Alumni profile

Collabria Financial Services Taps Trulioo for Digital Identity Verification

Collabria Financial Services Taps Trulioo for Digital Identity Verification
By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Alumni News, Alumni profile, Trulioo

Credit union credit card issuer Collabria Financial Services has teamed up with digital identity verification fintech Trulioo. The Canada-based card issuer will leverage Trulioo to streamline the verification process for new cardholders.

With Trulioo’s verification capabilities, Collabria will enhance its ability to provide fast, compliant, and automated onboarding experiences. Trulioo will fully automate Collabria’s Know Your Business (KYB) review process, complementing its existing Know Your Client (KYC) workflows.

This is particularly impactful given Collabria’s vast reach, serving 98% of Canadian credit unions, which means the benefits of this partnership will extend to millions of credit union members

“The partnership with Trulioo marks a pivotal step forward in enhancing our security measures, while delivering a more streamlined, customer-centric process,” said Collabria CEO Jean-Marc Handfield. “With their cutting-edge technology, we’re elevating our measures against fraud and ensuring a faster and most importantly, safer, more secure experience for our cardholders.”

Trulioo helps organizations verify over 5 billion people by providing real-time verification for a range of identification documents and business entities. Its platform supports more than 13,000 ID documents and 700 million business entities across 195 countries. Additionally, Trulioo conducts checks against over 6,000 watchlists to ensure comprehensive verification.

“At Trulioo, our focus is on providing industry-leading solutions that meet the evolving needs of the payments industry,” said Trulioo CEO Steve Munford. “By combining our intelligent technology with Collabria’s expertise, we’re confident in our ability to enhance their verification processes, improve onboarding outcomes, and open windows of possibilities for their partners and members.”

Earlier this year, Trulioo partnered with Mastercard to integrate Mastercard’s identity solutions into its Person Match and Risk Intelligence products. This collaboration provides Trulioo with access to identity and risk scores through a customizable, user-friendly dashboard, expanding its offerings beyond API-based products and further streamlining its onboarding processes.

Headquartered in Canada and founded in 2011, Trulioo has raised $475 million. The company has demoed at 10 Finovate events, most recently showcasing its identity platform at FinovateEurope 2023.

Photo by cottonbro studio

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Wise to Power Cross-Border Payments for Standard Chartered

Wise to Power Cross-Border Payments for Standard Chartered
By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Alumni News, Alumni profile, TransferWise, Wise

Global bank Standard Chartered unveiled this week that it has teamed up with cross-border payments fintech Wise (formerly TransferWise). The bank has selected Wise Platform, Wise’s global payments infrastructure for banks, to power international payments for SC Remit, Standard Chartered’s cross-border payment service.

Wise will facilitate fund transfers for SC Remit customers in Asia and the Middle East. Users will be able to send money in 21 currencies– including USD, CAD, EUR, GBP, SGD, HKD, and JPY. Wise will send the funds in seconds using its transparent, low-fee pricing model.

“We’re continually improving how we deliver exceptional banking experiences for our clients,” said Standard Chartered Global Head, Wealth Solutions, Deposits and Mortgages, and Chief Client Officer Samir Subberwal. “We chose to partner with Wise Platform due to their extensive currency coverage and stellar cross-border payments experience they are known for. This collaboration is a key step in enhancing our international payment services as we offer an even more seamless, faster, and efficient digital global payments experience to our clients.”

Standard Chartered said that the service will be available for SC Remit customers “in the coming quarters.” The bank also plans to expand the service to include more currencies, as well as into more markets.

Wise has been facilitating cross-border money transfers since it was founded in 2011. Today, in addition to its transparent, direct-to-consumer money transfer capabilities, Wise also offers a multi-currency account that allows users to save and hold funds in 50 different currencies, and send and receive money in 22 currencies. Wise holds more than 65 payment licenses, as well as six direct connections to payment systems.

Wise Platform, the infrastructure that Standard Chartered is leveraging, offers an API that allows banks and fintechs to embed cross-border payments capabilities into their existing website or app, allowing their customers to transfer 40+ currencies in 160+ countries. The majority (63%) of Wise’s cross-border payments are completed in under 20 seconds, while 95% take less than 24 hours. The U.K.-based company processes $154 billion (£118 billion) annually. Among Wise Platform’s customers are Monzo, N26, deel, and Shinhan Bank.

The topic of cross-border payments has accelerated in recent months, with traditional financial institutions and fintechs recognizing the need to compete by offering low-cost, rapid transactions across the globe. The rise of e-commerce, combined with new needs to pay remote workers, has led to a refreshed demand for cheaper, faster international payments. Today’s digital world has prompted consumers and businesses to expect speed and transparency when transacting, and banks are under new pressure to modernize their cross-border payment services to meet those needs.

Another factor that has brought cross-border transactions into the spotlight this year is the rise in stablecoin usage. As stablecoins become more mainstream and integrated into traditional payments infrastructure, they offer an international funds transfer solution that combines speed, cost-effectiveness, and digital accessibility.

Wise, however, currently does not use stablecoins and has not implemented blockchain technology into its operations. Instead, Wise has established a highly efficient, transparent, and compliant platform that meets compliance standards worldwide. It is unlikely that Wise will seek to leverage stablecoins any time soon, though, as adding stablecoins to its strategy could introduce new regulatory and operational complexities, which could potentially outweigh any benefits.

Photo courtesy Standard Chartered

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Array Acquires Consumer Debt Management Company Payitoff

Array Acquires Consumer Debt Management Company Payitoff
By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Alumni News, Alumni profile, Array, Mergers & Acquisitions, Payitoff

Array, an embedded consumer products platform, has agreed to acquire embedded debt guidance solutions provider Payitoff. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The deal will build on Array’s position in the intelligent debt management solutions industry, and further equip the company to help financial institutions, fintechs, and digital brands accelerate growth, create new revenue streams, and enhance the consumer experience.

“Financial institutions and other providers of financial products in digital experiences realize that helping their consumers better understand and manage their debt is a powerful way to increase deposits, revenue, and brand loyalty,” Array Founder and CEO Martin Toha said. “We acquired Payitoff because our companies have a shared vision to provide seamless, embeddable products that fuel financial progress. This provides our clients with the best of all worlds: bringing valuable products to market faster without additional resources and overhead.”

Founded in 2020, Array offers a range of embeddable private label products that enable businesses to serve as “one-stop shops” for financial services. The company’s solutions help financial institutions serve a wider range of customers’ financial needs, increasing engagement, and opening up new potential sources of growth. Array’s solutions can be implemented through embedded or private label sites, as well as via its API, and turn 18-month builds into 6-12 week deployments.

Array won Best of Show in its Finovate debut at FinovateFall 2021. The company returned to the Finovate stage the following year at FinovateSpring 2022, taking home its second Best of Show award in as many appearances. Most recently demoing its technology at FinovateSpring 2023, Array introduced its HelloPrivacy and Subscription Manager solutions. HelloPrivacy monitors and removes personally identifiable information (PII) from the web to help defend against identity theft, robocalls, and other privacy risks. Subscription Manager allows subscribers to manage their subscriptions from a single location, as well as cancel unwanted subscriptions and negotiate lower rates on select subscriptions.

Array began 2024 with the appointment of Kew Kelly-Yuoh as Chief Financial Officer, a partnership with digital banking solutions provider Narmi, and a spot on the Fintech Innovation 50 list for 2024. This spring, Array reported that its online privacy solution, Privacy Protect, had surpassed four million in protected users and removed more than 200 million online records on their behalf. Earlier this month, the company announced that Lumin Digital, a provider of cloud-native, digital banking solutions, will offer a suite of Array products including My Credit Manager with Offers Engine, and Identity Protect — along with Privacy Protect and Subscription Manager — as part of its Financial Wellness Monitoring Suite for financial institutions.

Founded in 2018, Payitoff was born out of CEO Bobby Matson’s personal struggle to pay off “six-figure student loans and debt.” After initially launching a student loan management solution, Matson and his team expanded their offerings to include a more comprehensive set of debt management tools. Enabling companies to seamlessly integrate broad debt management functionality into their digital platforms, Payitoff has managed 200,000+ loans valued at more than $1.5 billion.

“The opportunity for impact between Array and Payitoff is massive,” Matson said. “Student loan payments resumed a year ago, and with delinquencies starting to impact borrowers’ credit this month, the timing of this acquisition couldn’t be more critical. Array’s reach, combined with our debt management tools, will empower financial institutions and fintechs to help their consumers manage debt and save thousands — all with a seamless integration.”

Payitoff made its Finovate debut at FinovateFall 2023. At the conference, the consumer debt management tool provider demonstrated its white label, no code solution that empowers financial institutions to help their customers save money on student loan repayments. Earlier this year, Payitoff was selected to participate in Mastercard’s Start Path Open Banking Program.

Photo by Pixabay

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Tyfone Spins Out New Entity for Instant Payments

Tyfone Spins Out New Entity for Instant Payments
By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Alumni News, Alumni profile, Tyfone

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo by Pixabay

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Kani Payments Teams with Card Issuing and Acquiring Company Cardaq

Kani Payments Teams with Card Issuing and Acquiring Company Cardaq
By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Alumni News, Alumni profile, Kani Payments

Fintech reporting and reconciliation company Kani Payments has tied up with card issuing and acquiring company Cardaq.

Cardaq has selected Kani for its data reporting SaaS platform. Specifically, Kani will provide Cardaq clients with regulatory and compliance reporting, reconciliations, QMR reporting, Mastercard fee and invoice analysis, as well as interchange and acquiring fee analysis. Kani’s technology helps businesses complete multiple weeks’ of complex transaction reporting and reconciliation work in under 30 seconds.

“The partnership between Kani Payments and Cardaq addresses significant industry challenges, including the implementation of automating reconciliations at pace, effective regulatory compliance, and fee apportioning. Ultimately, Kani Payments exists to help disruptive fintechs like Cardaq to thrive and grow with our automated data reporting and reconciliation platform that gives it the space it needs to scale,” said Kani Chief Commercial Officer Roger Binks. “By automating manual processes, improving reconciliation accuracy, and providing detailed reporting and analysis tools, we are enabling Cardaq to focus on giving its customers outstanding products and services. We are proud to do the heavy lifting of making complex data simple and standardized.”

The solution, which will initially be available to Cardaq’s U.K. customers, is scalable and offers the potential to expand via deeper integration, advanced reporting, and continuous regulatory compliance needs as Cardaq grows in the future. Cardaq expects that integrating Kani’s SaaS offering will help it comply with regulations and boost growth while providing a better solution for its customers.

Cardaq was founded in 2011 to offer tools to help businesses instantly accept and process payments anywhere across the globe. In addition to its acquiring services, the London-based company also offers card issuing services, allowing businesses to create customized payment cards. Businesses can choose from a full cycle of services, from card issuing to personalization and delivery.

“Kani Payments was the clear choice for us due to its comprehensive and customizable reporting tools, expertise in regulatory compliance, and the ability to automate complex financial reconciliations,” said Cardaq CEO Hugo Remi. “The option to immediately integrate with existing systems and manage a high volume of transactions were added benefits for us and our customers. We are confident that the implementation Kani’s solution will give all our customers a unique service level and the highest accuracy in financial reporting.”

Founded in 2018, Kani has since reconciled more than $26.5 billion (€24 billion) in processed payments volume for fintech players including Sodexo, Pismo, Earthchain, CLOWD9, and Frost. At FinovateSpring 2023, the U.K.-based company demoed how its reconciliation and reporting services automates back office finance processes for banks and fintechs.

In 2022, Kani was accepted into the Mastercard Start Path Global program, and a year later was selected to participate in the FIS Accelerator program as one of 10 high-potential fintech companies.

This partnership showcases how fintechs are relying on other third party players to leverage data reporting and reconciliation solutions to meet evolving regulatory demands. As regulations become increasingly complex, vague, and variable, Kani’s platform helps firms solve key challenges such as automating complex financial reconciliations, ensuring compliance, and providing cost-effective reporting solutions.

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko

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Best of Show Winner Illuma Labs Raises $9 Million in Series A Funding

Best of Show Winner Illuma Labs Raises $9 Million in Series A Funding
By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Alumni News, Alumni profile, Daily news, Funding, Illuma Labs

Voice authentication technology innovator Illuma Labs has raised $9 million in funding. The Series A round was led by LiveOak Ventures and featured participation from Forefront Ventures, Curql Fund, UsNet, Capital Factory, Connexus, and TDECU.

As the first major investment for the company, the capital will help accelerate the development of Illuma’s voice verification offerings to help banks and other institutions fight fraud, voice cloning, deep fakes, and more. Illuma Labs also plans to leverage the funding to expand its reach to more credit unions and banks across the country.

“While we are excited about the capital infusion to accelerate our development of fraud prevention and deep fake detection tools, we are equally excited about bringing in new partners to fuel Illuma’s continued commercial growth,” Illuma Co-Founder and CEO Milind Borkar said. He praised both LiveOak Ventures and Forefront Ventures for their operational expertise and industry connections and thanked investors Curql Fund, UsNet, Capital Factory, Connexus, and TDECU for their “continued support.”

Illuma Labs offers banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions the ability to replace their traditional, knowledge-based authentication protocols with a secure, real-time voice authentication solution. The company’s flagship product, Illuma Shield, delivers effortless authentication that enhances the customer experience, improves operational efficiency, and prevents fraud in contact centers.

The funding news arrives one month after the identity verification specialist inked a partnership with Americu Credit Union. The New York State-based CU added voice recognition technology to its Member Contact Center courtesy of a partnership with Illuma announced in August. Earlier this year, Illuma announced that SF Fire Credit Union was adding voice authentication technology to its call center via a collaboration between Illuma and fellow Finovate alum Glia.

Headquartered in Plano, Texas, and founded in 2016, Illuma Labs made its Finovate debut at FinovateSpring 2019. The company most recently demoed its technology on the Finovate stage earlier this month at FinovateFall, winning Best of Show for its latest deepfake detection technology that helps banks fend off a new generation of AI-enabled fraudsters.

Photo by panumas nikhomkhai

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From Automated to Actionable: Our Conversation with Tennis Finance’s Jake Pimental

From Automated to Actionable: Our Conversation with Tennis Finance’s Jake Pimental
By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Alumni profile, CEO Interview, Tennis Finance

Could 2024 turn out to be the Year of the Regtech?

As more and more processes in financial services become AI-enabled, the impact of AI on regulatory technology and compliance solutions has been profound. From automating manual processes to more comprehensively engaging data, AI is helping regtech firms better serve their customers at a time when their customers – in banking, in fintech, in financial services in general–need it most.

We caught up with one such regtech, Tennis Finance, and its Co-Founder and CEO Jake Pimental. Headquartered in San Francisco, California and founded in 2022. Tennis offers an automated AI compliance and risk management solution to help businesses better manage customer complaints and external communications.

At its Finovate debut at FinovateSpring earlier this year, the company demoed Rally, its solution that enables financial institutions to intake customer complaints and data to automatically identify compliance issues as well as uncover trends in customer conversations.

What problem does Tennis Finance solve and who does it solve it for?

Jake Pimental: Tennis Finance addresses the growing complexity of compliance and risk management for banks, financial institutions, and debt collectors. As regulations tighten and customer complaints rise, these organizations face significant challenges in handling compliance effectively and efficiently. We specifically focus on automating the processing and analysis of customer communications to prevent regulatory breaches and lawsuits, while also optimizing customer service and operational efficiency.

How does Tennis Finance solve this problem better than other companies or solutions?

Pimental: We leverage AI-driven technology to analyze calls and customer interactions, providing actionable insights that streamline workflows. Our platform parses customer communications, automatically categorizing and tagging them for compliance risk. This automation reduces overhead by 80%, increases regulatory safeguards, and improves customer retention, giving our clients a significant competitive edge. Unlike other solutions, we don’t just automate tasks – we provide a comprehensive view with tailored action plans, ensuring our clients not only meet regulatory standards but exceed them.

Who are Tennis Finance’s primary customers, and how do you reach them?

Pimental: Our primary customers include banks, accounts receivable companies, and financial institutions that are heavily regulated and at risk of non-compliance. We reach them through industry conferences like Finovate, strategic partnerships, and referrals through consulting networks. We also work closely with compliance officers and decision-makers, demonstrating how our platform can save time and reduce compliance risk.

Can you tell us about a favorite implementation or deployment of your technology?

Pimental: One of our most impactful deployments was with a major debt collection agency that was struggling with complaint handling and agent oversight/coaching. Our AI solution reduced their operational overhead by 80% and helped them identify risks early, preventing costly litigation. 

What in your background gave you the confidence to tackle this challenge?

Pimental: Before founding Tennis Finance, I was a compliance officer at SoFi, where I helped launch their investments arm and navigated complex regulatory environments. This experience, along with my background in compliance strategy and risk management across multiple startups, gave me a deep understanding of the challenges financial institutions face. My track record of building solutions that solve these problems, combined with the ability to scale AI-driven technologies, gave me the confidence to build Tennis Finance.

There has been a great deal of interest in regtech and compliance in recent years. Is this a trend you saw coming? What is driving it and where is it going?

Pimental: Yes, the rise in interest was anticipated, given the increasing complexity of financial regulations and the growing number of customer complaints. What’s driving it is a mix of stricter regulatory scrutiny, rising operational costs, and the need for faster, more efficient compliance processes. The future of regtech is all about automation and AI – providing real-time risk management, reducing manual tasks, and enabling institutions to stay ahead of the regulatory curve while improving customer experiences.

You demoed at FinovateSpring earlier this year. How was your experience?

Pimental: FinovateSpring was an incredible experience. It allowed us to showcase the unique capabilities of our platform in front of an audience of industry leaders, investors, and potential clients. The feedback we received was overwhelmingly positive, especially around our AI-driven approach to compliance automation. It was also a great platform to build valuable partnerships and foster industry connections.

What are your goals for Tennis Finance? What can we expect to hear from you in the months to come?

Pimental: Our primary goal is to scale our platform to serve more financial institutions and expand into new markets. In the coming months, you can expect to see us deepening our partnerships, launching new features focused on advanced predictive analytics, new AI workflows, AI coaching, and exploring new use cases beyond just compliance. We’re committed to pushing the boundaries of what AI can do in the financial services space.

Photo by Josh Calabrese on Unsplash

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Axway Acquires Sopra Banking Software

Axway Acquires Sopra Banking Software
By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Alumni News, Alumni profile, Axway, Mergers & Acquisitions

The last time we covered open banking infrastructure company Axway, was a little over a year ago in the wake of the company’s acquisition of e-invoicing specialist AdValvas. Today, the Scottsdale, Arizona-based firm is back in the fintech news headlines with another acquisition announcement. The firm has officially sealed the deal with core banking software vendor Sopra Banking Software by acquiring the company for $364 million (€330 million).

First announced in February, the acquisition will result in a 5,000-employee firm led by Axway CEO Patrick Donovan. Sopra Banking Software CEO Eric Bierry will take on the role of deputy CEO.

“The completion of the tie-up between Axway and Sopra Banking Software embodies a unique development opportunity, and the ambitious industrial project we have been working towards can finally come to life,” Axway CEO Patrick Donovan said. “We will be fully committed to this project and I am convinced that, together, our teams will achieve outstanding success.”

The road to the acquisition had more than a few twists and turns. In order to marshal the financing, Axway conducted a share capital increase with preferential subscription rights that amounted to approximately $144 million (€131 million) and secured new credit facilities amounting to $220 million (€200 million). With the capital raised, the acquisition received the required regulatory approvals to initiate the integration of the two companies. Axway noted in a statement that it has set a goal of approximately $772 million (€700 million) in revenue and approximately $110 million (€100 million) in profit on operating activities for 2025.

“Our industry-leading technology platforms and business software have a long and successful track record of driving the transformation of some of the world’s largest banking and financial institutions, and this alliance significantly strengthens our positions, offerings, technologies, and perspectives,” Eric Bierry said. “This operation provides a major opportunity to accelerate our value creation for all our stakeholders through a new Group of critical size with tenfold capabilities.”

Headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, and founded in 1999, Axway made its Finovate debut at FinovateSpring 2022. At the conference, the company demonstrated its Amplify PI Management Platform, an open independent platform for managing APIs across teams, the cloud, and third-party solutions. The platform enables financial institutions to leverage secure, pre-configured open banking APIs to build new solutions and business models using the institution’s existing infrastructure.

Recognized as a Leader in The Forrester Wave for API Management Software in Q3 of this year, Axway’s platform handles more than one million transactions every day for 11,000+ customers. These customers include nine out of the top 10 global manufacturers, three out of the four major credit card companies, and 17 out of 20 pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Photo by Paul IJsendoorn

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Visa and Revolut to Offer Real Time Cross-Border Transactions

Visa and Revolut to Offer Real Time Cross-Border Transactions
By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Alumni News, Alumni profile, Revolut, VISA

Financial services giant Visa and Revolut have teamed up to offer real-time cross-border transactions for Revolut’s business customers.

Specifically, Visa’s Visa Direct will enable Revolut’s business customers to initiate instant card transfers. Visa launched Visa Direct in 2011 to serve as a real-time payments platform that enables both retail and commercial customers to send money across the globe to cards, bank accounts, and other end points. Customers can use Visa Direct to send person-to-person payments, business payouts, and cross-border remittances.

“We’re delighted that Visa Direct’s global reach, security, and reliability will enable Revolut’s business customers to move money worldwide with speed and confidence,” said Visa Senior Vice President, Global Clients Mark Jamison. “This step deepens our collaboration with Revolut to continue their impressive track record of growth and product differentiation.”

By leveraging Visa Direct, Revolut can now allow its commercial clients to send money across international borders in real time. With only their card number, business customers can send funds to payees in 78+ countries and in more than 50 currencies in 30 minutes or less.

“We’re excited to launch Instant Card Transfers in the U.K. and E.E.A., providing businesses with a simple, instant, and secure way to pay employees, contractors, and customers globally by supporting major card schemes,” said Revolut Business General Manager James Gibson.

Originally founded in 2015, Revolut launched its Revolut Business product in July 2017. Today, the commercial banking platform offers businesses a range of financial tools and solutions, including multi-currency accounts, payment processing, treasury management, and expense management aimed at helping businesses manage their finances more efficiently on a global scale.

U.K.-based Revolut has had a summer full of milestones. In July, the fintech earned its banking license from the U.K. Prudential Regulation Authority after first applying for the license in 2021. Then, earlier this month, Revolut signed agreements with investors to provide liquidity to its employees through a secondary share sale that valued the company at $45 billion.

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PayQuicker Teams Up with Thunes to Boost e-Wallet Payout Capabilities

PayQuicker Teams Up with Thunes to Boost e-Wallet Payout Capabilities
By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Alumni News, Alumni profile, Daily news, PayQuicker, Thunes

International payouts orchestration company, PayQuicker, has forged a partnership with cross-border payment infrastructure firm Thunes to expand its e-Wallet payout capabilities around the world.

The integration is designed to better serve the growing demand for diverse and flexible payout methods. This demand is especially acute in emerging markets, where access to traditional banking is limited and tools like e-Wallets play a major role in helping individuals manage finances and make payments. McKinsey estimates that up to 60% of those in emerging markets prefer to use e-Wallets instead of traditional banks.

Integrating enhanced e-Wallet capabilities into its global payouts solutions mix will help PayQuicker fulfill its objective of providing faster, easier payouts around the world. The company said that it will offer access to more than 120 e-Wallets in key emerging markets, courtesy of the new partnership. Among the e-Wallets that will be accessible are popular e-Wallets such as the Philippines’ GCash, China’s Alipay, and both Orange Money and M-Pesa of Africa.

“Digital wallets are transforming the way people manage their finances, especially in regions where traditional banking infrastructure is lacking,” PayQuicker CEO Paul Beldham said. “By teaming up with Thunes, we’re further enabling millions of people around the world to receive their funds faster and more securely, providing the flexibility of a bank alternative. This not only empowers individuals to better manage their day-to-day finances but also supports the economic growth of emerging markets by facilitating more reliable transactions.”

Headquartered in Rochester, New York, PayQuicker made its Finovate debut at FinovateFall 2022. At the conference, the company demoed its Payouts OS solution, which packages the company’s payments technology into a payouts payment orchestration platform that intelligently determines and facilitates the fastest, most cost-effective payouts across 200+ countries in 40+ currencies.

Thunes was formed in 2019 when Finovate alum TransferTo rebranded as two separate businesses: one, Thunes, focusing on cross-border payments and the other, DT One, focusing on mobile top-up and rewards. Earlier this month, Thunes announced a partnership with Alipay+ to enable merchants in Paris to accept payments from 15 international e-Wallets and mobile partnerships. In July, Thunes added cross-border payment service provider LianLian Global to its global network.

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Blend Teams Up with Instant Payments-as-a-Service Specialist Astra

Blend Teams Up with Instant Payments-as-a-Service Specialist Astra
By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Alumni News, Alumni profile, Blend, Daily news

Digital banking solutions provider Blend has forged a partnership with instant payments-as-a-service company Astra. The partnership will integrate Astra’s Card to Account payment solution directly within Blend’s Deposit Account application flow. This will enable Blend customers to drive digital engagement beyond the initial application capture, lowering abandonment rates and helping consumers complete applications faster.

“Today consumers expect a frictionless, real-time product experience, and that starts at account opening,” Astra CEO and Co-Founder Gil Akos said. “Financial institutions and fintechs need to deliver a best-in-class onboarding flow to win new customers – instant account funding is the perfect solution, leading to improved activation rates of 30% or better on day one. We’re proud to partner with Blend to offer this experience to their customers.”

Funding by card is an increasingly popular option given the relative inconvenience of other methods, such as ACH transfers. By comparison, funding new accounts via debit cards is a faster and more seamless process (no routing or account numbers to remember). And because cards only enable transactions up to the available balance, card funding also helps avoid potential overdrafts when using ACH transfers, a risk for consumers who may have limited funds or irregular cash flow.

Further advantages include accelerated onboarding, more activated accounts, reduced abandonment, a smoother application experience, and less manual intervention.

Blend noted in a statement that card funding is also one of the more popular ways for consumers to fund new accounts. The company pointed to one of its customers, a major credit union, that reported that 82% of their new deposit accounts were funded using Astra card funding. Another credit union customer of Blend said that 66% of its consumers preferred funding via Astra card compared to other methods. Card funding for Blend Deposit Accounts is now generally available for all customers.

Astra offers a platform for instant payments that enables product teams to embed payments into their solutions. The company’s API facilitates seamless fund transfers between bank accounts and cards, providing a fast, secure, and built-for-scale alternative to traditional fund transfer methods such as ACH.

Astra launched its first, end-to-end instant payment solution with FedNow in the fall of 2023. In December, the company announced a partnership with merchant connectivity platform Knot to enable seamless card switching with instant funding. Founded in 2016, Astra is headquartered in Menlo Park, California.

Blend demoed its technology at FinovateSpring 2016. At the conference, the company demoed its Data-Driven Mortgage solution which leverages high-fidelity data sources to drive down origination costs, maintain digital compliance, and provide a positive user experience for borrowers.

Last month, Blend announced its acquisition of applied AI company nuvu, and expanded its partnership with DataIQ. In May, Blend secured an investment of $150 million from technology-focused private equity firm Haveli Investments.

Headquartered in San Francisco, California, and founded in 2012, Blend is a publicly-traded company on the NYSE. Trading under the ticker BLND, the company has a market capitalization of $678 million. Nima Ghamsari is CEO and Co-Founder.

Photo by KEHN HERMANO

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Vantage Bank Taps Cable for Embedded Banking Compliance

Vantage Bank Taps Cable for Embedded Banking Compliance
By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Alumni News, Alumni profile, Cable

Texas-based Vantage Bank announced this week it has tapped financial risk control platform Cable to facilitate the bank’s compliance and risk management program.

This partnership comes as Vantage Bank seeks to grow its fintech program and partnerships in today’s tightened regulatory environment. In recent years, there have been multiple banks offering embedded banking that have faced regulatory action over their offerings.

Given this heightened oversight, Vantage Bank has enhanced its compliance program by engaging with embedded banking experts to ensure it meets current standards. The bank said that it chose Cable because it offered an all-in-one tool to help firms keep up with evolving regulatory requirements in the U.S.

“Embedded Banking is under intense scrutiny from regulators,” said Cable CEO Natasha Vernier. “Vantage Bank is incredibly smart to get ahead of that scrutiny by building a best-in-class compliance program right at the outset. We are delighted that they chose Cable as part of that program, and we are excited to work with them and learn from them over the coming years.”

U.K.-based Cable was founded in 2020 to offer a financial risk control platform with automated effectiveness testing and real-time alerts that help clients manage, track, and have full oversight of the controls. The company’s initial value proposition was to help firms manage financial crime. Since then, Cable has doubled down on helping partner banks, including Axiom Bank, Quaint Oak Bank, and Griffin, manage their fintech programs. Last November, Cable unveiled Transaction Assurance, a new tool to automate effectiveness testing and ensure that all transactions are monitored and tested for potential regulatory breaches or control failures.

“Vantage believes there is tremendous opportunity to grow and diversify our customer base by leveraging embedded banking,” said Vantage Bank President and CEO Jeff Sinnott. “This opportunity requires that we have a robust risk management program and strong controls to ensure regulatory compliance. Vantage Bank believes Cable is the best platform to help manage our risk and compliance for our embedded banking program.”

Vernier, along with Cable’s Sales Lead Julian Brophy, demoed the company’s technology at FinovateFall 2022 in New York. The company started the year by launching a new integration option with identity risk management platform Alloy. The move allows Cable to seamlessly retrieve essential data from Alloy that feeds into Cable’s effectiveness testing checks.

Photo by Markus Winkler

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