Kiwi, a healthcare financial services platform based in Miami, has officially launched, announcing a US$10 million seed funding round. Aimed at addressing the healthcare financing gap in Latin America, the platform supports both patients seeking access to care and healthcare professionals looking to expand their services. More than just a “buy now, pay later” service, Kiwi provides a full banking solution. This includes leasing products for healthcare professionals investing in new technology and financial tools that assist with cash flow management. The funding round comprises US$2 million in pre-seed equity and US$8 million in debt financing, initially targeting operations in…

Payoneer a New York-based company is marking its 20th anniversary, reflecting on two decades of work supporting business growth across borders. In 2024, the company reported record transaction volumes and revenue, and outlined plans to continue expanding its role in cross-border trade through innovation and strategic development. Founded in 2005, Payoneer began as a mass payout solution and has since evolved into a full financial services platform, supporting commerce across industries, markets, and more than 7,000 trade corridors. In 2024, Payoneer processed an annual transaction volume of US$80 billion, enabling businesses to scale internationally. Its recent acquisition of Skuad, a…

Mastercard is expanding its involvement in the evolving landscape of digital assets by introducing global end-to-end stablecoin acceptance and payment capabilities. As regulatory frameworks around the world become clearer, stablecoins are gradually transitioning from tools primarily used in crypto trading to practical solutions that enhance efficiency and programmability in payments, remittances, and disbursements. To tap into this potential, Mastercard is working to ensure individuals and businesses can send and receive stablecoin payments at any time and from anywhere. While banks and fintech firms are increasingly engaging with stablecoin-based technologies, wider adoption still depends on how seamlessly these assets can be…

Nu Mexico, a subsidiary of Nubank, has announced the approval of its banking license by the National Banking and Securities Commission (CNBV). With this approval, Nu becomes the first Popular Financial Society (SOFIPO) to receive the green light to transition into a bank. This development brings the company closer to expanding its range of products, including the introduction of a payroll account. “Mexico is a key pillar of our global strategy. We’ve already made significant progress in terms of growth, reaching over 10 million customers in the country. We have invested over $1.4 billion in the market, not only to…

eBay has expanded its partnership with Klarna to bring the Klarna’s flexible payment options to US shoppers. This move is aimed at providing greater flexibility and affordability across key product categories. Avritti Khandurie Mittal, VP & General Manager of Global Payments and Financial Services at eBay, stated, “We’re thrilled to expand our global strategic partnership with Klarna to the U.S. We’ve been very pleased with the positive customer and business impact Klarna has delivered in some of our key markets, including the UK and Europe, and we’re now excited to give millions of U.S. shoppers more flexible and affordable ways…

PayPal and Coinbase have announced an expansion of their partnership aimed at increasing the adoption, distribution, and utilisation of the PayPal USD (PYUSD) stablecoin. The collaboration is designed to offer value to consumers, businesses, and institutions by enabling greater use of digital currencies across various platforms and borders, while maintaining the stability of regulated, USD-denominated crypto assets. Alex Chriss, President and CEO of PayPal, commented on the development, saying, “For years, we’ve worked with Coinbase to enable a best-in-class integration to provide a simple, familiar way for PayPal users to fund crypto purchases on Coinbase. Our objectives aligned further as…

Alpaca, a California-based self-clearing broker-dealer and brokerage infrastructure API provider, has announced the completion of its US$52 million Series C funding round. The announcement was made from its new office in Manhattan, New York. The funding is intended to support Alpaca’s global expansion and further development of its product offerings. The round included participation from both new and existing investors, among them Derayah Financial, 850 Management, National Investments Company (NIC), Unbound, and Portage Ventures. The involvement of returning investors reflects ongoing support for Alpaca’s strategic direction. With the additional capital, Alpaca aims to continue expanding its presence internationally, targeting enterprise…

Fiserv, US-based provider of payments, has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Money Money, a fintech firm based in Brazil. The acquisition aims to broaden Fiserv’s service offerings in the country, particularly for SMBs seeking access to capital to support business growth. Money Money operates a financing platform that is connected to Brazil’s receivables registry infrastructure, regulated by the Central Bank of Brazil. It offers working capital and other financial solutions tailored to SMBs, leveraging technology and business analysis to assess clients. Its capabilities are expected to complement Clover’s focus on supporting Brazilian SMBs with…

M0, a stablecoin platform based in Switzerland, has announced that Brale, a regulated stablecoin issuance and orchestration platform based in the US, has begun the process of becoming a permissioned Minter on the M0 network. Brale is set to become the first issuer of M0-powered stablecoins in the US market. M0 operates as a launchpad for stablecoins, offering technology that enables businesses to develop and integrate application-specific stablecoins tailored to their operational needs. Liquidity for these stablecoins can be sourced through a network of approved issuers on the M0 platform. These issuers, once permissioned, are authorised to mint any of…

Jumio, a California-based provider of AI-driven biometric identity verification, risk signals, and compliance solutions, has announced the general availability of its Cross-Transaction Risk feature. This new tool helps businesses detect fraud by linking identity elements across the Jumio network. Part of the Jumio Identity Reputation suite, Cross-Transaction Risk allows organisations to balance fraud detection, user experience, and identity assurance more effectively. Traditional identity verification only validates a user’s identity at a specific point in time, such as when they open an account or make a transaction. In contrast, Jumio Identity Reputation offers deeper, ongoing insights by analysing identity attributes and…

PayPal has announced a new rewards programme for PYUSD, its US dollar denominated stablecoin. Launching in summer 2025, this initiative will allow users in the US to earn an annual reward rate of 3.7 percent on PYUSD held in their PayPal or Venmo digital wallets. Users will be able to earn rewards on their PYUSD balances and use them in various ways. These include making purchases with merchants that support PayPal Checkout, transferring funds to other PayPal or Venmo users, and funding international transfers via Xoom without paying transaction fees. PYUSD can also be converted one to one into US…

Feedzai, a fraud and financial crime prevention company, has announced its acquisition of New York-based Demyst. The deal includes Demyst’s Zonic data workflow orchestration platform, intellectual property, and its data integration capabilities. This move supports Feedzai’s aim to merge data orchestration and risk management into a single platform, offering financial institutions access to real-time data, analytics, and AI for improved risk decision-making. “There is no shortage of data in our industry, the trick is how to access the right data as quickly as possible so that you can accelerate risk decisions with the fewest consumer friction points,” said Nuno Sebastiao,…

Nubank has introduced NuScore, a tool that allows customers to view their credit score directly within the Nu platform. One of the main goals is to provide greater transparency around the factors that influence an individual’s credit profile with the institution. In addition to the score, NuScore will offer personalised recommendations to help customers improve their credit profile over time and, in turn, enhance their overall financial wellbeing. With NuScore, customers can view their score, which ranges from 0 to 1000, along with a classification of very high, high, regular, low or very low. The tool also highlights the behavioural…

Altruist, a US-based custodian platform for registered investment advisors (RIAs), has raised US$152 million in a Series F funding round led by Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC. The latest round values the company at approximately US$1.9 billion. Other investors include Salesforce Ventures, Geodesic Capital, Baillie Gifford, Carson Family Office, ICONIQ Growth, and select additional backers. The funding comes on the heels of what the company described as a strong 2024, during which it launched several new products such as a high-yield cash account, tax management tools, and a digital-native fixed income trading platform. Altruist reported triple-digit growth in revenue, brokerage…

Gen Digital, a cybersecurity and digital privacy company based in Tempe, Arizona, has completed its acquisition of MoneyLion, a financial technology firm headquartered in New York. The move marks a significant step in Gen’s expansion into the financial wellness space, supporting consumers in managing and protecting both their digital and financial lives. “We’re thrilled to welcome MoneyLion to the Gen family. The addition of MoneyLion accelerates our position to redefine financial empowerment in a digital-first world,” said Vincent Pilette, CEO of Gen. “People need intuitive, holistic solutions they can trust. We’re uniting decades of expertise and the global scale of…

Bank of America announced two strategic hires to further strengthen its Global Payments Solutions (GPS) leadership team in Asia Pacific and Latin America. Phil Carmalt will join Bank of America in late May as Head of Asia Pacific Global Payments Solutions (GPS) Product. Based in Hong Kong, he will report to Greg Kavanaugh, Head of Global Payments Solutions Product, and Winnie Chen, Head of APAC Global Payments Solutions. In his new role, Phil will lead the region’s product management team, driving the execution of GPS’s product strategy and vision across channels, as well as cash and liquidity products. He will…

Major cryptocurrency firms, including stablecoin issuer Circle and crypto custodian BitGo, are reportedly weighing the possibility of applying for bank charters or licenses. According to an April 21 report by The Wall Street Journal, which cited individuals familiar with the matter, Circle, BitGo and several others are considering seeking some form of banking license. Among the other firms mentioned are the publicly traded, US-based crypto exchange Coinbase and stablecoin issuer Paxos. The US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency had previously granted preliminary conditional approval for a US bank charter to Paxos back in 2021. The report surfaces as…

Luma Financial Technologies, a provider of structured products and insurance solutions based in Cincinnati, Ohio, has announced the completion of a US$63 million Series C funding round. The investment was led by Sixth Street Growth, the growth investing division of global investment firm Sixth Street. Existing investors Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, UBS, and TD Bank Group also took part in the round. The additional funding will support Luma’s plans to expand its presence in key markets, invest further in product development, and strengthen its global client service capabilities. The company stated that the new capital will help sustain its…

Bolt, a San Francisco-based payments company, has announced the launch of an all-in-one financial services application, designed to bring together one-click cryptocurrency transactions and everyday payments into a single, centralised platform. The app is now available for download at bolt.com/pay. Upon installation, iOS users will be placed on a waitlist, with access expected to be granted selectively starting early next week. Android users are expected to follow shortly after. Over the past decade, Bolt has built a one-click checkout system that has become a familiar feature for many shoppers and retailers in the US. The new app aims to address…

Toku, a Chile-based accounts receivable software platform, announced today it has raised US$48 million in Series A funding, bringing its total funding to US$55 million. The fundraise marks the largest Series A round raised by a female founder in Latin America, led by Toku’s CEO, Cristina Etcheberry. The round was led by Oak HC/FT, marking the firm’s fourth fintech investment in the region over the past three years. Existing investors, including Gradient Ventures, F-Prime, Clocktower, Y Combinator and Honey Island by 4UM, also took part in the round. Toku’s platform integrates with companies’ enterprise resource planning systems, banks and payment…