Bluefin Forges Strategic Partnership with Cassa Centrale Raiffeisen, ICIT, and Worldline

By David Penn Posted on August 6, 2025
Categories: Alumni News, Bluefin

Payment and data security company Bluefin has teamed up with Cassa Centrale Raiffeisen, ICIT, and Worldline to enhance payment and data security to All-in-One (AIO) payment devices.
The partnership will focus initially on serving businesses in Italy’s prosperous South Tyrol region.
Bluefin demonstrated its technology at Finovate’s developer’s conference, FinDEVR, in 2014.

Payment and data security innovator Bluefin announced a strategic partnership with Cassa Centrale Raiffeisen, ICIT, and Worldline. The partnership is designed to deliver enhanced payment and data security to All-In-One (AIO) payment devices throughout Italy’s South Tyrol region.

“At Bluefin, we are excited to collaborate with leading players and ISVs to deliver validated P2PE solutions across Europe and all global regions,” Bluefin SVP for Europe, Cheng Chieh Chen said. “Together with Cassa Centrale Raiffeisen, ICIT, and Worldline, we are committed to transforming the payment landscape in South Tyrol by delivering payment innovation, security, and enhanced customer experiences to this vibrant market.”

South Tyrol is Italy’s northernmost province—with Austria to the north and Switzerland to the west. With an official title of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano—South Tyrol, the province has a significant degree of self-governance and is among the wealthiest provinces in the EU, to say nothing of being the wealthiest province in Italy. Located in the Italian Alps mountain range, South Tyrol is a major regional tourist destination, and its growing hospitality and retail sectors make it an increasingly compelling environment for innovative payment solutions.

“As the main provider of banking services for Raiffeisen Banks in South Tyrol and as corporate banking experts, we are constantly trying to find new products and solutions to better meet the needs and requirements of our corporate clients and to optimize their work processes,” Cassa Centrale Raiffeisen General Director Simon Ladurner said. “Thanks to our partnership with Bluefin, ICIT, and Worldline we provide innovative and state-of-the-art payment systems to gastronomic businesses in South Tyrol. Thus, we contribute to the economic development of our province.”

Cassa Centrale Raiffeisen (officially known as Cassa Centrale Raiffeisen dell’Alto Adige) is headquartered in South Tyrol’s capital, Bolzano. The organization is the central banking institute for the 39 independent cooperative banks in the South Tyrolean Raiffeisen Group. The partnership, which also includes Independent Software Vendor (ISV) ICIT and payment services giant Worldline, will not only facilitate the rollout of AIO devices, but will also support future innovation in the unattended and e-commerce payment solutions space.

“This ISV partnership, in which Worldline is providing secure and robust payment processing services, will enhance the delivery of an expanded, competitive, and innovative payment offering tailored to the Italian market,” Worldline Head of SMB Central Sales Management Julia Rachor said. “Thanks to the partner’s combined international experience and local Italian expertise, merchants are ensured to receive payment solutions that effectively meet their needs.”

Founded in 2007, Bluefin introduced itself to Finovate audiences as part of our developers conference, FinDEVr in 2014. Today, the company has a network of more than 300 partners and secures more than 2.5 billion records a year. Bluefin serves 35,000 clients in 60 countries, protecting cardholder data, personally-identifiable information, and more. The company is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. John Perry is CEO.

Photo by Francesco Ungaro

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2025 Finovate Awards Finalists Announced!

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on August 5, 2025
Categories: Finovate Awards

The finalists are in! We have just announced the finalists of our 2025 Finovate Awards! Now in its seventh year, the Finovate Awards celebrate the best in fintech across a wide range of categories—from digital banking and payments to sustainability, AI, and consumer lending. The awards aim to spotlight the companies and individuals driving the future of financial services.

This year’s finalists represent a diverse mix of startups, established players, and forward-thinking financial institutions and individuals. There are 30 categories in this year’s awards, including Best Embedded Finance Solution, Executive of the Year, Most Impactful AI-Based Solution, Best Banking-as-a-Service Provider, plus many more.

The bar to become a finalist has never been higher. We saw a huge number of high-quality nominations, and that’s reflected in the quality of the finalists. Check out the list of organizations and individuals who made the cut. Congratulations to this year’s finalists!

What’s next?

Winners will be chosen by a panel of esteemed industry judges who will spend the next month deliberating. The winners will be unveiled on September 9 at FinovateFall in New York City. If you’re attending FinovateFall, you won’t want to miss it!

If you have any questions about the awards, please let us know [email protected].

Photo by Ivan Samkov

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EverC Announces Merger with G2 Risk Solutions

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on August 5, 2025
Categories: Alumni News, Alumni profile, Ever Green 3C, Mergers & Acquisitions

AI risk classification platform EverC revealed today that it is joining forces with G2 Risk Solutions (G2RS). The two are combining to pursue a collective mission to protect global digital payments and defend e-commerce from threats. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of this year.

Moving forward, the two will leverage EverC’s AI capabilities and bring G2RS’s risk and compliance capabilities to the payments risk ecosystem. When the deal is finalized, the two companies will collectively serve most major payment providers across the globe, including banks, merchant acquirers, marketplaces, and online platforms.

EverC was founded in 2015 to help marketplaces and online sellers grow by bringing trust and security to the ecommerce ecosystem. The company combines AI with its expertise in risk intelligence, data science, fintech, payments, and financial risk. In addition to its Risk Insights solution, EverC also offers two products, MerchantView, a merchant onboarding and monitoring platform; and MaketView, an automated, AI-driven solution that identifies and eliminates hazardous, counterfeit, and illicit products in online marketplaces.

G2RS offers risk and compliance management for financial institutions and online platforms. The California-based company offers a suite of solutions covering merchant risk, digital commerce monitoring, transaction laundering detection, identity verification, bankruptcy risk, and regulatory data services. Founded in 1989, G2RS leverages data, analytics, and human-curated insights to help its clients navigate evolving regulatory landscapes and complex risk challenges. Today’s deal isn’t G2RS’s only change to its operations this year. In the first quarter, the company acquired WebShield owner ZignSec AB for an undisclosed amount.

“G2RS and EverC have long traveled toward the same North Star, safeguarding digital commerce and the people who depend on it,” said G2RS CEO Brian Longe. “We move forward as one team with a shared vision to redefine what market leadership looks like in the merchant risk space. Leveraging each other’s strengths as a unified force on a singular track, we will accelerate to deliver faster, smarter business outcomes and solutions for our clients and the global digital economy. We’re poised to achieve more together than we ever could apart, aligned in our commitment to root out fraud and illegal activities and help our customers grow with confidence and integrity.”

Logistically, Longe will serve as CEO of the combined company, while EverC CEO Ariel Tiger will serve as an adviser through the end of the year as the companies transition into a single entity. Employees of both companies will continue to operate globally with offices in the US, Europe, India, and Israel.

“We share a purpose to stop the increasingly sophisticated global threats from bad actors who seek to exploit the payments ecosystem,” said Tiger. “With our two teams working together, our impact can be exponential. This elevates our game in every facet of the business, pushing the envelope technologically and setting new standards for merchant portfolio performance.”

At FinovateFall 2021, EverC demoed how MerchantView helps mitigate transaction laundering by identifying illicit activity in order to help clients reduce and avoid fines, maintain regulatory compliance, and protect their brand.

Photo by DS stories

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InvestiFi Brings Digital Investing to Illiana Financial

By David Penn Posted on August 5, 2025
Categories: Alumni News, CryptoFi, InvestiFi

Investing platform InvestiFi has announced a partnership with Illinois-based credit union Illiana Financial.
The partnership will enable Illiana Financial’s 25,000 members to access InvestiFi’s digital investing offerings via Illiana Financial’s online portal.
Founded in 2020, InvestiFi made its Finovate debut at FinovateFall 2022 as CryptoFi.

Digital investing platform InvestiFi has teamed up with Illiana Financial to bring new digital investing options to the credit union’s members—from directly within the institution’s online banking portal. The partnership will enable the credit union’s 25,000 members to trade and invest in more than 8,500 stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and more than 25 cryptocurrencies. Members will also be able to use the solution to create guided investment portfolios, and take advantage of financial educational resources to help them make better decisions on their investments.

“Investing shouldn’t be intimidating or complicated. Our platform is designed to remove traditional barriers and make investing accessible, informed, and safe,” InvestiFi CEO and Co-Founder Kian Sarreshteh said. “By embedding our solution into Illiana Financial’s online banking platform, we are enabling their members to seamlessly manage their finances and investments side-by-side, creating a holistic financial experience.” Sarreshteh cited research from Cornerstone Advisors that indicated that retail investors prefer to use platforms that are integrated within their banking apps, which Sarreshteh said “reflected a strong demand for convenience and trust in a single, unified interface.”

InvestiFi’s digital investing technology integrates into existing digital banking platforms to enable investors to buy and sell stocks, ETFs, funds, and cryptocurrencies directly from their checking accounts. This helps keep deposits inside the credit union’s or community bank’s ecosystem rather than going to an external party. In this way, InvestiFi helps credit unions and community banks deepen engagement with accountholders by becoming a more integral part of members’ financial lives for years to come.

“We are committed to supporting our members at every stage of their financial journey. Integrating InvestiFi’s investing solutions is a natural progression in how we serve our community, offering safe, secure, and straightforward ways for members to engage with the market,” Illiana Financial CEO Jim Henmuller said. “With this new digital investing partnership, we are confident the credit union will continue to innovate, providing modern tools that truly empower every member to take control of their financial futures.”

Illiana Financial was organized in 1936 by a small group of Illinois Bell Telephone Company workers. Today, the institution has four locations: Calumet City, Chicago Heights, Naperville, and Bourbonnais, and more than $278 million in total assets.

Launched in 2021 as CryptoFi—an embedded crypto trading solution for credit unions and community banks—the company pivoted in 2022 to develop a stocks, ETFs, and robo advisory offering in the wake of the FTX crisis. The company rebranded as InvestiFi in 2024, going live with three credit union partners. Picking up a fourth credit union partner later that year, the company also acquired a Broker Dealer, launched a wholly owned RIA, and introduced its stocks and ETFs product.

InvestiFi’s partnership with Illiana Financial comes shortly after the Chicago, Illinois-based fintech announced that it had teamed up with Ocala Community Credit Union (OCCU) to enable its 2,900 members in Central Florida to trade and hold cryptocurrencies. Serving Ocala, Belleview, Silver Springs, Anthony, Dunnellon, Marion Oaks, Ocklawaha, and Marion County, OCCU is InvestiFi’s first partner in Florida. Established in 1953, OCCU has total assets of $51 million.

“We are thrilled to have joined forces with InvestiFi to offer our members crypto investment directly from checking,” Ocala Community Credit Union CEO Steven Nazaruk said. “We are looking forward to rolling InvestiFi’s crypto solution out to our members as an investment tool for them and a way for OCCU to attract new members.”

Photo by energepic.com

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FinovateFall 2025 Sneak Peek Series: Part 1

By Madeline Clines Posted on August 5, 2025
Categories: CollaborationRoom.ai, Eko Investments, FinovateFall 2025, FinovateFall 2025 Sneak Peek, Gentreo, Spiral, Swaystack, Vesuvio Pay, Winnow

A look at the companies demoing at FinovateFall in New York on September 8 – 10. Register today using this link and save 20%.

CollaborationRoom.ai

CollaborationRoom.ai helps financial service companies enhance customer experience by making remote work seamless for their contact centers.

Features

Increases productivity through supervisor and agent engagement
Enhances security and compliance through AI
Enhances agent education through embedded training and production rooms

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Two-Time Best of Show Winner Array Acquires Fellow Finovate Alum MoneyKit

By David Penn Posted on August 4, 2025
Categories: Alumni News, Array, Mergers & Acquisitions, MoneyKit

Embedded software platform company Array has acquired data aggregation specialist MoneyKit. Terms were not disclosed.
The partnership will enable Array’s customers to benefit from deeper connectivity that will facilitate more dynamic customer experiences including personalized credit insights and intelligent subscription management.
Array won Best of Show at FinovateFall 2021 and again at FinovateSpring 2022. MoneyKit made its Finovate debut at FinovateFall 2024.

Embedded software platform Array, which has twice won Finovate’s Best of Show award, announced its acquisition of data aggregation solutions company (and fellow Finovate alum) MoneyKit. Terms of the transaction were not immediately available.

“MoneyKit has built a trusted and secure foundation for financial connectivity in just a few years,” Array Founder and CEO Martin Toha said. “Combining their capabilities with Array’s embeddable financial security components unlocks a new era of intelligent, personalized, and privacy-first experiences for millions of consumers.”

Array offers an embeddable platform that provides fintechs, financial institutions, and digital brands with a variety of private-label fintech solutions. MoneyKit is a specialist in data aggregation and trusted financial connectivity infrastructure. Together, the two firms seek to deliver a range of secure, consumer-first financial experiences—from embedded credit monitoring to streamlined access to financial data—to help consumers improve and better manage their finances. Post-acquisition, Array customers will benefit from deeper connectivity courtesy of MoneyKit’s technology, enabling them to access more dynamic experiences including personalized credit insights, intelligent subscription management, and more.

“Joining Array allows us to scale our mission and bring powerful new capabilities to the ecosystem,” MoneyKit CTO Michael Del Monte said. “We’re excited to be a part of the next wave of tools that help consumers feel more secure, informed, and in control.”

Headquartered in New York, MoneyKit made its Finovate debut at FinovateFall 2024. At the conference, the company demonstrated its MoneyKit Connect solution that leverages intelligent routing to enhance bank data aggregation. The technology makes real-time routing decisions based on its unique insights into the specific institution, time of day, and data products requested to ensure that the connection goes to the best possible underlying aggregator. MoneyKit was launched in 2021 by the serial founders who started both Cash App and Quovo.

Winning Best of Show in its appearances at FinovateFall 2021 and FinovateSpring 2022, Array most recently demoed its technology at FinovateSpring 2023. The company’s platform helps financial institutions and financial service providers boost engagement and revenues by providing them with tools like anti-identity theft solution HelloPrivacy and an intelligent Subscription Manager that can be embedded in a matter of weeks.

Founded in 2020, Array is based in New York.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

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Strength in Numbers: FinovateFall’s Power Panelists Talk AI, CX, and the Fight for Deposits

By David Penn Posted on August 4, 2025
Categories: FinovateFall 2025

There’s strength in numbers; at least that’s our theory when it comes to engaging with some of fintech’s thorniest challenges—from harnessing enabling technologies like AI to winning the battle for deposits at a time of economic and interest rate uncertainty.

As such, we’ve enlisted a cadre of fintech and financial services veterans who will team up to tackle these and other critical topics in our industry. FinovateFall’s Power Panels provide not only deep insights into the trends driving fintech today, but also offer a diverse range of experiences to help us understand how those same trends impact real businesses, real communities, and real people.

Here’s a sneak peek at what our FinovateFall Power Panels have in store next month.

FinovateFall comes to New York, September 8 through 10. Get your tickets. Book your room. And we’ll see you there!

Getting beyond the hype—how can financial services providers harness AI, GenAI, and Agentic AI to make money or save money?

Moderated by Jason Henrichs, CEO of Alloy Labs, this Power Panel will explore the true use cases for AI in financial services and investigate where the biggest opportunities are for banks, credit unions, and other financial services providers to leverage this technology to enhance personalization, make processes more efficient, and more.

Featuring Sam Kilmer, Managing Director, Cornerstone Advisors; Fred Campbell, General Partner, TRAC.vc; Sathish Muthukrishnan, Chief Information, Data, and Digital Officer, Ally Financial; Inwha Huh, Head of Innovation, Corporate & Investment Bank, Wells Fargo; and Assaf Baciu, President & Co-Founder, Persado.

Monday, September 8 at 4:35pm

As fraud threats continue to evolve & become a number one issue for the financial services industry, how can all the players collaborate to safeguard their customers’ assets & their company’s reputation? What role can RegTech, GenAI & digital identity play?

Moderated by Robin Weiss, Senior Technology Advisor, RLW Advisory LLC, this Power Panel will look at the ways that technology has empowered fraudsters and will discuss what new tools and technologies are available to help financial institutions protect themselves and their customers and members from financial crime. The panel will also consider the role of digital identity technology and innovations in biometric authentication in the fight against fraud.

Featuring Myrto Koimtzoglou, Chief Operations Officer, Farmers Insurance Federal Credit Union; Sadeque Ahmed, Executive Director, Product Management, JP Morgan; and Jas Randhawa, CEO & Managing Partner, StrategyBRIX.

Tuesday, September 9 at 4:40pm – General Session

As embedded finance expands beyond banking, making financial services available everywhere, how can financial institutions capture the opportunity which could generate over $100 billion in revenue?

Moderated by Phil Goldfeder, CEO, American Fintech Council (AFC), this Power Panel will discuss the booming embedded finance market and explore how it is expanding financial services beyond traditional banks. The panelists will talk about the challenge this represents for financial institutions and how they can leverage embedded finance themselves to better compete with rivals in and outside of the traditional financial services industry.

Featuring Rodrigo Suarez, Chief Banking Officer, Piermont Bank; Norah Coelho, Managing Director, Embedded Finance, JP Morgan; and Lauren McCollom, SVP, Head of Embedded Finance, Grasshopper Bank.

Wednesday, September 10 at 9:20am – General Session

The customer experience revolution—how can financial services providers compete in a hyper personalized world & meet customers at their point of need? What are the key lessons to learn from other industry verticals & from big tech companies about building customer trust?

Moderated by Rutger Van Faassen, CEO, Informationbanker, our customer experience Power Panel will examine what the contemporary banking customer wants out of their financial service experience and how AI is providing institutions with tools to bolster engagement, deepen personalization, and build loyalty and trust with their customers and members.

Featuring Shruti Patel, Chief Product Officer, Business Banking, US Bank; Sherry Graziano, Head of Digital and Care Center Banking, Truist Financial Corporation; and Terry O’Neil, Head of Connected Commerce, Retail Services, Citi.

Wednesday, September 10 at 10:15am – General Session

Balancing the balance sheet—with clients keeping their money in various pots, falling interest rates & a booming stock market, how can banks & credit unions win the battle for deposits especially as challenger banks now have deposits firmly in their sights?

Moderated by Penny Crosman, Executive Editor, Technology, American Banker, this panel gets down to the brass tacks of the banking and credit union business with a discussion on the importance of deposits. This conversation will feature insights on how banks and credit unions can do more to attract deposits, and how partnering with fintechs can be part of an effective strategy to grow deposits in the current environment.

Featuring Patricia Montesi, Founder & CEO, Qolo; Josh Williams, CBO & Head of Partnerships, Seattle Bank; Christopher Hollins, Head of Treasury Management, Sales, & Delivery, SVB, a Division of First Citizens Bank; and Mary Miklethum, Senior Vice President, US Bank.

Wednesday, September 10 at 2:00pm – General Session

From competition to collaboration—why now more than ever banks need to build strategic partnerships. How can banks measure the ROI & what do they need to know about the lifecycle of partnerships? What new partnership plays tell us about the unbundling & reassembling of financial services?

Moderated by Jason Mikula, Publisher, Fintech Business Weekly, our Power Panel on partnerships offers a new twist on the competition vs collaboration debate in fintech and financial services. The panelists will talk about the build, buy, or partner conundrum; the inherent risks in partnering; and their thoughts on what makes a partnership successful for both the fintech and the financial institution involved.

Featuring Ami Iceman, Chief Research and Digital Experience Officer, MSU Federal Credit Union; and Zakie Twainy, Digital Partnerships & Enterprise Innovation, BNY Mellon.

Wednesday, September 10 at 2:45pm – General Session

Coming to New York for FinovateFall next month, but haven’t decided where to stay? Have we got a deal for you!

Book your room at the New York Marriott Marquis today and take advantage of exclusive rates and rooms available only to FinovateFall attendees. Want an epic Times Square view? How about a corner room with king-sized accommodations? Maybe just a nice standard guest room to retreat to at the end of a long conference day? Rooms are going fast, so visit our FinovateFall hub and guarantee your stay now!

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Cloud Data Services Firm Wix Launches Financial Services Suite

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on August 4, 2025
Categories: Daily news

Wix launched two new embedded financial tools, Wix Checking and Wix Capital, to help small businesses streamline their finances and access their capital directly from the Wix platform.
Wix Checking integrates with Wix Payments to offer a free business checking account with a debit card and real-time financial insights.
Wix Capital provides merchant cash advances as an alternative financing option.

Small business owners often have to toggle among multiple platforms to manage their finances, from payment processors to bank accounts to loan providers. Website building platform Wix is seeking to simplify this. The Israel-based company unveiled a new financial services suite this week, launching two new solutions, Wix Checking and Wix Capital.

The two new tools help eligible businesses manage cash flow and fund growth, streamline their finances, and access capital in order to help them focus on their business.

Wix tapped embedded finance company Unit to power Wix Checking to offer a fully integrated business checking account directly within the Wix platform. The free checking account offers a real-time view of the business’ cash flow and performance, allowing them to access their funds, track revenue, and view outgoing expenses in a single place in order to make more informed business decisions.

The new checking account syncs with Wix Payments, the company’s payment acceptance tool. This integration eliminates the need for businesses to conduct manual reconciliations or use third-party tools. Merchants can access their funds with the Wix business debit card and they also have the option to transfer funds into an external bank account.

Wix has partnered with Lincoln Savings Bank, which will be providing banking products and services, including issuing the Visa debit card.

The other new tool launched, Wix Capital, is a Merchant Cash Advance (MCA) service embedded into the Wix platform that offers a faster, more accessible alternative financing tool for organizations that have had difficulty securing financing from traditional banks. To access working capital, a business can request a cash advance for a fixed fee plus a percentage of future sales.

“With Wix Checking and Wix Capital, we’re giving users a complete financial solution built into the platform they already use,” said Wix Payments Co-Heads Amit Sagiv and Volodymyr Tsukur. “It’s fast, simple, and designed to help small businesses access their money and fuel growth—all in one place. This is part of our broader commitment to supporting the full journey of business ownership, from managing day-to-day operations to making smarter financial decisions.”

Wix’s move further underscores how companies outside of the fintech sector have the opportunity to offer financial services thanks to the power of embedded finance. In Wix’s case, integrating financial tools directly into its platform will allow its business clients to manage their operations and finances from a single interface.

The move also helps Wix compete with Square, which offers a similar suite of integrated financial services including Square Banking and Square Capital. As more platforms embed financial tools directly into their ecosystems, the lines between fintechs and SaaS companies will blur as they help small businesses to offer faster, simpler access to money management tools.

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Fintech Rundown: A Rapid Review of Weekly News

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on August 4, 2025
Categories: Fintech Rundown

August has arrived, which means we have just five months left to complete our 2025 goals. Given some of the recent regulatory shakeups, perhaps it’s time to adjust your goals to fit new objectives, as well. Will this month bring any more changes? Here’s a look at the latest fintech news this week. We’ll continue adding news to this post throughout the week, so stay tuned!

Payments

Blink Payment taps Cashflows as acquiring partner.

GoCardless launches industry-leading AI tool for faster, more reliable same-day payments.

Tax

Blue J announces $122 million in Series D funding led by Oak HC/FT and Sapphire Ventures.

Insurtech

Insuritas partners with $1 billion credit union to serve their 68,000 Members with embedded full-service insurance agency.

Financial data

Daloopa closed on its $18 million Series B for its AI-powered fundamental and historical data source.

Lending

Carrington Labs teams up with DigiFi to integrate cash flow underwriting and credit risk solutions directly into DigiFi’s platform.

HSLC taps Vine for AI-powered commercial lending.

LendingClub and BlackRock partner on loan transactions up to $1 billion.

Digital banking

Credit Sesame teams up with Green Dot to power its new digital banking service.

Saudi Arabia’s Bank Albilad selects Intellect Design Arena to enhance its cash management operations.

Crypto and Defi

Ripple announces its acquisition of Toronto, Canada-based stablecoin payments platform Rail for $200 million.

Photo by Boris Pavlikovsky

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Gifting Bitcoin: Fold and Blackhawk Network Launch Crypto Gift Card for Everyday Shoppers

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on August 1, 2025
Categories: Alumni News, Blackhawk Network

Fold has partnered with Blackhawk Network (BHN) to distribute its Bitcoin Gift Card, expanding consumer access to bitcoin through BHN’s large retail gift card network.

The Fold Bitcoin Gift Card allows users to gift bitcoin without technical knowledge.

The Bitcoin Gift Cards are currently available at select online retailers and will soon be available both online and in physical retail stores.

Bitcoin personal finance app Fold announced that it is tying up with gift card and incentives platform Blackhawk Network (BHN) this week. Under the agreement, BHN will distribute the Fold Bitcoin Gift Card.

The distribution agreement is expected to increase mainstream consumers’ access to bitcoin by bringing the cryptocurrency into everyday commerce. Leveraging BHN’s retail distribution network will give Fold the opportunity to increase user and transaction growth.

“At BHN, we understand that consumers today expect more flexibility in how they give and store value, and cryptocurrencies like bitcoin are becoming part of that equation,” said BHN GVP of Global Commerce Jennifer Philo. “Fold exemplifies the kind of forward-looking partner BHN is proud to support—they are creating products that bring bitcoin into the center of how consumers engage with money and build long-term value. By bringing the Fold Bitcoin Gift Card into our expansive retail ecosystem, we’re delivering yet another practical, accessible way for shoppers nationwide to embrace cryptocurrency by helping them earn, save, and spend smarter.”

Fold opted to use BHN, a branded payments provider that was founded in 2001 and now has a global footprint of more than 400,000 consumer touchpoints, including top retailers, e-commerce platforms, loyalty programs and enterprise rewards. Fold’s launch of its Bitcoin Gift Card within this network will make it one of the most broadly distributed bitcoin gift products in the US market.

The card is already available on select online platforms, and Fold plans to add more online retailers in the coming weeks. The two are planning to make the cards available in brick-and-mortar retailer stores later this year.

Fold launched its Bitcoin Gift Card in May of 2025. The Atlanta, Georgia-based company allows consumers to gift bitcoin via gift cards, without requiring technical knowledge or a crypto wallet. Gift card recipients can redeem their gift card through the Fold App.

“Until now, bitcoin was difficult for the average person to access, let alone share,” said Fold Chairman and CEO Will Reeves. “By making bitcoin available as a gift card, we’re opening access to the millions of consumers who already buy, send, and use gift cards. This isn’t about novelty. It’s about meeting people where they are and integrating bitcoin into the financial tools and channels they already understand. We’re building infrastructure for everyday adoption. BHN gives us that path into mainstream retail, opening access to bitcoin across the $300 billion US gift card market, something the ecosystem has struggled with for over a decade.”

Photo by cottonbro studio

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Finovate Global Hong Kong: Funding for Stablecoins, Yields on Idle Capital, and More!

By David Penn Posted on August 1, 2025
Categories: Avaloq, Backbase, Finovate Global, PayPal, Temenos

This week’s edition of Finovate Global reviews the latest fintech news from Hong Kong.

RD Technologies raises $40 million in advance of stablecoin licensing

Hong Kong-based stablecoin infrastructure firm RD Technologies has secured $40 million in Series A2 funding. The round was jointly led by a consortium of both new and existing investors. Participating in the investment were ZA Global, China Harbour, Bright Venture, and Hivemind Capital. HSG, Eternal Digital, CMSC Partners, and Guotai Junan International Private Equity Fund were also involved in the funding. RD Technologies raised $40 million in a Series A1 round in September 2024.

The funding comes as Hong Kong’s stablecoin licensing regime takes effect. This regime provides a framework for stablecoin issuers, including the necessary licensing requirements as mandated by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) for companies seeking to issue fiat-backed stablecoins. The new Stablecoins Ordinance also requires these firms to maintain proper reserve asset management, robust stabilization mechanisms, and the capacity to process redemption requests at par value under ordinary conditions. Companies also must comply with anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorist financing (CTF) regulations as well as maintain obligatory risk management, disclosure, and auditing standards.

Founded in 2020, RD Technologies provides technology to help bridge the Web2 and Web3 worlds. An early advocate of stablecoins, RD Technologies drives responsible and sustainable innovation in digital finance via open networks, real-world use cases, and industry-wide collaborations. The company participated in the stablecoin sandbox launched by the HKMA earlier this year, and is developing HKDR, a stablecoin backed 1:1 by the Hong Kong Dollar, via its subsidiary RD InnoTech.

“We are thrilled with the passage of the Stablecoins Ordinance, which sets a clear and robust framework for the sustainable growth of Hong Kong’s virtual asset ecosystem as a global financial hub,” RD Technologies Rita Liu said earlier this year when the stablecoin legislation was passed. “As pioneers in the stablecoin space, with RD InnoTech Limited’s participation in the HKMA’s sandbox, we are dedicated to building trust by aligning with these regulations to deliver secure and innovative solutions for virtual asset trading, cross-border payments, and tokenization of real world assets.”

As part of the investment, RD Technologies and Hong Kong-based virtual bank ZA Bank inked a new partnership through which the two companies will investigate regulated stablecoin use cases in financial services.

Airwallex Launches Yield in Hong Kong

International payments and business financial platform Airwallex has introduced its Airwallex Yield solution in Hong Kong. Airwallex Yield is designed to enhance treasury management by enabling businesses to earn returns on their suplus funds held in multi-currency accounts. There are no lock-up periods with Airwallex Yield, which provides access to highly rated money market funds such as those managed by firms like Fullerton Fund Management and Goldman Sachs Asset Management.

The launch of the new solution, which also went live in Singapore recently, makes Airwallex the first global payments institution to secure a Securities and Future Commission (SFC) license for asset management services in Hong Kong. Yield currently enables companies to generate returns of up to 3.97% on multi-currency balances via discretionary portfolio management services. Airwallex also has partnered with JP Morgan Asset Management to leverage short-duration money market funds in order to provide liquid returns without minimum lock-up periods. Launched in Australia in the fall of 2023, Yield reached more than $67.3 million in funds under management.

“We’re excited to announce the full launch of Airwallex Yield to businesses in Hong Kong,” Airwallex Asia-Pacific General Manager Arnold Chan said. “We’ve seen growing demand from businesses looking for more effective ways to maximize the value of their capital. In today’s dynamic market environment, businesses are actively seeking ways to make their capital work harder. Airwallex Yield gives them a seamless and flexible way to earn returns on their balances, all from within the Airwallex platform. We’re not just looking to help businesses make the most of their surplus balances—we also want to encourage them to bring new funds to Airwallex because of the value Yield provides.”

Chocolate Finance, WeBank, Syfe Announce Hong Kong Entry and Expansion

A number of fintechs have announced plans to enter or expand their presence in Hong Kong of late.

First, Singapore-based Chocolate Finance has secured regulatory approval to being operations in Hong Kong. The news comes as the savings app announced that it has added $19.4 million in Series A+ funding to its coffers courtesy of a round led by Nikko Asset Management. The round also featured participation from existing investors Peak XV, Prosus, and Saison Capital, along with company founder Walter de Oude. Along with the funding news, Chocolate Finance announced a limited time Double Referral Program from July 22 to August 31, offering additional rewards and limited-edition merchandise.

Founded in 2022, Chocolate Finance delivers returns of up to 3% on savers’ first ($15,500) SGD 20k, 2.7% on the next ($23,250) SGD 30k, and 2.7% on any additional amount.

Next up, Chinese digital bank WeBank has won approval to set up its Hong Kong subsidiary, which will manage the institution’s overseas operations there and offer services to businesses covered by the Belt and Road Initiative.

WeBank was launched in 2014 by Tencent in partnership with a handful of other Chinese companies. The financial institution is the largest online-only lender in China, and is one of the world’s largest unicorns with a valuation of $32.4 billion (235 billion yuan).

WeBank’s Hong Kong subsidiary is expected to investigate potential opportunities in fintech such as real-world asset tokenization. The firm will also be a part of Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s “architecture community” for Project Ensemble, the HKMA’s wholesale central bank digital currency initiative.

Lastly, Chocolate Finance isn’t the only Asian company leveraging the occasion of a recent funding to announce increased engagement with Hong Kong. Singapore-based digital wealth platform Syfe recently announced that its $80 million Series C round in June will help fuel the firm’s regional expansion, including further inroads into Hong Kong.

“This fund raise comes at an exciting time as we grow our presence across the region and expand our offerings,” Syfe Founder and CEO Dhruv Arora said. “In our markets of Singapore, Hong Kong, and Australia, nearly half of all adults are in the ‘mass affluent’ segment, meaning those who have between a few hundred to a few million dollars in investable assets, and this segment is growing fast. As a platform built in the region, for the region, we have a deep understanding of what these investors need. We’re in a great position to serve them with personalized, accessible, and high-quality wealth management at scale.”

Syfe will use the capital, which includes an all-equity C2 round of $53 million, in part to fuel its expansion in Hong Kong. In a statement, the company noted that its business in Hong Kong has “doubled in size” since the beginning of the year. Syfe currently has more than $10 billion in assets under management as of end-of-year 2024 and has raised a total of $132 million in funding. The company was founded in 2019.

Here is our look at fintech innovation around the world.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Orange Money and BaaS fintech JUMO have teamed up to offer credit services in Africa.
MoneyBadger and Peach Payments partnered to make it easier for merchants to accept Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
Forbes looked at the connection between African mobile money service, M-Pesa, and Western-based services such as Venmo and PayPal.

Central and Eastern Europe

Estonia-based AI-powered investing tools company Lightyear raised $23 million in funding after topping $1 billion in assets.
German credit infrastructure company Credibur locked in €1.85 million in pre-Seed funding.
eWallet provider MiFinity integrated with PayU in Poland and the Czech Republic.

Middle East and Northern Africa

Libyan Islamic Bank partnered with Backbase to modernize its consumer banking operations.
Israel-based tax preparation platform April raised $38 million in Series B funding.
Egypt’s Midbank announced the completion of its core banking migration with Temenos.

Central and Southern Asia

India’s Esaf Bank turned to SugarCRM for relationship management.
TBC Uzbekistan Fintech earned a spot on the CNBC and Statista roster of the world’s top fintech companies, the first Uzbek company to do so.
Zaggle Prepaid Ocean Services acquired Indian fintech startup Rio.Money.

Latin America and the Caribbean

Brazilian financial infrastructure firm QI Tech secured $63 million in a Series B extension round.
PitchBook looked at seven fintech startups driving digital banking in Mexico.
Payment solutions provider Boku was granted a Payment Institution license from the Central Bank of Brazil.

Asia-Pacific

Hong Kong’s financial regulator announced plans to issue the first stablecoin licenses in 2026.
Cathay United Bank teamed up with Avaloq to launch new onshore private bank in Taiwan.
Standard Chartered forged a strategic technology and growth partnership with Alibaba Group.

Photo by Florian Wehde on Unsplash

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SRM Teams Up with Cooperative Credit Union Association

By David Penn Posted on July 31, 2025
Categories: Alumni News, SRM Technologies

Independent financial services advisory firm SRM has announced a strategic partnership with the Cooperative Credit Union Association (CCUA).
The partnership will enable CCUA’s member credit unions to access SRM’s complete portfolio of advisory solutions for sourcing and payments, as well as for corporate and technology strategy.
Headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, SRM made its Finovate debut at FinovateFall 2023 in New York.

The Cooperative Credit Union Association (CCUA) and advisory firm SRM have forged a strategic partnership that will grant CCUA member credit unions preferred access to SRM’s complete portfolio of advisory solutions.

“Our collaboration with CCUA is rooted in a common goal: driving meaningful results for credit unions through insight-led advisory and technology solutions,” SRM Chief Growth Officer Stephen Johnston said. “SRM’s expertise aims to unlock new opportunities in payments, sourcing, technology, and member experience for the CCUA’s member credit unions.”

SRM’s advisory solutions portfolio includes sourcing advisory, with analysis, benchmarking, vendor selection/RFP management, vendor contract negotiations, and other strategic sourcing plans; payments advisory, covering commercial, consumer, and instant payments, credit/debit card portfolio optimization, fraud prevention, product development, and market expansion; corporate advisory, including strategic planning, digital strategy, mergers & acquisitions, AI enablement, organizational design, compliance and risk, policy development, research, and analytics; and technology advisory, including core processing and digital banking strategy, migration and integration services, project management, and expert staff augmentation.

The company offers SRM Boost Programs that provide a strategic growth platform for onboarding new members, cross-selling and card optimization, and fueling new membership growth. As part of the strategic partnership, SRM will also facilitate seasonal roundtables for CCUA’s member organizations and will be featured at CCUA events to help credit union leaders engage with SRM’s team of experts.

“Ensuring access to SRM’s proven advisory capabilities strengthens CCUA member credit unions’ position in contract negotiations, payments innovation, and technology transformation,” CCUA EVP and Chief Operating Officer Melissa Pomeroy said. “This partnership directly supports credit unions’ commitment to deliver exceptional member service and financial performance.”

The Cooperative Credit Union Association is a leading regional trade organization representing nearly 200 credit unions across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Delaware, and Rhode Island. Combined, the Association’s member credit unions manage more than $75 billion in assets and serve more than five million members. Founded in 2015, the Association is headquartered in Marlborough, Massachusetts.

An independent advisory company specializing in payments, sourcing, operating strategies, and technology, SRM serves clients ranging in size from credit unions and community banks to international financial services firms. Returning more than $10 billion in value to more than 1,000 clients since inception in 1992, SRM is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. The company made its Finovate debut at FinovateFall 2023 in New York.

Photo by Gabriel Tovar on Unsplash

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