Fintech Rundown: A Rapid Review of Weekly News

Fintech Rundown: A Rapid Review of Weekly News

Fresh from FinovateFall in New York, we’ve got a raft of fintech news to share and catch up on. Be sure to check Finovate’s Fintech Rundown all week long for the latest in industry news, announcements, and headlines.


Credit unions

Formerly PSCU/Co-op Solutions, Velera will provide card processing solutions for BrightStar Credit Union courtesy of a new partnership.

Open banking

International fintech Ebury teams up with Salt Edge to expand its open banking presence in the EU and U.K.

Payments

CloudPay announces integration with Workday to launch its Global Payroll Connect solution.

Revolut integrates with Spain-based digital payments platform, Bizum.

Boost Payment Solutions launches, Boost 100XB, its new cross-border payments solution for U.S.-issued commercial cards.

JPMorgan advances in its discussions with Apple to take over the Apple credit card from Goldman.

Brex launches Brex Embedded to help B2B software vendors accelerate customer workflows at a global scale with Brex virtual cards. 

Regtech, Fraud, and Security

Germany’s largest state bank, Landesbank Baden-Württemberg (LBBW), partners with Ireland’s Fenergo to upgrade its client onboarding operations.

Oracle launches the Oracle Financial Crime and Compliance (FCCM) Management Monitor Cloud Service

Banking-as-a-Service

Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) provider Intergiro launches its no-code, white label app development platform.

BaaS platform NymCard partners with Mastercard to enhance global money transfers from the UAE to 47 countries.

The parent company of Five Star Bank announces plans to wind down process for its Banking-as-a-Service offerings.

E-commerce

DNA Payments unveils Apple Pay Express Checkout to give merchants additional payment acceptance options.

iPhone and iPad users can now choose their monthly payment at checkout with Monzo Flex on Apple Pay.

KYC/AML

PwC Norway deploys Strise’s AML Automation Cloud to enhance its AML processes.

Financial software company Finastra integrates with Prelim to enhance retail and commercial deposit account opening.

Insurtech

AI-based insurance pricing company Akur8 secures $120 million in Series C funding.

Digital transformation

Metro Bank collaborates with Infosys to accelerate digital transformation.

Crypto and DeFi

SC Ventures leads investment in One Trading.

Business financial management

Intuit launches Intuit Enterprise Suite to help businesses grow, streamline operations, and scale.

Investing and wealth management

Investment accounting solutions company Clearwater Analytics unveils new peer benchmarking solution, Clearwater Insights, for CFOs and treasury teams.


Photo by Jeremy Thomas on Unsplash

FinovateFall 2024 Best of Show Winners Announced

FinovateFall 2024 Best of Show Winners Announced

After two days of live demos from more than 65 fintech companies, the attendees of FinovateFall 2024 have made their decisions as to which of these innovators will take home Finovate’s coveted Best of Show awards. Featuring both Finovate newcomers and Finovate veterans alike, the winners of Best of Show for FinovateFall 2024 are listed below.

Bancography for its software tool that lets bankers predicate branch investments on sound market data, not intuition, preventing costly missteps and ensuring optimized investments.

CardLift for its solution that enables companies to build a co-branded browser extension for their partners that automatically finds and switches users’ card-on-file to their partners’ card.

Credit Mountain for its technology that helps organizations grow their businesses by retaining, nurturing, and cross-selling declined borrowers.

Delfi Labs for its technology that creates efficient risk management and hedging strategies in minutes, enabling clients to defend margins, enhance performance, and raise valuation.

Eko Investments for its platform that offers investments via a financial advisor to all clients–and not just the top 1%–starting from $10.

Illuma for its innovations in deepfake detection that enable community financial institutions to keep their members and customers connected with their funds in a convenient and secure manner.

Nest Bank & Efigence for their collaboration, N! Assistant, a virtual AI-powered assistant that revolutionizes finance.

Themis for its solution that enhances compliance efficiency, minimizes regulatory risk, and fosters seamless collaboration, empowering banks and fintechs to focus on growth and innovation in financial services.

Please join us in congratulating our eight, Best of Show-winning companies. Let’s also raise a glass to all of our demoing companies for their innovations in fields ranging from regtech and payments to lending, wealth management, and beyond. We are especially grateful for our attendees and sponsors, whose support continues make our Finovate conferences among the most anticipated events in our industry. We look forward to seeing you again next year!


Notes on methodology:
1. Only audience members NOT associated with demoing companies were eligible to vote. Finovate employees did not vote.
2. Attendees were encouraged to note their favorites during each day. At the end of the last demo, they chose their three favorites.
3. The exact written instructions given to attendees: “Please rate (the companies) on the basis of demo quality and potential impact of the innovation demoed.”
4. The six companies appearing on the highest percentage of submitted ballots were named “Best of Show.”
5. Go here for a list of previous Best of Show winners through 2014. Best of Show winners from our 2015 through 2024 conferences are below:
FinovateEurope 2015
FinovateSpring 2015
FinovateFall 2015
FinovateEurope 2016
FinovateSpring 2016
FinovateFall 2016
FinovateAsia 2016
FinovateEurope 2017
FinovateSpring 2017
FinovateFall 2017
FinovateAsia 2017
FinovateMiddleEast 2018
FinovateEurope 2018
FinovateSpring 2018
FinovateFall 2018
FinovateAsia 2018
FinovateAfrica 2018
FinovateEurope 2019
FinovateSpring 2019
FinovateFall 2019
FinovateAsia 2019
FinovateMiddleEast 2019
FinovateEurope 2020
FinovateFall 2020
FinovateWest 2020
FinovateEurope 2021
FinovateSpring 2021
FinovateFall 2021
FinovateEurope 2022
FinovateSpring 2022
FinovateFall 2022
FinovateEurope 2023
FinovateSpring 2023
FinovateFall 2023
FinovateEurope 2024
FinovateSpring 2024

Congrats to the 2024 Finovate Awards Winners!

Congrats to the 2024 Finovate Awards Winners!

Today is the day! We are unveiling the 24 winners of the 2024 Finovate Awards. Each winning company, organization, or individual has proved their worth through a rigerous application process, competing with dozens of other highly qualified candidates.

The Finovate Awards honor both established institutions and rising stars that have made significant strides in delivering cutting-edge products and services to the financial sector. Each winner was selected from the a group of finalists that have each demonstrated exceptional contributions to society and developed groundbreaking solutions that have reshaped the fintech landscape.

Without further ado, let’s celebrate the visionaries and innovators who have earned their place in the spotlight as this year’s Finovate Award winners!

Best Alternative Investment SolutionFrec
Best Anti-Fraud/AML SolutionJP Morgan AWM
Best Back-Office/Core Services SolutionMasterCard Cybersecurity
Best Banking as a Service ProviderPathward, N.A.
Best Consumer Lending SolutionProsper
Best Consumer-Facing Payments SolutionTransact Campus
Best Corporate Payments SolutionBILL
Best Customer Experience SolutionMillennium BCP
Best Digital BankRCBC
Best Embedded Finance SolutionQuickFi
Best Enterprise Payments SolutionAPEXX Global
Best Financial Mobile AppIndustrial Bank of Korea
Best Fintech PartnershipAmerican Heritage CU and Datava
Best Generative AI SolutionSocure
Best Insurtech SolutionKakaopay Insurance
Best RegTech SolutionWinnow Solutions
Best SMB/SME Banking SolutionTD Bank
Best Wealth Management SolutionJP Morgan AWM
Excellence in Financial InclusionOmniscient
Excellence in SustainabilityMPOWER Financing
Executive of the YearRoben Dunkin, PGIM
Innovator of the YearKen Moore, MasterCard
Most Impactful AI-Based SolutionBrex
Top Emerging FintechLettuce Financial

Photo by Quan Nguyen on Unsplash

From AI Hype to Reality: Key Strategies for Financial Institutions to Achieve Business Value

From AI Hype to Reality: Key Strategies for Financial Institutions to Achieve Business Value

In the financial services sector, artificial intelligence (AI) is often heralded as a transformative force capable of revolutionizing everything from customer engagement to fraud detection. However, as the excitement around AI continues to grow, so do the challenges associated with its implementation. According to the latest McKinsey Global Survey on AI, AI adoption is accelerating, with 72% of organizations using AI in at least one business function in 2024, up from 50% in previous years. However, the challenges of achieving tangible business value remain substantial. The survey highlights that organizations need to focus on aligning AI projects with strategic business goals to achieve success (McKinsey, “The State of AI in Early 2024”).

The journey to successful AI implementation in financial services is not about jumping on the latest technology bandwagon; it is about identifying core business challenges, choosing the right AI strategy, and following a robust engagement methodology. Here’s how financial institutions can move beyond the AI hype and achieve real, measurable business value.

1. Start with the business challenge, not the technology

The key to successful AI deployment begins with a comprehensive understanding of the specific business problems that need to be addressed. Too often, organizations are drawn to AI’s potential without a clear roadmap for its application, leading to projects that flounder in development or fail to deliver a return on investment (ROI). McKinsey notes that “the business goal must be paramount,” emphasizing the importance of identifying the most promising business opportunities and working backward to potential AI applications rather than pursuing tech for tech’s sake (McKinsey, “The State of AI in Early 2024”).

For financial institutions, this means asking critical questions: What are the pain points that, if resolved, would yield the most significant benefits? Whether it’s enhancing customer engagement, improving fraud detection, or optimizing operational efficiency, defining the challenge upfront ensures that AI initiatives are grounded in strategic business needs rather than technological fascination.

2. Evaluate: build, buy, or partner

Once the business challenge is identified, the next step is to determine the most effective strategy for deploying AI. This involves a critical decision: whether to build a custom solution, buy an existing one, or partner with an AI expert.

  • Build: Custom solutions offer the highest degree of specificity and alignment with unique business processes, but they require significant time, resources, and in-house expertise. For institutions with complex, industry-specific needs, building an AI solution may be the most effective approach, but it also carries the highest risk.
  • Buy: Off-the-shelf solutions provide a faster route to deployment and can be cost-effective for common challenges. However, they may not offer the flexibility needed to adapt to specific business environments. McKinsey’s latest research shows that while 50% of organizations are using off-the-shelf generative AI models, the high performers are increasingly moving toward significant customization or developing proprietary models to meet specific needs (McKinsey, “The State of AI in Early 2024″).
  • Partner: Partnering with a specialized AI consultancy, like Intelygenz, allows organizations to leverage deep technical expertise and experience while focusing on rapid implementation. A trusted partner can guide institutions through the complexities of AI deployment, ensuring that the solution is tailored to deliver the maximum business impact. This approach combines the benefits of both build and buy strategies, mitigating risks and accelerating time to value.

3. Implement with a proven engagement methodology

The pathway from AI concept to value realization is rarely linear. To navigate this complexity, financial institutions need a structured, end-to-end engagement methodology that enables rapid development and deployment while ensuring alignment with strategic objectives. Accenture’s “Tech Vision 2024” report emphasizes that adopting an agile, iterative approach to AI deployment enables organizations to see faster returns on investment and adjust quickly to evolving business needs (Accenture, “Tech Vision 2024″).

Intelygenz’s “Day Zero Promise” embodies this approach. Our methodology begins with a rigorous scoping session to align AI projects with strategic business outcomes from the very beginning. This is followed by:

  • Agile Development: An iterative approach that allows for continuous refinement and adaptation of AI solutions to evolving business needs.
  • Seamless Integration: Close collaboration with internal IT and business teams ensures that AI solutions integrate smoothly with existing systems and workflows.
  • Accelerated Deployment: Fast-tracking the time to value by deploying AI solutions in a matter of weeks, not months or years.

By maintaining a relentless focus on delivering measurable ROI, Intelygenz helps financial institutions avoid the common pitfalls of AI implementation and ensures that AI initiatives contribute directly to business growth.

4. Focus on flexibility and cost-efficiency

For many financial institutions, one of the barriers to AI adoption is the perceived cost and complexity. However, AI does not have to be prohibitively expensive or rigid. Intelygenz positions itself as a more flexible and cost-efficient alternative to top-tier AI companies. We deliver high-quality AI solutions without the overhead and rigidity often associated with larger providers, making us an ideal partner for organizations looking to innovate while managing costs.

5. A collaborative approach to AI success

AI projects are not just technical endeavors; they are fundamentally business transformations. A collaborative approach between the AI partner and the organization is crucial for success. At Intelygenz, we engage closely with our clients throughout the entire process, ensuring that every AI solution is not only technically robust but also aligned with the organization’s strategic goals. This partnership approach has led to real-world success stories where financial institutions have transformed AI from a buzzword into a business-critical capability.

Learn More at FinovateFall

For financial services leaders looking to leverage AI effectively, the path to success involves a thoughtful strategy that prioritizes business value over technology for technology’s sake. At FinovateFall, Chris Brown, President of Intelygenz USA, will delve deeper into these themes during his keynote session, ‘Beyond the Hype: Delivering Real Business Value with AI in Financial Services’. Attendees will learn how to identify the right business challenges, evaluate strategic options for AI deployment, and implement solutions that drive tangible ROI.

Join us on day two of FinovateFall to gain actionable insights and see how Intelygenz’s expert consultancy and implementation services can help your institution harness the true potential of AI.

PayPal Unveils PayPal Everywhere

PayPal Unveils PayPal Everywhere
  • PayPal enhanced its rewards program to allow consumers to receive 5% cash back on a spending category of their choice.
  • Shoppers can receive up to $1,000 in cash back in their selected category.
  • PayPal also announced that customers can add their PayPal Debit Card to their Apple Wallet.

Payments pioneer PayPal has spent the year working to make it easier for customers to make transactions. Today, the California-based fintech announced it is expanding its rewards program to incentivize customers to choose PayPal at the point-of-sale.

Under the new, enhanced rewards program, consumers choose a monthly category of spending, such as groceries or clothing, that they want to receive 5% cash back on while using their PayPal Debit Mastercard. Shoppers can receive up to $1,000 in cash back in their selected category.

Users can also stack cash back offers. For example, if a DoorDash customer selected restaurant as their monthly category, they will receive the 5% cash back offer for using their PayPal Mastercard and another 10% cash back if they save the deal from DoorDash in the PayPal app. The 15% total rewards would be automatically applied when checking out with PayPal.

“We know that consumers are looking for smart, simple and safe ways to make their everyday purchases while also getting more value out of every transaction. That’s why millions of customers can now enjoy the trust and convenience they love about PayPal everywhere – both in-store and online, with access to rich rewards that put more money back in their pockets,” PayPal President and CEO Alex Chriss. “It’s a pivotal moment for PayPal and its customers and a significant first step as we bring the power of PayPal to everywhere they shop.”

PayPal also unveiled today that customers can add their PayPal Debit Card to their Apple Wallet, which will offer even more options at the point of sale.

“We’re excited to work with PayPal to bring Apple Pay to PayPal Debit Card cardholders and help deliver a seamless shopping experience to even more users,” said Eddy Cue, Senior Vice President of Services at Apple. “Whether in-store, online or in-apps, PayPal debit card cardholders will be able to enjoy the convenience and security that Apple Pay brings to their everyday lives.”


Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

3forge Lands Funding from Morgan Stanley

3forge Lands Funding from Morgan Stanley
  • Low code platform 3forge received funding from Morgan Stanley.
  • The amount of the round, which marked 3forge’s first external investment since it was founded in 2011, was undisclosed.
  • 3forge will use the funds to fuel its global go-to-market strategy and expand its development community. 

Low code platform 3forge has landed its first external investment round since it was founded in 2011. Morgan Stanley invested an undisclosed amount in the New York-based company.

3forge, which counts banks, hedge funds, asset managers, exchanges, and sovereign wealth funds among its clients, offers a low-code platform developers can use to build front-end, enterprise applications. The company is able to reduce development time, minimize maintenance costs, offer scalability and ensure uptime because it built its own web server, database, and messaging layer from scratch in-house.

“We are thrilled to close on an investment by Morgan Stanley, a longstanding partner who truly understands the value and performance of 3forge technology,” said 3forge Founder Robert Cooke. “This is an exciting milestone as we continually expand our capabilities to help enhance client workflows and productivity.”

3forge will use the funds to accelerate its global go-to-market strategy and expand its development community. 

3forge is known for its high-performance data visualization and application development platform. The company’s competitors include companies like Appian and OutSystems, which offer similar low-code solutions designed to streamline the development process. 3forge’s platform, however, differentiates itself because of its ability to handle complex data environments, an attribute that makes it a valuable tool for banks with large data volumes.

Low-code/no-code platforms became popular in fintech in the mid-2010s. Today, their use is changing how banks and developers build and deploy applications. That’s because they enable organizations to create custom solutions quickly– without the need for coding skills. This not only speeds up the development cycle, but it also reduces operational costs.

Banks need to make changes to their applications faster and more frequently than ever before, but there is a talent gap of banks that demand strong developer talent and the availability of developers. The promise of a low-code platform can help banks and fintechs adapt to evolving customer demands and regulatory requirements, while limiting the need to hire new developer talent.


Photo by Sven Piper on Unsplash

Ncontracts Acquires Third Party Risk Management Company Venminder

Ncontracts Acquires Third Party Risk Management Company Venminder
  • Ncontracts has acquired Venminder, a third-party risk management SaaS platform, to enhance its governance, risk, and compliance services.
  • The acquisition will broaden Ncontracts’ expertise in third-party risk management and strengthen its position in both SaaS and knowledge-as-a-service markets.
  • Ncontracts also announced that Hg has acquired Venminder’s previous shareholders and Ncontracts’ investor Gryphon.

Risk management and compliance solutions provider Ncontracts made an acquisition today to help broaden its governance, risk, and compliance capabilities. The Tennessee-based company has bought third party risk management program company Venminder.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Kentucky-based Venminder offers a SaaS platform for third-party risk management that helps more than 1,200 customers manage their vendor relationships– from onboarding to offboarding. With Venminder, firms can manage vendors, track contract data, perform due diligence and oversight, send and score questionnaires, conduct risk assessments, systemically monitor risks across domains, order due diligence assessments on vendor controls, and more.

Ncontracts anticipates the purchase will offer it more depth and expertise in third-party risk management, and will enhance its position in the software-as-a-service (SaaS) and knowledge-as-a-service (KaaS) space.

“We are excited to join forces with Venminder,” said Michael Berman, Ncontracts Founder and CEO. “With our teams coming together to help reduce risk, improve compliance and control costs, we will continue to strengthen the financial industry and the communities they serve.”

Also this week, Ncontracts, which demoed its technology at FinovateFall 2022, announced that investor Hg bought out prior Venminder shareholders as well as Ncontracts shareholder Gryphon Investors– which acquired Ncontracts in 2020. With its purchase, Hg will bring both resources and expertise.

“With the investment and support from Hg, we are well positioned to continue our rapid growth,” said Berman. “Gryphon has been a valuable partner, and I want to thank their outstanding team of operating partners, operating advisors and investment professionals.”

Third party risk management is a hotter topic than ever in today’s banking and fintech landscape, especially as the number of banks hit with consent orders rises due to regulatory breaches and compliance issues. With the increasing reliance on third-party vendors for technology, payment processing, and other services, the potential for vulnerabilities and risk has grown significantly.

Exacerbating the issue, regulatory bodies are tightening scrutiny on how banks manage their third-party relationships, ensuring that banks maintain strict oversight, due diligence, and risk mitigation strategies to safeguard sensitive data and operational resilience.


Photo by Edmond Dantès

Jack Henry Forges Payments Collaboration with Moov

Jack Henry Forges Payments Collaboration with Moov
  • Jack Henry is teaming up with payments platform Moov to offer enhanced payment services to SMEs.
  • The services will include the ability to accept payments with the tap of a phone, automate reconciliations to accounting software systems, and more.
  • The companies will begin beta testing the new payment services by mid-2025.

A newly announced collaboration between Jack Henry and digital payments processor Moov will empower regional and community financial institutions to offer enhanced payment services to their SME customers. These services will give SMEs a range of payment capabilities, from accepting payments with the tap of a phone to receiving same-day funds for payments accepted, to automating reconciliations to accounting software systems.

“This innovation is made possible by our technology modernization strategy to offer community and regional financial institutions cloud-native, API-first services that allow them to differentiate strategically, compete successfully, and meet the evolving needs of their customers,” Jack Henry President and CEO Greg Adelson said. “We are pleased to collaborate with Moov on this unique solution that will provide modern, innovative business payment capabilities to our clients that are seamlessly integrated with deposit and core banking services.”

The Jack Henry/Moov collaboration comes at a time when an increasing number of regional and community banks, as well as credit unions, are seeking ways to better serve their small business customers. A 2024 Jack Henry survey revealed that 78% of its clients expect to grow their small business capabilities over the next two years. Unsurprisingly, almost seven out of 10 respondents highlighted payments as the SME service they are most eager to introduce to their customers.

Smaller financial institutions do have their work cut out for them. According to a 2023 Datos Insights survey, 56% of small businesses do their banking with one of the four largest banks. Only 18% bank at a smaller financial institution. As such, solutions like those from the Jack Henry/Moov collaboration could go a long way toward helping regional and community banks, and credit unions better compete with their larger rivals.

“This solution will provide many benefits to SMBs, including one-click enrollment, automated itemized transaction processing and reconciliation, instant balance transfers from linked accounts to cover same-day transaction needs, and an integrated payment relationship with the financial institution,” Moov CEO and Co-founder Wade Arnold said.

Beta testing of the new payment services is expected to begin by mid-2025.

Cedar Falls, Iowa-based Moov offers a money movement platform that provides a straightforward and scalable way to integrate payments into products. As a payment processor, issuer, registered PayFac, program manager, and technology provider, Moov serves as a one-stop payment solution for businesses with complex money movement needs. Named to The Tech Tribune’s 2024 Best Tech Startups in Iowa roster, Moov was founded in 2018.

Founded in 1976 and headquartered in Monett, Missouri, Jack Henry has been a Finovate alum since its debut at FinovateFall in 2010. Today, the company is a major technology solution provider for banks and credit unions, offering its own internally developed capabilities as well as facilitating integrations with leading fintech innovators.

Jack Henry is a publicly-traded company on the NASDAQ under the ticker JKHY. The firm has a market capitalization of $12 billion.


Photo by Jose Cruz

ACI Worldwide Teams Up with Red Hat

ACI Worldwide Teams Up with Red Hat
  • ACI Worldwide announced a collaboration with open source solutions provider Red Hat.
  • The partnership will make ACI’s cloud-native Enterprise Payments Platform available on any cloud infrastructure.
  • Founded in 1975, ACI Worldwide has been a Finovate alum since its debut at our developers conference, FinDEVr Silicon Valley 2016.

A new partnership between payments technology innovator ACI Worldwide and open source solutions provider Red Hat will make ACI’s cloud-native Enterprise Payments Platform available via any cloud infrastructure. The new availability will make it easier for customers to migrate to the cloud to better operate within the digital economy and to power the next generation of payment services. Via Red Hat OpenShift, banks, merchants, and billers will gain new flexibility and choice in terms of how they deploy their payment services.

“At Red Hat, we are committed to supporting our partners and customers with a flexible, scalable, enterprise-grade technology platform like Red Hat OpenShift, helping them maximize innovation and reduce time to market while enabling the resiliency, performance, and service quality required by leading banks across the globe,” said Stefanie Chiras, Red Hat SVP of Partner Ecosystem Success.

The partnership will enable ACI Worldwide to access Red Hat’s open source portfolio of cloud-native AI and hybrid cloud solutions. ACI customers will benefit from simplified payment operations thanks to the ability to deploy ACI’s enterprise payments platform on any cloud infrastructure. This also provides enhanced resiliency and scale while keeping operating costs low.

“We are excited to extend our collaboration by joining the Red Hat partner ecosystem,” ACI Worldwide head of product management Scotty Perkins said. “We believe that this collaboration will be a game changer for many of our partners and customers to more easily reap the benefits of deploying payment services in the cloud, such as improving operational efficiency, accelerating the launch of new products, and ultimately driving growth.”

Founded in 1975 and headquartered in Florida, ACI Worldwide made its Finovate debut at our developers conference, FinDEVr Silicon Valley, in 2016. In the years since then, the company has grown into a major payments technology provider that serves the top 10 banks in the world and 80,000+ merchants–as well as thousands of organizations and businesses that rely on ACI Worldwide’s billpay solutions.

ACI’s partnership news with Red Hat comes just days after the company announced that it had extended its partnership with Mexican fintech Mexipay. ACI will help improve Mexipay’s real-time payments infrastructure in order to boost the adoption of instant payments and promote financial inclusion in Mexico.

ACI Worldwide is a publicly-traded company on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol ACIW. The firm has a market capitalization of $5 billion.


Photo by Tom Jur on Unsplash

Experian to Offer Debt Consolidation in Partnership with Paylink Solutions

Experian to Offer Debt Consolidation in Partnership with Paylink Solutions
  • Experian has partnered with affordability software and payments company Paylink.
  • Experian will leverage Paylink’s ReFi solution, which will validate and repay consumers’ outstanding debts by consolidating them into a new loan with better terms.
  • ReFi will allow consumers to conduct a financial reset, while offering lenders the assurance that the new loan is affordable.

Data analytics and consumer credit reporting company Experian is broadening its services this week by expanding its debt consolidation offering. The Ireland-based company is leveraging a partnership with affordability software and payments company Paylink, which will help work around affordability restrictions with debt consolidation loans.

Experian reports that the number one reason consumers search for loans on its marketplace is for debt consolidation. However, lenders are unable to directly pay off customers’ debts when they take out a debt consolidation loan. This means that, during the underwriting process, lenders need to double count both the new loan and existing debts. As a result, some consumers are unable to qualify for debt consolidation loans, since the new loan is considered ‘unaffordable.’ This can result in consumers borrowing from an unlicensed lender, loan shark, or friends and family.

“The benefit of this partnership is twofold, as the ReFi solution offers a valuable tool for lenders to expand their offerings and reach a broader customer base that may have originally been overlooked,” said Experian Consumer Services Managing Director Eduardo Castro.

In today’s partnership, Experian aims to promote financial inclusion and improve access to credit using Paylink’s ReFi tool. ReFi validates and repays consumers’ outstanding debts by consolidating them into a new loan with better terms. After validating a consumer’s card, loan, and overdraft accounts, ReFi confirms balances and settlement amounts, pays creditors, and offers evidence that the accounts are closed.

“ReFi enables a financial ‘reset,’ potentially leading to significant savings and quicker debt repayment,” said Paylink CEO Jake Ranson. “It also provides lenders with assurance that the new loan is affordable and will be used to clear previous debts, helping customers achieve their financial goals. With unparalleled access to data, analytics and market insight, Experian is singularly placed to help ReFi reach thousands more people seeking to realize the opportunities access to reasonably priced credit brings.”

Experian and Paylink are not alone in trying to help consumers struggling with debt. There are a handful of other players in fintech seeking to help consumers solve their debt burdens. Finovate alums Peach, Payitoff, and Debbie, which demoed their technologies at FinovateFall last year, each bring a fresh approach to debt management and payoff. These platforms are not just about numbers; they aim to empower consumers with tools that simplify debt repayment, offering tailored strategies to help users regain financial stability.


Photo by Monstera Production

Axway Acquires Sopra Banking Software

Axway Acquires Sopra Banking Software

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

Fintech Rundown: A Rapid Review of Weekly News

Fintech Rundown: A Rapid Review of Weekly News

As “Back to School” season begins, we’re looking forward to a surge of fintech news over the next few days and weeks. Finovate’s Fintech Rundown is your one-stop-shop for the latest headlines, announcements, and updates.


Payments

ACI Worldwide partners with Red Hat to make its Enterprise Payments Platform available on any cloud infrastructure.

Bank payment company GoCardless completes its acquisition of Nuapay.

Atlantic Money launches Portals to enable customers to make international money transfers directly from their bank accounts.

Payment service provider Ecommpay adds three Italian Alternative Payment Methods (APMs) to its platform as part of an effort to expand its global presence.

MENA-based payments platform Tarabut acquires U.K.-based account-to-account payments platform Vyne.

Jack Henry announces collaboration with digital payments processor Moov.

Brazilian payment service provider Ume secures $15 million in a round featuring participation from PayPal’s venture arm.

OnlineCheckWriter.com— powered by Zil Money– now allows customers to send checks funded by their credit card or wallet.

Narmi goes live with the FedNow Service in receive mode with Grasshopper Bank.

Paystand expands its payments network into the Canadian market.

Trustly and Newline by Fifth Third partner on U.S. payments. 

Lending

Singapore-based SME lending platform Validus raises $50 million in debt financing from HSBC.

Ant International collaborates with Dock to drive financial inclusion with credit tech solutions.

Embedded finance

ASA announces the integration of five fintechs–PortfolioPilot, Guac, One Goal Finance, Credit Rent Boost, and Column Tax–into its embedded app store, ASA Vault.

Embedded payments specialist Modulr expands its integration with online accounting software provider Xero to add payroll services.

Open banking

Comertbank chooses Salt Edge to comply with Moldova’s open banking legislation.

Wealth management and investing

Legal & General chooses Moneyhub to power its Qualifying Pensions Dashboard Service.

Quilter to acquire NuWealth to enhance its digital capabilities.

Regtech

Kani Payments helps climate-focused fintech Zero streamline its reconciliation and reporting obligations.

Sedric AI raises $18.5 million in Series A round to empower financial institutions with an AI-based compliance platform.

Spring Labs unveils Zanko ComplianceAssist to help financial service firms with compliance.

Small business finance

UNIPaaS and American Express partner to boost B2B card payments for SaaS platforms.

Papaya Global facilitates changing cross-border payroll, helping companies streamline their global payroll processes in every location in just four weeks. 

Real estate

Agora launches Report Builder and Waterfall Automation Tool.


Photo by Oleksandr P