Fintech
Innovation in financial technology — digital payments, neobanks, blockchain, and more.
M-Pesa Ethiopia Strikes Amhara Tax Payment Deal
M-Pesa Ethiopia has inked an MoU with the Amhara Regional State Revenue Bureau, enabling over 450,000 taxpayers to pay via mobile money and bypass physical offices. The pact marks a milestone in Ethiopia's digital public services push amid surging M-Pesa adoption.
Fiuu Surges to US$13B Payments in Southeast Asia Expansion
Southeast Asian fintech Fiuu processed US$13 billion in payment volume in 2025, up 32.65% year-on-year, amid ecosystem expansions like Samsung Pay in Malaysia and Tap to Pay in Singapore. The firm eyes Mastercard Click to Pay and cross-border solutions in 2026.
UK Neobank Zero Halts Trading, Shuts All Accounts
UK-based digital bank Zero has abruptly stopped all trading and will close customer accounts amid regulatory scrutiny and fierce competition. The collapse highlights mounting pressures on challenger fintechs in a maturing market.
Mastercard Pioneers Korea's First AI Agent Ride Payment
Mastercard has executed South Korea's inaugural live agentic transaction, with an AI agent booking and paying for a ride from Incheon Airport to Seoul via hoppa using Agent Pay. This breakthrough paves the way for secure AI-driven commerce across issuers, acquirers, and merchants. (187 characters)
Neobanks Surge to 850 Million Users in Global Boom
Neobanks are nearing 850 million users worldwide, driven by giants like Nubank and Revolut, as digital banking eyes 3.6 billion customers by 2028. Latin America and Asia lead adoption, challenging traditional banks with lower costs and innovation.
Klarna and Elliott Double Forward-Flow Facility to $2 Billion to Support $17 Billion US Lending Push
Klarna and Elliott Investment Management doubled their forward-flow facility to $2 billion and extended it by one year, enabling up to $17 billion of US consumer financing.
Worldpay Joins European Payments Initiative as Principal Member to Enable Wero for Merchants
Global Payments' Worldpay business joined the European Payments Initiative as a Principal Member, enabling its merchant clients to offer Wero instant payments across Europe.
Fifth Third's Newline Co-Founder John Piazza Departs Bank
John Piazza, co-founder and product lead of Fifth Third Bank's embedded payments arm Newline, has left the institution after nearly seven years. His exit highlights ongoing evolution in the bank's payments innovation strategy amid strong business performance.
GTN Wins Hong Kong SFC Licence in Dual-Hub Asia Push
GTN has secured a Type 1 licence from Hong Kong's SFC, completing its Asia-Pacific dual-hub strategy with regulated hubs in Hong Kong and Singapore. The approval unlocks US$3 trillion in regional liquidity for global firms and enables fractional trading of HKEX stocks.
South Africa's Happy Pay Secures $5M Seed Led by Partech
Cape Town-based BNPL innovator Happy Pay raises $5 million in seed funding to scale its ad-subsidized, zero-interest payments network serving 600,000 users. Partech leads with local VCs backing merchant-funded model amid South Africa's costly credit landscape.
Revolut Posts Record 2025 Pre-Tax Profit of £1.7 Billion as Revenue Surges 46% to £4.5 Billion
Revolut reported a record £1.7 billion pre-tax profit for 2025, up 57%, with revenue rising 46% to £4.5 billion and 68.3 million retail customers at year-end.
China Authorizes 12 More Banks for Digital Yuan Expansion
Beijing is expanding its digital yuan network by approving 12 additional banks, including Shanghai Pudong Development Bank and China Everbright Bank, to boost domestic adoption and RMB internationalization amid surging transaction volumes nearing 17 trillion yuan.