
Zafran Security, an AI-native threat exposure management startup, announced the closing of a $60 million Series C round. Amex Ventures joined the round alongside existing investors Menlo Ventures, Sequoia Capital and Cyberstarts. The capital will fuel Zafran’s AI-driven security platform expansion for financial institutions.

London‑based Augmentum Fintech has agreed to be acquired by Norwegian private‑equity group Verdane in a cash deal valued at approximately £185.7 million. The offer, made through Frontier BidCo, proposes 111 pence per share, a 27% premium to the pre‑announcement price, and will...

Tether, the leading stablecoin issuer, announced a strategic investment in Whop, a US‑based digital marketplace for creators. While the investment amount was not disclosed, the deal will see Whop integrate Tether’s Wallet Development Kit to enable self‑custodial USD₮ and USA₮...

Monark Markets, a New York‑based fintech platform, announced $8.1 million in strategic financing led by F‑Prime with participation from The Treasury, Commerce Ventures, Grit Capital Partners and BBAE Holdings. The capital will be used to expand its API‑first infrastructure, integrate with...

Databricks announced it has closed more than $7 billion in new funding, comprising roughly $5 billion in equity at a $134 billion valuation and $2 billion in debt capacity. The capital will back AI-driven initiatives like Lakebase and Genie, and strengthen its position in...

Lloyds Banking Group has provided a £200 million revolving credit facility to Sovereign Network Group (SNG), a UK housing association formed in 2023. The facility aims to accelerate construction of new social homes and fund energy‑efficient upgrades, building on a prior...

Allianz Global Investors announced that its Allianz Infrastructure Credit Opportunities Fund II closed its third closing, securing €1.007 billion in commitments from institutional investors. The fund will invest in senior and junior debt across energy, transportation, communications and other infrastructure projects,...

Levl, a unified platform for fiat and stablecoin payments, announced the closing of a $7 million seed round led by Galaxy Ventures, with participation from Protagonist, Deus X, Blockchain Builders Fund, OpenFX, FalconX, CMCC and Variant Fund. The funding will support expansion...

Rezolve Ai, a Nasdaq‑listed AI‑driven commerce and payments platform, announced the acquisition of Reward, a customer engagement and commerce media provider, for $230 million. The deal combines Reward’s engagement and intelligence capabilities with Rezolve Ai’s conversational commerce and agentic AI platform,...

SpaceX announced a merger with Elon Musk’s AI startup xAI, creating a combined entity valued at $1.25 trillion, with xAI alone valued at $250 billion. The deal positions the new firm for a potential IPO as early as June, which...

OakNorth, together with Oak Funding, has extended a $78 million co‑loan to real‑estate developer Bushburg to purchase and redevelop the 21‑story 100 William Street office building in Manhattan into over 400 residential units, including affordable housing. The financing underscores the role of digital‑bank...

Cross River Bank announced a $100 million revolving credit facility for MidOcean Partners, collateralized by home‑equity investment agreements from Point Digital Finance. The facility gives MidOcean flexible capital to expand its home‑equity investment portfolio, highlighting growing institutional interest in alternative credit...

Oro, a social fintech platform that enables employers to offer housing wellness as a benefit, announced a $3 million funding round led by Slauson & Co., with participation from Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures and Bronze Valley. The capital will support the launch and...

IG Group Holdings plc has completed its acquisition of Independent Reserve, a crypto exchange, after receiving regulatory approval from Singapore's Monetary Authority. The deal, first announced in September 2025, enables IG to broaden its crypto trading services across Asia‑Pacific and the...

FlexTecs, a provider of recovery audit and payment accuracy software, announced a strategic investment from Boston‑based private equity firm Cohere Capital. The undisclosed funding will support FlexTecs' expansion of its SaaS platform FlexTrap, accelerate growth, and enable potential strategic acquisitions....

Falcon Finance announced a $50 million ecosystem fund to support developers building tokenized Treasury, gold and other real‑world asset yield infrastructure. The fund will allocate $25 million in direct capital and $25 million in vested FF tokens, targeting projects on Ethereum and BNB...

VenHub Global (NASDAQ: VHUB) began trading on Nasdaq today through a direct listing, following a Regulation Crowdfunding raise of $2.735 million last year. The company, a creator of robotic smart stores, saw its shares initially trade above $40 before settling around...

The British Business Bank announced a £15 million investment in Stream, a fintech platform, as part of its $90 million Series D funding round. The round also includes investors Sofina, Balderton and Northzone, aiming to expand Stream’s services and US market presence.

Mesirow Alternative Credit and Fundbox announced a forward‑flow facility that will purchase loans originated by Fundbox, expanding working‑capital access for small businesses. Managed through Mesirow Specialty Finance Fund VII, the asset‑backed structure leverages Fundbox’s AI‑driven platform and Mesirow’s credit expertise....

Checkout.com announced the acquisition of Lithuania‑based Blue EMI, a regulated electronic money institution that issues euro‑backed stablecoins. The deal, which has secured all required regulatory approvals, will bolster Checkout.com’s fintech capabilities and support its new technology hub in Vilnius. The...

Chainlink has acquired Atlas, FastLane’s on‑chain order‑flow system, to strengthen its Secure Value Recapture (SVR) solution. The integration adds auction‑based liquidation handling to Chainlink’s oracle suite, extending SVR across Arbitrum, Base, BNB Chain, Ethereum and HyperEVM. Atlas’s technology has already...

Inyova SICAV has become the latest ETF issuer on the SIX Swiss Exchange, launching its inaugural Inyova Impact Investing Active Equity Fund EUR UCITS ETF. The fund trades in Swiss francs under ISIN LU3075459852 and follows an actively managed, impact‑focused strategy....

GeoComply’s digital identity platform, integrated with Dabble, combines device integrity, precise location, behavioural and network signals to enhance KYC. The partnership delivered KYC pass rates above 90% and uncovered large fraud clusters, including 250+ accounts from a single address and...

Euroclear will introduce same‑day settlement for stock‑loan returns (SLRs) in its CREST platform on June 15, 2026. The new service lets lenders approve immediate settlement by raising transaction priority, otherwise defaulting to T+1. This change accelerates collateral release, cuts settlement risk and...

GoCab, a London‑based mobility fintech, closed $45 million in funding – $15 million seed equity and $30 million debt – led by E3 Capital and Janngo VC. The company provides a drive‑to‑own vehicle financing model for gig‑economy drivers and offers add‑on BNPL products,...

Consensys submitted a comment letter to the FTC urging technology‑agnostic security standards in the agency’s settlement with Nomad Capital Labs over the 2022 $190 million bridge hack. The firm warns that prescriptive measures such as mandatory circuit‑breaker mechanisms could clash with...

U.S. authorities have taken control of more than 127,000 Bitcoin, valued at over $11.4 billion, in what officials describe as one of the largest crypto forfeitures ever. The coins originated from a mining operation run by Iran‑linked LuBian.com, which allegedly helped...

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission permanently dismissed its lawsuit against Gemini Trust Company after the crypto exchange and its partner Genesis returned roughly $3 billion in assets to more than 200,000 Earn users. The dismissal, filed with prejudice, follows a...

Chainlink announced the acquisition of Atlas, an on‑chain order‑flow system built by FastLane, to integrate its technology into Chainlink’s Secure Value Recapture (SVR) solution. The deal brings Atlas’s auction capabilities and team into Chainlink’s ecosystem, expanding SVR across multiple blockchains...
NordVPN research finds more than 26 million people may have been lured to malicious sites via fake QR codes. Scammers embed these codes in “brushing” packages, a tactic that now delivers 26 % of all malicious links. Seventy‑three percent of Americans admit...

DXC Technology announced a strategic partnership with Ripple to embed blockchain‑based digital‑asset custody and payment capabilities into its Hogan core‑banking system. The integration lets banks manage stablecoins, tokenized assets, and cross‑border transfers without replacing legacy infrastructure. Ripple’s Payments and Custody...

Bitcoin fell below the $94,000 threshold, testing support around $88,000 as geopolitical tensions and tariff news weigh on digital assets. The NYSE announced plans for 24/7 trading and on‑chain settlement, aiming to bridge liquidity gaps for real‑world assets. Meanwhile, the...

Experian and the Credit Builders Alliance (CBA) released a study showing that adding a CBA tradeline propels 70% of previously unscored borrowers into prime or near‑prime credit within a year, far outpacing the 48% rate for the broader unscored population....

PitchBook reports that US private credit assets under management are set to top $2 trillion in early 2026, driven by a steady decline in default rates and solid middle‑market earnings. Fourth‑quarter 2025 earnings rose 3.1 % thanks to strong consumer‑goods and technology...

Sweden’s private‑equity firm EQT announced a 57 billion‑yen ($371 million) tender offer to acquire MAMEZO, a Tokyo‑based IT services and consulting company, at 3,551 yen per share. The transaction aims for full ownership, marking EQT’s first IT services investment in Japan.

The U.S. Treasury is launching "Trump Accounts," a tax‑advantaged savings vehicle for children born between 2025 and 2028, offering a $1,000 government seed deposit and allowing up to $5,000 in annual contributions. The program, slated to go live on July 4, 2026,...

Circle announced a suite of product upgrades that streamline blockchain interoperability, real‑world asset tokenization, and stablecoin payments. New Circle Contracts on the Arc Layer 1 let developers launch ERC‑20 tokens without writing Solidity, while integrated developer wallets and webhooks simplify transaction...

CB Insights' latest study ranks the top 50 private venture capital investors in the MENA region, highlighting a surge in activity through 2025. Aramco Ventures and its affiliates dominate the list, with 100 deals and 14 exits since 2018. The...

Gemini announced the shutdown of its NFT marketplace Nifty Gateway, with full closure set for February 23, 2026, while simultaneously launching a margin‑trading product offering up to 5× leverage on major crypto pairs. The NFT service will move into Gemini’s core wallet,...

Plaid reported a 55% increase in new European customers and a 53% annual rise in UK open‑banking payments as it expands its footprint across the continent. The fintech data‑connectivity provider added virtual‑account processing for over half of its European transactions...

Blockchain security firm CertiK dissected a sophisticated exploit on the MakinaFi DeFi protocol that drained approximately 1,299 ETH, valued at $4.13 million. The attacker leveraged massive flash loans to manipulate Curve pool valuations, inflating the protocol’s share price and extracting USDC from...

Equifax released its third‑quarter 2025 Market Pulse Index, which rose to 61.6 – a 0.35% quarterly increase and a modest 0.14% gain year‑over‑year. The index shows the first quarterly improvement for consumers with VantageScore 4.0 below 580, whose score jumped over...

TRM Labs highlights crypto exchange‑traded products (ETPs) as a fast‑growing bridge between traditional markets and digital assets. The SEC’s approval of spot Bitcoin ETPs in early 2024, followed by Ethereum versions in 2025, unlocked regulatory confidence and real‑time pricing for...

The UK is emerging as a global leader in combating cryptocurrency‑enabled fraud, with Chainalysis reporting $14 billion in worldwide losses in 2025 and UK fraud accounting for over 40 % of reported crimes. Crypto‑related investment scams surged to more than 17,000 incidents...

The American Fintech Council (AFC) has released a report warning state regulators against expanding mandatory lending registries to cover earned‑wage‑access (EWA) services. The council argues that existing registries, designed for high‑interest short‑term loans, are ill‑suited for EWA and would force...

London Stock Exchange Group unveiled its Digital Settlement House (DiSH), a 24/7 platform that merges blockchain‑based and traditional payment rails for real‑time cash and asset settlement. In parallel, LSEG partnered with Amazon Web Services to migrate its market‑data feed to...

Payments Canada has completed the integration of the ISO 20022 messaging standard into its Lynx high‑value payment platform, finalizing the transition on November 22, 2025. By October 2025, 98% of domestic payment messages had already migrated, demonstrating rapid industry adoption. The new data‑rich MX...

Brazil’s central bank ordered the extrajudicial liquidation of Will Bank, a fintech formerly tied to the collapsed Banco Master. The decision came after failed attempts to sell the lender, including a bid from Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund Mubadala. Regulators...

Juniper Square released its 2025 Fundraisers market update, adding private credit to the analysis of top capital raisers for the first time. The report spotlights GPs across private equity, real estate, venture capital and private credit that leveraged the firm’s...

The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) has publicly opposed the Restoring the Secondary Trading Market Act, which seeks to pre‑empt state regulation of off‑exchange secondary trades for Regulation A and Regulation CF securities. The bill, currently in markup, aims to improve...

Italy’s Axyon AI has teamed up with Boston‑based Eolas Capital to accelerate the rollout of its AI‑driven investment tools across North America. The partnership leverages Eolas’ marketing, sales and distribution expertise to introduce customizable signals, forecasting models and AI‑generated indices...

Accertify’s AI chief Conrad Kennington warns that autonomous shopping agents erode traditional fraud signals, creating new vulnerabilities. As agents automate purchases, token‑based transactions strip away behavioral context, making fraud detection harder. Kennington stresses the need for fresh data points, device...

On January 22, 2026 the House Financial Services Committee held a markup hearing reviewing ten bipartisan bills that span artificial intelligence, financial reporting thresholds, small‑issuer capital formation, cyber‑money‑laundering enforcement, community‑bank regulation, ESG disclosure, secondary market rules, and the Terrorism Risk...

Bipartisan senators introduced the ACCESS Act to raise the independent accountant review threshold for Regulation Crowdfunding offerings from roughly $124,000 to $250,000, with the SEC empowered to lift it further to $400,000. The bill, already passed by the House and...

Moroccan fintech Woliz raised $2.2 million in a pre‑seed round led by insurer Sanlam Maroc. The capital will accelerate product development and expand its digital ecosystem for neighbourhood merchants across Morocco before a pan‑African rollout. Woliz aims to digitise shop operations, streamline...

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis used X to denounce the European Central Bank’s digital Euro, warning it would enable unprecedented surveillance of financial transactions. The ECB has earmarked a digital Euro as its top project for 2026, with a pilot slated...

The Small Entrepreneurs Empowerment and Development (SEED) Act, HR 4171, is slated for a markup hearing before the House Financial Services Committee on January 22, 2026. The bill creates a micro‑exemption allowing private firms to raise up to $250,000 in...

Visa’s 2026 Global Economic Outlook projects 2.7% worldwide GDP growth, a modest dip from 2025, while highlighting deep structural shifts. The report shows rapid generative‑AI adoption by small businesses driving higher transaction volumes. It also notes a move toward intra‑regional...

Pearler, an Australian wealth‑building platform, has partnered with US broker Alpaca to give users seamless access to U.S. stocks and ETFs via Alpaca’s Broker API. The integration introduces fractional‑share trading, real‑time AUD‑USD conversion and automated portfolio tools, extending Pearler’s focus...

Chainalysis has launched Workflows, a no‑code automation layer inside its Data Solutions platform, allowing users without programming skills to run sophisticated blockchain analyses. The feature converts multi‑hour or multi‑day investigations into rapid, guided processes by leveraging Chainalysis’s extensive on‑chain dataset....

Mike Cagney, co‑founder and executive chairman of Figure Technology Solutions, highlighted the company’s On‑chain Public Equity Network (OPEN) as a concrete blockchain use‑case for equity markets. OPEN lets investors trade stocks directly from crypto wallets, bypassing brokers and traditional exchanges....
Jumio announced Bala Kumar as its new President and interim CEO, succeeding Robert Prigge after a decade at the helm. The regtech firm also unveiled a partnership with Romanian online gaming operator WINBET to integrate AI‑driven KYC, biometric verification and real‑time...

SEC Chairman Paul Atkins praised Israel’s innovation ecosystem during a speech at the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. He emphasized that Israel generates the highest number of startups per capita and ranks second globally in venture‑capital per capita, despite its small...

Airwallex has become Arsenal Football Club’s Official Software Partner, embedding its Payments Acceptance platform into the stadium’s hospitality operations. The integration will streamline premium seating, corporate suite and VIP perk transactions, delivering faster, friction‑free payments for fans. The deal is...

Alkami has introduced a One‑Click SDK Manager that lets financial‑institution developers self‑manage staging and production deployments. The tool consolidates validation, dependency checks, scheduling and rollout tracking into a single, guided workflow, cutting friction and accelerating time‑to‑market. By shifting deployment ownership...

OakNorth, the digital‑bank focused on mid‑market companies, has extended a sizable loan to EAG Bioenergy to fund its bioenergy asset acquisition strategy. The financing adds to OakNorth’s cumulative loan portfolio, which now exceeds $18 billion and has driven significant job creation....

OakNorth, a digital bank focused on mid‑market businesses, announced a new loan to EAG Bioenergy to fund its bioenergy asset acquisition strategy. The financing underscores OakNorth's commitment to sustainable development, adding to its $18 billion loan portfolio.

Moroccan fintech platform Woliz raised $2.2 million in a pre‑seed round led by insurer Sanlam Maroc. The funding will accelerate product development and expand its digital ecosystem for neighbourhood merchants in Morocco, with plans to target other African markets.

Morgan Stanley announced it is in the process of acquiring EquityZen, a pre‑IPO share trading platform, as part of its broader strategy to expand digital assets, private market investments, and tokenization services. The acquisition, expected to close early 2026, complements...

Aether Holdings’ Alpha Edge Media announced the acquisition of Coinstack, an institutional-focused cryptocurrency newsletter with over 340,000 subscribers. Financial terms were undisclosed. The deal expands Alpha Edge Media’s fintech media and data ecosystem, giving Coinstack access to Aether’s technology and...

Tech Europe Foundation (TEF) announced a strategic merger with the technology incubator of Politecnico di Milano and the entrepreneurial support arms of Bocconi University, combining a portfolio of over 70 startups. The deal, disclosed on Jan 18 2026, brings roughly €120 million in...

HashKey Capital announced the initial closing of its fourth fund, HashKey Fintech Multi‑Strategy Fund IV, with US$250 million in commitments from institutional investors. The fund aims to reach a total of $500 million to support blockchain and crypto infrastructure projects worldwide.

Andreessen Horowitz announced it has raised $15 billion to launch a new fund targeting sectors such as AI, crypto, bio‑health, infrastructure, and growth. The capital will be allocated across multiple strategies, including American Dynamism, Apps, Bio + Health, Infrastructure, Growth, and other venture...

Netcapital announced it has acquired the assets of Iverson Design, LLC, a developer of AI-powered design and visualization tools. The transaction was structured as Netcapital issuing 80,000 shares of its common stock to purchase the assets, including all IP. The...

JPMorgan announced it will acquire the Apple Card business from Goldman Sachs, ending Goldman’s involvement in the consumer fintech product. The deal includes a roughly $1 billion haircut for Goldman on its outstanding credit balances. The transaction was reported on January 7, 2026.