Funding Circle beats revenue growth forecasts three months on from IPO January 17, 2019 Small business lender Funding Circle has beaten its forecasts for revenue growth and loans under management three months after a disappointing debut on the London Stock Exchange. The company hit revenue growth of 55 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2018, exceeding the 50 per cent guidance which was estimated at the time of its [...]
London fintech startup Jaja Finance picks up £5m with a boost from Celeres January 16, 2019 Credit card fintech startup Jaja Finance has today confirmed the final close of its £3.5m crowdfunding round, boosted by an additional £1.5m from Celeres Investments. The £5m intake adds to an earlier £4.4m raised in seed funding last year, backed by Blystad Group and Pollen Street Capital among others. More than 1,000 private investors took [...]
MPs fear FCA proposals on overdraft rules could end free banking January 15, 2019 The head of the UK’s financial watchdog told MPs this morning that he is “very alert” to the possibility that proposed rules to tackle charges for unplanned overdrafts could raise the cost of planned consumer borrowing. MPs raised concerns that changes to overdraft rules could negatively impact the availability of free banking as banks would [...]
As London heads back to school, here’s how the City is kickstarting careers January 14, 2019 It’s back to school for students across the country. A new term is always an exciting prospect; pupils and teachers return with renewed energy and a readiness to learn and teach. Last month, the City of London Corporation, which sponsors 10 academies in London, was named by the Sutton Trust as the best UK academy [...]
London venture capital firm Beringea heads up north with £9m fintech injection January 13, 2019 London-based venture capital firm Beringea has expanded its UK presence with an office based in Manchester, the firm will announce today. It has also led a £9m fundraising round in Mancunian fintech firm Accesspay, which it said was one of the region’s largest fintech rounds to date. Based in the northern city centre's St Peter's [...]
Revolut rival digital bank N26 lands $300m funding round, becoming Europe’s most valuable fintech startup January 10, 2019 Digital banking startup N26 has closed the biggest funding round in European fintech in recent years, valuing the Monzo and Revolut challenger at $2.7bn (£2.1bn). The Berlin-based fintech, which offers a current account and debit card through its mobile banking app, has raised $300m in a series D round led by US venture capital firm Insight Venture Partners. [...]
Digital finance technology is wonderful, but we must design it with consumers’ best interests at heart January 10, 2019 Every morning, I browse my phone as I commute to work. I check my emails, the news, Twitter, and increasingly I open my various finance apps. I recently logged into my investment platform app and made a new investment – £1,000 in a startup Swedish retailer. Once the money was invested, I was applauded with [...]
London raked £1.8bn in tech funding last year, almost double its next closest rival January 9, 2019 London has retained its spot at the top of the tech charts for another year, securing almost double the amount of investment in 2018 than its next closest European competitor. Tech firms in the capital raised £1.8bn in venture funding and public listings in 2018, raking in 72 per cent of the UK’s £2.5bn total [...]
Fintech unicorn Monzo to appoint former Northern Rock boss to banking board January 8, 2019 Digital bank Monzo has appointed the former head of failed bank Northern Rock to its board, as the startup aims for growth in 2019. The fintech firm is to announce Gary Hoffman as its non-executive chairman tomorrow, as first reported by Sky News, replacing Baroness Kingsmill who has chaired Monzo since 2015. Hoffman will bring [...]
Wework to rebrand as The We Company in business structure overhaul, turning its eyes to fintech January 8, 2019 Shared workspace provider Wework is rebranding itself as The We Company, as the firm aims towards a more diversified business portfolio. To be announced at an internal company conference later this week, The We Company will become the parent to several offshoots, including Wework as its main office provider. Others include its residential unit Welive, and an [...]