Sunday Sitdown: Investors look past political changes as Brexit offers a chance to alter investment regulation, says City veteran April 18, 2021 More than 440 firms in banking and financial services have relocated part of their business, moved employees or set up new entities in the EU following Brexit. Dublin and Paris are the go-to destinations, as banks have moved or plan to move more than £900bn in assets to the EU, equivalent to 10 per cent [...]
Revolut targets $10bn valuation in upcoming funding round April 17, 2021 Revolut is eyeing a new fundraising round which would see the challenger bank’s valuation soar to more than $10bn. Last summer the neobank raised a further $80m to close out its series D funding round from private equity firm TSG, valuing the company at $5.5bn. Now Revolut has enlisted the help of US-based investment bank [...]
UK fintech investment off to flying start after series of mega deals April 16, 2021 After a gruelling year the UK’s fintech industry is back with a bang, attracting nearly $3bn across more than 100 deals in the first quarter alone. The fintech sector raised a total of $2.9bn in the first three months of the year across 117 deals, with investment levels 153 per cent higher compared to the [...]
Online safety bill risks being ‘as shallow as a puddle’, warns campaigner April 15, 2021 In the recently published Integrated Review, a detailed policy document setting out the UK’s national security and international policies, the government identifies online harms as one of the most serious threats to our way of life. The report highlights the government’s commitment to ‘promote a free, open, peaceful and secure cyberspace’. However, it does not reflect the [...]
Exclusive: London’s fintech bubble is ‘close to popping,’ warns Reed Smith partner April 13, 2021 A coalition of London fintech firms recently called on the Financial Conduct Authority to end the dominance of banks over the use of consumer data this year. They argue it would increase competition in the savings, credit, mortgages and pensions markets. Howard Womersley Smith, an expert fintech and data lawyer at Reed Smith in the [...]
Profile: A global payments chief on a mission to disrupt April 12, 2021 Tom Cregan, the managing director and CEO of digital payments giant EML, is a heavy metal drummer and martial arts enthusiast on a mission to infuse rhythmic harmony into the world of payments. His favourite part of any day as chief executive is, what he calls, finding a ”1+1=5 moment” by thinking and approaching an [...]
Swedish payments firm Trustly plans to go public imminently April 12, 2021 Swedish payments firm Trustly plans to launch an IPO in late April or early May that could value the business at €9bn. Trustly’s owner, buyout group Nordic Capital, is working with Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and Carnegie on the IPO, Reuters reported in January. Trustly’s revenues were around €130m in 2019 and will be around [...]
In-person conferences to return to the capital with fintech event April 8, 2021 In-person conferences are set to return in July with Fintech Week London, as lockdown restrictions ease after a socially starved year. “Virtual conferences have served us well during the pandemic, but there’s nothing like being around fellow professionals and immersing yourself in face-to-face conversations,” CEO of Fintech Week London, Raf De Kimpe, said. “The Covid-19 [...]
Plaid valuation tops $13bn after scrapped Visa merger April 7, 2021 Fintech firm Plaid has more than doubled its valuation to over $13bn (£9bn), just months after its takeover deal with Visa collapsed. The San Francisco-based firm today said it had raised a further $425m through a Series D funding round led by Altimeter Capital, alongside other new investors Silver Lake and Ribbit Capital. Existing investors [...]
Innovate Finance chief exec Charlotte Crosswell to step down in May April 6, 2021 Innovate Finance’s chief executive Charlotte Crosswell has today announced that she will step down from her role in May. Crosswell has run the industry body for the UK’s fintech sector since 2017. Janine Hirt, the body’s chief operating officer, will take over on an interim basis. Her four years in charge saw Crosswell lead Innovate [...]