The future looks bright for university graduates May 21, 2019 This month, university students across the country are being tested on their chosen field of study. As if the exam season weren’t stressful enough, final-year students also have to deal with acute cases of so-called employability anxiety. This generation is already described as the “most anxious in history”, so adding extra stress makes for a [...]
Tencent backs top AI startup in $24m injection May 20, 2019 A host of major businesses and venture capital firms have joined in a $24m (£18.9m) funding round for a Prowler.io, valuing the Cambridge artificial intelligence (AI) startup at $100m. Chinese media giant Tencent led the round, with publishing house Pearson and Monzo-backer Passion Capital also joining. Other investors included Amadeus Capital Partners, Atlantic Bridge, Cambridge [...]
City minister John Glen rules out Brexit dividend from slashing EU regulations May 20, 2019 Diverting from the EU’s financial regulations after Brexit will not deliver “an enormous economic dividend”, the City minister has warned. Read more: Andrew Bailey is right to think about the City's future Speaking to City A.M. after delivering the opening speech at the City Week conference in London today, John Glen said the majority of [...]
Fintech startup Wagestream picks up £15m from Balderton and Northzone May 20, 2019 London fintech startup Wagestream has today closed a £15m series A funding round, co-led by venture capital investors Balderton Capital and Northzone. The round was raised in addition to a credit facility of up to £25m Shawbrook Bank. At £40m, Wagestream chief executive Peter Briffett said the total amount raised marks the largest single social impact [...]
Monzo hits 2m customer milestone as fintech race heats up May 20, 2019 Digital banking darling Monzo's current account is set to surpass 2m customers today, as it races to catch up with London rival Revolut. The two fintech startups have been locked in an intense race to command market share in the nascent mobile banking sector, as well as to expand overseas. Read more: Monzo to roll [...]
UK becomes world’s top fintech hub as startups rake in £4.5bn May 14, 2019 The UK is the world’s top fintech hub with high-growth firms attracting more than £4.5bn in investment over three years, it emerged today. London continues to lead the country in attracting high-growth tech investment, receiving £9bn between 2015 and 2018, followed by Cambridge with £583m, according to a new report by startup body Tech Nation. [...]
DEBATE: Is the term ‘fintech’ becoming redundant? May 13, 2019 Is the term ‘fintech’ becoming redundant? Rhys Powell, UK managing director at EBO.ai, says YES. It’s true that the fintech revolution has brought about positive business change, but to stay relevant in today’s modern business world, all financial organisations have had to harness the power of technology. As such, it’s now almost impossible to define where general [...]
London fintech startup Transfergo picks up an additional $3.4m from Seventure May 8, 2019 Money transfer platform Transfergo has added a $3.4m (£2.6m) to its $17.5m series B funding round, as it surpasses 1m customers. The additional investment came from French venture capital firm Seventure Partners, which has previoulsy backed the likes of Push Doctor and Sum Up. Read more: London startup Checkout.com raises Europe's largest ever fintech series A [...]
Time to ditch the tech bros? Women-led fintechs are better investments, says KPMG May 4, 2019 A new report from KPMG has found that fintechs founded by women are more likely to be successful when compared with the industry average. The study, which looked at 91 fintech companies across the UK, found those that were founded or co-founded by a female achieved 113 per cent higher returns for investors. Read more: Banking [...]
Banking challenger Monese tops 1m customers May 3, 2019 British banking startup Monese has surpassed the 1m customer milestone, as user growth tripled in the last year alone. The banking app, which counts Monzo, Revolut and Starling Bank among its rivals, said over 3,000 people are now joining Monese every day across its dual UK and European current accounts. Read more: Fintech startup Monese crashes [...]