British fintech booms as 2019 set to be a record year for UK investment July 16, 2019 The UK’s standout fintech sector has once again broken records, hitting a new high of $2.9bn (£2.3bn) in funding in the first six months of 2019. The amount represents the highest intake of investment in a half-year period to date, and is equal to approximately 85 per cent of the sector’s total funding in 2018. [...]
City fintech Curve picks up $55m series B funding round July 16, 2019 London fintech firm Curve has today closed a $55m (£43.9m) series B funding round, led by Gauss Ventures. New investors Creditease and IDC Ventures also came on board. The round was similarly supported by existing investors, such as Seedcamp, Speedinvest and the venture capital arms of Santander and Investec. Curve consolidates multiple bank accounts and [...]
Revolut ‘to appoint Martin Gilbert as chairman in next few weeks’ July 14, 2019 Revolut is reportedly gearing up to appoint Martin Gilbert as its first ever chairman in a bid to strengthen governance and improve investor sentiment ahead of an upcoming fundraising. Gilbert, a former co-chief executive of Standard Life Aberdeen (SLA), was first confirmed as an adviser to chief Nikolay Storonsky in March. Read more: Revolut fights [...]
German fintech challenger bank N26 launches in the US July 11, 2019 German fintech giant N26 has today launched its services in the US, making it the second major European digital bank to cross the pond. Starting today in a staged rollout, the 100,000 customers on N26’s US waiting list will be invited to open an account and have full access to the bank’s app and debit card. [...]
London fintech Soldo scoops up $61m in funding July 8, 2019 London-based business banking fintech firm Soldo has today closed a $61m (£48.7m) series B funding round, led by Battery Ventures. Battery joined the round as a new investor alongside Dawn Capital, and existing investors Accel and Connect Ventures. The venture capital firms have previously backed the likes of iZettle, Facebook and Slack. Soldo, which provides [...]
Former Goldman Sachs chief Michael Sherwood to join UK fintech Revolut July 6, 2019 The former boss of Goldman Sachs European operations, Michael Sherwood, is set to join the board of UK fintech company Revolut. Sherwood, who is one of the most prominent bank executives in the City, will be announced in a non-executive directorship next week, according to Sky News. Read more: Revolut tops 100 startups of 2019 [...]
Peer-to-peer lender Funding Circle recovers slightly after share price crash July 3, 2019 Shares in peer-to-peer lender Funding Circle made steps towards recovery today after plummeting as much as 29 per cent yesterday after it slashed its revenue projections in half. The fintech’s stock recovered by more than eight per cent today to 125p following yesterday’s trading update that said full year revenue growth is now expected to [...]
Funding Circle shares dive as it halves revenue growth target July 2, 2019 Funding Circle’s shares collapsed today as it slashed revenue growth predictions in half this year, warning that demand for loans is waning amid an “increasing uncertain economic outlook”. The small business loans firm today warned that 2019 revenue growth will hit 20 per cent, rather than the 40 per cent it originally predicted. The peer-to-peer [...]
Revealed: Starling Bank chief’s stake slides as billionaire backer tightens grip July 1, 2019 The chief executive of Starling Bank has lost her position as a major shareholder in the British fintech giant, following a large funding injection in February. Anne Boden, who founded Starling in 2014, ceased to be a person with significant control in the bank in April, according to filings on Companies House. A spokesperson for [...]
Fintech firm Revolut leads list of UK’s top 100 startups of 2019 July 1, 2019 Challenger bank Revolut has claimed first place in a list of the UK’s top 100 startups of 2019, it was revealed today. British fintech startup Revolut topped Startups.co.uk’s Startups 100 list for 2019, as it counts 5m customers around Europe and the UK. Energy startup Igloo placed second, while retail startup Trouva took third place. [...]