Jun 4, 2021

Global FinTech News - 4th June 2021

By Holland FinTech • Issue #101 • View online

Dear reader,

This week, the EU announced the plan to create a pan European digital identity solution and wallet, bound to have an impact in fintech. In the meanwhile, our team is fully focused on Amsterdam Fintech Week, starting this afternoon. Check it out here!

At 4pm today, Holland Fintech organizes a Launch Event, kicking off the Amsterdam Fintech Week (see registration link below) and the new Dutch Fintech Map. You can watch this event live here

Despite all that, we keep on having an eye out for you on the news in fintech, and exploring the newest trends from fintech - M&A, payments, insurtech, banking, financial health, and more! Read all about it below.

This Friday morning, our Founder & CEO, Don Ginsel, dived into the latest insights and developments in fintech with Robin Kiera, Founder & CEO at Digital Scouting. Check out the video here.

From the Holland FinTech Team, we wish you a nice end of the week!

Highlights from last weeks news related to fintech

Weekly News Highlights - 3 June 2021

Dive into this week’s topics, focused on embedded finance marketplace, fintech partnerships, online payment, retail banking, M&A, blockchain and more!

ClearBooks, a software provider, is to be the first third party application to join a new business marketplace built by Revolut, a smartphone payment app
Wise, a banking platform, is officially launching in India, opening an office in Mumbai in the process and making its international transfers available
Stripe, a SaaS payments company, partners with Grab, a transportation company, to offer consumers across Southeast Asia online payments through the GrabPay e-wallet
Acorns Grow Inc, a fintech company focusing on micro-investing and robo-investing, is to go public in $2 Billion SPAC deal
Worldline, a global leader in the payments industry, announced the acquisition of 92.5% of the share capital of Cardlink, the network services provider in Greece
The EU plans on launching 27 state-wide digital wallet for private and public services

Read more about this week’s news HERE

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The largest funding rounds we found from across the world

Weekly Funding Highlights - 2 June 2021

Find out the latest deals and transactions from fintech regarding digital insurance, payments, treasury, cybersecurity, mortgage, cash flow management, ecommerce, personal finance, open banking, selected from 26th May - 2nd June:

Wefox (Berlin, Germany), a digital insurance company, raised $650m (€533M) in Series C funding and is valued at $3 billion (€2.5Bn)
Circle (Boston, USA), a fintech firm that provides payments and treasury infrastructure for internet businesses, raised $440m (€360M) in financing
Exabeam (San Mateo, CA, USA), a startup that helps companies automate the analysis and monitor their cybersecurity data, raised $200 million (€164M)
Snapdocs (San Francisco, CA, USA), a digital platform for the mortgage industry, raised $150 million (€123M) in Series D funding
Paysend (London, UK), a fintech that has built a mobile-based payments platform, has picked up $125M (€102M) in funding series B
SpotOn (San Francisco, CA, USA), a software and payments company, raised $125m (€102M) in Series D funding
Yieldstreet (New York, NY, USA), a company that provides a platform for making alternative investments, has raised $100 million (€82M) in a Series C funding round
Chipper Cash (San Francisco, California, United States), a cross-border payment application, has raised $100 million (€82M) in a Series C round
Agicap (Lyon, France), a cash flow management platform, has raised a new $100 million (€82M) funding round
Wayflyer (Dublin, Ireland), a provider of eCommerce growth platform, raised $76M (€62M) in Series A funding
Other fundings we found interesting include: Spiff (€37M), Truebill (€37M), Belvo (€35M), Rally (€25M), Redacted (€29M), Red Points (€15M), Skiff (€3M)

Read more about this week’s funding news HERE.

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A selection of recent research reports and papers worth reading

Weekly Research Highlights - 1 June 2021

Dive into the newest figures on the topic of AI, payments, data utilization, financial health, digital banking and more!

“Generation Z: Their payments are our future” (Fintech Talents) - This paper explores the banking and payments journey Gen Zers are currently making, and what lessons or trends can be identified for the future
“Building the AI bank of the future” (McKinsey.com) - This report indicates that building the AI bank of the future will allow institutions to innovate faster, compete with digital natives in building deeper customer relationships at scale
“The smart data challenge: How are financial services firms using data to drive innovation and keep up with the digital disruptors?” (FSTech) - Results of this study show that fintech services providers are well aware of the opportunities offered by data-driven technologies including AI, machine learning and advanced analytics
“World FinTech Report 2021” (Fintechworldreport.com) - This report covers banking in the fintech era and explores how successful fintechs have breached the profitability barrier and analyzes alternative options for banks
“200+ female VC partners in Europe: the complete list” (Sifted.eu) - This article has compiled a comprehensive list of Europe’s 200+ female VC partners
“TFT Consumer Research Report on Financial Health” (Think Forward Initiative) - The report shows that the majority of Europeans believe their financial health has been unaffected by the pandemic
“The Future of Digital Banking in the UK 2021” (Finextra) - This report includes insights from largest banks across the globe on the future of digital banking

Read more about research papers HERE

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Background information and insights from opinion leaders and experts

Weekly Analysis and Opinions Highlights - 31 May 2021

Explore the latest voices in the fintech industry for the topic of payments, digital identity, cryptos, AI and financial well-being and more!

“Micropayments Are A Macro Opportunity” via Forbes - David G.W.Birch, contributor at Forbes, emphasizes that we are heading to peak subscription and it’s time for new thinking
“How the Gemini credit card could change crypto and payments” via Mastercard.com - Ben Fox Rubin, writer at Mastercard.com, underlines that the Gemini card is emblematic of the growing world of crypto
“Digital identity can help advance inclusive financial services” via World Economic Forum - Mohit Joshi, President at Infosys, highlights that to get through COVID-19 as best as possible, business and government must put power in the hands of the populace
“Why are we still using analogue authentication in a digital world?” via The Papers - Ryan Gosling, Commercial Director at Callsign, dives into the impact of authentication in a digital world and expresses that there is immense pressure in the industry for businesses
“Behind every racy fintech, a sensible German saver” via Ft.com - Tom Braithwaite, editor at FT.com, shares the opinion that fintechs that need cheap funding can tap German savers, who are happy with any rate greater than zero
“Protecting Customers From Harm Is A Crucial Part Of Banks’ Financial Well-Being Strategy” via Finextra - Aurélie L’hostis, Senior Analyst at Forrester Research, explores the relationship between mental health and money problems and points out the need for banks and financial services companies to protect vulnerable customers
“Is AI Efficient in Any Industry Today?” via Analytics Insight - Writers at Analytics Insight takes a look and analyses some companies/industries that are extremely dependent on AI

Read more about these analyses & opinion pieces HERE.

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Connect with the fintech ecosystem at some of the upcoming events

Amsterdam Fintech Week Launch Event - 4th June

Join us for the official kick-off event of Amsterdam Fintech Week 2021! The themes of the week will be presented by our Founder and CEO, Don Ginsel, along with other actors of the industry that will help us shape the entire week. Finally, we will be launching the Dutch Fintech Map and presenting the main findings.

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Buckle up for your start-up ride - session with Google - 9th June 2021

On June 9th, join Fahd Ekadioin - Partner Engineer at Google - for a session during which he’ll talk about the experience of a growing company. All of it: from growing pains to successes.

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