HSBC, Goldman and Lord Fink back City fintech firm Bud February 4, 2019 Fintech startup Bud has closed a $20m (£15.3m) funding round from investors such as HSBC, Goldman Sachs and former Man Group boss Lord Stanley Fink. Other investors included Investec’s INVC fund, ANZ Bank, the corporate venture arm of Banco Sabadell and 9 Yards, the venture capital firm which lists former chancellor George Osborne among its [...]
JP Morgan takes minority stake in London startup Smart Pension February 4, 2019 Banking behemoth JP Morgan has made a strategic investment in workplace pensions startup Smart Pension, the firm will announce today, as part of a fresh equity funding round. The size of the round was undisclosed, however Smart Pension said it had raised around £50m to date. JP Morgan took a minority equity stake as part of [...]
Starling Bank courts Irish banking licence as it launches euro accounts February 4, 2019 London digital challenger bank Starling is today kicking off preparations to apply for an Irish banking licence, as it launches support for euro currency accounts this week. Offered to its users based in the UK, the euro account will be available alongside Starling’s existing pound account in order for customers to hold, send and receive euros with [...]
Revealed: The 10 fintech startups in Barclays’ 2019 Techstars accelerator February 1, 2019 It's that time of year again: Barclays has unveiled the 10 startups that have made the cut for its annual fintech accelerator programme, powered by venture capital giant Techstars. Now in its sixth year, the 13-week programme puts the young companies through an intensive training course with access to mentorship from Barclays and industry experts, and [...]
Former Marketinvoice boss raises $30m for fintech startup Complyadvantage, backed by Index and Balderton January 30, 2019 The fintech startup formed by the co-founder and former chief executive of London firm Marketinvoice has closed a $30m (£22.8m) funding round today, backed by Revolut investors Index Ventures and Balderton Capital. Complyadvantage uses artificial intelligence to analyse the risk of financial crime for some of the world’s largest banks. The startup will use the funding to [...]
Software is the UK’s most popular sector for angel investment, report shows January 30, 2019 Software has retained its position as the top sector for angel investment in the UK, a new report has revealed. Software was the best performing sector for both investment and pitches in 2018, according to an analysis of 100,000 businesses by the Angel Investment Network (AIN). Read more: UK fintech Featurespace raises £25m in latest funding [...]
Former Virgin Money chief Jayne-Anne Gadhia hunts for investors in new tech startup January 28, 2019 The former head of challenger bank Virgin Money is to set up her own fintech startup, designed to save consumers money on their household bills. Dame Jayne-Anne Gadhia has approached several investors regarding a new company called Snoop, which will take advantage of Open Banking rules to utilise data about customers' spending habits, according to reports [...]
UK fintech Featurespace raises £25m in latest funding round led by Insight Venture Partners and Mission OG January 28, 2019 UK fintech firm Featurespace, a software company that specialises in behavioural analytics, has raised £25m in a funding round led by Insight Venture Partners and Mission OG. The funding, which is the largest amount the firm has raised to date, will be used to aid Featurespace’s international expansion and the development of the company’s artificial intelligence-led software. Featurespace, which currently [...]
Britain and India are moving towards a bright new future January 28, 2019 The UK’s position on the world stage is about to change forever, but it’s not because of Brexit. In fact, it’s due to a bigger macroeconomic and geopolitical shift: the march of a country that is likely to become one of the world’s future superpowers. A nation with a huge population, an outstanding growth rate, [...]
A post-Brexit City: MPs ask the right questions January 25, 2019 City in the morning, Westminster in the afternoon – there was a time when this was the daily routine for a number of MPs. These days, alas, one is hard-pressed to find a parliamentarian who truly understands the Square Mile, but former corporate lawyer Nicky Morgan can claim to be one of them. As head [...]
