Аsia
PayU buys 43.5% stake in Mumbai-based Mindgate Solutions
IBS Intelligence, Posted March 21, 2025
PayU, the payments and FinTech business of Prosus has acquired a strategic stake in Mindgate Solutions, an expert in real-time payments technology. The move is in line with PayU’s plans to expand its presence in India’s real-time payments sector while leveraging Mindgate’s expertise in driving digital payment innovations globally.
As part of this deal, PayU will acquire a 43.5% stake in Mindgate, while the company’s founders will retain majority ownership.
This investment enables PayU to contribute to the ongoing revolution in India’s digital payment landscape, driven by instant payment systems like UPI, developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). As NPCI continues to expand UPI both domestically and globally, with a vision to process 100 billion transactions per month in India by 2030, Mindgate plays a vital role by providing the end-to-end real-time payment infrastructure stack and expertise for several leading banks in India.
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Indian fintech startup Navadhan nets $12.8m series A
Tech in Asia, Posted March 20, 2025
Navadhan, a fintech startup focused on rural India, has raised 111 crore rupees (US$12.8 million) in its series A funding round.
The round was led by NabVentures, the venture capital arm of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), with co-lead participation from Prime Ventures. Investors included LNB Group, Varanium NexGen Fintech Fund, Gemba Capital, Faad, VC-Grid, and Anicut
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JCB Now Available on Google Play in Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, and Hong Kong
Fintech Finance news, Posted March 12, 2025
JCB International Co., Ltd., the international operations subsidiary of JCB Co., Ltd., today announced that JCB is now available on Google Play in Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Hong Kong. Through these years, JCB Cardmembers in Asia have experienced significant growth. In addition to the growth, JCB is committed to providing its Cardmembers with expanded accessibility across the entire payment experience, including the digital environment. JCB will continue to strive to improve the overall payment experience for all JCB Cardmembers, not just in Asia.
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Europe
Digital Euro Needed to Counter Stablecoins, Non-European Big Tech, ECB Chief Economist Says
Coin Desk, Posted March 20, 2025
ECB chief economist Philip Lane said Europe needs a digital euro to counter the foothold that stablecoins are gaining in the financial system.
He also spoke of the prevalence of electronic payments provided by non-European Big Tech firms, such as Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal, and the risks these pose. The case to develop a CBDC may be greater for the ECB than other central banks, given the eurozone is a multicountry area, Lane said.
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Most Brits are turning away from credit cards – Is BNPL the future?
IBS Intelligence, Posted March 18, 2025
Traditional credit cards may be losing their grip on UK consumers as nearly three in four Britons now prefer Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) services. According to a recent study by Secure Data Recovery, BNPL has become the go-to payment option for many, with 75% of users viewing it as a superior alternative to credit cards. This growing trend highlights a fundamental shift in consumer finance, driven by ease of use, flexible repayment options, and interest-free instalments.
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Deutsche Bank launches Bizum for businesses in Spain
IBS Intelligence, Posted March 19, 2025
Taking another step in its service to companies, Deutsche Bank has launched Bizum, the popular Spanish mobile payment solution, to its corporate clients and companies. Thus, Deutsche Bank becomes the first international bank to offer this payment solution.
From this moment on, foreign multinationals with a presence in Spain and national businesses that have a virtual POS service associated with Deutsche Bank will be able to accept payment by bizum in their electronic companies.
This partnership marks Bizum’s expansion beyond its traditional markets of Spain and Andorra and demonstrates Deutsche Bank’s commitment to offering innovative and accessible payment solutions.
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Finastra Unveils Enhanced Lending Cloud Service Supported by IBM
IBM, Posted March 19, 2025
Finastra, a global provider of financial services software applications, and IBM (NYSE: IBM) today unveiled their collaboration on an enhanced cloudbased lending managed services offering. Finastra’s Lending Cloud Service (LCS) offers comprehensive and cost-effective services for its Corporate Lending solutions — Loan IQ, Trade Innovation and Corporate Channels – and is supported by IBM for Finastra clients in North America and Europe.
Steve Moe, Head of Technology for Lending at Finastra said, “We are excited to make this announcement as it demonstrates momentum in continuing to provide seamless digital lending solutions to our customers. Part of our approach champions collaboration and tapping into partner core capabilities, and that’s what we are doing here. Working with industry giants like IBM gives us huge scale, credible skills and a reliable and quick path to implement offerings that deliver value at speed for our customers.”
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USA
Google now lets kids use Google Wallet for in-store payments in select countries
Tech Crunch, Posted March 19, 2025
Google announced on Wednesday that kids with Android phones can now tap to pay at stores using Google Wallet in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Spain, and Poland. Parents and guardians in these countries can now allow their children to access digital payments on their Android devices with supervision.
Kids can also use Google Wallet to access supported passes, like event tickets, library cards, and gift cards.
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ICBA Payments and Mastercard partner to upgrade customer payment experiences for community banks
Mastercard, Posted March 17, 2025
ICBA Payments, the payments subsidiary of the Independent Community Bankers of America® (ICBA), announced today its new partnership with Mastercard to offer upgraded and enhanced card and payment services for 1,400 community banks. The strategic alliance with Mastercard will help community bankers bolster and modernize their card programs through new innovative features, providing an enhanced customer experience.
“Today, we’re not only upgrading payments but also investing in the future of our local communities,” ICBA Payments CEO Jacob Eisen said. “By partnering with Mastercard, we’re equipping our member banks with innovative, secure, and cost-effective solutions that empower them to support and grow the neighborhoods they serve. Together, we are paving the way for stronger local economies and enduring customer relationships.”
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Alphabet to buy Wiz for $32 billion in its biggest deal to boost cloud security
Reuters, Posted March 18, 2025
Alphabet (GOOGL.O), opens new tab will buy fast-growing startup Wiz for about $32 billion in its biggest deal ever, the Google parent said Tuesday, as it doubles down on cybersecurity to sharpen its edge in the cloud-computing race against Amazon.com and Microsoft.
The blockbuster deal will make Wiz part of Google’s cloud unit and strengthen the company’s efforts in cybersecurity solutions that companies use to remove critical risks.
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Temenos to open Innovation Hub for banking technology in Central Florida
Temenos, Posted March 19, 2025
Temenos (SIX: TEMN), a market leader in banking technology, today announced the opening of a new Innovation Hub in Central Florida – bringing its technology development closer to US clients and accelerating the future of banking.
Expanding its US footprint, Temenos will recruit approximately 200 technology and product developers at the new hub, fueling cutting-edge research and development for US-specific banking solutions powered by transformative technologies like Generative AI (GenAI).
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Why Goldman Sachs’ CIO is taking a measured approach to rolling out AI across the business
Fortune, Posted March 19, 2025
Half of the 46,000 employees at Goldman Sachs now have access to artificial intelligence. By the end of this year, chief information officer Marco Argenti expects even more will be able to tap into AI in hopes of boosting their productivity—yet still not everyone at the firm.
“We have the entire organization that needs to somehow re-tune and re-tool itself for AI,” says Argenti. “But, I think we’ve been very, very, very intentional with regards to driving people change management.”
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LatAm
dLocal and Belmoney partner to transform cross-border remittances across key emerging markets
dLocal, Posted March 18, 2025
dLocal, the leading payment platform connecting global merchants to emerging markets, has announced a strategic partnership with Belmoney, the first Remittance-as-a-Service (RAAS) provider in Europe.
The global remittance industry remains burdened with high fees and slow transaction speeds. According to the IMF, transfers under $200 incur average fees of 10%, reaching up to 20% in smaller migration corridors. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals call for a reduction in remittance costs to 3%, yet the current average sits at 6.5%—posing a financial burden on senders and recipients, particularly in low-income regions.
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dLocal, Posted March 20, 2025
dLocal, the leading cross-border payment platform connecting global merchants to emerging markets, has announced a strategic partnership with Temu, the global e-commerce platform known for affordable products. This collaboration enhances the shopping experience for millions of customers in 14 emerging markets across Africa, Asia, and Latin America by offering seamless and secure payment options tailored to local preferences. Emerging markets often face significant barriers to accessing global e-commerce, including limited payment options and high unbanked populations. According to the World Bank, 1.4 billion adults globally remain unbanked, with many concentrated in high-growth regions. Additionally, inadequate payment solutions contribute to cart abandonment rates exceeding 70% in markets lacking localized options
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Ant International Launches Embedded Finance Service for E-Commerce SMEs in Brazil
Talk Fintech, Posted March 18, 2025
Bettr, an innovative AI-driven lending company under Ant International, has officially launched in Brazil to enhance lending for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and contribute to local and regional economic growth by collaborating with local partners.
As its initial step, it established a strategic alliance with AliExpress to introduce a new financing solution, Bettr Working Capital, aimed at local merchants using the AliExpress platform. This provides straightforward and efficient access to working capital, facilitating business growth in one of the globe’s fastest-growing e-commerce markets. Through this collaboration, Bettr incorporates its AI-driven lending technology into the AliExpress platform to deliver smarter and more accessible financing options.
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