Regulation
News
Kazakhstan plans tokenised government bonds in Q1 2027 after a partly tokenised note sale
Kazakhstan aims to issue tokenised government bonds, most likely in the first quarter of 2027, National Bank governor Timur Suleimenov said at the 14th…
CFTC sues Louisiana to void a state order that shut prediction markets out of the state
The CFTC and the US Justice Department sued Louisiana on 13 November in the federal court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
Nubank gets Brazilian central bank approval to buy Banco Porto Real, securing a banking licence
Brazil's central bank has approved Nubank's acquisition of Banco Porto Real de Investimentos, which gives the company a banking licence in Brazil.
Paytm gets RBI in-principle nod to issue wallets again through Paytm Payments Services
Paytm Payments Services (PPSL), a wholly owned subsidiary of One 97 Communications, has received in-principle authorisation from the Reserve Bank of India to…
DOJ AI task force extends enforcement focus to companies that use AI
The Department of Justice announced a Super Intelligence Task Force on Nov. 5 to coordinate criminal and civil AI enforcement. Law firm McGuireWoods says businesses using AI should expect scrutiny of internal controls. The task force will develop guidance on evaluating compliance measures and recommend enforcement priorities.
Dubai's VARA and Mastercard sign an MoU covering sandbox options for virtual asset founders
Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) and Mastercard have signed a memorandum of understanding to grow the emirate's virtual assets sector,…
Western Union terminates its agreement to acquire Intermex over California's conditions
Western Union has delivered notice terminating its agreement to acquire International Money Express (Intermex).
Revolut gets a conditional banking licence in Israel
The Bank of Israel has granted Revolut a conditional licence to set up a new bank, Revolut Bank Israel, together with a control permit for the entity.
Clarity Act likely to be rewritten after Democratic midterm wins
After Democrats won the midterms, the Clarity Act may not survive in its current form, though federal crypto market structure legislation could continue. Reports say House Democrats plan a broader proposal that strengthens the SEC's role and limits the CFTC's. Negotiations may center on investor protections, conflicts of interest and jurisdiction.
Canada launches Real-Time Rail with eight initial participants
Payments Canada launched the Real-Time Rail on 9 November, a national payment system that lets members clear and settle payments in real time, 24 hours a day,…
Newsletters
Weekly update #157
Builders Fintech Funding Index: 143 (last full week, week of 26 Oct). 30 equity rounds recorded, against a 12week average of 21. Median disclosed USD round: index 173. Our round coverage expanded in September 2026, so the Index overstates activity until midDecember. Full reading
Weekly update #156
Builders Fintech Funding Index: 228 (last full week, week of 19 Oct). 41 equity rounds recorded, against a 12week average of 18. Median disclosed USD round: index 91. Our round coverage expanded in September 2026, so the Index overstates activity until midDecember. Full reading.
Weekly update #155
Builders Fintech Funding Index: 204 (last full week, week of 12 Oct). 33 equity rounds recorded, against a 12week average of 16. Median disclosed USD round: index 40. Our round coverage expanded in September 2026, so the Index overstates activity until midDecember. Full reading
Weekly update #154
Builders Fintech Funding Index: 236 (last full week, week of 5 Oct). 34 equity rounds recorded, against a 12week average of 14. Median disclosed USD round: index 285. Our round coverage expanded in September 2026, so the Index overstates activity until midDecember. Full reading
Weekly update #153
Builders Fintech Funding Index: 237 (last full week, week of 28 Sep). 31 equity rounds recorded, against a 12week average of 13. Median disclosed USD round: index 86. Our round coverage expanded in September 2026, so the Index overstates activity until midDecember. Full reading
Weekly update #152
Before the news of the week, a small announce from my side:
Weekly update #151
airtel Money confirmed a London IPO at an $8–9B valuation, Priority Commerce Technology is going private in a $1.6B founderled buyout, and Bessemer Venture Partners raised $5.75B in a single close. Below: an interview with Ingo Ernst, CEO of Kybix, on why business identity lags consumer KYC and w…
Weekly update #150
Tabby | تابي raises $233M at a $6.5B valuation as it expands beyond BNPL. barq closes a $329.5M Series A at $1.85B, two years after launch. S&P Global agrees to acquire OpenZeppelin , the security standard behind $37T in onchain value. Circle launches the Arc mainnet with BlackRock, DTCC, Masterc…
Weekly update #149
The weekly update on the fintech and VC ecosystems
Weekly update #148
The latest news from the fintech and VC ecosystems
Podcasts
Fintech compliance in MENA with AI (Episode 45)
In this episode, I sit down with Bhavin Shah, founder and CEO of Sherlocq.
Solving KYC complexity in fintech with Camillo Werdich (Episode 43)
In this episode, I sit down with Camillo Werdich, CEO and founder of Sinpex.
Launching 1000 fintech startups in EU with Sir Gabriel Holbach
In this episode, I sit down with Sir Gabriel Holbach, partner and CPO at 0to9.
Companies
27 licensed companies linked to this topic
Products
- Binance · Binance · Provided by the company
Cryptocurrency exchange and trading platform
- BitGo · BitGo · Provided by the company
Digital asset custody, staking, trading and stablecoin infrastructure
- Bitpanda · Bitpanda · Provided by the company
Investing platform for crypto, stocks, ETFs and metals
- BVNK · BVNK · Provided by the company
Stablecoin payments infrastructure for enterprises
- Chainalysis · Chainalysis · Provided by the company
Blockchain data platform for crypto investigations, compliance and fraud
- Circle · Circle · Provided by the company
USDC and EURC stablecoins plus payments, wallet and developer infrastructure
- Coinbase · Coinbase · Provided by the company
Crypto exchange, custody and developer platform for consumers and institutions
- Crypto.com · Crypto.com · Provided by the company
Crypto app and exchange for trading crypto, stocks, ETFs and prediction markets
- Gemini · Gemini · Provided by the company
Crypto super app for trading, predicting and earning
- GoTyme Bank · GoTyme Bank · Provided by the company
Digital bank in the Philippines with app, kiosks and a Visa debit card
- Kalshi · Kalshi · Provided by the company
CFTC-regulated exchange for trading event contracts on future outcomes
- KOHO · KOHO · Provided by the company
Canadian money app: prepaid Mastercard, cash back, interest and credit building
- Kraken · Kraken · Provided by the company
Crypto, stocks and futures trading platform
- Modern Treasury · Modern Treasury · Provided by the company
Payment operations API for moving money across fiat and stablecoins
- OKX · OKX · Provided by the company
Crypto exchange, trading app and Web3 wallet
- PhonePe · PhonePe · Provided by the company
UPI payments, investing, insurance and lending app in India
- Rain · Rain · Provided by the company
Stablecoin-powered card issuing and cross-border payments via one API
- Ramp · Ramp · Provided by the company
Corporate cards, expense management, bill pay and procurement
- Revolut · Revolut · Provided by the company
Consumer and business finance app: accounts, cards, trading and crypto
- Ripple · Ripple · Provided by the company
Payments, custody, stablecoin and treasury infrastructure for institutions
- Robinhood · Robinhood · Provided by the company
Commission-free trading in stocks, options, crypto and more
- Sezzle · Sezzle · Provided by the company
Buy now, pay later in four interest-free instalments
- Tether (USD₮) · Tether · Provided by the company
Issuer of USD₮, the largest stablecoin, plus tokenisation services
- Toast · Toast · Provided by the company
Restaurant and retail POS with integrated payments, ordering and marketing
Funding rounds
$1B
Sequoia CapitalLead, Wellington ManagementLead, Dragoneer Investment Group, Tiger Global Management
$17.9M
$10M
CMT DigitalLead, Lightspeed FactionLead
$25M
€21M
$3M
TetherLead
$155M
FTV CapitalLead
€1.3M
HFO InvestmentsLead
$87M
Andreessen HorowitzLead, Castle Island Ventures, Contour Venture Partners, Endeavor Catalyst, QED Investors, Swish Ventures
$450M
CPP Investments, Generation Investment Management, La Caisse, Motive Partners