THE Fintech Times bi-weekly news summary takes a look at the latest fintech news from around the world on Thursday, December 19, 2024.
Appointment
Infrastructure Financial Technology lemon.markets expands its management team with two key appointments to newly created positions. Philipp Schäfer joined as sales manager, bringing experience of DWS And Morgen Fund, while Niko Schroer assumes the role of partnership manager, after having held positions at Band And Google. Laura Cüppers also takes on additional responsibilities as vice president of brokerage and now also leads product management.
Global financial technology Broadridge Financial Solutions appointed Mike Cowley as responsible for the activity of providing international communication services to investors. His previous role was as Global Head of Asset Services Product Development at Citi Bank where he led initiatives to improve service delivery.
Community lender Salad money announced the appointment of Alex Marais as chairman of its board of directors, succeeding Sir Tim Melville-Ross who has held this position since the launch of Salad in 2019. In addition to his role at Salad, Marsh is a non-executive director of Center for Finance, Innovation and Technology (CFIT).
North Mill, a European fintech bank, has appointed Emile Folkesson as the new financial director. He previously held positions at Markets Nordea, Scania, Intrum And Ratos. Founded in 2006, Northmill provides retail and professional banking services to clients across Sweden, Norway, Finland and Poland.
Davies, the professional services technology company serving insurance and highly regulated markets, announces a new senior operating structure for its consulting division. The team that will report to the advisory CEO, Pino Vallejo, will be responsible for growing the firm’s consulting offerings. Appointments include Paul Johnson as Chief Operating Officer and Matt Parkinson, who will take on the newly created role of Chief Revenue Officer.
No more meetings
Mashreq, a financial institution in the MENA region, appoints Philippe Philippide as the new CEO of Capital of Mashreq. In his role, he will lead the expansion of Mashreq Capital’s asset management businesses, overseeing investments, strategic client engagement and the development of innovative solutions to meet the needs of a dynamic market.
Toqio, a B2B integrated finance technology platform for businesses, has recruited two senior executives in its key markets of the UK and Spain. Marcello Silvestri joins the group as head of UK sales, after holding senior roles in fintechs Split And Vizolutionas well as Western Union, Mastercard And NatWest. Yan Rocubert Paredes joins Toqio as Vice President of Technology in Toqio’s domestic market in Spain. He previously worked at Adevinta Spain, Raet, Unitrends and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cuba.
Funding circle named Ken Stannard as a non-executive director and chairman designate with effect from January 1, 2025. This announcement follows the company’s disclosure in its 2023 annual report that it would begin a process of searching for a successor to Andrew Learoyd who has served as president since May 2016.
DuploCloud unveiled two strategic additions to its management team: Matt Amundson as marketing director and Kelly DeHart as revenue director. These new appointments mark an important milestone in DuploCloud’s growth, as the company continues to empower businesses to build technology-driven, automated infrastructures.
Financing and investments
Financing companies, the unified digital finance platform for SMEs in Southeast Asia, has raised $25 million in equity investments from Cool Japan Fund (CJF) – Japan’s sovereign wealth fund. It will channel investments to deepen its core business in SME financing in its five markets (Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam); while further developing its payment activity since its launch in 2022.
Fintech for account-to-account payments Volume raised $6 million in a funding round led by United Companies, with the participation of Fabricthe open finance platform which is part of the Sella Groupand existing investors Firstminute Capital, SeedX And Haatch, who redoubled his support. Volume is now focused on expanding its operations in the UK and Europe, with the aim of obtaining FCA regulation in the UK as well as plans for European expansion through a new license.
BVNK, the stablecoin payments infrastructure company, closed its $50 million Series B funding round, led by Haun Ventureswith the participation of Coinbase Ventures, Scribble Ventures, DRWVC as well as existing investors Future And World Tiger. As part of its Series B round, BVNK is expanding its operations in the United States, opening an office in San Francisco and establishing a presence in New York.
British financial technology company Higher score has secured an additional £1 million in seed funding to further expand the footprint of its Finance Passport platform, a free-to-consumer product that provides access to cross-border mortgage solutions. Upscore currently generates over £2 million in mortgages per month, with a goal of reaching £100 million in 2025.
More news on financing
Capital of the sandfieldsa specialist litigation fintech company that provides loans to individuals and law firms pursuing legal claims, has secured a £10.5 million funding facility from a Canadian investor under of an agreement concluded by a debt financing specialist. Capital Altimapa. The new facility will enable Sandfield Capital to meet the growing demand for claims financing, particularly claims against financial brokers for undisclosed commissions as well as tenants bringing claims against landlords for the dilapidation of their homes.
Emirates NBD, a banking group from the Middle East, North Africa and Türkiye (MENAT) region has invested in Guard Zodia, an institutional-first digital asset custodian. The strategic equity investment was made by Emirates NBD’s Innovation Fund, the bank’s venture capital fund. Created in 2023, the fund strengthens the bank’s digital ambitions and regional expertise in synergy with the agility and technological innovations of fintech companies.
Habit, a digital bank offering a new form of mobile financial advice to Japan’s younger generations, secured $11.7 million (JPY 1.8 billion) in Series A funding. The round was led by QED Investors, DG Daiwa Ventures And Scrum Companies. This is QED Investors’ first investment in Japan. It will use the funds to expand Habitto’s user base, improve its digital banking platform, as well as develop advanced financial tools and services.