Assembly Payments and CurrencyFair Consummate Merger; Rebrand as Zai

Assembly Payments and CurrencyFair Consummate Merger; Rebrand as Zai

Announced earlier this year, the merger between cross-border payments marketplace CurrencyFair and payment workflow automation platform Assembly Payments has secured regulatory approval. The merged company has also rebranded as Zai as part of a new focus on providing a wider set of integrated financial services to mid-market businesses and enterprise-level customers within and beyond the Australian market. The CurrencyFair brand will remain intact to serve consumers and small businesses with the kind of fast, affordable foreign exchange the company has offered for nearly a decade.

Paul Byrne, who served as CEO and President of Currencyfair for more than five years, will now serve as CEO and President of the new entity Zai. “Our vision with Zai is to boldly transform the future of financial services,” Byrne said in a statement. “The Australian market is very close to our hearts – both Assembly Payments and CurrencyFair were founded by Australian innovators.”

To underscore this point Byrne added that Zai was first to market with NPP, Australia’s New Payments Platform, and that the company planned to launch its new, real-time digital payments solution, PayTo, in the middle of next year. PayTo will enable merchants and businesses to initiate real-time payments from their customers’ bank accounts.

“Zai will continue our tradition of being customer-centric, solving problems and adding value around our five core capabilities,” Byrne said. These areas – payments, global payment accounts, partner ecosystem, lending and settlement, and services – represent major growth opportunities according to Byrne, in what he described as a “$2 trillion revenue market for payments.” In addition to expanding its presence in Australia, Zai plans to launch in the U.K., the U.S., and Asia in 2022 and to grow its workforce from 170 to 450 by 2025.

“We are already seeing the benefits of expansion as we forecast a second successive year of 60% growth in processing volume to $6.5 billion in 2021,” Byrne said.

Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland and launched in 2009, CurrencyFair has been a Finovate alum since 2012. Ahead of the merger with Assembly Payments, the company had securely exchanged the equivalent of €10 billion, enabling its customers to send money to more than 150 countries. The company had raised more than $24 million in funding before acquiring Assembly Payments, picking up an additional $35 million in funding from Standard Chartered afterward.

“By bringing together the complementary strengths of CurrencyFair and Assembly, we are supporting the merged company in offering the full range of payment services,” Standard Chartered group chief executive Bill Winters said earlier this year, “providing retail and corporate clients access to fast, high-volume domestic and cross-border payments.”

Klarna Adds Online Trip Planning with Inspirock Acquisition

Klarna Adds Online Trip Planning with Inspirock Acquisition

Does COVID have you dreaming up your long-awaited vacation? Consumer payment services firm Klarna’s latest acquisition may be of help.

The Sweden-based company snapped up Inspirock, an online trip planning service, for an undisclosed amount. Klarna CEO and Co-Founder Sebastian Siemiatkowski described the addition of travel planning “a natural extension of the benefits Klarna brings to payments and shopping.”

Founded in 2012, Inspirock leverages AI to help its customers explore a destination’s offerings and create personalized itineraries utilizing local expertise. On an annual basis, the California-based company sees 25+ million customers each year.

The integration will allow Klarna’s 90 million customers to use the Klarna app to pay for a trip in installments. In addition to the payment aspect, Klarna will also help users plan for their trip. Inspirock matches travelers’ preferences with over 230 million data points to optimize their travel itinerary and discover hidden gems.

“For customers, this makes the whole journey from inspiration to planning and preparing for a trip simpler, less stressful, and more fun, while enabling our retail partners to better reach and engage with their audiences by offering more personalized content,” said Siemiatkowski.

Combining travel planning with its existing payment capabilities inches Klarna towards becoming more like a super app. Founded in 2005 and with $3.7 billion in funding, Klarna offers buy now, pay later options to help users avoid credit cards while enjoying payment flexibility. Klarna also offers a shopping app to provide users with a holistic shopping experience– from payments to shipment tracking– and a rewards club it describes as the “vibeyest community in shopping.”


Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash

SumUp Acquires FiveStars to Enter U.S. Market

SumUp Acquires FiveStars to Enter U.S. Market

Just days after relaunching its online store and appointing a new CEO for its European operations, point of sale (POS) technology provider SumUp announced the acquisition of customer loyalty startup Fivestars for $317 million. The purchase marks SumUp’s sixth overall acquisition but its first in the U.S.

“Our global community of merchants has battled through lockdowns and volatility and we’re confident that this acquisition will further energize the U.S.’s recovering small business economy,” said SumUp Co-founder Marc-Alexander Christ. “Now is the time to make sure our presence is as strong in the U.S. as it is in Europe and, by acquiring Fivestars, SumUp will deliver for U.S.-based merchants as it has in other international markets.”

SumUp launched in 2011 and now helps three million merchants across the globe get paid. The company offers card reader, QR code and POS payment technologies, along with management and reporting tools and invoicing capabilities. Lacking in this product lineup, however, are loyalty and rewards offerings. This is where the integration of Fivestars’ technology comes in. Providing small business clients a way to reward their customers and build loyalty will help SumUp compete with other POS technology providers such as Square, Shopify, PayPal and Zettle.

Founded in 2010, Fivestars helps businesses set up a digital rewards program that gives customers points and gifts for their purchases. The technology automatically sends campaigns to welcome new customers, celebrate their birthdays, and bring back customers who haven’t visited recently. Fivestars also offers enterprise loyalty programs for larger franchises; clients include brands such as Play it Again Sports, Super Cuts, and Orange Leaf.

The acquisition will also help SumUp launch operations in a new geographical market. The U.K.-based company will now have access to Fivestars’ 70 million consumer members and 12,000 small businesses; a network which drives $3 billion in sales and 100 million transactions each year. Fivestars’ San-Francisco-based team, along with its CEO, Victor Ho, will remain in their roles and continue to operate Fivestars.

SumUp raised $869 million (€750 million) earlier this year, bringing its total funding to $1.4 billion. The company supports over three million merchant users in 34 markets.

Billtrust Acquires iController for $58 Million

Billtrust Acquires iController for $58 Million

Accounts receivable automation firm Billtrust made its first acquisition since going public via a SPAC merger a year ago. The New Jersey-based company purchased collections management company iController for $58 million.

Belgium-based iController was founded in 2017 and offers a SaaS product that provides credit and collections professionals visibility into cash flow management. Billtrust will acquire the iController team, along with the company’s 566 Europe-based clients. iController employees will continue working in the company’s offices in Belgium The Netherlands.

“Acquiring a great company like iController is consistent with our growth plan of strategic global expansion in targeted ways to broaden our customer footprint and provide extended value to our current customers,” added Billtrust Founder and CEO Flint Lane.

Billtrust was founded in 2001 and today’s deal marks the company’s eighth acquisition.

Billtrust offers a wide variety of products, including credit, ecommerce, invoicing, payments, managed services, training, and more. The company also offers a collections tool, which will be enhanced with iController’s collections product. Billtrust President Steve Pinado described iController as “a strong strategic fit,” saying that the company will help Billtrust not only expand its physical presence in the European market but also enhance its collections capabilities.

In 2013, Billtrust launched its Business Payments Network, a service that connects suppliers to accounts payable automation platforms buyers are using to pay, as well as to a network of third-party banks and ERPs. Earlier this year, the company updated the platform to now support bi-directional exchange of transactional data and documents. The new release now enables invoice presentment to accounts payable portals.


Photo by fauxels from Pexels

NatWest Acquires RoosterMoney

NatWest Acquires RoosterMoney

U.K. bank NatWest acquired children’s allowance-tracking app RoosterMoney this week. Financial terms of the deal are undisclosed.

NatWest plans to integrate RoosterMoney’s Star Chart, Virtual Money Tracker, and Chore Manager into its own offerings in order to provide tools for families and children to learn to manage their allowance money and other funds.

“We want NatWest to be the easiest and most useful bank for families and young people,” said Head of Youth, Retail Banking at NatWest Group Simon Watson. “We know that the world of money is changing, and we want to help parents, carers, and young people feel confident and capable – Rooster helps us do just that.”

Rooster was founded in 2016 and helps its 130,000 U.K. users to learn the basics about money– earning, spending, saving, and giving. In addition to a digital chore chart, RoosterMoney offers a debit card that pairs with the app to offer parental control such as turning the card on and off, blocking certain merchants, and real-time spending notifications.

“At RoosterMoney we believe that if you build financial capability early on, you’re better prepared to take on the challenges that life throws at you,” said RoosterMoney CEO Will Carmichael. “That’s totally aligned with the bank’s purpose and we’re very excited about working together to help more parents and kids to build their financial confidence.”

NatWet said that it will allow RoosterMoney’s existing customers to continue to use the app as usual.

This isn’t NatWest’s first entrance into the youth banking products market. The bank has offered its MoneySense financial education program, that targets kids ages five to 18, for 25 years. Additionally, NatWest recently launched HouseMate, a bill-splitting app for renters, and Island Saver, a game to help young customers learn about money management.


Photo by pan xiaozhen on Unsplash

Grab Takes Majority Stake in E-Payment Service OVO

Grab Takes Majority Stake in E-Payment Service OVO

Southeast Asia’s super app Grab is moving even further into the payment solutions space this week. The company has more than doubled its stake in e-wallet app OVO.

Grab’s stake in Bumi Cakrawala Perkasa, OVO’s parent company, has gone from 39% to 90%. Currently, the remaining 10% of OVO is split equally between two firms, IDE Teknologi Indonesia and Cakra Finansindo Investama, which both claim a 5% stake.

“We are pleased to complete the first part of a wider exercise to restructure our ownership. We welcome a greater commitment from Grab,” said an OVO spokesperson. “We’re working in close consultation with the regulators to complete the ownership restructuring process, and are confident this will allow us to better serve the financial services needs of Indonesians.”

OVO was launched as a corporate rewards system for Lippo Group and in 2017 expanded to e-payments. According to data released last year from Bank Indonesia, OVO processed 37% of all digital wallet transactions in Indonesia, marking the largest share in the nation.

According to Nikkei Asia, Grab will likely bring more Indonesia-based investors to acquire stakes in OVO. That is because the region’s central bank, Bank Indonesia, stipulates that at least 15% of e-payment operators needs to be locally owned. Nikkei Asia cited local media conglomerate Elang Mahkota Teknologi as a potential candidate for the purchase.

To date, Grab has acquired three companies, including B2B2C wealthtech provider Bento, mobile payments solutions provider iKaaz, and ecommerce solutions company Kudo.

After launching as a ride-hailing company, Grab has expanded to offer a wide variety of products and services (hence its classification as a super app). The Southeast Asia-based company now serves consumers, merchants, and drivers with deliveries, financial services, a hotel-booking tool, payment processing and rewards, business financing, and more.


Photo by Jason Miraples on Unsplash

Interac Acquires Rights to SecureKey Digital ID Services

Interac Acquires Rights to SecureKey Digital ID Services

Two Canadian fintechs have struck a deal this week. Payments network and digital ID provider Interac has agreed to acquire rights to digital ID and authentication provider SecureKey’s digital ID services for Canada.

Interac, which is building a network to help Canadians digitally share and verify their identity credentials, will leverage SecureKey’s digital ID services, along with its operations, technology, and innovation. Ultimately, Interac seeks to accelerate secure online service delivery and offer strong privacy and fraud protections for the digital economy in Canada.

“At Interac, we believe that digital ID is the key to empowering all Canadians to participate equally and safely in the future of the digital economy,” said Interac CEO Mark O’Connell. “Through this acquisition, we are proud to increase our investment in leading identification and authentication capabilities as we work to support businesses and governments across Canada in delivering secure and convenient digital ID experiences for Canadians.”

Both companies will continue to operate as separate entities. Interac will implement Verified.Me, a digital ID verification network built on distributed ledger technology, and Government Sign-In by Verified.Me, a secure sign-in tool to access 280+ government services.

“As the pandemic has made abundantly clear, the way Canadians use their identity documents and how they prioritize accessing services digitally has changed forever,” said Chief Officer of Innovation Labs & New Ventures at Interac Debbie Gamble. “The need to accelerate innovation to provide secure and convenient options for people to transact with their identities is critical.”

This announcement follows Interac’s acquisition of Ottawa-based 2Keys, a company focused on creating secure digital experiences, in 2019.

Founded in 2008, SecureKey has made a couple of key partnerships recently. The company partnered with Onfido in March of 2020 to offer real-time photo ID verification and teamed up with Simplii Financial in May of 2020 to offer Simplii clients with secure access to government services.


Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash

TransUnion to Acquire Neustar for $3.1 Billion

TransUnion to Acquire Neustar for $3.1 Billion

Credit and risk underwriting firm TransUnion announced plans today to acquire digital identity solutions company Neustar. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year for $3.1 billion.

“The credit information and analytics that TransUnion provides make trust possible between consumers and businesses,” said TransUnion President and CEO Chris Cartwright. “As digital commerce continues to grow globally, TransUnion’s powerful digital identity assets, enhanced by Neustar’s distinctive data and digital resolution capabilities, will enable safer and more personalized online experiences for consumers and businesses.”

With the addition of Neustar’s data and analytics to enable consumers and businesses to transact online with greater confidence, TransUnion expects the purchase will expand its digital identity capabilities.

Specifically, TransUnion’s acquisition is expected to help the company break out of the traditional credit scoring space by leveraging Neustar’s OneID platform, which will help TransUnion unify its digital identity capabilities. This includes TLO data assets and fusion platform, the iovation device reputation network, and the digital marketing capabilities of Tru Optik.

As part of the purchase, TransUnion will acquire Neustar’s employees, data, and products.


Photo by Robert Zunikoff on Unsplash

Mastercard Acquires CipherTrace to Sharpen Security Around Digital Assets

Mastercard Acquires CipherTrace to Sharpen Security Around Digital Assets

Mastercard has agreed to acquire cryptocurrency intelligence company CipherTrace for an undisclosed amount.

Founded in 2015, CipherTrace offers security and fraud monitoring activities for clients’ crypto-related programs. As CipherTrace CEO Dave Jevans states it, the company helps “banks or cryptocurrency exchanges, government regulators or law enforcement to keep the crypto economy safe.”

Mastercard will combine CipherTrace, which offers insights into more than 900 cryptocurrencies, with its own cyber security solutions to provide customers “the same trust and peace of mind that consumers currently experience with more traditional payment methods.”

CipherTrace’s solutions will help Mastercard differentiate its card and payments offerings and help the company’s clients protect their own clients, comply with regulations, and build their own digital asset products. Additionally, Mastercard’s purchase will help the payments company increase its presence with new clients such as fintechs, crypto-wallet providers, and governments.

“Digital assets have the potential to reimagine commerce, from everyday acts like paying and getting paid to transforming economies, making them more inclusive and efficient,” said Mastercard President of Cyber & Intelligence Ajay Bhalla. “With the rapid growth of the digital asset ecosystem comes the need to ensure it is trusted and safe. Our aim is to build upon the complementary capabilities of Mastercard and CipherTrace to do just this.”

Today’s move isn’t Mastercard’s first foray into the crypto realm. The New York-based company already holds partnerships with Uphold, Gemini, and BitPay to create crypto cards; has created tools support CBDCs; and has launched programs to support blockchain technology, NFTs, and stablecoins on its network.


Photo by Free Creative Stuff from Pexels

Better.com Acquires U.K.-Based Property Partner

Better.com Acquires U.K.-Based Property Partner

Mortgagetech company Better.com announced today it has acquired Property Partner, a U.K.-based property investment company, for an undisclosed amount.

Property Partner is a property crowdfunding investment platform that offers users fractional ownership of rental property homes. The company’s investors can select a diversified portfolio of properties to own and receive monthly rental income from those properties that is paid out as a dividend. Since it was founded in 2014, Property Partner has raised $35.2 million and accumulated $194 million (£140 million) in assets under management from its 9,000 users.

“Combining Property Partner’s unique residential property investment platform with Better’s arsenal of homeownership products and services changes the game for the future of real estate investment,” said Better Founder and CEO Vishal Garg. “We’re turning residential real estate into a liquid asset class and changing how families can grow their wealth. Together, we will lower costs, improve convenience, and deliver huge value to all real estate market participants.”

This marks the second U.K.-based company that Better has acquired this summer. In July, the New York-based company bought Trussle, a digital mortgage brokerage company based in London. Both of these moves hint at Better’s potential plans for international expansion. The company currently offers mortgages in 46 U.S. states and Washington, D.C.

Today’s deal comes ahead of the company’s planned SPAC merger, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year, with Aurora Acquisitions Corporation. The deal will value Better at $7.7 billion.

Founded in 2016, Better offers mortgages for home purchases and refinances, real estate agents, title insurance, and mortgage insurance. The company has funded $30.9 billion in home loans and provided over $7 billion in coverage through its insurance products.

Last month, Better launched a cash offer program that allows a customer to buy a home using cash. Better purchases the home on a customer’s behalf, then finalizes the customer’s mortgage after the deal has closed. The buyer can move in as soon as Better finalizes the purchase, but pays Better prorated daily rent until their mortgage is approved and they buy back the home from Better.


Photo by Bethany Opler on Unsplash

PayPal to Acquire BNPL Player Paidy for $2.7 Billion

PayPal to Acquire BNPL Player Paidy for $2.7 Billion

PayPal announced plans today to acquire Japan-based Paidy, a payments company with a buy now, pay later (BNPL) offering that facilitates transactions for both merchants and consumers. The deal is expected to close for $27 billion (¥300 billion) in the fourth quarter of this year.

PayPal’s purchase will work alongside its existing ecommerce business in Japan, which is the third largest ecommerce market in the world. Paidy will also expand PayPal’s capabilities, relevancy, and distribution in Japan’s domestic payments market.

“Paidy pioneered buy now, pay later solutions tailored to the Japanese market and quickly grew to become the leading service, developing a sizable two-sided platform of consumers and merchants,” said VP and Head of Japan at PayPal, Peter Kenevan. “Combining Paidy’s brand, capabilities, and talented team with PayPal’s expertise, resources, and global scale will create a strong foundation to accelerate our momentum in this strategically important market.”

Paidy was founded in 2008 and enables its six million registered users to make purchases online without the use of a debit or credit card. Instead, Paidy operates on a BNPL model by billing customers for all purchases at the end of each month. Payments can be made via bank transfer or in-person using cash at a convenience store.

This model works not only for ecommerce purchases, but also for brick-and-mortar transactions. The company’s Paidy Link tool was launched earlier this year and allows customers to link digital wallets, including PayPal, to make purchases using the digital wallet but make payment via Paidy. For PayPal, Paidy’s model that circumvents credit and debit card rails is a good thing. It enables PayPal to own the payment flow (and the revenue that comes with it).

“Paidy is just at the beginning of our journey and joining PayPal will accelerate our plans to expand beyond ecommerce and build unique services as the new shopping standard,” said Paidy President and CEO Riku Sugie. “PayPal was a founding partner for Paidy Link and we look forward to working together to create even more value.”

Sugie, along with Paidy Founder and Executive Chairman Russell Cummer, will continue to lead Paidy, which will continue to operate and maintain the brand.

Paidy marks PayPal’s 23rd acquisition, following Honey in 2019 and Curv and Happy Returns in 2021. The purchase of Paidy, with its BNPL capabilities, hints at PayPal’s evolution into becoming more of a holistic shopping platform.


Photo by Brett Jordan from Pexels

Paysafe Acquires SafetyPay for $441 Million

Paysafe Acquires SafetyPay for $441 Million

In the latest fintech tie-up, Paysafe has acquired SafetyPay. The all-cash transaction marks Paysafe’s 13th acquisition and is expected to close for $441 million in the fourth quarter of this year.

Paysafe aims to leverage Florida-based SafetyPay, which has locations in 16 countries– 11 of which are located in Latin America– to boost its own presence in that geography.

SafetyPay was founded in 2006. The company enables users to make online cash payments, bank transfers, and cross border transactions without a payment card. The company’s network includes more than 380 banks and it works with 180,000 brick-and-mortar locations as cash collection points.

U.K.-based Paysafe was founded in 1996 and offers similar payment services as SafetyPay, including an online cash payments tool. Paysafe also provides digital wallets, standalone and integrated point of sale tools, and a digital marketing marketplace where advertisers can acquire new customers, monetize their traffic and generate revenue through partnerships.

Once the acquisition closes, the SafetyPay team will work as part of Paysafe’s eCash and online banking solutions group. SafetyPay CEO Gustavo Ruiz Moya will become CEO of eCash for Latin America and Global Head of Open Banking.

Paysafe’s previous acquisitions have greatly increased the breadth of its services. The company’s brands include Income Access, Paysafecard, Paysafecash, Neteller, Petroleum Card Services, and Skrill. Among Paysafe’s clients are MindBody, RentMoola, Policy Expert, and Amilia.


Photo by Franck on Unsplash