Stripe Takes a 'Stable' Step with USDC Offering
Future of Fintech - Edition #138 (8th- 14th Oct)
Fintech is reaching new heights! 🚀 The UK fintech scene is on fire, embedding finance to non-financial platforms is the hottest trend, and credit access is finally getting the attention it deserves. Interesting? Well, that’s just the start. Get ready for a fintech future that's bolder, brighter, and more accessible than ever before »»»
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What’s on the fintech menu today?
📖 Today’s Must Read: Alliance-Driven Innovation in Digital Banking
🌟 Fintech Fiesta: The Week's Hot 10!
🌐 ‘Byte’ Buzz: Fintech highlights, sorted by segment!
🔗 Link Up: Your gateway to resourceful links!
Fin-teresting Stories in Fintech 📰
Alliance-Driven Innovation in Digital Banking
The digital banking revolution is upon us, and, in the race to dominate the future of finance, digital banks are leveraging the power of collaboration. Here are 10 standout alliances that exemplify innovation and agility in the fintech space:
Embedded Finance as the New Competitive Edge: Magnati X Wio and Froda X Juni reflect a growing trend where platforms integrate financial services at their core, providing instant credit and seamless financing solutions. This shift marks embedded finance as the foundation for better customer engagement and operational agility, where financial products are delivered at the point of need—blurring the lines between tech, finance, and business.
Localized Market Expansion & Cross-Border Scalability: Partnerships like Revolut X Bizum and Nasdaq X Nubank highlight how fintechs are leveraging local ecosystems to unlock new customer bases and scale faster. With Revolut tapping into Bizum’s 27 million users in Spain and Nasdaq supporting Nubank’s LATAM growth, these alliances prove that localised partnerships are essential for global ambitions—providing the cultural and regulatory fit to thrive in foreign markets.
Financial Inclusion at the Core of Innovation: The Philippine Statistics Authority X GoTyme partnership underscores the absolute necessity of inclusion. By offering free banking tied to National IDs, they bring banking services to the unbanked. Similarly, Lendio X Meow showcases how embedded lending simplifies capital access for businesses, reducing friction and boosting financial health.
These partnerships are catalysts shaping future business models. From scaling through local synergies to embedding finance seamlessly within digital platforms, they offer a playbook for fintechs looking to grow, innovate, and stay relevant.
And these are just the tip of the iceberg! Want to uncover the full scope of innovation happening in the digital banking world? Head over to our website to discover what they mean for the next wave of fintech innovation!
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Dive into Edition #138, your express delivery of piping-hot fintech trends!
The Week's Hot 10!♨️🔟
Enhancing Platform Capabilities -
⤷ Worldline and Online Payment Platform (OPP) partnered to launch Embedded Payments solution in Europe. This solution offers features like split payments and advanced escrow, driving new revenue and user engagement.
⤷ US-based payments platform Square launched its Orders platform, a service that offers expanded commerce features to sellers across verticals in the region.
Revolutionising LATAM Finance -
⤷ Uruguayan payments fintech dLocal received authorisation to operate as a payment transaction initiator (ITP) via Pix in Open Finance.
⤷ Brazil's top cryptocurrency exchanges — Bitso, Mercado Bitcoin, and Foxbit — joined forces to issue brl1, a stablecoin pegged to the value of the Brazilian real.
New Merchant Payment Options -
⤷ Revolut partnered with American Express to expand merchant payment options. It also launched a point of sale terminal in Ireland for in-person payments.
⤷ Stripe authorised its US merchants to accept Circle-issued USDC on their online checkout pages. In the first 24 hours, customers from over 70 countries used stablecoin payments for transactions on the platform.
Streamlining Credit & Lending -
⤷ Experian partnered with Oakbrook to offer debt consolidation loans on its Marketplace, expanding credit access for customers.
⤷ Plaid combined its instant financial onboarding platform with Consumer Report to simplify lender evaluations using both cash flow and credit data.
Expanding Financial Access -
⤷ FreedomPay partnered with Stripe to help enterprises unify commerce by integrating Stripe’s payment solutions with existing tools
⤷ UK fintech Pockit acquired pan-European fintech Monese for £15M, aiming to lead the market for low to middle-income consumers.
Now, for the ‘byte’-sized fintech buzz –
Embedded Finance is making life easier for UK consumers with invisible, seamless and effortless experiences - whether they're on the road or ordering in.
Pairpoint – Vodafone and Sumitomo Corporation’s Economy of Things business – and Mastercard announced a new collaboration and payments service focused on the UK and Europe. The new service will allow fleet operators’ vehicles to make authorised direct payments at charging or fuel stations, and freight companies to enable payments for pre-approved connections along a route.
NatWest Tyl partnered with online food delivery service easyFood to offer lower service fees throughout the UK. The partnership intends to offer no hardware costs and faster payments to restaurants and takeaway owners on the easyFood platform by integrating Tyl’s single terminal for a more streamlined payment process.
Open Finance is putting consumers in the driver's seat with Pay by Bank, giving them ultimate control and convenience while making payments a breeze for businesses.
Pay-by-bank provider Banked acquired Australian payment tech firm Waave. This acquisition includes a strategic partnership with Chemist Warehouse, one of the country’s largest retailers, to enhance its Pay by Bank offerings. Waave’s role in developing Chemist Warehouse's Pay by Bank solution was a crucial factor in the acquisition.
Plaid launched Pay by Bank for Bill Pay, offering businesses a seamless, cost-effective, and secure way for consumers to pay directly from their bank accounts. This solution aims to boost customer adoption and reduce returns for an optimized payment experience.
Digital Finance is evolving beyond transactions, offering enriched customer experiences and value-added services.
UK digital bank Chetwood Financial gets rebranded as Chetwood Bank, as it launches Easy Access savings account - marking a new chapter in its mission to provide simple, effective financial products.
Green fintech Cogo expanded its partnership with Tandem, an environmentally focused digital bank. This partnership integrates a carbon management solution into Tandem’s app, enabling users to track, understand, and reduce their carbon footprint through their banking activities.
Fintech Infrastructure is rewriting the rules of lending! Data and analytics are transforming credit decisions, bringing a whole new level of accuracy to lending.
LendingClub and Pagaya Technologies teamed up to acquire the intellectual property of Tally Technologies. Pagaya plans to integrate Tally’s product into its B2B suite, enhancing its credit management offerings.
Plaid combined its instant financial onboarding platform, Plaid Layer, with Consumer Report, its cash flow data solution powered by a consumer reporting agency, to simplify how lenders evaluate cash flow data alongside traditional credit data.
DeFi is bridging the gap with traditional finance, from stablecoin collaborations to tokenised real estate, paving the way for mainstream adoption.
Japanese startup Gu Group signed a MoU with Aozora Bank to consider issuing stablecoins. This agreement is for trust-based stablecoins. Additionally, Aozora also invested Yen 150M ($1M) in Gu Group.
Fintech MetaWealth announced its role as a founding partner in London’s tokenised co-working space, The Square, in collaboration with Superteam UK. This project, powered on the Solana blockchain, is set to open in February 2025.
And that's a wrap 👋
We hope you enjoyed this edition of the Weekly Fintech Brew!
As a reward for making it this far, enjoy a curated list of awesome fintech resources to keep your curiosity cup full to the brim. Cheers to continuous learning!
🔗 Link Up! –
The Evolution of Cross-Border Payments: From Swift to DLT Report - Blade Labs
2024 Report: Card Platform Migration Report - Tietoevry
How can you make money with Embedded Finance? Blog - Lars Markull via The Paypers
Revolutionary Open Banking Use Cases in North America Blog - WhiteSight
Toast Teardown: Vertical SaaS meets Embedded Finance Report - WhiteSight
Hungry for more fintech insights? Check out some of our other work at WhiteSight.
If you're someone who likes to read think pieces, you will likely love our monthly blog, Fintersections, where our team members analyse the convergence of fintech with the world.
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