Alumni News

Neonomics Acquires Ordo to Expand Open Banking Expertise in the UK

Neonomics Acquires Ordo to Expand Open Banking Expertise in the UK
By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Alumni News, Daily news, Mergers & Acquisitions, Neonomics
  • Neonomics has acquired UK-based payments and data provider Ordo to expand its services in the UK and beyond.
  • Specifically, Neonomics will leverage Ordo’s expertise in Variable Recurring Payments (VRP) and pay-by-bank tools.
  • The acquisition has been approved by the UK Financial Conduct Authority and Financial Supervisory Authority of Norway.

Norway-based open banking innovator Neonomics has offered its payments and financial data solutions since 2017. This week, the company purchased Ordo, a UK-based open banking payments and data service provider.

Financial terms of the agreement, which was approved by both the UK Financial Conduct Authority and the Financial Supervisory Authority of Norway, were not disclosed.

Ordo was founded by former members of the UK Faster Payments scheme in 2014, becoming an FCA authorized open banking payments provider. The company’s payments and data services include variable recurring payments as well as pay-by-bank tools.

“We are proud to join forces with one of the most well positioned independent open banking providers in Europe, to jointly scale our offering to both existing and new customers across the UK and Europe,” said Ordo CoFounder and Managing Director Fliss Berridge. “The two teams bring a wealth of experience in developing tailored solutions in a complex and highly regulated environment at what we believe will be among the industry’s most competitive commercial terms.”

Neonomics delivers payment initiation and account information services to a wide range of businesses, as well as a pay-by-bank app directed at consumers. The company also offers a newly launched AI tool, Nello AI, to serve as a personal finance manager app to motivate consumers with a monthly financial review, daily spending meter, a chatbot, and more.

“The team at Ordo represents some of the most experienced payments experts in the UK, having a leading voice across many of the most important forums that span the UK and EU in shaping how open banking will evolve,” said Neonomics Founder and CEO Christoffer Andvig. “This acquisition strengthens our commercialization strategy and time to market while expanding our product offering.”

Neonomics will leverage Ordo to help it accelerate its growth by offering services in the UK and other regions. With Ordo’s UK-centric payment tools, including its Variable Recurring Payments (VRP) capability, Neonomics plans to build a more open and connected economy.

The agreement comes as new payments regulations, including the Payments Services Regulation (PSR) and the third Payment Services Directive (PSD3), sit on the horizon. These regulations are expected to standardize open banking practices, enhance consumer protection, and drive further adoption of open banking solutions across Europe.

Acquiring Ordo positions Neonomics to benefit from these changes. The company’s payment suite and data tools are suited to offer more connected and seamless payments that are tailored to the continuously evolving regulatory landscape.

Photo by sl wong

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Method Financial Raises $41.5 Million to Compete with Plaid, MX, and Finicity

Method Financial Raises $41.5 Million to Compete with Plaid, MX, and Finicity
By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Alumni News, Daily news, Funding, Method Financial
  • Method Financial has raised $41.5 million in Series B funding.
  • The funding round, led by Emergence Capital and joined by investors like avra and Samsung Next, brings Method’s total funding to $60 million.
  • The company plans to use the funds to enhance loan refinance automation, expand card network integrations, and deepen banking relationships.

Financial connectivity API provider Method Financial has raised $41.5 million. The Series B round was led by Emergence Capital. New investors avra and Samsung Next also participated, along with existing investors Andreessen Horowitz, Y-Combinator, and Ardent Venture Partners.

Today’s round more than doubles Method Financial’s previous funding total, bringing the company’s total funding to $60 million. The company will use today’s round to accelerate delivery of its loan refinance automation and expand into other use cases that leverage card network integrations. It will also deepen its banking relationships to deliver more competitive products and expand credit card network integrations to streamline checkout.

“Our latest round of funding will help us build on Method’s already strong growth trajectory. Our team takes immense pride in supporting millions of Americans on their financial journeys while helping lenders and fintechs increase conversion with better user experience and engagement,” said Method CoFounder and CEO Jose Bethancourt. “As we serve new markets with our growing data and payment capabilities, we are thrilled to collaborate with Emergence and avra, as well as our existing investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, YC, and other leading stakeholders in fintech.”

Method was founded in 2021 to provide real-time, permissioned read/write access at 15,000 financial institutions, without requiring a consumer’s username and password. The company’s APIs power end-to-end refinance experiences, real-time account data access, and one-click checkout for over 60 fintechs, lenders, and FIs including Aven, Upgrade, SoFi, and PenFed. Since launch, Method has enabled 30 million passwordless account connections for 4 million consumers and has facilitated over $500 million in liability repayments.

“Method’s strength lies in the broad usability of its data and payment products across a wide range of industries and verticals,” said avra Managing Partner Anu Hariharan. “Initially, Method enabled lenders to offer competitive financial products by providing real-time visibility into consumer debts. Now, they are increasingly expanding their reach, supporting new use cases like card linking and new verticals like retail and travel.”

Method recently launched a new credit card connectivity solution called Card Connect, which offers transaction-level data. Since launching Card Connect, Bilt Rewards saw two million users connect 10 million cards to earn points on their eligible purchases.

Method recently demoed at FinovateSpring 2024, where it showcased its Connect, Data, and Pay APIs. During the demo, Method explained how the tools essentially serve as a single sign on (SSO) for all of a user’s liabilities without exposing their personal information.

Method Financial fits into the growing ecosystem of financial connectivity providers like Plaid, MX, and Finicity. However, Method differentiates itself with its unique focus on liabilities and its write capabilities that enable integration and real-time updates. Overall, Method is suited to feed the increasing demand for open banking APIs as consumers, banks, and fintechs continue to seek real-time data aggregation.

Photo by Brett Sayles

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Conversational AI Innovator eSelf Secures $4.5 Million in Seed Funding

Conversational AI Innovator eSelf Secures $4.5 Million in Seed Funding
By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Alumni News, eSelf.AI, Funding
  • Face-to-face conversational AI innovator eSelf has raised $4.5 million in seed funding.
  • The round was led by Explorer Investments, and featured participation from Ridge Ventures, as well as strategic angel investors.
  • Based in Israel, eSelf won Best of Show in its Finovate debut at FinovateFall 2023 in New York.

Here’s some alumni funding news that slipped beneath our radar: eSelf, which offers a platform that enables businesses to build face-to-face conversational AI agents, has secured $4.5 million in seed funding. eSelf won Best of Show in its Finovate debut at FinovateFall 2023. The company announced its successful seed round in December.

The funding was led by Explorer Investments with participation from Ridge Ventures and strategic angel investors, including Eyal Manor, former VP of Engineering at YouTube and current Chief Product & Engineering Officer at Twilio.

Along with its funding announcement, eSelf unveiled its platform for building conversational AI agents. These customized AI agents can have face-to-face video conversations with customers, and seamlessly integrate with existing business systems and processes. eSelf provides a self-service studio in which businesses can configure their virtual agents’ personality, knowledge base, and capabilities — without needing any specialized skills or technical expertise.

“We’ve developed a unified engine that processes speech, understanding, and visual elements simultaneously, allowing us to achieve response times of under one second which is crucial for natural conversation,” eSelf Co-Founder and CEO Alan Bekker explained. “Unlike other solutions that simply animate faces for voice responses, our platform is a complete visual comprehension engine. This means (that) our AI agents can actively engage with visuals in real-time — showcasing property tours, educational content, or presentation slides during conversations. By enabling businesses to create sophisticated, customized agents through our self-service studio, we aim to transform how they engage with customers at scale.”

Use cases for eSelf’s virtual agents have been diverse. Christie’s uses the agents as a first point of contact for potential buyers at its real estate brokerage firm in Portugal. Brazilian digital bank, AGI Bank, deploys the agents to help its 10 million customers access the institution’s digital banking services. Hong Kong-based financial services company DL Holdings leverages eSelf’s technology to provide financial advice to its customers in both English and Mandarin. eSelf reports that its technology currently powers “millions of real-time conversations.”

eSelf made its Finovate debut at FinovateFall 2023. At the conference, the company won Best of Show for a demonstration of its virtual agent technology that serves as an additional workforce for sales and customer success teams. eSelf’s virtual agents bring face-to-face communications to large language models, providing a human-like experience and a positive user journey that enhances the sales process and minimizes human involvement.

eSelf recently announced that its face-to-face conversational engine produces responses faster than ChatGPT Voice as well as other conversational AI technologies. “Shorter latency means smoother, more natural interactions — no awkward pauses, just real-time conversations that feel human,” Bekker wrote on the eSelf LinkedIn page last month. “This is just the beginning. We’re building toward instant replies with immersive, visually rich outputs that redefine human-machine interaction.”

Headquartered in Israel, eSelf was founded in 2022.

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Sikoia and Tandem Bank Forge Strategic Partnership to Enhance Income Verification

Sikoia and Tandem Bank Forge Strategic Partnership to Enhance Income Verification
By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Alumni News, Sikoia
  • Customer verification specialist Sikoia announced a strategic partnership with Tandem Bank.
  • The partnership will enable the digital bank to automate key parts of its income verification and document handling processes for mortgage brokers.
  • Founded in 2021, Sikoia made its Finovate debut last year at FinovateEurope 2024.

London-based customer verification specialist Sikoia has sealed a strategic partnership deal with Tandem Bank. The partnership will enable the financial institution to automate specific parts of its income verification and document handling processes to boost efficiency for mortgage brokers.

“Our partnership with Tandem Bank marks a key milestone in transforming income verification and document processing for the mortgage industry,” Sikoia Founder and CEO Alexis Rog said. “This collaboration aims to eliminate administrative burdens, ensure consistent and auditable decision-making, and ultimately enhance the customer experience.”

Sikoia’s AI-powered Income and Employer Verification solution helps financial institutions avoid a typically manual, error-prone process that takes lenders an average of 30 minutes per application. Instead, Sikoia’s automated technology offers rigorous document integrity checks in seconds which enable companies like Tandem to provide mortgage brokers with faster, more accurate responses. Sikoia’s solution combines AI, traditional data extraction methods, and advanced business logic and categorization to automate key aspects of the verification process — such as income, affordability assessments, and application completeness. The solution provides 100% coverage; works seamlessly with broker-submitted documents such as payslips, bank statements, and tax returns; and delivers enhanced accuracy and auditability. A user-friendly portal and an API ensure easy and scalable integration into institutions’ current systems.

“Tandem is starting the new year on a strong note, and our partnership with Sikoia underscores this commitment,” Tandem Bank Director of Second Charge Sales and Distribution – Mortgage Division, Nigel Brookes, said. “By harnessing their AI-driven technology, we’re transforming a traditionally time-consuming process into a streamlined, efficient workflow — enabling faster and more accurate service for our customers. This partnership reflects our dedication to driving innovation and setting new benchmarks for efficiency and customer satisfaction for second charges.”

Among the U.K.’s oldest digital challenger banks, Tandem Bank was launched in 2014. The bank established itself by providing fair mortgages and savings products, and by acquiring Harrods Bank in 2018. Tandem Bank’s mission to build “the U.K.’s greener digital bank” became evident in its 2020 acquisition of green home improvement loan specialist Allium Lending Group and, further, with its 2022 merger with Oplo. Today, Tandem Bank offers savings accounts, mortgages, home and automobile financing, home improvement loans, and green home funding. Since inception, the institution has provided more than $644 million (£523 million) in green home improvement lending.

Headquartered in London and founded in 2021, Sikoia made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope last year. At the conference, the fintech demonstrated its AI-powered application document processing technology that provides instant customer feedback; automated verification for income, employment, affordability, and more; and a reduction in document handling costs and time of 75%.

Sikoia’s partnership with Tandem Bank comes days after the company announced that it was working with U.K.-based specialist loan brokerage Y3S. Sikoia will help the firm streamline its customer verification processes for brokers and borrowers.

“At Y3S, safeguarding our brokers and their clients is a top priority,” Y3S CEO Barney Drake said. “Our partnership with Sikoia demonstrates our dedication to staying ahead of the curve in fraud prevention and compliance, giving brokers greater confidence in the solutions we offer.”

Interested in demoing at FinovateEurope in London next month? Applications are still being accepted from innovative companies with new solutions that are ready to show. Visit our FinovateEurope hub today to learn more.

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LeapXpert Secures $20 Million in Round Led by Portage

LeapXpert Secures $20 Million in Round Led by Portage
By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Alumni News, Alumni profile, Funding, LeapXpert

Business communications innovator LeapXpert has raised $20 million in new funding this week. The Series B round was led by Portage, and featured participation from existing investors, including Rockefeller Asset Management, Uncorrelated Ventures, and the Partnership Fund for New York City.

“At LeapXpert, we’re seeing greater and greater demand for our platform, driven in part by the three-year crackdown by global regulators on off-channel communications,” LeapXpert Founder and CEO Dima Gutzeit said. “This is now expanding beyond regulated enterprises into non-regulated sectors, as the DOJ in the U.S. enforces stringent requirements for preserving and governing business-related communications taking place on digital channels.”

The funding will enable the company to scale its footprint to address essential governance needs in the financial sector as well as in other industries. The proliferation and popularity of modern communications technology has put a new strain on companies that need to balance engagement and relationship-building on the one hand, and governance, compliance, and security on the other. LeapXpert’s cloud-based solution supports seamless and governed communications across modern communications channels, maintaining enterprise control while meeting the organization’s data retention, security, and regulatory needs. LeapXpert integrates with popular messaging solutions including iMessage, WhatsApp, SMS, Telegram, and WeChat on the customer side, and with enterprise platforms including Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Salesforce.

“Looking ahead, customers are also excited about the unfolding potential of communication intelligence and its contribution to workforce productivity,” Gutzeit added. “By unlocking actionable insights from governed conversations, our platform is set to drive new levels of efficiency and innovation in the way teams collaborate and operate.”

LeapXpert’s funding news comes in the wake of its recognition as a Visionary in Gartner’s new Magic Quadrant for Digital Communications Governance and Archiving (DCGA). A member of Deloitte Fast 500 list of America’s fastest-growing tech companies for 2024, LeapXpert recently announced partnerships with financial markets compliant communications solutions provider IPC and with Hong Kong-based media and telecommunications firm HKT. Last fall, the company unveiled its messaging security suite which is equipped with AI-powered impersonation detection — an industry first. Part of LeapXpert’s new Messaging Security Package, the additional functionality leverages AI to spot impersonation attempts over channels such as WhatsApp, WeChat, iMessage, and SMS in real-time.

“As organizations increasingly rely on platforms like WhatsApp, iMessage, and other messaging applications to conduct critical business communications, safeguarding these channels from threats becomes essential,” Gutzeit said. “With our AI-driven Messaging Impersonation Detection, antivirus, anti-malware, and CDR solutions, enterprises now have a comprehensive toolkit to ensure data governance and security across these channels.”

Founded in 2017, LeapXpert most recently demoed its technology on the Finovate stage at FinovateFall 2022 in New York. At the conference, the company demonstrated its new app for Microsoft Teams that provides a comprehensive digital record of company conversations.

Photo by Temo Berishvili

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Trading and Investment Network eToro Files for IPO

Trading and Investment Network eToro Files for IPO
By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Alumni News, Daily news, eToro
  • Social trading platform eToro has confidentially filed to go public in the U.S. later this year.
  • The IPO potentially values eToro at over $5 billion, marking its second attempt at a public debut after a failed SPAC deal in 2022.
  • eToro’s IPO aligns with a renewed optimism in fintech, dubbed “fintech spring,” as companies like Klarna also signal plans to go public, signaling a resurgence in confidence and investment.

Social trading and investment network eToro is taking its multi-asset trading platform to the public markets. According to a report from The Financial Times, eToro confidentially filed a U.S. IPO later this year.

The IPO, which could value eToro at over $5 billion, won’t count as the company’s first attempt at going public. In 2021, eToro announced plans to merge with FinTech Acquisition Corp. V, a publicly-traded special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), in a deal worth $10 billion. The deal would have listed eToro on the NASDAQ, but the two parties agreed to end the deal after eToro’s valuation was cut by 15% in 2022, and the company failed to go public by the deadline specified in the SPAC arrangement.

By March 2023, eToro raised $250 million at a $3 million valuation. “Our 2023 to 2025 strategy focuses on scaling our brokerage business in our key markets and increasing profitability via revenue growth and cost management,” said company Founder and CEO Yoni Assia at the time of the fundraising. “eToro will continue to focus on profitable growth while helping to drive progress towards a world where everyone can invest in a simple and transparent way.”

Since that time, eToro launched $Cashtags on what was then Twitter, announced it would pay interest on users’ idle cash, and began publishing educational content on X.

eToro was founded in 2007 and has since raised $693 million in funding. With more than 35 million registered users and investors on its trading and investing platform, the company offers trading and investing tools more accessible and collaborative. eToro launched in the U.S. market in 2019, entering a space where Robinhood had already established a six-year presence.

The IPO filing announcement comes as fintech is entering what analysts are calling “fintech spring,” a hopeful time during which investors are more willing to invest and organizations are more willing to take risks. Many predicted that 2025 would see a lot of fintech IPOs. Klarna kicked things off, announcing last November that it is planning a 2025 IPO.

Photo by George Morina

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10x Banking Partners with DLT Apps

10x Banking Partners with DLT Apps
By David Penn Posted on
Categories: 10x Banking, Alumni News
  • Core banking platform 10x Banking has teamed up with data migration solutions company DLT Apps.
  • The partnership combines DLT Apps’ TerraAI technology with 10x Banking’s advanced migration tooling capabilities to minimize error and downtime during the data migration process.
  • Headquartered in London, 10x Banking won Best of Show in its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2023.

A new partnership between cloud-native meta core banking platform 10x Banking and data migration solutions company DLT Apps leverages AI to ensure that banks are able to make the most of their digital transformation initiatives. Specifically, the partnership puts DLT Apps’ TerraAi technology to work in helping institutions transition from legacy and non-legacy systems to 10x Banking’s platform.

“A key differentiator of this joint solution is the ability of 10x to load data in any sequence, validate it in a controlled staging environment, and ensure that every transformation is auditable,” 10x Banking CPO Okan Ozaltin said. “This allows banks to manage their migrations with precision, reducing the risk of data loss or corruption and accelerating the migration process,” he added. “This enables clients to quickly realize the benefits of their new systems.”

TerraAI features robust data transformation and AI-powered migration tools to prioritize data integrity and quality. Along with DLT Apps’ MigratIO platform, TerraAI is equipped to handle all data formats and includes an intuitive user interface that makes data mapping and reconciliation easier. MigratIO provides detailed audit trails and real-time data quality monitoring to give users visibility over the entire migration journey so that any potential issues can be addressed as early as possible in the process.

“This partnership ensures the quality and integrity of data is maintained from start to finish as users can identify data quality issues early in the migration lifecycle,” DLT Apps Founder and MD Santosh Reyes said.

Founded in 2018 and based in London, DLT Apps uses blockchain, AI, cloud, and micro-services technologies to transform financial services and accelerate digitization. In addition to TerraAI, the company offers a digital financial profile solution, Quinn, that facilitates streamlined onboarding, ongoing monitoring, and client lifecycle management; Zilo, a modern global transfer agency; and Zeta Wealth, which offers advanced financial tools for investment planning, portfolio management, and compliance.

10x Banking won Best of Show in its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2023. At the conference, the company demoed its 10x SuperCore cards that enable banks to build a card proposition in minutes with 10x Banking’s Bank Manager interface. More recently, 10x Banking reflected on its achievements in 2024, including the launch of the world’s first meta core platform, its first client in Africa, and new partnerships with companies like Deloitte and Flexys, as well as with fellow Finovate alums Zafin and Alloy.

Headquartered in London, 10x Banking was founded in 2016. The company has raised $297 million in funding according to Crunchbase. Antony Jenkins is Founder, Chair, and CEO.

To learn more about 10x Banking, check out my interview with company VP Lewis Ide on high growth opportunities for banks in APAC and Africa.

Photo by Lina Kivaka

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Union Credit Teams Up with MeridianLink to Enhance Lending at the Point of Purchase

Union Credit Teams Up with MeridianLink to Enhance Lending at the Point of Purchase
By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Alumni News, Union Credit
  • Union Credit has announced a new partnership with MeridianLink.
  • The partnership will simplify and streamline the lending process for credit unions with real-time financing solutions at the point of purchase.
  • Union Credit most recently demoed its technology at FinovateFall 2024.

Union Credit, a marketplace for credit unions that offers pre-approved, one-click credit offers at the point of purchase, has teamed up with software platform MeridianLink. The partnership will help simplify the lending process for credit unions with seamless, real-time financing solutions that can help drive member growth.

“Our goal is to simplify lending processes, turning them into a seamless, hassle-free acquisition tool for credit unions, while providing consumers access to an array of local financing options and all the great benefits of credit union membership,” Union Credit Co-Founder and CRO Barry Kirby said. “By reducing manual input and improving efficiencies for credit unions, we’re helping them grow their membership while redirecting resources to other strategic areas.”

Union Credit believes that making it easier for consumers to secure pre-approved offers when they shop not only creates a more convenient financing experience, but also can help credit unions attract and retain new members. The partnership with MeridianLink will enable credit unions in Union Credit’s marketplace to leverage a direct integration with MeridianLink’s loan origination system (LOS) for efficient lending and onboarding. This enables credit unions to process more applications faster and reduce manual data entry while boosting loan volume and membership growth.

MeridianLink’s loan origination technology offers features such as single sign-on, smart cross-sell, and flexible account opening. The company’s cloud-based platform includes a built-in price engine, seamless third-party integrations via Open API, as well as “best-in-class” client support that starts with implementation. The Costa Mesa, California-based company is publicly held, trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker MLNK, and has a market capitalization of $1.45 billion. Nicolaas Vlok is CEO.

Headquartered in Santa Rosa, California, Union Credit made its Finovate debut at FinovateFall 2023 and returned the following year for FinovateFall 2024. Most recently, the company demoed its Always Approved Marketplace SDK, which provides API services that can be used by third parties for member eligibility checks, rate lookup, instant offer generation, and more.

Winner of the “Top Emerging Fintech Company” award at the 2023 Finovate Awards, Union Credit recently announced that it had integrated more than 50 credit unions into its marketplace in 2024. This represents more than 20,000 new members — 60% of whom were under the age of 40.

Photo by Tatiana Rodriguez on Unsplash

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Sage Capital Bank Partners with Digital Banking Solutions Provider Apiture

Sage Capital Bank Partners with Digital Banking Solutions Provider Apiture
By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Alumni News, Apiture
  • Texas-based Sage Capital Bank has partnered with digital banking solutions provider Apiture.
  • Courtesy of the partnership, Sage Capital Bank will deploy Apiture’s Consumer Banking, Business Banking, and Digital Account Opening solutions, as well as its Data Intelligence solution.
  • Headquartered in North Carolina, Apiture most recently demoed its technology at FinovateFall 2023.

Sage Capital Bank, an independent, Texas-based community financial institution, has chosen digital banking solutions provider Apiture to power its online and mobile banking services. The bank will deploy Apiture’s Consumer Banking, Business Banking, and Digital Account Opening solutions and enhance the online and mobile experience for its customers with a modern, intuitive user interface and comprehensive feature set.

The bank will also take advantage of Apiture’s Data Intelligence solution that will enable Sage Capital to offer highly personalized experiences to customers via digital channels to enhance customer satisfaction and engagement.

“At Sage Capital, we recognize that our consumer and business customers are on-the-go and expect banking services that let them bank anytime, anywhere,” Sage Capital EVP and CTO Gene Stroman said. “With Apiture as our partner, we will elevate their digital banking experience through capabilities like peer-to-peer payments, real-time fraud detection, robust business entitlements, and Positive Pay. We are thrilled to work with this forward-thinking solution provider.”

Chartered as American National Bank in 1984 by a team of business owners from Gonzales, Texas, Sage Capital Bank today has $700 million in assets. The bank has branches in eight cities in Texas including Lockhart — where the bank opened its first branch in 1995 — and Austin.

“Apiture and Sage Capital share a commitment to both partnership and innovation, and we are eager to support the bank’s digital evolution and growth objectives,” Apiture CEO Chris Babcock said. “By choosing our comprehensive platform, Sage Capital can deliver a banking experience tailored to its community’s unique needs while delivering the very latest in digital innovation.”

Apiture most recently demoed its technology at FinovateFall 2023. At the conference, Apiture showed how its Sensei solution leverages AI to produce a real-time assessment of a customer’s financial circumstances and provide proactive recommendations customers can follow in order to improve their financial standing. Sensei analyzes data — including transaction history, account balances, and engagement metrics — to help banks and credit unions build better, more personalized relationships with their customers and members.

Founded in 2017, Apiture is headquartered in Wilmington, North Carolina. The company’s partnership announcement with Sage Capital Bank comes one month after Apiture announced a strategic partnership with data-driven statement provider HC3. The partnership will empower Apiture’s community bank and credit union customers to provide account holders with secure, immediate access to digital statements, powered by HC3, directly from their online and mobile banking channels.

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FinGoal and DeepTarget Team Up to Transform Data into Insights and Insights into Revenue

FinGoal and DeepTarget Team Up to Transform Data into Insights and Insights into Revenue
By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Alumni News, DeepTarget, FinGoal
  • FinGoal and DeepTarget have teamed up to enable community banks and credit unions to convert transaction data into actionable insights.
  • FinGoal for DeepTarget will help financial institutions deliver personalization at scale, identify new sales opportunities, and deepen relationships with customers and members.
  • DeepTarget made its Finovate debut at FinovateWest 2020. FinGoal won Best of Show in its appearance at FinovateSpring 2022.

A newly announced partnership between FinGoal and DeepTarget will help community banks and credit unions convert transaction data into actionable insights and potential revenue opportunities. FinGoal’s advanced transaction analysis combined with DeepTarget’s AI-powered, personalized engagement platform will enable financial institutions to create highly personalized product recommendations and offers that are targeted to reach the right customers at the right time.

Called FinGoal for DeepTarget, the new offering turns raw transactions into revenue opportunities, delivers deep personalization at scale, automates the targeting and personalization process, and provides continuous tracking of performance metrics to improve targeting and refine campaign effectiveness.

“Banks and credit unions know they need to compete on personalization, but they’ve been missing the tools to do it effectively,” FinGoal CEO David Nohe said. “Our partnership with DeepTarget bridges that gap. We turn complex transaction data into clear growth opportunities with existing customers, and DeepTarget turns those insights into targeted campaigns that drive results. Together, we’re helping financial institutions deliver the kind of personalized experience that builds lasting customer relationships and sustainable growth.”

The partnership is designed to help community banks and credit unions take advantage of what DeepTarget CEO Preetha Pulusani referred to as a “goldmine of transaction data.” Traditionally, financial institutions have lacked the resources to analyze customer spending patterns and life events that can hold clues to emerging consumer needs and preferences. Moreover, these institutions often have struggled to act effectively and efficiently on the customer information and data they have been able to analyze. Solving this problem will enable community banks and credit unions to reach out to a customer who may need financial assistance for a home improvement, for example, or identify a small business owner whose cash flow indicates a potential for significant expansion.

“By combining FinGoal’s advanced transaction intelligence with our AI-driven engagement platform, we’re giving banks and credit unions the power to spot opportunities in everyday transactions and automatically turn those insights into personalized offers that drive real revenue growth,” Pulusani said. “This isn’t just about better marketing — it’s about fundamentally transforming how financial institutions understand and serve their customers.”

Headquartered in Madison, Alabama, DeepTarget made its Finovate debut at our all-digital fintech conference FinovateWest 2020. At the event, the company demonstrated its 3D StoryTeller feature, which brings a 3D user experience to its Digital Experience Platform. DeepTarget’s Digital Experience Platform readily integrates across all digital channels enabling financial institutions to intelligently reach their customers from thousands of customer touchpoints. Companies using DeepTarget’s technology have reported 40x increases over industry standard response rates, 25% revenue growth, and ROI of as much as 5x.

FinGoal won Best of Show at FinovateSpring 2022 for its Aggregator Switchkit that makes it easy for fintech developers to quickly transition from their current data aggregator to FinGoal’s insights platform. FinGoal’s platform sits on top of digital banking and finance data, turning transaction data into highly detailed user personas that help financial institutions make more relevant and engaging recommendations and calls to action for their customers and members.

FinGoal’s partnership with DeepTarget comes one month after the company announced that it was working with Lumin Digital. Courtesy of the agreement, Lumin Digital’s financial institution clients will be able to access data-driven insights from FinGoal to create personalized offers for their end users.

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Transcard Brings its Payment Orchestration Capabilities to Canada

Transcard Brings its Payment Orchestration Capabilities to Canada
By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Alumni News, Daily news, TransCard
  • Tennessee-based Transcard is expanding to Canada.
  • Transcard has partnered with Xodus Travel Services to enhance digital payment experiences with its SMART Suite platform.
  • The expansion into Canada comes a month after Transcard earned authorization from the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to serve as a payment institution in the U.K. 

Tennessee-based Transcard is bringing its payment orchestration capabilities north of the border this week. The company recently went live with its first Canada-based customer, Xodus Travel Services. Xodus is leveraging Transcard’s SMART Suite to facilitate payment orchestration and enhance its digital payment experience.

“We’re excited to partner with Transcard as they expand their payment solutions in Canada,” said Xodus President and CEO David Rivelis. “By enabling their fast, secure, digital payment solutions, Xodus Travel Services will offer policyholders an improved claims experience with payment optionality and real time payment options.”

Transcard’s SMART Suite offers a range of tools to help banks, businesses, and fintechs make and receive digital payments and share payment data with their customers and suppliers. The embedded payment capabilities facilitate any payment type over any payment rail using any originating bank account. They work for both single and mass payments and can take place in real-time or be scheduled.

Transcard supports international payments across multiple currencies and languages, including Canadian French. Its solutions are designed to comply with global regulations, such as GDPR, RPAA, and PIPEDA, ensuring robust data protection standards.

“Launching in Canada marks a significant milestone in the company’s mission to enhance digital payment solutions worldwide,” said Transcard CEO Greg Bloh. “We’re excited to expand our capabilities, build more strategic partnerships and support customers in Canada.”

Transcard said that it plans to go live with more Canadian bank connections later this year. The company will also introduce real-time payment options including the Interac payment rail, virtual card capabilities, and push to debit.

Today’s news comes about a month after Transcard was granted authorization by the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to serve as a payment institution in the U.K. 

Transcard was founded in 2012 and debuted a payments disbursement capability, Panuver, at FinovateSpring 2016. The company, which serves more than 500 companies with over 50 separate payment functions, offers solutions that combine multi-rail capabilities, embedded workflows, system of record integration, and reconciliation to support both B2B and B2C payments.

Photo by Andre Furtado

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LogicMonitor Partners with Operational Resilience Solutions Provider Gieom

LogicMonitor Partners with Operational Resilience Solutions Provider Gieom
By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Alumni News, GIEOM Business Solutions
  • LogicMonitor announced a partnership with operational resilience solutions provider Gieom.
  • The collaboration will enable the two companies to help financial institutions prepare for emerging regulations governing operational resilience.
  • India-based Gieom made its Finovate debut at FinovateAsia 2016 in Hong Kong.

SaaS-based hybrid observability platform LogicMonitor has forged a strategic partnership with operational resilience solutions provider Gieom. The combination of Gieom’s Operational Resilience Platform and LogicMonitor’s LM Envision solution will help financial institutions meet emerging regulatory requirements, including both the EU’s Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) and the FCA Operational Resilience Requirements.

“At Gieom, we’ve always believed in the importance of holistic operational resilience,” Gieom CTO Bhavana Mallesh said. “Partnering with LogicMonitor allows us to extend our capabilities and offer clients a truly integrated, end-to-end solution. This collaboration ensures financial institutions can meet regulatory demands while optimizing their operations.”

Operational resilience is an increasingly important concern for financial services companies. New regulations, such as DORA, will require these businesses to adopt a more holistic approach to detecting and mitigating risks across systems and in third-party relationships. To this end, the strategic partnership between LogicMonitor and Gieom will enable them to provide financial institutions with proactive compliance by way of real-time monitoring and observability, AI-driven efficiencies including predictive analytics and automation, enhanced visibility via a unified platform, and scalable tools to help manage third-party risks.

“Financial institutions are under immense pressure to modernize and comply with stringent regulations like DORA, and this partnership provides them with the tools to succeed,” LogicMonitor General Manager, EMEA Matt Tuson said. “Together with Gieom, we’re delivering a seamless, AI-powered solution that enhances resilience, reduces risk, and drives value across the industry so institutions can stay ahead of regulatory demands, strengthen operational efficiency, and build trust with customers in an ever-evolving landscape.”

LogicMonitor provides AI-powered, hybrid observability, giving companies operational visibility and predictability across both on-premises and multi-cloud environments. Headquartered in Santa Barbara, California, and founded in 2007, the company raised $800 million in strategic funding late last year at a valuation of $2.4 billion. Christina Kosmowski is the company’s CEO.

Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Bangalore, India, Gieom made its Finovate debut at FinovateAsia 2016 in Hong Kong. The company builds software that empowers companies to better manage their policies and standard operating procedures, streamline digital identity verification processes, manage risk, and adopt an operational resilience framework. Gieom’s technology is used by more than 90 banks around the world, including World Bank, Bank of England, and the State Bank of India.

Most recently, Gieom announced a partnership with Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait (ABK) to create a centralized platform for the digital management of policies and procedures that govern the bank’s operations. At the same time, Gieom teamed up with Kuwait Finance House (KFH) to help the institution similarly centralize and streamline its policy and procedure management.

“KFH is setting a benchmark for the region, leveraging technology to enhance compliance, governance, and customer service,” Gieom CEO John Santhosh said when the partnership was announced last fall. “This collaboration will contribute to KFH’s operational resilience and customer-centric approach.”

Photo by Umar Andrabi

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