Press
NYPAY Fintech Forward: Investment Strategies and Innovations for 2025
Last week Adam T. Hark had the fantastic opportunity to speak on NYPAY‘s webinar as a panelist about fintech investment strategies and innovation for 2025. Along side him were fellow panelist Brett Pharr of Pathward, David Peterson of First National Bankers Bank and Daniel Friel of DxEcosystems Inc., and Ron Mazursky and Nikki Principe orchestrated the whole thing. To summarize:💡 BaaS was a hot topic of the panel, especially theSynapse and Evolve Bank & Trust kerfuffle. hashtag#shadowledgers are hot 🔥💡 Strategic and opperational planning is a MUST! You cannot stand still, especially when theres changes happening constantly.💡 Tech automation and data centric thinking is HOT 🔥
Week's Most Interesting
Capital Markets Tech / WealthTech
Kraken to Acquire NinjaTrader: Introducing the Next Era of Professional Trading
Kraken, one of the longest-standing, most liquid and secure crypto exchanges, serving more than 15 million clients globally, has announced the $1.5 billion acquisition
Chart Of The Week
Airbnb (Nasdaq: ABNB)
Airbnb (Nasdaq: ABNB) was launched in 2008 and has significantly transformed the travel destination experience with local accommodations. Founded by three friends in San
Blockchain
Stable Sea Raises $3.5M for Global Stablecoin Offramping
Stable Sea, a stablecoin liquidity and orchestration startup founded by former Block employees, has raised $3.5 million in funding led by Kindred Ventures to
E-commerce
GrubMarket, Largest Private Food Tech Company in U.S., Reaches $3.5 Billion Valuation in New Funding Round
GrubMarket, the largest private food tech company in the U.S., has raised $50 million in Series G funding, bringing its valuation to over $3.5
Embedded Finance
Plata Becomes Mexico’s Newest Unicorn with $160M Series A
Plata, the Mexican digital bank that received its banking license authorization in December 2024, has become the country’s newest unicorn, reaching a $1.5 billion
Fintech
SmartBiz Acquires United Community Bancshares
SmartBiz, a fintech specializing in small business loans, has acquired United Community Bancshares marking the first fintech-bank acquisition approved since the LendingClub and SoFi deal.
IDV / AML / KYB / Biometrics
Bumble Introduces Biometric ID Verification Amid Rife Romance Scams
Bumble, the online dating and networking application launched in 2014, has introduced biometric identity verification, developed by Veriff, to combat the growing threat of romance
Investment - M&A
Rex Software, Cirrus8 and RealTrust Merge to Create Industry Leader
Rex Software has joined forces with Cirrus8 and RealTrust Property Accounting Solutions to create a leading real estate software and solutions provider for residential and
Open Banking
Mastercard Open Banking Powers Account Aggregation for Virgin Money Credit Card Customers
Virgin Money, a British banking and financial services company, has partnered with Mastercard to integrate open banking technology into its credit card app, enabling customers
Payments
MoonPay Lands $200 Million Credit Line from Galaxy to Handle Trump Memecoin-Like Frenzies
MoonPay, the multinational crypto payments company, has secured a $200 million revolving credit line from Galaxy to address liquidity surges, particularly during events like
PropTech
Multiply Mortgage Raises $23.5M Series A
Multiply Mortgage, a Denver, CO-based proptech/mortgage tech company, making homeownership accessible through employer benefits, has raised $23.5 million in Series A led by Kleiner
Saas
Fifteenth Announces $8.25 Million in Seed Funding to Help Tech Professionals Navigate Complex Taxes with Ease and Automation
Fifteenth, a tax solution designed for tech professionals with complex financial situations, has secured $8.25 million in seed funding led by A* and General Catalyst.
Specialty Finance / LendTech
Flexvelop Raises €44 Million for Their FinTech Platform
Flexvelop, a specialty finance company and fintech focused on the buying and leasing of equipment, has raised €44 million, including €40 million in credit
Press
Fintech Investment Bank Wellesley Hills Financial Expands Capabilities with New Executive Advisors
Announces addition of two recognized fintech and payments leaders to the team NEWTON, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Wellesley Hills Financial, a global investment bank and strategic advisory
Week's Most Interesting
Capital Markets Tech
Kraken to Acquire NinjaTrader: Introducing the Next Era of Professional Trading
Kraken, one of the longest-standing, most liquid and secure crypto exchanges, serving more than 15 million clients globally, has announced the $1.5 billion acquisition
Chart Of The Week
Airbnb (Nasdaq: ABNB)
Airbnb (Nasdaq: ABNB) was launched in 2008 and has significantly transformed the travel destination experience with local accommodations. Founded by three friends in San Francisco,
Crypto
Stable Sea Raises $3.5M for Global Stablecoin Offramping
Stable Sea, a stablecoin liquidity and orchestration startup founded by former Block employees, has raised $3.5 million in funding led by Kindred Ventures to address
Embedded Finance
Plata Becomes Mexico’s Newest Unicorn with $160M Series A
Plata, the Mexican digital bank that received its banking license authorization in December 2024, has become the country’s newest unicorn, reaching a $1.5 billion valuation
E-commerce
GrubMarket, Largest Private Food Tech Company in U.S., Reaches $3.5 Billion Valuation in New Funding Round
GrubMarket, the largest private food tech company in the U.S., has raised $50 million in Series G funding, bringing its valuation to over $3.5 billion
Fintech
SmartBiz Acquires United Community Bancshares
SmartBiz, a fintech specializing in small business loans, has acquired United Community Bancshares marking the first fintech-bank acquisition approved since the LendingClub and SoFi
Fraud/Risk Management
Bumble Introduces Biometric ID Verification Amid Rife Romance Scams
Bumble, the online dating and networking application launched in 2014, has introduced biometric identity verification, developed by Veriff, to combat the growing threat of romance
Investments - M&A
Rex Software, Cirrus8 and RealTrust Merge to Create Industry Leader
Rex Software has joined forces with Cirrus8 and RealTrust Property Accounting Solutions to create a leading real estate software and solutions provider for residential
Open Banking
Mastercard Open Banking Powers Account Aggregation for Virgin Money Credit Card Customers
Virgin Money, a British banking and financial services company, has partnered with Mastercard to integrate open banking technology into its credit card app, enabling customers
Payments
MoonPay Lands $200 Million Credit Line from Galaxy to Handle Trump Memecoin-Like Frenzies
MoonPay, the multinational crypto payments company, has secured a $200 million revolving credit line from Galaxy to address liquidity surges, particularly during events like
Multiply Mortgage Raises $23.5M Series A
Multiply Mortgage, a Denver, CO-based proptech/mortgage tech company, making homeownership accessible through employer benefits, has raised $23.5 million in Series A led by Kleiner Perkins,
Saas
Fifteenth Announces $8.25 Million in Seed Funding to Help Tech Professionals Navigate Complex Taxes with Ease and Automation
Fifteenth, a tax solution designed for tech professionals with complex financial situations, has secured $8.25 million in seed funding led by A* and General Catalyst.
Specialty Finance / LendTech
Flexvelop Raises €44 Million for Their FinTech Platform
Flexvelop, a specialty finance company and fintech focused on the buying and leasing of equipment, has raised €44 million, including €40 million in credit lines