit our FinovateEurope 2025 hub for the latest updates on who’s speaking and when.


Mainframe modernization: the journey to agile digital services in 2025

Featuring Paul Holland (LinkedIn), CTO, Astadia: An Amdocs Company, this special address looks at how tools such as Generative AI (GenAI) can help accelerate digital transformation to unlock even further modernization. Holland will also lead a conversation on how financial institutions can complement existing capabilities to successfully modernize mainframe applications at scale. Tuesday, 25 February, 10:05 am.

An Amdocs company, Astadia is an industry-leading mainframe migration and modernization firm. Astadia’s core competencies include cloud migration, refactoring, replatforming, DevOps, and managed IT services. The company has conducted more than 300 successful migrations with world-class organizations.


Countdown to Q-Day: Why Banks Must Act on Post-Quantum Authentication Now

Featuring Petr Dvořák (LinkedIn), Founder and CEO, Wultra, this special address will examine the evolution of quatum computing and the potential challenges the technology will bring to digital banking. Dvořák will discuss the migration to post-quantum authentication (PQA) and the importance of transitioning to quantum-resistant authentication before “Q-Day” — when quantum computers are powerful enough to break contemporary cryptography. Tuesday, 25 February, 3pm.

Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Prague, Wultra helps banks and fintech brands build secure digital applications. The company offers modern, compliant authentication solutions that deliver security, easy access to financial services, and straightforward deployment.


Building Interactive Data Applications with Plotly: How AI Enhances the Delivery and Usage of Data Apps

Featuring Andy Wisbey (LinkedIn), European Sales Director, Plotly, this special address is part of FinovateEurope 2025’s Artificial Intelligence Track. Wisbey will lead a hands-on session that will demonstrate how to leverage Plotly’s advanced visualization capabilities to create an interactive data application that transforms complex financial data into actionable insights. Wednesday, 26 February, 10:50am

A Bronze sponsor of FinovateEurope 2025, Plotly is a leading provider of open-source graphing libraries and enterprise-grade analytics solutions. The company’s flagship solution, Dash Enterprise, enables organizations to build scalable and interactive data apps that drive impact decision-making.


Also providing special addresses at FinovateEurope this year are:

  • Pedro Andrade, Key Account Director, ORACLE MySQL
  • Vladimir Lounegov, Co-Founder, Mbanq
  • Waheed Mahmood, BFSI Lead, Rackspace

Be sure to check out the Finovate blog as more speakers for FinovateEurope are confirmed. And if you haven’t picked up your ticket yet, there’s no time like the present! Visit our FinovateEurope hub today and save your seat!

FIS Enables FedNow Send Capabilities

FIS Enables FedNow Send Capabilities
  • FIS is now certified to offer send capabilities for FedNow.
  • Adding FedNow send capabilities enhances FedNow’s real-time payment services for bank clients and enables instant credit transfers.
  • As of late last year, 60% of FedNow participants can receive payments, only 40% have adopted sending capabilities.

Payment, banking, and investment systems provider FIS announced today that it is now certified to enable send capabilities for FedNow instant payment credit transfers.

FIS was an early adopter of FedNow, and was one of the first institutions to enable its customers to receive FedNow payments after the technology launched in July of 2023. Adding send capabilities, along with real-time transfer alerts, allows FIS to bring its bank clients a more comprehensive payments experience.

“As money moves between banks, consumers, businesses, and beyond in a complex cycle, credit and debit cards continue to play a leading role in the payment experience,” said FIS Head of Cards and Money Movement Chris Como. “However, slow or delayed transfers can harm customer loyalty when they need to pay loans, rent, or time-sensitive bills on any given day. Giving the end user direct access to send payments instantly using FedNow marks a huge milestone in our efforts to enable a harmonious payments experience for our clients and the customers they serve.”

This announcement comes after it was reported that only 40% of firms have signed up to send payments using FedNow, as of late last year. In comparison, close to 60% of the financial institutions on board with FedNow are able to receive payments. As of last month, more than 1,000 financial institutions have enrolled in the FedNow Service. The Federal Reserve maintains a list of participating financial institutions on its website.

The lack of banks willing to send payments over FedNow may be caused by a handful of factors. Implementing the necessary infrastructure to send payments requires more technological investment and operational considerations than simply receiving payments. Additionally, faster payments leads to faster fraud, including authorized push payment (APP) fraud, where fraudsters trick users into sending money to them. Also, at a time when banks are seeking to increase their deposits, it doesn’t benefit them to make it easy for customers to send money.

Founded in 1968, FIS is headquartered in Florida. The firm, which counts 15,000 clients across the globe, offers a wide range of products and solutions, including payment capabilities, risk management tools, customer communications products, and more. FIS-powered tools process $50 trillion annually and hold $16 trillion in assets.


Photo by Element5 Digital

Money Squirrel Taps Moneyhub’s Open Banking Tech for New App Launch

Money Squirrel Taps Moneyhub’s Open Banking Tech for New App Launch
  • Moneyhub is partnering with Money Squirrel to provide open banking technology for Money Squirrel’s new small business financial management app.
  • Money Squirrel’s new app is aimed to automate VAT savings and optimize cash flow.
  • The collaboration comes as regulations like PSD2 continue to shape the open banking landscape across Europe.

Data and payments fintech Moneyhub unveiled this week that it has been selected by Money Squirrel to power its new small business financial management app.

Launched last month, Money Squirrel’s app aims to help businesses manage their finances and optimize their cashflow. The UK-based company will leverage Moneyhub’s open banking-enabled API technology to power the platform. Money Squirrel’s tools allow businesses to automate saving for future VAT payments. Once businesses connect their savings accounts, Money Squirrel places incoming funds into high interest rate accounts to maximize returns on sedentary cash, according to the business’ preference.

“Having Moneyhub’s API technology has been critical to launching our app, but it’s also encouraging to be aligned with them on the aim of making open banking and open finance more inclusive,” said Money Squirrel Founder and CEO Andreea Daly. “Having founded a business, I’ve experienced the frustrations of managing cash flow – spending countless hours calculating VAT and budgeting for future expenses. Therefore, we know firsthand how having the technology to remove these frustrations can unlock so much potential for businesses.”

Founded in 2023, Money Squirrel was selected to participate in the SHIFT open finance community’s dedicated fintech incubator, Ignite. The program provides financial support, expert guidance, and industry networking opportunities.

Moneyhub was founded in 2014 and sells personal finance technology tools, open data APIs, decisioning solutions, and payments capabilities. The company helps businesses leverage open data to enhance the financial wellness of their customers, communities, and businesses.

“Collaborating with Money Squirrel is a significant step in making open banking technology accessible to both SMEs and larger institutions,” said Moneyhub MD of API Kim Jenkins. “We are thrilled to help simplify financial management and unlock growth opportunities for smaller businesses by powering Money Squirrel’s app with our API. This partnership highlights our commitment to driving financial inclusivity and innovation across the board.”

As regulations like PSD2 continue to evolve across Europe, businesses are increasingly adopting open finance solutions to gain better control over their financial operations. By automating tasks such as VAT planning and cash flow optimization, fintechs like Money Squirrel can help businesses reduce administrative burdens, improve liquidity management, and make more data-driven financial decisions.

Moneyhub has demoed its technology at FinovateEurope 2015 and FinovateEurope 2017. This year’s FinovateEurope event is just a few weeks away. Learn more about this year’s demoing companies and register to attend to take part in the action.

Algebrik AI Partners with Plaid to Bring Better Data to Lending Decision-Making

Algebrik AI Partners with Plaid to Bring Better Data to Lending Decision-Making
  • Plaid and Algebrik have forged a partnership to integrate consumer-permissioned data with Algebrik’s AI-powered, digital Loan Origination Platform (LOS).
  • The partnership will help credit unions make better, more accurate lending decisions and provide a frictionless, transparent process for borrowers.
  • Plaid made its Finovate debut at FinovateSpring 2014 in San Francisco.

A newly announced partnership between Algebrik and Plaid will bring seamless identity verification, financial data access, and better decision-making to lenders, banks, and credit unions. Algebrik is the company behind the world’s first, cloud-native, AI-powered, digital Loan Origination Platform (LOS). By integrating Plaid’s consumer-permissioned data, the company will be able to help its financial institution clients streamline the borrowing experience while maintaining both compliance and data security.

“Credit unions are the lifeblood of financial inclusion, and we’re excited to bring them cutting-edge technology that enhances their ability to serve their members by incorporating cash flow data into credit decisions,” Algebrik AI CEO and Founder Pankaj Jain said. “Partnering with Plaid allows us to reimagine the loan origination process — faster, more secure, and deeply personalized for every borrower.”

The access to consumer-permissioned real-time financial data will help credit unions and other lenders make better and faster lending decisions. Credit unions and community banks in particular are likely to realize significant operational advantages thanks to the partnership, including reduced time-to-decision and greater underwriting accuracy. The integration will help lenders conduct income verification and financial wellness assessments, while borrowers benefit from a lending experience with less friction and greater transparency.

“This alliance underscores Algebrik’s commitment to leveraging advanced technology to simplify and humanize the lending process,” Jain said. “Together with Plaid, we’re enabling credit unions to unlock greater value for their members while setting a new standard for lending efficiency and borrower satisfaction.”

Headquartered in New York, Algebrik was founded in 2024. The company’s mission is to help credit unions deliver digital loans to their members, revolutionizing the loan origination process by leveraging inclusive AI technology. In a world in which lenders and borrowers alike are faced with inefficiencies — from manual processes to disconnected systems — Algebrik blends AI-powered automation, intelligent insights, and seamless workflows to transform the loan lifecycle from borrower onboarding to loan closure.

Plaid made its Finovate debut at FinovateSpring 2014 in San Francisco. Today, the company boasts more than 100 million users on its data and insights network and more than 12,000 financial institutions. The company’s open finance network facilitates fast customer onboarding, account verification, multi-rail payments, fraud prevention, credit underwriting, and more. Zach Perret is CEO.


Photo by Tim Mossholder

FinovateEurope 2025 Sneak Peek Series: Part 3

A look at the companies demoing at FinovateEurope in London on February 25. Register today using this link and save 20%.

CyberUpgrade

CyberUpgrade automates ICT security and compliance, transforming paper processes into resilience. Built by CISOs, it streamlines audits, risk, and vendor management and fosters cybersecurity awareness.

Features

  • CoreGuardian ensures compliance with DORA and other frameworks
  • CoPilot engages employees 1-on-1 via Slack and Teams for security awareness
  • VendorGuard streamlines vendor risk management

Who’s it for?

Financial institutions, investment firms, insurers, payment processors, critical ICT providers, and non-EU companies serving EU financial entities.

Intrepid Fox

Intrepid Fox makes onboarding for banks and fintechs 10x faster. Their AI-powered document collection reduces manual follow-ups by 90% and cuts costs by 50%.

Features

  • Provides on-the-spot document analysis for 10x faster document collection
  • Automates follow-ups with the customer to eliminate back-and-forth emails
  • Includes an interactive compliance dashboard that provides a robust risk analysis

Who’s it for?

Banks, credit unions, fintechs, payment providers, and financial institutions seeking faster and more efficient business onboarding.

Keyless

Keyless is a leader in privacy-preserving biometric authentication. It is ISO27001, FIDO, and FIDO2 certified and protects global enterprises from fraud while ensuring compliance and multi-factor security.

Features

  • Delivers data privacy and compliance
  • Offers multi-factor security
  • Creates a seamless user experience

Who’s it for?

Banks, fintechs, crypto exchanges, and the broader financial services sector, from SMEs to global organizations.

R34DY

ABLEMENTS by R34DY solves the integration challenge for banks. ABLEMENTS is an AI-driven platform bringing IT ecosystems and organizations together and to market – fast.

Features

  • Orchestrate – uses AI to integrate IT systems and third-party providers in no time
  • Create – provides a low code platform for businesses to create flows with AI
  • Operate – safely deploys and monitors

Who’s it for?

Banks and financial institutions, whether they are legacy, modernizing, or greenfield.

Regsearch AI

Regsearch AI empowers businesses with customizable regulatory AI agents to simplify and automate regulatory compliance, assess gaps, and ensure alignment with internal policies and standards.

Features

  • Automates regulatory compliance assessments without disrupting current operations
  • Provides oversight and monitoring of AI agents used outside and within Regsearch AI

Who’s it for?

Small-to-medium-sized businesses, including financial services, insurance companies, banks, credit unions, and payment providers.

Sikoia Brings AI-driven Automation to Brokerage Simple Financial Planning

Sikoia Brings AI-driven Automation to Brokerage Simple Financial Planning
  • Customer verification automation company Sikoia partnered with brokerage Simple Financial Planning (Simple).
  • Integrating Sikoia’s technology will enable Simple to automate broker workflows, saving time, boosting accuracy, and enhancing compliance.
  • London-based Sikoia made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2024.

One month after announcing its partnership with Tandem Bank, customer verification automation company Sikoia reports that it is working with Simple Financial Planning (Simple) to bring AI-driven automation to broker workflows. Simple will embed Sikoia’s document processing technology into its CRM platform to save time, boost accuracy, and enhance compliance.

“Together, we’re not just enhancing accuracy and compliance; we’re enabling Simple’s advisors to spend less time on admin and more time delivering value to their clients,” Sikoia Founder and CEO Alexis Rog said. “This collaboration represents a shared ambition to streamline processes, support growth, and provide brokers with tools that make a tangible difference in their day-to-day operations.”

The integration will enable Simple to access verified data in minutes, reducing administrative workloads while enabling the company to scale effectively without compromising service quality. In addition to automating manual tasks such as document verification and data extraction, Sikoia’s technology leverages AI to ensure accurate data handling and automates AML checks to assist brokers in meeting regulatory requirements.

“By integrating (Sikoia’s) solutions, our brokers can onboard clients faster and more confidently while maintaining seamless, compliant workflows,” Simple Underwriter Pamela Stewart said. “Sikoia’s expertise is setting a new benchmark in the industry, and we’re proud to work together to help our brokers excel.”

Authorized and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Simple is a financial advisory firm that provides tailored advice and solutions for its clients. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Glasgow, Simple offers professional money planners who provide advice and guidance on mortgages, insurance, savings, and investments. Alex McGarvey is Managing Director.

In its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2024, Sikoia demoed its AI-powered customer application processing solution that provides automated verification for income, employment, affordability, and more. The technology automates customer application document checks, accelerating verification times, reducing document handling costs, and improving the overall customer experience. Headquartered in London, Sikoia was founded in 2021.

In addition to its partnership with Tandem Bank mentioned above, Sikoia last month announced that it was collaborating with specialist loan brokerage Y3S to enhance the customer verification process for brokers and borrowers. Integrating with Sikoia will enable Y3S to streamline multiple tasks, including biometric identity verification (IDV) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) checks. Y3S will also benefit from automated processing of key mortgage application documents.


Photo by energepic.com

Napier AI Lands Investment from Marlin Equity

Napier AI Lands Investment from Marlin Equity
  • UK-based financial crime compliance solutions company Napier AI has received a majority growth investment from Marlin Equity Partners.
  • Today’s funds add to Napier AI’s existing $55.8 million in funding and will be used to support global expansion and R&D.
  • The company’s Napier Continuum AI-powered AML compliance platform serves over 100 financial institutions, including major players like HSBC and State Street, using AI and data science to help compliance teams make faster, more accurate decisions.

Financial crime compliance solutions company Napier AI has received a majority growth investment from Marlin Equity Partners. The amount of the investment was undisclosed, but will be added to Napier’s $55.8 million in existing funds from the company’s 2024 round.

“The Napier AI team impressed us with their strategic and innovative product offering, and dedicated customer focus. As the regulatory landscape becomes more complex, this mission-critical compliance-first AI platform is well-positioned to deliver continued growth in the global anti-financial crime market,” said Marlin Managing Director Mike Wilkinson. “We are excited to work alongside the Napier AI management team and are thrilled to support the company’s vision of helping more enterprises effectively and efficiently put a halt to money laundering activities.”

The U.K.-based company said that it will use the funds to “advance its market position through ongoing research and development” and support its global expansion.

Napier was founded in 2015 and offers Napier Continuum, an anti-money laundering (AML) compliance suite that provides AML screening and monitoring solutions in a modular platform that helps businesses scale. The company leverages AI and data science to help compliance teams make decisions quickly and accurately. The Continuum platform counts more than 100 financial institution clients, including HSBC, State Street, Mizuho Trust & Banking, SS&C, Starling Bank, ClearBank and WTW.

“We believe our AI-enabled products and passionate employees allow us to deliver exceptional value to customers and partners,” said Napier AI CEO Greg Watson. “In an era of ever-evolving financial crime threats, having a modern solution leveraging AI and automation is paramount to maintaining regulatory compliance and protecting the financial services industry from bad actors. We’re delighted to have found the right partner at such a pivotal moment in our journey to help us continue our momentum and grow the Napier AI brand globally. Marlin has an incredible heritage in helping businesses like ours to scale and innovate, and we are confident both our customers and our teams will see immediate benefits from Marlin’s investment.”

Napier said that the investment highlights the demand for AI-based AML solutions in today’s increasingly complex regulatory environment. It also comes at a time when the fintech sector is quickly developing AI-powered tools to address financial crime, which reflects the financial services industry’s urgent need to combat increasingly advanced fraud techniques while simultaneously meeting stringent regulatory requirements.

Napier demoed its Customer Screening and Transaction Monitoring Enhancement software at FinovateEurope 2018 in London. At this year’s FinovateEurope event, taking place 25 through 26 February, we will showcase 30+ demoing companies, many of which are leveraging AI. Register today using this link and save 20% on your ticket.


Photo by Harrison Fitts

Conversational Banking, Financial Inclusion, Crypto, and More on the Finovate Podcast

Conversational Banking, Financial Inclusion, Crypto, and More on the Finovate Podcast

Catch up with Finovate VP and host of the Finovate Podcast Greg Palmer as he interviews some of the most interesting entrepreneurs, analysts, and thought leaders in fintech today.

In recent podcast episodes, Palmer and his guests have covered topics including the emerging regulatory environment in Europe, the outlook for cryptocurrencies, the opportunities in conversational banking, and the challenge of financial inclusion for female entrepreneurs in the Global South.


Will Martino (LinkedIn), President and Co-Founder of Kadena, talks with Finovate podcast host Greg Palmer about crypto, the SEC, and what shifting regulations mean for the fintech industry. EP 245.

Founded in 2016, Kadena is a scalable Layer 1 Proof of Work (PoW) blockchain. The technology is purpose-built to support the demand of businesses and traditional financial institutions.


Greg Palmer sits down with Janusz Mieloszyk (LinkedIn) and Lukasz Gajewski (LinkedIn) from FinovateFall Best of Show winning company Nest to talk about their partnership with Efigence, conversational banking, and the future of customer service. EP 244.

The first AI-enhanced bank in Poland, Nest caters to both entrepreneurs and individuals with a comprehensive suite of innovative payment methods and personalized banking services.


Rory Tanner (LinkedIn), Head of UK Affairs with Revolut, talks with podcast host Greg Palmer about neobanks, predictions for fintech and financial services in 2025, and a preview of FinovateEurope. EP 243.

A neobank and fintech platform, Revolut offers multi-currency accounts, international money transfers, debit and virtual cards, as well as stock and cryptocurrency trading. Founded in 2015, the company serves more than 50 million customers around the globe.


Greg Palmer and Mary Ellen Iskenderian (LinkedIn), President and CEO of Women’s World Banking, discuss the challenges of expanding credit for women entrepreneurs in the Global South and how fintechs can help. EP 242.

Women’s World Banking is an international non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring the future of economically empowered women. To date, the organization has help provide 14 million women in emerging markets with access to transformative financial products and services.


Photo by Brett Sayles

Fintech Rundown: A Rapid Review of Weekly News

Fintech Rundown: A Rapid Review of Weekly News

New leadership for digital banking solutions provider nCino and the fallout from the recent ouster of CFPB director Rohit Chopra are among the major fintech headlines as the first full week of February begins.

Be sure to check back here at the Fintech Rundown all week long for the latest updates and announcement in fintech!


Digital banking

nCino introduces new President and Chief Executive Officer Sean Desmond.

Azura Credit Union modernizes technology infrastructure with Jack Henry.

Payments

Jack Henry and Moov team up to offer Visa Direct via its Jack Henry Rapid Transfers solution.

The Clearing House’s RTP Network announces surpassing one billion payments milestone.

UK-based paytech Sokin raises $15 million in debt funding.

MoneyGram announces Luke Tuttle as Chief Technology Officer.

Pomelo launches first-ever rewards program for international money transfer.

NCR Atleos’ Cashzone Network expands into Italy.

Crypto / Defi

Uphold, an infrastructure provider for on-chain payments, banking, and investments resumes staking services for its UK customers who hold cryptocurrencies.

London-based fintech Brava unveils stablecoin management system.

Cryptocurrency exchange Kraken launches payment service.

Banking-as-a-Service

German Banking-as-a-Service platform Solaris secures $144 million (€140 million) in new funding.

Open banking

Payments orchestration infrastructure firm Pay.com chooses real-time payments platform Volt as its strategic open banking partner.

Adyen selects open banking infrastructure platform Yapily to enhance its open banking offering.

Plaid unveils new brand identity.

Wealth management

Wealth management technology platform OneVest secures $20 million in Series B funding.

Dubai-based wealth and asset tracking platform Myne raises $2 million in pre-seed funding.

AI solutions provider for financial advisors, Jump, raises $20 million in Series A funding in a round led by Battery Ventures.

Fraud prevention

Payments technology company Worldpay agrees to acquire AI-powered fraud prevention platform Ravelin.

Backbase and Feedzai partner to launch deeply integrated financial crime prevention in the Engagement Banking Platform.

Salus selects authID’s Biometric Identity Platform to secure its financial services solutions for the underprivileged.


Photo by David Kanigan

Cedar Money Raises $9.9 Million for Cross-Border Stablecoin Payments

Cedar Money Raises $9.9 Million for Cross-Border Stablecoin Payments
  • Cedar Money has raised $9.9 million in Seed funding.
  • The round was led by QED Investors, with participation from North Island Ventures, Wischoff Ventures, Lattice, and Stellar.
  • Cedar Money leverages stablecoins instead of SWIFT to offer faster, more reliable, and cost-effective international money transfers, particularly in regions where traditional systems are inefficient or inaccessible.

Cross-border stablecoin payments company Cedar Money announced this week that it has raised $9.9 million in Seed funding. This initial investment round was led by QED Investors. North Island Ventures, Wischoff Ventures, Lattice, and Stellar also participated.

The Israel-based company was founded in 2022 to enable efficient business-to-business money transfers across geographies. Because it leverages stablecoins, the company does not rely on outdated SWIFT and correspondent banking rails and is able to deliver faster, more reliable, and cost-effective cross-border payments between developed and emerging markets.

Cedar Money will use today’s funds to accelerate its mission of transforming international money flows through blockchain payments. “The funding underscores the urgency for innovative payment solutions in a world where businesses face significant barriers in moving money across borders,” said Cedar Money CEO Benjy Feinberg. “We’re proud to partner with forward-thinking investors like QED who share our vision of creating a truly global and inclusive financial ecosystem.”

By integrating blockchain technology with a user-friendly, fiat-based interface, Cedar Money is able to offer a compliant payment solution that works for businesses across the globe. The company’s technology has had a notable impact in regions where traditional payment systems are cumbersome, costly, or inaccessible.

If you’ve been paying attention to fintech news in the past three months, you’re likely aware that Cedar Money’s announcement comes amid a boom for cryptocurrencies, and especially stablecoins. Stripe’s acquisition of stablecoin-focused fintech Bridge set off an avalanche of stablecoin excitement, bringing to light the possibilities of using stablecoins, especially in cross-border transactions. The recent administration change in the U.S. has also increased the stablecoin excitement by promising a crypto-positive regulatory environment.

“Cedar Money’s approach aligns perfectly with the positive momentum in the digital asset ecosystem, as businesses and governments alike recognize the transformative potential of stablecoins in enhancing cross-border money flows,” added Feinberg.


Photo by ROMAN ODINTSOV

FinovateEurope 2025: Fighting Financial Crime in the Digital Era

FinovateEurope 2025: Fighting Financial Crime in the Digital Era

Advances in everything from digital engagement to AI have revolutionized banking and financial services. Unfortunately, these same technologies and innovations have spawned a new generation of financial criminals whose malicious activity can be launched from anywhere in the world and impact thousands, if not millions, of individuals.

What can the financial services industry do to better educate their clients about the challenge of financial crime? What tools and strategies are available to banks and other institutions to help them better protect themselves and their customers from fraudsters, cyberattacks, and other threats?

In our Power Panel on financial crime at FinovateEurope 2025How to harness anti-financial crime technology to meet the challenges of the digital era — we feature three experts on the topic of fighting fraud and financial crime in financial services. The panel will discuss current threats to banks and financial services companies, as well as the role of enabling technologies — including digital identity, biometric authentication, and AI — in helping businesses stay one step ahead of the fraudsters.

Our Power Panelists are:

Tom Littlechild, EMEA Senior Counsel for AML, Sanctions, and ABC (Financial Crime), Wells Fargo

Previously Santander UK’s dedicated financial crime attorney advising on AML sanctions, ABC, and criminal fraud matters, Littlechild is Wells Fargo’s EMEA Senior Counsel for AML, Sanctions, and ABC (Financial Crime).

Before joining the financial services industry, Littlechild was a specialist in white collar crime, investigations, and compliance at Ropes and Gray. LinkedIn.

Monica Carlesso, Business Platform Lead, ID & Authentication Platform, CIO Enabling Services, Lloyds Bank

A disruptor in the financial services industry with more than 15 years experience in digital product development in payments and banking, Carlesso is Business Platform Lead, ID & Authetication Platform, CIO Enabling Services, at Lloyds Bank.

Previously, Carlesso led mobile strategies and propositions in European financial services firms including Barclaycard and PosteMobile/PostePay. LinkedIn.

Chantelle Lamb, Fraud and Financial Crimes Systems Director, OakNorth

Lamb is the Fraud and Financial Crime Systems Director at OakNorth, which bills itself as the digital bank for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs. She is a fraud prevention specialist with experience leading multiple fraud and financial crime teams across both retail and commercial financial services products.

Before joining OakNorth, Lamb was Head of Fraud at Vanquis Bank where she led the institution’s anti-money laundering and transaction monitoring efforts. LinkedIn.

Richard Neve, Managing Director & Partner, Cognito Media

Moderating the panel is Richard Neve. Managing Director & Partner at Cognito Media, Neve began his career as a daily newspaper journalist, and transitioned into financial services as a contributor to Financieel-Economisch Magazine (FEM) and a contributing editor to Banking Review.

Today, Neve manages complex and large international communications projects for fintechs and financial services companies. He works from the Amsterdam and Düsseldorf offices of Cognito. LinkedIn.

FinovateEurope 2025 comes to London 25 and 26 February at the Intercontinenal O2. Pick up your ticket today and take advantage of early-bird savings!

Wise Says, “Hola” to Mexico

Wise Says, “Hola” to Mexico
  • Cross-border payments fintech Wise has launched services in Mexico.
  • The launch allows Mexican nationals to send money abroad in over 40 currencies across 160 countries, leveraging Wise’s network of six local payment systems and 90+ bank providers.
  • Wise stated that the US dollar to Mexican Peso money transfer corridor is one of its largest, and has seen transfer volumes between the two double in the last two years.

Cross-border payments fintech Wise (formerly TransferWise) announced today it has launched into the Mexican market. The new service in Mexico will enable Mexican nationals to send money abroad, offering them direct access to Wise’s growing global payment network.

The new market entry is part of the company’s broader goal to enhance cross-border payments and support consumers with financial services. With Wise’s services now available in Mexico, the country’s citizens can send money from Mexico to over 40 currencies and 160 countries using Wise’s app or website. Wise has direct connections to six local payment systems and over 90 local bank providers, which ensure fast and efficient transfers. The company said that sending funds from Mexican Peso (MXN) to US Dollar (USD) will “hugely benefit” Mexican nationals who have connections to the US. 

“Launching our services in Mexico is a continuation of our strong, consistent growth in North and Latin America,” said Wise CTO Harsh Sinha. “Mexico, a region where consumers are loaded with unjust hidden fees, presents a strategic opportunity for Wise as it helps further our mission and opens a key currency route to bolster our business. Offering our services will have a positive impact on Mexican nationals by offering a transparent, cost effective, and fast option to send money internationally. Importantly, this takes us one step closer in solving the problems of opaque, slow, and expensive international money movement.”

Wise reports that with more than 37 million Hispanics of Mexican origin living in the US, sending USD to MXN is the third-largest money transfer corridor for its US customers. Additionally, the company has seen the volume of transfers on this route double over the past two years. This growth highlights the demand for faster and more affordable alternatives in the remittance market.

As part of its mission to disrupt traditional remittances, Wise focuses on price transparency. The company estimates that banks and other providers in Mexico conceal up to 10.4% of their fees, contributing to a loss of $446 million in hidden fees in 2024 alone, according to a survey by Edgar, Dunn & Company. Wise aims to change this with a transparent pricing strategy. In fact, Wise estimates that from the $147 billion (£118.5 billion) in cross-border transactions it facilitated globally last year, it saved customers over $2.2 billion (£1.8 billion).

Wise was founded in 2011 under the name Transferwise to facilitate cross-border payments while bringing transparency to the fees involved. The company reports that in Mexico, banks and other providers conceal up to 10.4% of their costs in hidden fees. According to a survey from Edgar, Dunn & Company, out of the $168 billion consumers moved in and out of Mexico in 2024, Mexicans lost $446 million in hidden fees that same year.

“Our mission is to make financial services fair, accessible, and transparent for everyone,” said Wise Country Manager in Mexico Efrain Florencia. “Launching in Mexico allows Wise to disrupt a traditional remittance market by introducing radical price transparency, completely redefining how Mexicans send money abroad. We are eager to make a positive impact on the millions of Mexicans who regularly go through this process and are looking for a better, more convenient experience without the burden of excessive fees.”

Wise is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) under the ticker WISE, with a market capitalization of $11.5 billion. The company serves 12.8 million active customers worldwide, facilitating the movement of $37 billion (£30 billion) across borders each quarter. Founded in 2011, Wise offers both personal and business accounts, allowing users to hold and manage funds in 40 currencies, move money between countries, and spend money internationally without hidden fees.


Photo by Alexander Schimmeck on Unsplash