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Finovate Blog
Tracking fintech, banking & financial services innovations since 1994
Autumn does not officially arrive for a few more weeks. But for many of us, the end of the Labor Day weekend serves as a pretty good starting point for the fall season. We’ll be watching the headlines over the next few days here on Finovate’s Fintech Rundown to see if September brings the kind of acceleration in news activity that we’ve come to expect around this time of year.
And did we mention that FinovateFall is just days away? There’s still plenty of time to get your ticket and join us in New York, Monday, September 8 through Wednesday, September 10.
Crypto and DeFi
Cryptocurrency platform Geminifiles for an IPO, seeking a valuation of as much as $2.22 billion.
El Salvador announces plan to divide bitcoin reserves into multiple wallets to defend against potential future quantum computing attack.
Digital banking
UK-based digital bank Zopaacquires AI-powered payments automation company Rvvup.
Chase selects Nova Credit’sCash Atlas solution to power its cash flow underwriting capabilities, and the company’s Credit Passport to enhance decisioning with international credit data.
The fallout from JP Morgan’s plan to charge companies for access to client bank account data continues as—according to a report from Bloomberg—Visa has announced that it is shuttering its open banking unit.
We’ve got a lot to say about the fight for open banking next month at FinovateFall. For now, be sure to check in to Finovate’s Fintech Rundown for all the latest fintech news!
AI-powered credit intelligence company martini.ailaunches its Financial Autonomy Ladder, a framework for measuring an institutions evolution from manual to autonomous decision-making systems.
MeridianLinkexpands its partnership with Jack Henry, which will resell the suite of Meridian Link One platform solutions, including MeridianLink Mortgage and MeridianLink Consumer.
First Northern Credit Union selectsAppli to modernize member lending experience.
Small business solutions
Expensifyannounces upgrades to its Expensify Travel offering including central billing, event management, and employee itineraries.
The arrival of Daylight Savings Time in much of the West is yet another reminder that Spring is right around the corner. Here’s Finovate’s Fintech Rundown with some fintech news—including some funding and partnership news from a handful of long-time Finovate alums—to help you get caught up on the latest updates and announcements in our industry.
Worthsecures $25 million investment led by TTV Capital to drive major enterprise growth and expand workflow automation solutions.
Dwolla announces the general availability of its expanded integration with Plaid, allowing its clients to leverage Plaid’s instant account verification and real-time balance check and pay-by-bank payments.
Last week brought a small uptick in fintech funding and drama ensued when Tabapay renounced its agreement to purchase Synapse’s assets. Stay tuned to this week’s news for updates as this situation– and others– evolve throughout the week.
TangolaunchesGlobal Choice Link, to offer its business customers an easy platform to send rewards, incentives, and payouts to recipients across the globe.
REPAYbecomes a Certified Integration Partner with Corelation’s KeyStone platform.
Expensify is teaming up with Spotana to launch Expensify Travel, a business travel booking platform based on Spotanas Travel-as-a-Service offering.
The new travel service will offer Expensify’s business users access to global travel inventory, lower fares, and servicing.
Expensify’s new launch makes it a direct competitor with California-based Navan, a corporate travel and expense management platform that launched in 2015.
Business expense management company Expensify announced the upcoming addition of a new set of capabilities today, which will make it a more robust platform to help businesses plan and manage their expenses. The company is launching Expensify Travel.
Expensify Travel will allow the company’s business users to access global travel inventory, lower fares, and servicing. Expensify Travel will be built on top of New York-based Spotana’s cloud-based Travel-as-a-Service platform, which will help clients manage flight changes, cancellations, and unused ticket credits, as well as offer comprehensive travel management capabilities.
“Book your trip in minutes, we’ll handle the rest. We’ve made it effortless for members to search and book flights, hotels, cars, and trains — all at the most competitive rates available,” said Expensify CEO David Barrett. “Our early release will let business travelers manage it all in one place, with real-time support, customizable rules, and the option to assign virtual travel cards to employees. We couldn’t be more excited for the future of Expensify Travel in partnership with Spotana.”
Expensify plans to have the early release of Expensify Travel next week, offering booking and management capabilities, as well as 24/7 Expensify support. In the future, the new travel offering will be directly integrated into New Expensify, the company’s new super app. When booking their travel in the new chat-based app, customers will be able to book and manage trips, manage travel expenses, chat with colleagues, and more. “Through our partnership, Expensify has created a one-stop shop for travel and expense management for their customers with a seamless user experience,” said Spotnana Founder and CEO Sarosh Waghmar.
Expensify’s new launch makes it a direct competitor with California-based Navan, a corporate travel and expense management platform. Formerly known as TripActions, Navan was founded in 2015 and offers expense management tools such as employee spending controls, automated expense management tools, reporting capabilities, and more.
There are key differences between Expensify’s and Navan’s expense management tools, however. While both companies allow clients to use their own existing corporate expense cards with their expense management tools, Expensify also offers users its own branded debit card. Also, Expensify’s interface is focused on being user friendly to serve small and medium sized businesses, while Navan offers features that are tailored to meet needs of a variety of sizes.
It is more difficult to assess the differences between the companies’ travel booking tools, given that Expensify’s tools have yet to launch. However, it appears that the two will differentiate themselves with tools that serve their individual target markets. For instance, Navan offers a high-touch, premium travel experience, the ability to book meetings and events, and consulting services aimed at larger, corporate clients. Expensify’s tools will likely root in the company’s user-friendly, simplified approach.
Investment and innovation are defining the wealth management space as the week begins. LA-based wealth management platform Altruist enters the week with $169 million more in capital, courtesy of a Series E round led by Iconiq Growth. Meanwhile, JP Morgan Chase announced that it has deployed generative AI to enhance its thematic investment offering.
Be sure to check back all week long for more fintech news!
Crypto
Revolutlaunches its stand-alone crypto exchange for professional crypto traders, Revolut X.
KeyBanklaunchesKeyVAM, a virtual account management solution powered by Qolo for treasury management clients who have complex demand deposit account structures.
Regtech
Global RegTech consolidator Corlyticsacquires Deloitte UK’s RegTech platform.
Embedded finance
Issuer-processor Paymentologyteams up with Diamond Trust Bank to bring embedded finace solutions to customers in Kenya.
Accelerators and incubators
Ally Financiallaunches its Ally Innovation Challenge to promote solutions leveraging Responsible AI.
This week brings May Day, a day to celebrate the halfway point between spring and summer, and in the world of fintech, there are also exciting developments to mark the start of a new month. Check back for real-time updates on how the fintech landscape evolves this week.
UniWyo Credit Union tapsJack Henry to help with merger with Reliant Federal Credit Union.
Digital Banking
Core banking platform provider Finxact and SaaS core modernization and transformation solution provider for banks Zafinannounced a new collaboration.
Expense Management
Financial management superapp for expenses and corporate cards Expensifyunveils its New Expensify platform geared toward the global self-employed market.
Payments
Fintech infrastructure solution for branded customer wallets, Ansa, secures $14 million in Series A funding.
TreviPayunveils new self-financing option and enhanced payment application features for B2B net terms program.
Stripedecouples payments from the rest of its products stack.
Till Financialpartners with EF Educational Tours and EF Explore America to facilitate cashless payments for traveling students.
Anti-fraud and financial crime software company Feedzaiintroduces new Chief Financial Officer David Larson.
Featurespacejoins The Knoble, an alliance of financial service professionals, law enforcement, regulators, and NGOs committed to fighting financial crime.
Expensify now enables business customers to reimburse international employees in multiple currencies.
Expensify customers can send employee reimbursements in over 154 currencies and across 200+ countries.
Today’s move also enables businesses to link withdrawal bank accounts in the U.K., Canada, Australia, and the European Union.
Business expense management firm Expensify made a move this week to support businesses operating in the global economy. The San Francisco-based company now enables its business customers to reimburse their employees across borders in multiple currencies.
Using the Expensify app, customers can send employee reimbursements in over 154 currencies and across 200+ countries. The international reimbursement process doesn’t require businesses to pre-fund payment. Rather, businesses can pay employees at any time by linking their local bank account.
“Employees can work from anywhere these days and expect to be reimbursed quickly for out-of-pocket expenses regardless of where they live,” said Expensify Founder and CEO David Barrett. “We have listened to these customers and now include global reimbursements for free in all paid Expensify plans.”
Additionally, Expensify is taking another step to support international businesses. The company now enables businesses to link withdrawal bank accounts in the U.K., Canada, Australia, and the European Union.
If you’re familiar with Expensify’s company culture, the only surprising aspect about this move is that the company didn’t launch it sooner. Even pre-pandemic, Expensify was known for its flexible working policy, taking its entire workforce to fun, overseas locations to work for a month. “The entire team goes on a month-long Offshore to a new country every year,” the company’s website states. “We start out the trip in hostels and Airbnbs, and then for our final week together, we re-locate to the most amazing or unique accommodation we can find!”
Expensify went public in 2021 and now trades on the NASDAQ under the ticker EXFY. The company launched expense reporting in 2008, and has since grown to add billpay, a travel concierge, a corporate payment card, and– as of last month– a co-working space as a perk for its business clients.
The business expense management space has become increasingly crowded in recent years, having seen competition from the likes of Brex, Ramp, Divvy, PayEm, Bento for Business, and more. According to Grand View Research, the market size for global spend management platforms was valued at $15.9 billion in 2021 and is expected to expand at a rate of 10.3% from 2022 to 2030.
Business expense management firm Expensify is in the process of beta testing a unique new feature. Though, it’s more of a perk than a feature. The Expensify Lounge is a chic new space in the entrance to Expensify’s San Francisco office located in the heart of the financial district.
The idea for the Expensify Lounge came about pre-COVID. Much of the company’s workforce was already working remotely, and the Expensify Lounge was slowly becoming a ghost town. To maintain the vibrancy of the office, the team decided to turn the office into “best co-working cafe in the city” by launching the Expensify Lounge, a cafe-like working environment that includes great coffee, great cocktails, and great company. Now that the pandemic is waning in the U.S., the Expensify Lounge is in beta testing this spring.
“We added a ridiculously over-the-top cocktail bar like you’d find tucked away in a Tokyo high rise, and put in an espresso bar even us Portland coffee snobs can respect,” described Expensify CEO David Barrett. “Then we paired it with our integrated chat Concierge to offer to-your-seat delivery, and then turned the overall furnishings of everything else up to 11.”
The newly-renovated space functions like a high-touch version of a co-working space. Expensify customers can work from the space as often as they like, as long as they like, with wifi, complimentary drinks, and snacks. During the beta test period, there’s no membership required. The company is especially encouraging early stage companies and VCs to come in and check it out and kick the tires.
If you’re in the area and interested in visiting the Expensify Lounge during the beta period, go to https://use.expensify.com/lounges and use the password “Finovate” when you arrive. If you’re attending FinovateSpring on May 18 through May 20, you’re in luck. The Expensify Lounge is just a 10 minute walk from the event venue, the Hilton San Francisco Union Square.
The lounge is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5p.m. and is located at:
88 Kearny St., 16th Floor San Francisco, CA 94108
After the beta period, Expensify clients can enjoy lounge access as part of their $9 per month Expensify membership. ” I guarantee it’s better than your office, or any office, and it’s designed to be a better place to work than any cafe in the city, too,” Barrett added.
A public company as of last November, Expensify is part of the fast-growing business financial management segment. The company’s flagship service is expense reporting, but it has since grown to add billpay, a travel concierge, and a corporate payment card.
Expense management firm Expensify has come out with its first product since making its debut on the public markets last year. The California-based company debuted a corporate payment card designed specifically for CPAs and accounting firms.
The Expensify CPA card comes with a high credit limit and doesn’t require a credit check or personal guarantee. The card continuously reconciles between Expensify and QuickBooks, Xero, Sage Intacct, and NetSuite. This real-time reconciliation offers administrators an up-to-date picture of company financials.
Expensify Founder and CEO David Barrett explained why the new CPA card was a timely offering from his company. “Expensify is already used by nearly half of the top 100 CPA firms in the U.S.,” Barrett said. “We used that expertise and experience to build the first card program that caters directly to the accounting profession and their clients.”
CPA-specific features of the new card include free American Institute of Certified Public Accountants membership, free CPA certification renewal, free CPE credit reimbursement, free access to three CPE credits with ExpensifyApproved! University, and free Expensify CPA Cards for both their firm and clients. Cardholders will also receive access to a team to help with high-level strategy, client onboarding, and training.
There is no information on the cost of the new card. However, cardholders receive a discount for signing up their clients. Firms that have 21 to 1,000 clients who are monthly active users receive anywhere from 15% to 30% off.
Expensify was founded in 2008 with a flagship receipt-scanning app and a simple motto, “Expense reports that don’t suck!” Since then, the company has launched a corporate payment card, offered a COVID-friendly virtual travel assistant, andexpanded into billpay. In November of last year, Expensify went public on the NASDAQ under the ticker EXFY. The company has a current market capitalization of $2.1 billion.
In an era when SPACs are the hip new way to take a company public, corporate expense management technology company Expensify is taking the old fashioned route.
The San Francisco-based fintech announced this week it has submitted an S-1 document– a key step on the road to an initial public offering to the SEC. The S-1 was submitted confidentially. Since Expensify is considered an “emerging growth company,” the contents of the filing do not need to be made public until 21 days prior to the road show for the IPO.
Expensify, which reached profitability at the end of 2018, has not yet determined the size and price range for the proposed IPO.
Founded in 2008, Expensify launched with its flagship receipt-scanning app and a simple motto, “Expense reports that don’t suck!” Since then, the company has gone on to launch a corporate payment card, offer a COVID-friendly virtual travel assistant, andexpand into billpay.
Expensify’s IPO is expected to commence after the completion of the SEC review process, subject to market and other conditions. The company has raised a total of $38.2 million. David Barrett, who Finovate interviewed about the company’s launch, is CEO.
Pre-accounting platform Expensify commemorated Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a creative way to fight injustice. The company will donate 25 cents for every dollar it pays its white male employees to its volunteer-led campaigns. The company estimates that this initiative – the product of “numerous internal conversations” among Expensify employees – will raise $3 million in 2021.
Dude fee? Bro tax? As Expensify CEO and founder David Barrett explained, the calculation was made based on national gender pay gap data. “As part of our broader commitment to creating a world free of injustice, we’re using external data sources to determine our direct donations so it meaningfully reflects the types of fundamental and generational issues we’re trying to help solve.”
In the company’s announcement, Expensify Director Puneet Lath – a nine-year veteran of the firm- elaborated on the thinking behind the decision. Pointing out that members of some minority groups can earn as low as 75 cents on the dollar compared to white men doing the same work, Lath said this gap has contributed to systemic inequality and “unequal treatment in the workforce.” To this end, he said this specific funding approach “furthers our commitment to unwind systemic injustice throughout society.”
The engine of Expensify’s program is Expensify.org, which was launched last year to help facilitate charitable giving and volunteering. The onset of the COVID-19 crisis caused the organization to focus its efforts on hunger relief efforts, resulting in assistance to 5,000 low-income families by the end of 2020.
A Finovate alum for more than a decade, Expensify also participated in our developer’s conference, FinDEVr Silicon Valley. Founded in 2008 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, the receipt tracking and expense management app has more than 10 million users around the world.
