Аsia
Banking Circle’s BC Payments Gets In-Principle Nod for Payment License
Fintech News, Posted March 24, 2025
BC Payments, a Singapore-based subsidiary of Luxembourg-licensed bank Banking Circle, has received in-principle approval (IPA) from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) for a Major Payment Institution (MPI) license.
The company said the approval marks a step forward in its plans to expand cross-border payment services in the region to payment companies, banks and global marketplaces.
If granted, the MPI license would allow BC Payments to offer a wider range of regulated payment services, and act as a regional hub within Banking Circle’s global payments network.
LankaPay and Ant International to enable Alipay+ in Sri Lanka
IBS Intelligence, Posted March 28, 2025
Sri Lanka’s National Payment Network, LankaPay has partnered with Ant International to introduce Alipay+ in the country. This will allow over 400,000 LANKAQR merchants to accept mobile payments from tourists and business travelers using 14 international e-wallets linked to Alipay+.
Alipay+, Ant International’s cross-border payment solution, connects over 1.7 billion users through 36 global e-wallets and banking apps. In the first phase, visitors from 10 countries and regions can scan a LANKAQR code to make payments, just as they would at home.
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Europe
myPOS acquires UK-based UTP Group
IBS Intelligence, Posted March 28, 2025
myPOS has acquired UK-based payment provider UTP Group Ltd., reinforcing its commitment to SMEs across the UK and Europe. With UTP’s strong sales team and customer network, myPOS looks set to enhance business support and accelerate its UK expansion.
myPOS CEO Mario Shiliashki said, “This acquisition is not just about market expansion – it’s about empowering UK SMEs with better payment solutions, stronger support and more growth opportunities. By combining forces with UTP, myPOS will deliver superior solutions faster, enabling businesses to grow and scale without high upfront costs. We are excited to empower local merchants and lay the foundation for long-term success in this key market.”
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Monzo’s New Split Payments Feature: Simplifying Shared Expenses Like Never Before
Press Wire Global, Posted March 25, 2025
In an era where digital banking is becoming increasingly integral to our daily lives, Monzo has taken a significant step forward by introducing its new Split Payments feature. This innovative tool is set to transform the way users manage shared expenses, making the process seamless and hassle-free. As more people seek efficient ways to handle group expenditures, Monzo’s latest offering is poised to become a game-changer in the financial technology landscape.
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Tirana Bank chooses Backbase to power digital banking transformation
IBS Intelligence, Posted March 27, 2025
Tirana Bank has selected the Backbase Engagement Banking Platform to drive a comprehensive digital transformation and enhance banking experiences for both new and existing customers.
This strategic partnership marks the bank’s largest technology investment to date, surpassing previous core banking upgrades, and underscores its ambition to emerge as a regional leader in digital banking.
Backed by Albania’s largest business conglomerate, BALFIN Group, Tirana Bank is eyeing significant expansion, with plans to triple its digital customer base over the coming years.
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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UK capital of European fintech, despite four-year investment low
IBS Intelligence, Posted March 28, 2025
Banking apps now hold greater importance for UK consumers than physical branches, according to new research by FICO. As many as 75% of customers rank a good mobile app as the most or second most critical factor when choosing their primary bank. In contrast, only 33% consider having a local branch as their top priority. The findings highlight a significant shift in banking preferences despite the ongoing debate surrounding branch closures.
The 2024 FICO Bank Customer Experience Survey underscores the growing dominance of digital banking while reaffirming the importance of human interaction in financial services. With 81.5% of consumers still banking with traditional institutions rather than digital-only challengers (12%), the challenge for banks lies in balancing technological advancements with personalised customer service.
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USA
Worldline, Posted March 26, 2025
Worldline [Euronext: WLN], a global leader in payment services, is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with Castles Technology to provide cutting-edge in-person payment solutions in North America.
Worldline specializes in delivering top-tier payments technology to Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), Independent Sales Organizations (ISOs), and Banks, in numerous vertical markets across North America. Through industry-leading customer care, local expertise, and seamless integrations, Worldline is dedicated to helping businesses of all sizes grow with innovative payment solutions. As part of this commitment, Worldline is excited to collaborate with Castles Technology, a leading player in the terminal provider industry.
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Primer Integrates J.P. Morgan Payments, With GetYourGuide First Adopter
Fintech Finance News, Posted March 27, 2025
Primer, the unified infrastructure for global payments and commerce, today announces that it has integrated J.P. Morgan Payments into its platform, as a member of the J.P. Morgan Payments Partner Network.
This move allows Primer’s merchant clients around the world to integrate J.P. Morgan Payments’ global, end-to-end Commerce Platform effortlessly into their payment stack, creating new opportunities to serve a broader market and improve authorization rates.
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Experian Targets ‘Credit Invisible’ Borrowers With Cashflow Score
PYMNTS, Posted March 125, 2025
Experian has launched a tool designed to increase financial access for people with limited credit history.
Cashflow Score, unveiled Tuesday (March 25), is designed to give lenders a clearer view of applicants’ financial behavior, aimed at helping people with little to no credit history improve financial access using only bank account data.
“We believe in a future where the power of credit data can be augmented with cashflow insights to enhance decisions and ultimately bring more consumers — including those who are traditionally underserved — into the financial ecosystem,” Scott Brown, group president for Experian’s financial and marketing services, said in a news release.
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CFPB Signals It Will Drop Rule to Treat BNPL Providers Like Credit Card Companies
PYMNTS, Posted March 27, 2025
The ultimate fate of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has yet to be settled, but the past few weeks have seen the CFPB rescind several orders and rules aimed at banks and FinTechs.
For buy now, pay later (BNPL) providers, an interpretive rule classifying BNPL firms that provide pay-in-four options as credit providers is on its way to being dropped. The rule mandated that consumers using BNPL must be afforded the same legal protections that are tied to credit cards, as covered under Regulation Z. We noted in May upon the announcement that BNPL users can dispute charges or demand refunds, while BNPL lenders pause payments during those disputes.
In a Wednesday (March 26) court filing in Washington, D.C., CFPB said that it will revoke the rule, which BNPL providers and their trade groups have said would impose operational burdens.
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LatAm
Latin American neobank Ualá secures $66m in Series E extension
Fintech Global, Posted March 24, 2025
Ualá, a prominent Latin American neobank providing digital financial services across the region, has expanded its Series E funding round with an additional $66m, bringing the total raised in the round to $366m.
The extension follows the original Series E closing in November 2024, led by Allianz X. The second close included a strategic investment from TelevisaUnivision, the world’s largest Spanish-language media company.
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inDrive Expands Financial Services With Its Latest Launch in Peru
Fintech Finance News, Posted March 27, 2025
inDrive, a mobility and urban services platform operating in 888 cities across 48 countries, is pleased to announce the launch of inDrive.Money in Peru. This marks the service’s fourth market of operation, aiming to drive greater financial inclusion for gig economy workers, including drivers and couriers.
Gig economy workers often face challenges in accessing traditional lending services, due to their lack of established credit histories and payslips, which are used by traditional banks for credit scoring. To challenge this form of financial injustice, inDrive has made credit accessible via its app – the world’s second-most downloaded ride hailing app – with the launch of inDrive.Money.
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Itaú Unibanco partners with Wise for instant FX payments via app
IBS Intelligence, Posted March 27, 2025
Itaú Unibanco has partnered with Wise Platform to offer a seamless and instant cross-border payments experience directly through the Itaú app. This collaboration enables customers to send and receive payments in foreign currencies effortlessly, complementing Itaú’s existing currency reserve and international account offerings.
With this integration, customers can now make international transactions with the same ease and speed as Pix, 24/7, without being limited by business hours. Additionally, the entire process is fully transparent, allowing users to track each stage of their transactions in real time.
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