Wise Choice, Morgan Stanley: Powering FX Settlements with a Global Twist
Future of Fintech - Edition #146 (10th-23rd Dec)
Hey, fintech fam! 🎄As we wrap up this year's final sip of the weekly fintech brew, we’re feeling all the feels—gratitude, excitement, and a dash of nostalgia. 🚀 A heartfelt thank you for sipping along with us! For this blend, we’ve got the cuppas brimming with
✅ enhanced payment features,
✅ fintechs hitting their funding & license targets, and
✅ some jolly updates from Canada’s fintech scene.
Happy Holidays, and catch you in the New Year with even hotter takes and fresh fintech flavours! ❄️
Catch the fintech wave and subscribe for your weekly dose of insights!😊☕
What’s on the fintech menu today?
📖 Today’s Must Read: The 12 Days of Fintech: A Treasure Trove of Insights for the Holidays 🎄
🌟 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 📰
🎄 The 12 Days of Fintech: A Treasure Trove of Insights for the Holidays 🎄
As the holiday season wraps us in its warm embrace, we're channelling the festive spirit with a fintech twist! This week, we invite you to join a special countdown—the 12 Days of Fintech. Just like unwrapping gifts under the Christmas tree, we've curated a series of in-house gems to make your fintech journey brighter, smarter, and more insightful.
From deep dives into the bold moves of Stripe and Starling Bank to decoding the transformative power of embedded finance and BaaS, each piece is a window into the dynamic world of financial innovation. Whether you're exploring the future of Apple Pay, marvelling at Nubank's global strides, or tracing the evolution of B2B BNPL, this lineup is designed to keep you informed, inspired, and ahead of the curve.
So, pour yourself a warm cuppa of fintech brew, and let’s unwrap these 12 thoughtfully crafted insights by Team WhiteSight that reflect the pulse of the industry and illuminate the road ahead.
⏲️ Let the countdown begin:
🎁 Stripe’s Economic Infrastructure PlaybookStarling’s Challenger Bank Playbook
🎁 Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) – Rearchitecting Financial Services Landscape (with Brankas)
🎁 The State of Banking-as-a-Service in the UK & Europe (with Toqio)
🎁 Roundup 2024: A2A Payments Opening Doors Through Open Banking
🎁 Future of Fintech: Promising Partnerships (20 Strategic Deals)
Looking for more to fill your fintech cravings? The fintech feast doesn’t stop here! Our website is brimming with even more roundups, reports, and blogs, all crafted to keep you ahead in the ever-evolving financial landscape. Whether you're seeking in-depth analyses or bite-sized insights, there's a treasure trove of knowledge waiting for you.
📢 We're always seeking innovative voices in fintech to be our next guest feature!
With a community of 2100+ fintech enthusiasts, we'd love to amplify your insights. Reach out to us for features, sponsorships, or collaborations!
Unlock a treasure trove of fintech intel with a WhiteSight Radar subscription. See further with exclusive reports, industry trend breakdowns, and expert analysis on everything from Embedded Finance and Digital Banking to Open Finance and beyond.
Become a member and steer your business course with actionable intelligence on the winning strategies of leading companies like Apple, Stripe, Starling Bank, OakNorth Bank, and Toast that propels your business to the forefront of fintech. (PLUS! More in our premium content pipeline - Amazon, Grab, Wise, Shopify, Mercado Libre… the list goes on!)
Supercharge your Fintech IQ with WhiteSight Radar, putting expert fintech intel at your fingertips! 🧭
Merry fintech moments await in Edition #146—your holiday brew is here!
The Week's Hot 10!♨️🔟
Big players doubling down on enhanced transaction security and efficiency
⤷ Visa acquired Featurespace, a developer of real-time AI payments protection technology, aiming to optimise its fraud protection capabilities.
⤷ Morgan Stanley selected global money transfer firm Wise to power foreign exchange international settlement capabilities for its corporate customers.
Taking payment capabilities up a notch
⤷ Affirm and Adyen expanded partnership to bring flexible payment options to more merchants and platforms in Canada.
⤷ eBay and Klarna expanded their strategic partnership to key European markets, making BNPL options available to more eBay shoppers.
⤷ Enfuce, SEB Embedded, and Humla launched a co-branded payment card for Hemköp to transform supermarket shopping experience in Sweden.
Crushing goals like a pro
⤷ Tyme Group achieves a unicorn status with $250M Series D led by Nubank, fueling its expansion into Vietnam and Indonesia.
⤷ Bitpanda secured in-principle approval from Dubai’s Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority, paving the way for its entry into UAE’s growing crypto market.
Future plans locked and loaded
⤷ Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank partnered with Lean Technologies to launch Open Finance in the UAE, enhancing tailored offerings for fintechs and corporates.
⤷ The Canadian Government unveils its 'Complete Framework for Consumer-driven Banking,' set to launch in early 2026.
⤷ BIS proposed a hybrid retail CBDC model with central banks managing issuance and governance, while commercial banks handle consumer services.
Now, for the ‘byte’-sized fintech buzz –
Embedded Finance is changing the game, with flexible payment options getting woven into every transactions.
Klarna partnered with Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman to offer flexible payment options for luxury shopping. Customers can shop for designer handbags and clothing with AI-powered payment methods.
Affirm secured a $4B partnership with Sixth Street, which will invest in Affirm loans through its Asset-based Finance platform. The three-year deal will involve acquiring loans in an AssetCo structure.
Open Finance is boosting security and compliance for smooth transactions in the UK.
UK pensions administrator Aptia adopted HSBC’s payment pre-validation API to enhance payment security and protect customer data.
Raisin UK teamed up with Salt Edge to strengthen its compliance with UK regulations, ensuring secure and seamless financial solutions for customers.
Digital Finance is expanding with new Shariah-compliant and SME-focused services.
D360 Bank secured approval from the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) to launch its digital banking services. The bank aims to offer Shariah-compliant financial solutions to clients.
TBC Uzbekistan launched the country’s first fully digital banking service tailored for SMEs and individual entrepreneurs, branded as TBC Business.
Fintech Infrastructure is evolving, enabling digital and asset management solutions.
TD Bank partnered with Dutch tech vendor Backbase to upgrade its retail card business. The collaboration aims to provide a more digital-first, user-friendly experience for cardholders.
Swiss fintech Taurus expanded its partnership with Temenos to offer digital asset services. The integration of Taurus-PROTECT custody solution will allow banks to manage digital assets within Temenos’ core banking platform.
DeFi is gaining momentum while navigating the intersection between regulation and innovation!
The German Bundestag approved the Financial Market Digitisation Act (FinmadiG) ahead of MiCAR’s implementation on 30 December. The move responds to industry calls for necessary regulations.
Argentina announced plans to tokenise lithium via blockchain, enabling fractional ownership and ensuring transparency in ethical sourcing.
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! –
State of Fintech 2025: The Age of the Fintech Hyperscaler Report - Fintech Brainfood
2024 State of Payments Report - Marqeta
The ‘superglue effect’ of eSIMs on fintech Blog - Tech in Asia
The key to a simpler future: open finance unlocked Blog - Backbase
The State of Digital Finance (Q3 2024) Report - WhiteSight
Nubank’s Global Playbook: Big Bets, Bigger Moves Blog - 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.
And lastly, to stay updated on everything fintech and web3, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter, and don't be shy to show some ❤️