We’re more than halfway through the first month of the year, and topics like AI and stablecoins continue to dominate both the headlines and the mindshare in fintech. Below, we’ve aggregated the top news in fintech for the week. We’ll continue to add more announcements as the week progresses.
AI
AI voice start-up ElevenLabs in funding talks at $11bn valuation (paywall).
Synechron launches suite of AI agents to automate complex workflows, reduce risk and speed adoption.
Payments
dLocal partners with HONOR to launch localized payments in Peru’s growing tech landscape.
TreviPay launches Pay by Invoice for issuers, enabled by Visa Credentials.
Blackhawk Network’s Giftcards.com expands access to digital gift cards across PayPal.
Fiserv brings its Clover suite of products into Japan with Sumitomo Mitsui partnership.
Lending
Block surpasses $200 billion in credit provided to customers, continuing to address global lending gaps.
Fraud, compliance, and identity
eflow client base surges 23% as trading complexity intensifies surveillance demands.
SEON launches identity verification built on real-time fraud intelligence.
SavvyMoney partners with Allstate Identity Protection to deliver fraud restoration services to customers.
Tax
PayPal introduces free DIY tax filing for PayPal debit card customers in partnership with April.
Community banking
Infusion Marketing Group, QwickRate and IntelliCredit combine to form OptimaFI.
DeFi
Ripple expands European regulatory footprint with preliminary EMI approval in Luxembourg.