In Q2 2025, venture funding reached US$94.6 billion, marking the third consecutive quarter above the US$90 billion mark and extending the recovery that began after the downturn in 2023 and early 2024, new data released by CB Insights show. The figure brings the total equity funding for H1 2025 to US$219.1 billion, putting the year well on track to surpass both 2023 (US$266.7 billion) and 2024 (US$286.9 billion) in total funding raised. While funding volumes remain robust, deal activity slowed slightly. Deal count declined 9% quarter-over-quarter to 6,028, the lowest level since Q4 2016, indicating larger average round sizes. In…

El Salvador-based Saf.money has announced the successful close of an oversubscribed pre-seed funding round to advance the development of its cross-border payments orchestration platform, which leverages bitcoin and stablecoin infrastructure. The company was founded by Mario Aguiluz (CEO) and Esteban de la Pena (CSO), both formerly with IBEX, with the aim of simplifying the process of sending and receiving funds internationally, beginning with direct bank-to-bank transfers from the US. The round saw participation from Fulgur Ventures, Plan B, Initial Capital, and 1A1z, the latter of which also advised on the transaction. The capital raised will support the expansion of off-ramp…

In less than 72 hours, approximately US$17 million was withdrawn from cash machines across New York City in a scam linked to TikTok and a city-run youth employment programme, according to two law enforcement officials familiar with the investigation. As reported by The New York Times, the funds were illicitly accessed using payment cards issued to participants of the Summer Youth Employment Programme (SYEP). These cards were meant to provide modest weekly wages, typically just a few hundred dollars, to thousands of 14 to 24 year olds who did not have bank accounts. Instead, users discovered they could withdraw significantly…

Thredd, a London-based global payments processor, has entered into a partnership with Inswitch, a provider of embedded finance technology and regulated BIN sponsorship operating in Latin America and the US. The partnership allows international companies to launch local card programmes in Mexico, a key fintech hub in the region. By combining Thredd’s global issuing platform with Inswitch’s regulatory and operational infrastructure, the collaboration offers fintech firms a streamlined and scalable route to market, supporting card issuance in both local currency and US dollars. “Global businesses today are scaling faster than ever, and they need partners who can match that pace…

Fintech continues to evolve rapidly, with leaders in banking, payments, and lending expanding horizontally to unlock new revenue and boost profitability. At the same time, new tailwinds like embedded finance are rising on the back of the proliferation of application programming interfaces (APIs), banking-as-a-service (BaaS), and proprietary data, drawing more companies into the fintech sector. HSBC’s latest report highlights these developments and outlines where new growth opportunities are emerging across the global fintech landscape. Building comprehensive finance platforms One major trend is the transformation of fintech players into comprehensive platforms. As fintech leaders and pioneers continue to mature, their solutions…

Circle has appointed Adam Selipsky to its Board of Directors. Selipsky has over two decades of leadership experience in internet infrastructure and enterprise technology. He most recently served as Chief Executive Officer of Amazon Web Services (AWS), where he played a key role in its expansion into a business exceeding US$100 billion in annual revenue. During his time at AWS, he was also an inaugural member of the United States Department of Homeland Security’s Artificial Intelligence Safety and Security Board. Prior to AWS, Selipsky was President and CEO of Tableau Software, where he oversaw the company’s acquisition by Salesforce. He…

BVNK, a London-based provider of stablecoin-native payment infrastructure, has announced a partnership with Bitwave, a California-based enterprise digital asset finance platform. The integration aims to enable finance teams to process stablecoin invoice payments with greater compliance, security, and efficiency. By embedding BVNK’s stablecoin wallets into Bitwave’s SOC-compliant tax, accounting, and compliance platform, the two companies intend to streamline the operational use of stablecoins within enterprise finance systems. Jesse Hemson-Struthers, CEO and Co-Founder of BVNK, stated: “For many finance teams, adopting stablecoins has been held back by operational and reporting complexity. Our integration with Bitwave bridges that gap, making it easier…

Brazilian fintech company Neon has secured US$129 million in an extension of its Series E funding round, with new backing from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and DEG, a subsidiary of Germany’s KfW Group. Existing investors BBVA and General Atlantic also participated in the round, which follows the initial Series E funding completed in September 2024. Founded in 2016, Neon offers digital financial services including current accounts, credit cards, personal loans, and investment products to consumers in Brazil. The company stated that the new funding will support efforts to scale operations while maintaining a focus on profitability. Neon aims to…

US President Donald Trump signed into law a bill establishing a regulatory framework for dollar-pegged cryptocurrencies, commonly known as stablecoins, in a move that could bring the digital assets into wider everyday use for payments and money transfers. The legislation, called the GENIUS Act, passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 308 to 122, with backing from most Republicans and nearly half of Democratic lawmakers. It had already been approved by the Senate. According to Reuters, the bill marks a significant milestone for crypto advocates who have long pushed for clearer regulation to help legitimise an industry often…

SC Ventures by Standard Chartered, which builds and invests in ventures across and beyond the banking sector, alongside the bank’s Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB) division, has appointed Lisa Pollina as Vice Chairman, Americas. Pollina will report to Alex Manson, Chief Executive Officer of SC Ventures, and will also work closely with Mandy DeFilippo, Chief Executive Officer for the US and Americas. Named one of the ‘Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Finance’ by American Banker, Pollina has held senior advisory roles in private equity and credit investment at Ares Management and Alvarez & Marsal. She was previously Vice Chairman…

Insurance firm WeSure US announced that it has entered into a merger agreement with fintech company Hourly, a US-based payroll management platform founded by Israeli entrepreneur Tom Sagi. According to Calcalist, Hourly has raised approximately US$37 million to date, with backing from Israeli venture capital funds Glilot Capital, S-Capital, and Vintage, alongside US-based investors MS&AD Ventures and J-Ventures. As part of the agreement, the newly merged entity has secured an additional US$10 million from Hourly’s investors and shareholders of WeSure. The combined company will be valued at US$53 million. Hourly will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of WeSure Global…

Checkout.com, a London-based payments solutions provider, has expanded its operations into Canada, reinforcing its presence across North America. The company has also appointed Zack Levine as Head of Revenue for North America. The expansion includes the launch of direct acquiring services in Canada, which enables customers to gain improved control over transaction data, benefit from higher authorisation rates, and optimise payment performance. The new service uses the same processing technology already employed by merchants globally. Canada, the world’s ninth-largest ecommerce market, is valued at CA$52 billion and has over 27 million online shoppers, accounting for 11.5% of total retail sales.…

AH Capital Management (commonly known as Andreessen Horowitz), a California-based venture capital firm, has announced its decision to move its state of incorporation from Delaware to Nevada, citing rising legal uncertainty and concerns over recent judicial trends in Delaware’s Court of Chancery. The firm explained the rationale behind the change, stating: “It used to be a no-brainer: start a company, incorporate in Delaware. That is no longer the case due to recent actions by the Court of Chancery, which have injected an unprecedented level of subjectivity into judicial decisions, undermining the court’s reputation for unbiased expertise.” AH Capital noted that…

The Monad Foundation, an organisation focused on the development and adoption of the Monad blockchain network, has announced its acquisition of Georgia-based Portal Labs, the team behind Portal, an embedded infrastructure platform for stablecoin wallets. The move is expected to integrate a full-stack payments solution into Monad, a high-throughput Layer-1 blockchain, while advancing Portal’s goal of simplifying stablecoin payments for both web2 and web3 businesses. As part of the acquisition, Portal’s CEO and Co-Founder Raj Parekh will join the Monad Foundation as Head of Payments and Stablecoins. Previously Director of Visa’s Global Crypto Product, Parekh brings experience in stablecoins, payment…

iCapital, a New York-based alternative investment marketplace, has secured over US$820 million in its latest funding round, bringing its valuation to more than US$7.5 billion. The round was co-led and funded by accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates and T. Rowe Price Investment Management, alongside SurgoCap Partners. The company currently services US$945 billion in assets globally, including US$257 billion in alternative platform assets, US$203 billion in structured investments and annuities, and US$485 billion in reported client assets. iCapital continues to expand its technology and data infrastructure to support wealth and asset management at scale. “This capital raise reflects our…

Prometeo, a Montevideo-based fintech firm focused on technology infrastructure, and Jumio, a California-headquartered company specialising in AI-driven identity intelligence, have entered into a strategic partnership aimed at enhancing identity verification and bank account validation across Latin America. The collaboration brings together Prometeo’s regional banking network and Jumio’s biometric authentication and data analytics capabilities. The integrated solution is designed to support sectors such as digital banking, fintech, online payments, e-commerce, and gaming by streamlining user onboarding and payment reconciliation processes. With both identity and account verification available through a single access point, companies can reduce operational time, mitigate fraud, and improve…

Digital pioneers and fintech natives, including Ace Money Transfer, BOSS Money, Paysend, Revolut, TransferGo and Remitly, are leading consumer satisfaction in the UK and the US money transfer markets this year, according to a new analysis by FXC Intelligence, a data platform specializing in the cross-border payment and e-commerce sectors. The analysis, released on June 19, combines average customer ratings from both Apple’s App Store and Google Play Store with each company’s Trustpilot scores to give a clear picture of consumer sentiment in 2025. Among the 18 companies reviewed, 16 scored 4.0 or above out of 5 on Trustpilot, and…

Crypto firm Ripple has submitted an application for a national bank charter in the US. The move follows a similar step by stablecoin issuer Circle and marks a broader effort by digital asset companies to seek regulatory certainty and closer ties with the traditional financial sector. According to Reuters, obtaining a bank charter would enable crypto firms to streamline payment settlements and reduce reliance on intermediary banks, potentially lowering operational costs. It would also offer what the industry sees as formal recognition after years of regulatory uncertainty. A spokesperson for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), a…

London-based packaging company Burgopak was selected by Elevations Credit Union to create the packaging for its Go Buffs Visa Signature Rewards Card, developed in collaboration with the University of Colorado Boulder. The card features the branding of the Colorado Buffaloes, the university’s athletic teams. The brief called for a premium solution to highlight the card’s black and gold design. Elevations chose Burgopak’s signature Slider format, which includes a drawer-style mechanism. The black outer sleeve features blind embossing and spot UV detailing to bring attention to the Buffs logo, resulting in a subtle yet distinctive finish. The card is housed in…

Revolut, the London-based fintech company, has announced plans to acquire an Argentine lender owned by BNP Paribas, marking its latest expansion into Latin America. The digital bank will purchase Cetelem Argentina from BNP Paribas Personal Finance, though the terms of the deal were not disclosed and remain subject to regulatory approval. According to Reuters, Revolut has already entered markets in Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia. The company said it aims to offer products tailored to the needs of Argentine consumers, including multi-currency accounts, commission-free bank transfers, and foreign exchange trading. Argentina’s long-standing economic volatility, somewhat stabilised in the past year under…