ComplyAdvantage, a leader in financial crime intelligence, announced its acquisition of Golden. Golden is a San Francisco-based innovator automating the construction of one of the world’s largest knowledge graphs, which shows interconnected data points and their relationships for the purpose of analyzing complex information. Financial institutions and other regulated entities are required by law to ensure the people and organizations they choose to do business with are legitimate and that the transactions they facilitate are legal. ComplyAdvantage uses AI and machine learning to parse through ..read more

In a new report released on April 16, the World Economic Forum explores the potential of wholesale central bank digital currencies (wCBDCs) to address challenges in financial markets, improve settlement efficiency and tap into new market opportunities. The report, titled Modernizing Financial Markets with Wholesale Central Bank Digital Currency (wCBDC) and produced in collaboration with Accenture, outlines key areas wCBDCs can provide unique value, highlighting their potential to establish a “global settlement window” to synchronize different settlement times. It also discusses how wCBDCs coul ..read more

PayPal Ventures, the investment arm of the online payment firm, plans to increase its investment activity to keep up with technological advancements, seeking investment opportunities in fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, employee benefits and stablecoins, James Loftus, managing partner at PayPal Ventures, told Global Venturing in an interview. Discussing PayPal Ventures’ strategies and investment focuses for the years to come, Loftus said the fund will be shifting towards placing more emphasis on early-stage ventures, especially in Series A rounds. This move aims to ga ..read more

The Gulf region has historically been depended on the oil sector, an industry prone to price fluctuations and which is heavily influenced by geopolitical circumstances. But recent years have seen a shift toward greater diversification as Gulf investors aim to reduce reliance on oil revenues and seek a hedge against local volatility. Against this backdrop, Europe has emerged as an attractive destination for Gulf investors to diversify their investments. The region boasts a more balanced economic landscape, and has a stable and mature investment environment with established legal frameworks, reg ..read more

The Financial Technology Report has released its selection of the world’s top banking technology companies of 2024, highlighting the 25 biggest and fastest-growing banking technology companies globally. The Top 25 Banking Technologies Companies of 2024 were selected for their technological expertise, impactful contributions, leadership initiatives, and overall influence on the banking sector. These companies utilize technology including artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing to disrupt traditional banking processes and improve efficiency, accessibility, and user experience. They prov ..read more

Das Schweizer Anlage-Startup findependent erreicht kurz nach dem 3-jährigen Geburtstag gleich zwei Meilensteine. Einerseits nutzen bereits weit mehr als 10’000 Kunden die App für die Geldanlage. Andererseits hat das verwaltete Vermögen die Marke von 100 Millionen Schweizer Franken überschritten. Ende Februar feierte die Anlage-App von findependent ihren dritten Geburtstag. Kurz danach konnte der 10’000ste Kunde, der sein Geld bei findependent anlegt, begrüsst werden. Matthias Bryner “Das akzentuierte Wachstum der vergangenen Monate ist nicht nur dem freundlichen Marktumfeld zu verdanken, s ..read more

Money20/20, a leading fintech event series, will return to Amsterdam for its European edition from June 04 to 06, 2024. This event aims to serve as a premier platform for global innovators, venture capitalists (VCs), banks, regulators and media platforms to explore and discuss the fintech industry’s biggest opportunities and most pressing issues. Launched in 2012, Money20/20 focuses on the future of payments, fintech, and financial services, offering deep analytics and inspirational speakers. It seeks to keep participants ahead of the curve by fostering strategies, relationships, and mindset s ..read more

In Q1 2024, Europe experienced an increase in fintech venture capital (VC) funding, reaching a total of US$2.2 billion after rising by 22% quarter-on-quarter (QoQ), data from CB Insights’ “State of Fintech Q1 2024” report show. This is in stark contrast to the overall global fintech funding landscape which saw a decline of 16% compared to the previous quarter, dropping to US$7.3 billion, the lowest since 2017. Notably, Europe was the only major global region to see fintech funding increase in Q1 2024, underscoring its enduring attractiveness to investors. Against this backdrop, we’ll look toda ..read more

Betterment, the largest independent digital investment advisor in the United States, announced that it has reached an agreement with Goldman Sachs to acquire Marcus Invest’s digital investing accounts. Marcus Invest, which offers digitally customized investment portfolios to consumers, will transfer these accounts to Betterment in the coming months. Betterment pioneered digital investing more than a decade ago, and today serves more than 850,000 customers and manages more than $45 billion in assets. Betterment’s diversified, expert-built portfolios, commitment to service excellence, and easy-t ..read more

Airwallex, a leading global payments and financial platform, announced its partnership with Bird (formerly MessageBird), a global communication platform, to power Bird’s international payments operations. Powering Bird’s global payments infrastructure Bird’s platform, applications and APIs help 29,000+ businesses to streamline conversations and build engaging experiences through their customers’ preferred channels – including WhatsApp, Email, SMS, Voice, WeChat, Messenger, and Instagram. The global nature of Bird’s business – with multiple currencies flowing in and out of operating entities ar ..read more