UK Sole Traders Are Leveraging AI for Tax Filing and Preparation, Report Reveals
Starling Bank’s latest survey of 1,000 UK sole traders shows a rapid shift toward AI for tax and accounting help. About 26% have already consulted AI on the new Making Tax Digital rules, while 20% use it regularly for broader bookkeeping tasks. Trust is high—88% of respondents feel confident in AI guidance—and more than half expect to rely on it even more over the next year. In response, Starling rolled out a free, HMRC‑approved AI‑driven accounting platform that automates record‑keeping and quarterly submissions.
The Finanser’s Week: 6th April – 12th April 2026
Research from RedCompass Labs shows that 44% of global banks are off‑track for the ISO 20022 migration deadline in November 2026, a hard stop on legacy SWIFT messaging. The weekly roundup also highlights Jamie Dimon’s cautionary shareholder letter, a critique of the...
The Making Of A Lending Tech Unicorn
KreditBee became India’s 128th unicorn after a $280 million Series E round valued it at $1.5 billion, marking the country’s second unicorn of 2026. The raise was oversubscribed despite a 26% YoY drop in overall startup funding, underscoring investor confidence in data‑driven, digital...
Latin America's Central Banks Establish Digital Payments Used By Hundreds of Millions
Latin America’s central banks have rolled out instant‑payment platforms that now serve hundreds of millions, highlighted by Brazil’s Pix reaching 175 million users. Argentina and Costa Rica have followed suit with their own digital systems, leveraging a clean‑slate infrastructure free of...
UR and Ant Group’s TopNod Partner to Bring Onchain Assets to Everyday Spending
UR, a composable infrastructure provider, has teamed with TopNod, Ant Group’s non‑custodial wallet, to issue a co‑branded Mastercard. The card, supervised by Switzerland’s FINMA and issued by SR Saphirstein AG, lets users convert and spend over 20 digital assets directly...
Judge Pauses Arizona's Prosecution of Kalshi, Bars Arizona From Regulating Prediction Markets
A U.S. District Judge in Arizona temporarily blocked the state from enforcing its gambling laws against prediction‑market operator Kalshi, halting a criminal arraignment. The ruling follows a lawsuit by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which argued that Kalshi’s event contracts...
Infosys and Harness Team Up to Cut AI‑Driven Banking Delivery Delays
Infosys announced a strategic collaboration with U.S. testing platform Harness to automate the post‑code phase of AI‑driven software delivery for banks. The deal targets the “AI Velocity Paradox,” where 69% of heavy AI‑coding users face frequent deployment problems and average...
Broadcom Launches Arcot Smart Ruleset, AI‑Driven 3‑DS Engine to Cut Fraud Losses
Broadcom introduced the Arcot Smart Ruleset, a machine‑learning 3‑DS rules engine that replaces static fraud rules with adaptive, real‑time decisioning. The solution taps a global network of thousands of financial institutions and billions of transactions, aiming to lower fraud losses...
VersaBank AGM Approves EY Audit, Splits CEO/President Roles Amid US Expansion
VersaBank shareholders voted to appoint Ernst & Young as the new auditor, elect a full slate of ten directors and amend the by‑law to allow the CEO and President positions to be held by different individuals. The changes come as...
How a 21% Increase in Fintech Investment Is Reversing Previous Downturns
Global fintech investment surged to $53 billion in 2025, a 21% year‑over‑year increase after three years of decline. The United States led the rebound with $25.1 billion, almost half of all capital, while the UK’s funding slipped to $3.6 billion – a 21%...
VanEck Deploys Five Model ETF Portfolios on Orion WealthTech Platform
VanEck announced that its five ETF model portfolios are now available through Orion WealthTech at no extra charge, giving financial advisors a turnkey way to offer diversified, multi‑asset strategies. The integration expands distribution of VanEck’s $224.5 billion in assets under management...
Buffhub Survey Shows 89% of Gamers Demand In‑Game Top‑Ups Under 30 Seconds
Buffhub’s 2026 Player Survey of 5,247 mobile gamers across 18 countries reveals that 89% now expect in‑game currency and items to be delivered in under 30 seconds. The finding underscores a shift toward instant microtransaction fulfillment that could pressure publishers...
Apax Digital Funds Injects $60 Million Into MillTech, Valuing It at $325 Million
Apax Digital Funds has committed $60 million to MillTech in a minority growth‑stage round that values the London‑based fintech at $325 million. The capital will fund MillTech’s North American expansion and broaden its suite of treasury‑automation tools, underscoring continued VC appetite for...
Convera‑Ripple Alliance and Stripe’s Tempo Drive European Payments Surge
Convera and Ripple sealed a stablecoin partnership to cut cross‑border settlement to minutes, while Stripe’s Tempo blockchain readies a main‑net launch and Klarna unveiled its own token. A €50 million funding wave underscores the accelerating pace of payments innovation in Europe.
SEC Launches Formal Review of Options on Grayscale Crypto ETF, Decision Due July 11
On April 9, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission formally began a review of a NYSE American plan to list options on Grayscale’s Coindesk Crypto 5 ETF. The procedural filing sets a public comment window and a decision deadline of...
What a 21% Decline in UK Fintech Investment Reveals About Macroeconomic Pressures
UK fintech funding fell 21% in 2025, driven by the Bank of England’s base rate reaching 5.25%. Higher rates made government bonds more attractive, pulling capital from venture funds and limiting limited‑partner contributions, especially from pension schemes. The squeeze also...
Why the UK Fintech Market Reaching $21.44 Billion in 2026 Confirms Sustained Growth
The UK fintech sector is projected to reach $21.44 billion in 2026, up from $18.57 billion in 2025, according to Mordor Intelligence. Post‑Brexit regulatory flexibility—exemplified by the FCA’s sandbox and open‑banking standards—has accelerated digital‑bank licensing and innovation. London secured $3.6 billion in funding...
How Global Fintech Growth Rates Above 16% Are Outperforming Traditional Finance
Fortune Business Insights projects global fintech to expand at an 18.2% compound annual growth rate through 2034, reaching roughly $1.76 trillion. This pace dwarfs the 3% global GDP growth, 10% equity market returns and the 5‑8% growth of traditional banking. The...
How India’s $26.58 Billion Fintech Market in 2026 Reflects Emerging Market Growth
India’s fintech ecosystem is projected to reach $26.58 billion by 2026, driven largely by the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) that now handles over $230 billion in annual transaction value. The low‑cost, frictionless payment rails have spurred rapid growth in digital lending, investment...
Zazu and Visa Unveil Morocco’s First Fully Digital SME Bank Accounts
Fintech startup Zazu and payments giant Visa announced the launch of Morocco’s first completely digital SME bank accounts at GITEX Africa 2026 in Marrakech. The joint offering embeds Visa’s global payments network into Zazu’s platform, allowing Moroccan small‑and‑medium enterprises to...
Persistent Deploys AI‑Driven Merchant Fraud Tool on Databricks, Aiming for Up to 40% Loss Reduction
Persistent has introduced a Merchant Risk Management and Fraud Detection platform built on Databricks, targeting banks, acquirers and payment service providers. The solution claims to lower chargeback and fraud losses by 20%‑40% and cut manual review work by up to...
Raiffeisen Bank Hungary Extends Three‑Decade Core Banking Alliance with Finastra
Raiffeisen Bank Hungary has renewed its core‑banking partnership with Finastra, a relationship that spans more than three decades and supports millions of retail customers. The extension underscores the bank’s commitment to modernising legacy systems while preserving operational continuity in a...
Stablecoins Poised to Power Global Payments, Prompting CTOs to Rethink Architecture
Investor Stanley Druckenmiller says stablecoins will run the bulk of global payments within the next decade and a half. Bloomberg data shows stablecoin transaction volume hit $33 trillion in 2025 and could reach $56 trillion by 2030, challenging Visa and Mastercard’s legacy...
Brazil's Microcredit Boom Accelerates as New Rules and Digital Tools Lure Banks
Santander now holds a R$3.8 billion (≈$760 million) microcredit portfolio serving 1.2 million borrowers, while Caixa plans to disburse R$3 billion (≈$600 million) in 2026. A 2021 regulatory shift that created independent credit agents and eased quota rules is fueling a rapid expansion of the...
Collide Capital Closes $95 Million Fund II to Back Fintech, Supply‑Chain and Future‑of‑Work Startups
Collide Capital announced the close of an oversubscribed $95 million Fund II, raising its assets under management to more than $170 million. The new capital will back early‑stage fintech, supply‑chain and future‑of‑work startups, signaling robust limited‑partner confidence in the firm’s ecosystem‑driven approach.
US Open Banking Rule Stalls as Courts Block Enforcement, Banks Turn to Private Deals
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Section 1033 open‑banking mandate missed its April 1, 2026 enforcement deadline after a federal judge issued an injunction. With the rule in legal limbo, JPMorgan Chase, Truist and other large banks are signing private API...
Iran War Oil-Price Shock Revives Inflation Trade and a New Stablecoin Play
The Iran‑related oil shock has pushed U.S. inflation up 0.9% in March, reigniting investor interest in inflation hedges. Michael Ashton’s USDi stablecoin aims to fill a gap in crypto by tracking the CPI rather than a fixed dollar, preserving purchasing...
Poor Must Trek Days Just to Send Money Home
My maternal grandfather was a house servant in Mumbai. Every time he had to send money back home to my grandmother and kids, he had to walk 3-4 km to reach the nearest post office. Home was a small village...
Crypto Clarity Bill Has 30% Chance of Passing This Year, Wintermute’s Hammond Says
Wintermute policy chief Ron Hammond estimates a 30% chance the Crypto Clarity Act will pass in 2026, citing bank opposition over stable‑coin yield, shifting timelines, and broader political friction. A recent Punchbowl survey of lobbyists placed odds at 26%, while...
NatWest and Sainsbury’s Expand Partnership to Launch Embedded Financial Products
NatWest and Sainsbury’s have signed an expanded agreement to embed a suite of financial products—savings, loans and a Nectar‑linked credit card—into the grocery retailer’s digital channels, with rollout slated for the second half of 2026. The deal builds on NatWest’s...
Kraken Secures First Federal Reserve Master Account, Prompting Regulatory Scrutiny
Kraken, the Wyoming‑based crypto exchange, won a limited‑purpose Federal Reserve master account – the first ever granted to a digital‑asset firm. The move has triggered alarm from traditional banks and House Financial Services Committee leader Maxine Waters, who say the...
UAE’s Aani Instant Payments Platform Hits 12.5 Million Users, Accelerating Cashless Shift
The Central Bank of the UAE‑backed Aani platform has crossed the 12.5 million‑user threshold, a six‑fold year‑on‑year increase in transfers and 10% monthly growth throughout 2025. The surge underscores rising consumer confidence and the nation’s aggressive push toward a cash‑less economy.
World Liberty Financial Stablecoin Plummets Amid Insider Loan Scandal
World Liberty Financial’s WLFI token slid nearly 15% after its CTO used the firm’s reserve to loan hundreds of millions of dollars worth of tokens to the DeFi platform Dolomite. Analysts warn that the loans, which now collateralize about 5%...
Millennials Spark BNPL Revolution as Inflation Surges
Americans are turning to buy‑now‑pay‑later (BNPL) as inflation spikes, with 64% of adults having tried the service and 70% planning purchases in 2025. The March CPI rose 0.9%—driven by an 11% jump in energy prices and a 21.2% surge in...
Shift4 Lures Merchants with Free Hardware, Paid Termination Fees
Former VP at $FOUR notes that Shift4 can be very aggressive with signing up merchants by not only offering free hardware, but also paying their termination fees.
Base Hits 5k TPS, Becomes Top Chain for Trading
Base is now even faster (5k TPS and growing). Base is the best chain for trading, payments, and agents.
Sberbank Tightens Card Controls for Russian Pensioners Amid Scam Surge
Sberbank announced new fraud‑prevention rules for pensioner cards effective May 2026, tightening scrutiny of atypical transactions and giving users more online controls. The move targets a rise in phone‑scam attempts that have cost elderly customers millions.
Taxi App Users Report Double‑charge Scam After Failed Payments
Taxi App Users Warn Of Scam — Drivers Claim The Payment Failed, Then Charge You Again [Roundup] - View from the Wing https://t.co/De6rUCzdhq
ClearBank Europe Becomes First Dutch Bank to Secure MiCAR Crypto‑Asset Service Provider Licence
ClearBank Europe received Crypto‑Asset Service Provider (CASP) status from the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets on 9 April 2026, becoming the first Dutch credit institution to complete the EU MiCAR notification. The licence lets the bank offer regulated EURC and USDC...
Visa Teams with OwlTing to Enable USDC Payments via Visa Direct
Visa announced a partnership with OwlTing Group that lets U.S. debit‑card holders purchase USDC directly through Visa Direct. The integration bypasses traditional crypto exchanges, offering a seamless on‑ramp for stablecoin transactions and positioning Visa as a core infrastructure layer for...
Legacy Payments Failing UK Businesses: GoCardless Points to Commercial VRPs as the Fix
GoCardless’ new research shows that outdated card‑based payment rails are eroding UK merchants’ profitability, costing an average of 3.5 % of monthly revenue. Among 489 recurring‑revenue leaders, 73 % report chronic friction, and 42 % spend over three hours each week managing fraud...
Federal Court Blocks Arizona Crackdown on Kalshi’s Event Contracts
A federal judge in Arizona issued a temporary restraining order that bars state officials from enforcing gambling laws against Kalshi’s event‑based contracts, aligning with a request from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The order, effective until at least April 24,...
Kuvera's Decline Drives Users to New
The enshittification of Kuvera has begun, with Cred "revamping" the app. What mutual fund app is now everyone moving to?
10 Years of UPI
Nithin Kamath marks a decade of India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI), noting that the government‑backed BHIM app commands only about 1 % of UPI transactions despite being the flagship offering. He recounts Zerodha’s repeated internal debates about building its own UPI solution,...
The Caucasus: Georgia’s Fintech Landscape in 2026
By 2026 Georgia has turned its geographic advantage into a deliberate digital‑finance strategy, coupling broadband expansion and e‑government reforms with a proactive central‑bank regulator. Leading banks such as TBC and Bank of Georgia operate like tech firms, offering integrated mobile...
Stock Tokens
The Wall Street Journal highlighted a new class of digital stock tokens that will soon launch on the New York Stock Exchange’s tokenized securities platform. These tokens promise 24/7 trading, instant settlement and fractional ownership, allowing investors to buy a...
Substack's In-App Payments Set for Global Rollout by Mid‑2026
Substack in-app payments haven't become a big thing yet, as they're only available in the US and a few other countries. But I think they'll be rolled out globally by mid-2026 https://t.co/iHQrkcgbb6
Morningstar Moves on From ByAllAccounts -- Sending It to a Startup Incubator -- 12 Years After Former CEO Joe Mansueto...
Morningstar has sold its ByAllAccounts account‑aggregation business to Pello Companies, a tech‑startup incubator founded in 2024. The divestiture ends a decade‑old, $28 million acquisition that many analysts said was overpriced in a market that has become increasingly commoditized. Morningstar will keep...
Monzo Shifts to EU, Launches in Ireland After US Setback
Monzo announced it will open accounts to Irish customers this week, aiming to serve the 14,000 people on its waitlist. The move follows a stalled US expansion and leverages the Dublin headquarters and a newly‑acquired EU banking licence to reach...
Payoro Becomes First Firm Registered Under Canada’s New Retail Payment Act
Payoro Finance Ltd. announced it is the first company registered with the Bank of Canada under the Retail Payment Activities Act (RPAA). The registration adds a federal payment‑service licence to its existing FINTRAC MSB status, giving the Toronto‑based fintech a...