Mike Regnier will leave his role as CEO of Santander UK by Q1 2026 as the bank prepares to integrate its acquisition of TSB, shifting leadership ahead of a complex merger. Highlights: Transition Timing: Mike Regnier is set to resign as CEO of Santander UK by the first quarter of 2026. Reason & Strategy: He cited his planned tenure and the extended timeline for integrating TSB as reasons to hand over leadership to someone who can oversee the process through to completion. Succession & Integration: Santander has already begun the search for a successor, with the aim of having stable leadership during the TSB merger. Summary : Santander UK has announced that its CEO, Mike Regnier, will step down from his role by the first quarter of 2026.  Regnier took the helm in March 2022 and has overseen a transformative period that includes the planned acquisition of TSB Banking Group from Banco Sabadell for £2.65 billion. He has stated that, given the long duration anticipated for the TSB integration, it is prudent to appoint a successor now—someone who can see that critical project through to completion, rather than managing it mid-course.  The board has already initiated the search for his replacement, aiming for an orderly transition that maintains strategic continuity during a high-stakes merger.  Regnier’s decision marks a key leadership shift at a pivotal moment for Santander UK, as it steers through integration, regulatory approval, and consolidation in the UK banking market.

Lovell Minnick Partners acquires Merchant Industry to scale processing infrastructure, bring in seasoned leadership, and drive growth in SMB payment services. Highlights: Lovell Minnick Partners has acquired Merchant Industry, a US-based payment processor serving over 20,000 small and mid-sized businesses, processing ~$5 billion in annual transactions. New leadership will be installed: Vaden Landers will replace co-founder Leo Vartanov as CEO upon deal closing. The founders will retain a substantial minority equity stake. The acquisition will enable Merchant Industry to scale infrastructure, expand its distribution capabilities, and pursue strategic M&A under strengthened financial and operational support. Summary: Merchant Industry, a US payment processing company founded in 2007 and based in New York, has been acquired by private equity firm Lovell Minnick Partners. Merchant Industry services over 20,000 SMB clients and processes approximately $5 billion in annual transactions through its suite of payment gateway APIs, POS systems, virtual terminals, and credit card processing. Under the deal, Vaden Landers — an industry veteran with leadership experience at Global Payments, MerchantE, and Singular Payments — will take over as CEO. While the current ownership team (co-founder Leo Vartanov and chief revenue officer Chris Benabu) will remain invested through a significant minority stake. Lovell Minnick is expected to bolster Merchant Industry’s growth by investing in infrastructure, enhancing distribution, and enabling organic growth complemented by further M&A. This move is designed to strengthen Merchant Industry’s ability to compete in the fast-evolving SMB payments space.

Singapore-based digital credit platform Yup secures $32 million in the C-1 funding round to expand in Southeast Asia and edge closer to break-even by end of 2025. Highlights: Yup has raised $32 million in a C-1 funding round, bringing its total equity funding to over $100 million since its 2021 launch. The capital will be used to broaden its customer base across Southeast Asia (e.g., expanding into Vietnam, Hong Kong, the Philippines) and scale its credit card and pay-later services. Yup expects to become profitably break-even by the end of 2025, with revenues having doubled each year for the past three years. Summary: Yup, a digital credit platform born in Singapore under Finture, has successfully secured $32 million in its C-1 funding round. This latest infusion pushes Yup’s total raised capital past the $100 million mark since its founding in 2021. The funding comes from new and existing backers, including firms like Moore Strategic Ventures, Spice Expeditions, and Platanus. Yup offers both physical and virtual credit cards, as well as pay-later services aimed at working and middle-class consumers in Southeast Asia. The company has seen its revenue double annually over the last three years. With this new funding, Yup plans to expand into additional Southeast Asian markets (including Vietnam, Hong Kong, and the Philippines) and drive toward break-even profitability by end of 2025.