Swiss software company Adnovum has acquired IT service providers iSPIN and Koch IT, consolidating its capabilities in secure digitalisation. The acquisitions expand Adnovum’s cybersecurity offering with a Swiss-based Security Operating Center (SOC) and strengthen its expertise in managed security services, system engineering, and custom software development. The company can also extend its portfolio to clients in the energy, financial, and public sectors. iSPIN, founded in 1999, brings 40 IT specialists to Adnovum and is a leading provider of cybersecurity and network solutions as well as IT security consulting. Its services complement Adnovum’s existing identity and access management solutions, creating one of the broadest cybersecurity offerings in Switzerland. Koch IT, with 25 employees, provides IT, software engineering, and project services for organisations with high information security requirements. Its Swiss-based services particularly support clients in the public sector. Samuel Bärfuss, CEO of iSPIN and Koch IT, will remain in his role and oversee the integration together with Adnovum’s leadership team to ensure continuity. Thomas Zangerl, CEO of Adnovum, commented: Thomas Zangerl “The companies share the same values. They invest in Swiss quality, maintain a local presence, and have excellent access to global know-how. With these acquisitions, we are securing valuable expertise in Switzerland and further strengthening the country’s tech sector.”     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by themedistrict via Freepik The post Adnovum Expands Swiss Cybersecurity with iSPIN and Koch IT Acquisitions appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

PayPal has announced a partnership with Microsoft to support the launch of Copilot Checkout within Copilot, allowing users to discover products, make decisions and complete payments without leaving the Copilot experience. The service will launch on Copilot.com, with plans to expand to other Copilot-enabled channels. Under the integration, PayPal will enable merchant inventory surfacing, branded checkout, guest checkout and credit card payments. Merchants’ product catalogues will become directly purchasable through PayPal’s store sync, part of its recently launched agentic commerce services. The collaboration brings together Microsoft’s AI-driven product discovery with PayPal’s payments infrastructure to support end-to-end shopping journeys. Copilot uses AI to factor context and intent into shopping, presenting curated, shoppable results that users can complete using PayPal. Michelle Gill “Collaborating with Microsoft marks another step forward in our strategy to support merchants and consumers in AI-powered shopping experiences,” said Michelle Gill, General Manager of Small Business and Financial Services at PayPal. “By integrating PayPal’s agentic commerce services with Copilot’s intelligent shopping platform, we are enabling seamless, reliable transactions for both merchants and consumers.” Microsoft said the partnership is intended to reduce friction between discovery and purchase. Nayna Sheth “PayPal’s leadership in commerce, payments and trusted relationships with hundreds of millions of consumers and merchants over 25 years make them an ideal partner,” said Nayna Sheth, Head of Product for Agentic Payments at Microsoft. For merchants, Copilot Checkout offers access to customers already researching and comparing products within a single interface. According to the companies, Copilot-led journeys result in higher purchase rates compared with sessions without Copilot. PayPal will also extend its buyer and seller protections to eligible transactions completed through Copilot Checkout.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by thanyakij-12 via Freepik The post PayPal Partners Microsoft to Enable Checkout in Copilot appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

In 2026, artificial intelligence (AI) will move from experimentation to enterprise-scale impact in banking, enabling faster servicing, improved operational efficiency, and a high level of personalization. At the same time, money movement will become increasingly seamless, powered real-time payment rails and widespread adoption of mobile wallets. Meanwhile, open banking will continue to mature and expand, unlocking new revenue opportunities for industry stakeholders by turning APIs, data, and analytics into monetizable assets. These are among the key predictions for the global banking sector in 2026. These forecasts, shared in a new by banking platform provider Backbase, draw on interviews with industry executives representing organizations including McKinsey, Bain and Company, Danske Bank and NedBank Private Wealth. These experts cover horizontal and segment-specific trends shaping the banking industry, exploring themes including open banking, AI-powered banking, and payments. The AI-powered bank In 2026, AI is expected to move from promise to performance in banking, as embedded agentic assistants workflow automation, and AI-driven compliance, technologies turn AI hype into measurable return on investment (ROI). The payoff will include faster servicing, more efficient operations, and a dramatically accelerated software development lifecycle. While AI made waves in 2025, many banking institutions remained in the experimentation phase, or otherwise running small sidecar pilots, rather than mainstream ones. According to IBM data, only 8% of banks were developing generative AI (genAI) in a truly strategic, enterprise-wide way as of late-2024, while 78% remained in “tactical mode”. However, the tide seems to have turned in recent months, with 82% of US banks planning to increase the share of their overall budget devoted to AI,  and nearly four in ten expect AI to exceed 20% of total budget, according to a 2025 KPMG report. AI adoption in banking products AI adoption will also accelerate across banking products. In retail banking, AI copilots will anticipate needs, automate money movement and elevate financial wellness. At the same time data-and-payments orchestration will turn personalization into primacy and durable loyalty. This comes as customers grow increasingly comfortable with genAI applications. For example, Bank of America’s virtual assistant, Erica, has surpassed 2.5 billion client interactions since its launch in 2018, handling request and providing insights for 20 million customers. In wealth management, firms will fuse hyper-automation with human advice to scale white-glove experiences. As AI handles preparation, analysis, and next-best actions, advisors will get to focus on life goals and strategy. In small business banking, speed, precision, and ecosystems-based intelligence will become the baseline in 2026. Agentic collaboration, instant know-your-customer (KYC), embedded finance, and dynamic credit inside the tools businesses already use will deliver context-aware service, faster working-capital decisions, and reliable growth. Invisible payments This year, money movement will fully merge with everyday digital experiences. Whether a customer is paying a bill, sending funds abroad, or receiving their salary, the transaction will feel instant, automatic, and invisible. This trend will be driven by the rapid adoption of instant payments. In Europe, the Instant Payments Regulation (IPR) now mandates that banks process euro transfers instantly, not just during business hours. Asia-Pacific and Latin America are also building momentum, with Brazil’s Pix network now reaching around 75% of the population, and Thailand’s PromptPay boasting over 90 million registrations, which exceeds the country’s population of about 71 million. For financial institutions, this represents a major opportunity for banks and fintech companies to generate revenue by orchestrating payments across cards, accounts, wallets, and digital currencies, plus instant settlement and programmable rails. Payments remain the most profitable segment of financial services, generating US$2.5 trillion in annual revenue from US$2 quadrillion in value flows across 3.6 trillion transactions worldwide, according to McKinsey. Open finance accelerates In 2026, open banking will evolve into open finance, creating a revenue engine for many financial institutions. Winners will be those with scalable API platforms capable of monetizing access through ecosystem partnerships, embedded banking into non-bank apps, commerce platforms, and enterprise software. Data and analytics will become active revenue streams, powering embedded credit, risk-scoring, and tailored financial services. Open banking began as a regulatory exercise, before expanding into the broader open finance model and embedded ecosystems. According the US, Canada, and Europe, the total addressable market for embedded finance currently stands at US$185 billion, according to Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Though this marks a remarkable 25% increase from US$150 billion in 2022, significant growth potential remains as current penetration is only US$32 billion. The total addressable market for embedded finance is US$185 billion, with significant opportunity for growth, Source: Boston Consulting Group, Sep 2025   Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on images by FellowNekocat and mizkit via Freepik The post The Key Banking and Payment Trends in 2026 appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

In 2025, online fraud continued to proliferate, driven by identity fraud, advances in artificial intelligence (AI), and increasingly sophisticated attacks targeting finance and e-commerce, according to a new report by identity verification provider Veriff. The report, which draws on an analysis of Veriff’s global customer data throughout 2025, gives an overview of the state of online fraud across different industries, regions, fraud types and use cases, and highlights emerging trends and evolving attack vectors. Top Identity Fraud Trends in 2026 Fraud remains a persistent threat In 2025, online fraud remained at a consistent level, with 4.18% of all verification attempts encountered by Veriff being fraudulent. This means that one in every 25 attempts involved someone impersonating another individual, confirming that fraud continues to pose a persistent global threat to organizations. The figure follows two consecutive years of 20% year-on-year (YoY) increases. These findings are broadly consistent across online identity specialists. Sumsub, an identity verification and anti-money laundering (AML) provider, reported an overall fraud rate of 2.2% in 2025. While this represents a decline from the 2024 peak of 2.6% during the emergence of new, sophisticated and accessible fraud tools, it remains above the 2% rate of 2023. AI intensifies the threat In 2025, AI-driven fraud continued to accelerate. Compared to the prior year, Veriff observed that digitally-presented media was 300% more likely to be either entirely AI-generated or otherwise altered in 2025, confirming other industry findings about the growth of AI and deepfake-powered fraud. Sumsub also witnessed a surge in AI-driven fraud. In 2025, AI-assisted document forgery accounted for 2% of all fake documents detected, up from virtually zero the year before. Although AI-enabled fraud still represents a small share of overall fraud, this rate of growth is alarming, the company said. Sumsub also reported a rise of AI fraud agents. These agents combine generative AI, automation frameworks, and reinforcement learning to can create synthetic identities, interact with verification systems in real time and adjust behavior based on outcomes. This makes them very sophisticated and much harder to detect. E-commerce and finance draws most attacks The Veriff report also looks at sectoral trends. It highlights that in 2025, financial services remained one of the most heavily targeted sectors, reflecting high potential financial returns for fraudsters. Veriff reported a net fraud rate of over 5.5% in financial services, which is around 30% higher than the global average. Within the sector, cryptocurrency and lending platforms led the way with the most identity fraud, while trading and investment platforms saw the most authorized fraud. Traditional banks scored high across both fraud types. Year-on-year (YoY), total attempted fraud increased by more than 38% in the crypto sector and by 9.6% in payments, while attempted document fraud in crypto rose by over 21%. While fraud attempts were significant in the financial services sector, e-commerce was actually the worst hit industry in 2025, recording a net fraud rate of 19.2%. The figure is five times the global average, underscoring the disproportionate exposure of the e-commerce sector and the sector’s heightened vulnerability to sophisticated fraud schemes. Opportunistic targeting across sectors But fraudsters are also targeting sectors where financial incentives are less obvious. Increasingly, they engage end users across multiple digital touchpoints, like video gaming sites, online communities, or dating platforms, to build a rapport or harvest personal data. This data or rapport may then be used to access their target’s financial accounts or coerce them into performing a transaction. Romance scams are a relevant example of this tactic. Another example of the use of multiple digital touchpoints to commit fraud occurs in human resources (HR) and recruiting. Here, fraudsters use document fraud to pass job interviews and become employed at companies in order to access company intellectual property (IP), plant malicious code onto internal company systems, or be paid for jobs they are not qualified for. Europe emerges as primary hotspot In 2025, the European Union (EU) was the region the most hit, with nearly 10% of all verification attempts being fraudulent. Year-over-year (YoY), the EU, combined with the UK, saw its annual mean fraud rate more than double, increasing by nearly 2.3 times. This surge is partly attributed to added regulations and compliance requirements, which have brought previously undetected fraud into view. Of the fraudulent activity in the region, the majority involved misuse of ID cards, which accounted for 13% of attempted fraud. The figure is more than twice the rate associated with passports at 6%. Globally, soaring adoption of digital technologies and fintech solutions has led to a surge in fraud and scams. In Singapore, there were 94 scam and fraud claims against digital banks in the first eight months of 2025, more than double the 42 claims for the whole of 2024, reported the Straits Times. The total monetary amount for these 94 claims was SGD 2.5 million (US$2 million), with compromised credentials and impersonation scams being the most commonly reported cases.   Featured image by Who is Danny via Freepik The post Top Identity Fraud Trends in 2026 appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Swiss21.org, a Swiss provider of digital tools and services for SMEs, has appointed Fabian Schläpfer as Managing Director, effective 1 January 2026. He succeeds Walter Regli, who has played a central role in the company’s development since its founding in 2017 and will move on to new entrepreneurial activities. Schläpfer joins Swiss21 from Abacus Research, where he gained extensive experience in the fiduciary services market and worked closely with SMEs, giving him a strong understanding of SME requirements. Christian Huber “Swiss21 is an integral part of the Abacus ecosystem for Swiss SMEs. With Fabian Schläpfer, an experienced leader who understands the needs of our customers is taking on this role. He will continue the development of the Swiss21 platform and further strengthen collaboration with Abacus Research AG,” said Christian Huber, Co-CEO of Abacus Research AG and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Swiss21.org. Swiss21.org operates as part of the Abacus ecosystem, offering digital solutions designed to support Swiss SMEs in their administrative and business processes.     Featured image credit: Swiss21.org The post Swiss21.org Appoints Fabian Schläpfer as Managing Director appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Lloyds has completed the first UK transaction using Tokenised Deposits, marking a global debut for sterling deposits on a public blockchain. Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets issued the deposits on the Canton Network, a blockchain for regulated financial markets, and used them to purchase a Tokenised Gilt from Archax. Archax then transferred the underlying funds back into its Lloyds account, demonstrating how transactions can move between blockchain and traditional banking systems. The transaction highlights how tokenisation can digitise traditional banking assets, allowing them to be traded or transferred instantly. Unlike private ledgers, the Canton Network offers broader accessibility while maintaining confidentiality. Lloyds also ran its own validator node to verify and secure transactions, ensuring the same standards applied as for cash deposits. Surath Sengupta, Head of Transaction Banking Products at Lloyds, said: Surath Sengupta “This pilot is a critical step towards building the financial ecosystem of the future. Tokenisation allows us to bring real-world assets onto blockchain infrastructure, creating opportunities for businesses to transact with greater speed, transparency, and flexibility.” Tokenised Deposits retain the benefits of conventional deposits, such as earning interest and remaining protected under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, while offering additional advantages for businesses. These include instant settlement, the use of smart contracts to automate transactions, and enhanced transparency and security through distributed ledger technology. Graham Rodford, CEO and Co-founder at Archax, added: Graham Rodford “This transaction shows how tokenised real-world assets can deliver real-world benefits for institutions. Instant settlement and enhanced transparency are game-changers, and we’re proud to work with Lloyds and Canton to lead the way in shaping the next generation of financial markets.” The initiative builds on Lloyds’ earlier work with Archax, using Tokenised Money Market Fund units as collateral, and signals a move towards broader adoption of digital assets in traditional finance.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by CgDesign4U via Freepik The post Lloyds Executes First UK Sterling Tokenised Deposit Transaction appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Zilch has signed an agreement to acquire Fjord Bank, a Lithuania-based bank with approximately US$120 million in assets, authorised and regulated by the Bank of Lithuania and the European Central Bank. The acquisition provides Zilch with a European banking license, allowing it to expand its operations across Europe. As part of the deal, Zilch will purchase 100% of Fjord Bank and establish its European headquarters in Vilnius, using the city as its operational and regulatory hub. Fjord Bank, founded in 2021, profits as a challenger bank by offering online consumer lending and savings products. The acquisition will enable Zilch to broaden its product offerings and deploy its services across Europe with greater capital efficiency. The transaction follows a significant year for Zilch, which raised over US$175 million in debt and equity funding, surpassed US$200 million in annual revenue, secured a second FCA payments license, launched its Zilch Intelligent Commerce AI product, and reached 5.5 million registered customers. Completion of the acquisition is expected in the second half of 2026. Philip Belamant, Co-Founder and CEO of Zilch, said: Philip Belamant “By combining Fjord’s banking capabilities and regulatory footprint with Zilch’s data and AI capabilities, we can scale a new generation of consumer finance across Europe.” Veiko Kandla, CEO of Fjord Bank, added: Veiko Kandla “Joining Zilch provides the perfect opportunity to accelerate growth, expand our product set and reach millions more customers without compromising on our consumer-first values.”       Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by freepik The post Zilch to Acquire Fjord Bank, Securing European Banking License appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

BVNK has announced that it has secured direct access to the EU’s Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) scheme via the Bank of Lithuania’s CENTROlink system. The integration enables BVNK to offer its customers 24/7 instant euro payments, with transactions settling in under 10 seconds and 99% completing in less than five seconds. According to FF News, this development makes BVNK the only unified platform to provide direct access to instant SEPA euro payments alongside stablecoin settlement. By removing intermediaries from the payments flow, direct SEPA access reduces delays caused by downtime at other providers. It also gives BVNK control over settlement speed, uptime, and operational standards. This allows customers to move seamlessly between traditional EUR payment rails and blockchain-based settlement within a single interface. Chris Harmse “Payments should move at the speed of the internet, not the speed of legacy infrastructure,” said Chris Harmse, co-founder of BVNK. “We’re building a truly modern payments stack that lets businesses move seamlessly between fiat and stablecoins without friction, delays, or operational complexity. Direct access to SEPA is a major milestone in enabling that vision for our customers.” BVNK has successfully completed the pilot phase and fully tested the integration. By the end of 2026, the platform will process 96% of payments fully automatically through this connection, with payout success rates exceeding 95%. The platform meets SEPA settlement requirements and is ready to scale. The service is currently being rolled out to BVNK’s EU and global customer base, with UK and US availability expected to follow.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by ismode via Freepik The post BVNK Gains Direct Access to SEPA for Instant Euro Payments appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Barclays has made a strategic investment in Ubyx, a US-based clearing system for digital money, including tokenised deposits and regulated stablecoins. Ryan Hayward “Interoperability is essential to unlock the full potential of digital assets. As the landscape of tokens, blockchains and wallets evolves, specialist technology will play a pivotal role in delivering connectivity and infrastructure to enable regulated financial institutions to interact seamlessly.” said Ryan Hayward, Head of Digital Assets and Strategic Investments at Barclays. Tony McLaughlin, CEO of Ubyx, said: Tony McLaughlin “Our mission is to build a common globalised acceptance network for regulated digital money, including tokenised deposits and regulated stablecoins. Bank participation is vital to provide par value redemption through regulated channels. We are entering a world in which every regulated firm offers digital wallets in addition to traditional bank accounts.” The investment comes amid increasing interest in new forms of digital money based on tokens transacted on public blockchain infrastructures. Regulatory clarity is progressing in several jurisdictions, and there is evidence of growing adoption beyond cryptocurrency use cases.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by thanyakij-12 via Freepik The post Barclays Invests in US Digital Money Clearing Platform Ubyx appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

bunq, Europe’s second-largest neobank, has formally applied for a US de novo banking license with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). The move is part of its plan to serve global citizens and digital-native professionals who live and work between the US and Europe. The challenger has focused its services on digital nomads, who often face limitations with existing financial systems. bunq intends to offer secure digital payments, strong authentication, and AI-powered fraud detection to support everyday transactions and high-risk situations such as international travel. Upon approval, bunq plans to launch in US metropolitan areas with significant expat populations. The bank will allow eligible users to open both US and European accounts and help new arrivals build credit scores using European financial records. Ali Niknam “Our users are building their lives across borders, so they need a bank that is safe, secure and easy to use, wherever they are,” said Ali Niknam, Founder and CEO of bunq. “We want to give them the freedom to live the way they want, whether they’re heading to America, coming to Europe, or moving between both.” The filing follows FINRA’s approval of bunq’s broker-dealer license. The bank began the US banking license process in 2023 and obtained the broker-dealer license to support its US market entry.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by brilian via Freepik The post bunq Applies for US Banking License appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Nuvei and FreedomPay have announced a partnership to provide enterprise merchants with a unified payments solution for both in-store and digital commerce across global markets. As brands continue to advance their omnichannel strategies, they require payment systems that can connect physical and digital commerce experiences. By integrating FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce platform, which serves hospitality and retail brands, stadiums, and hotel groups, with Nuvei’s scalable payments infrastructure, merchants can deploy new channels more quickly. They can also introduce customer experiences faster. The collaboration helps merchants maintain a consistent checkout experience across multiple properties and regions. It provides unified reporting, tokenisation, and access to a wide range of certified POS and commerce partners. Every transaction is protected through PCI-validated encryption and fraud prevention measures. Philip Fayer “Our goal is to empower merchants to deliver exceptional customer experiences at every moment of commerce,” said Phil Fayer, Chair and CEO of Nuvei. “By working with FreedomPay we are expanding the ways enterprise brands can create connected payment journeys that drive loyalty and unlock new revenue, without adding complexity behind the scenes.” The partnership enables enterprise brands to engage customers seamlessly across stores, stadiums, hotels, and mobile channels. Whether a fan taps to pay for concessions at a sports arena, a traveller upgrades a room through a mobile app, or a customer buys a meal at a quick-service restaurant, the platforms maintain transactions through unified tokenisation, reporting, and data insights. These capabilities provide operational visibility and support more informed decision-making. Chris Kronenthal “Enterprise commerce demands technology that works equally well across stores, stadiums, hotels and mobile devices without adding complexity,” said Chris Kronenthal, President of FreedomPay. “By integrating our platforms, merchants gain a future-ready foundation to scale omnichannel experiences with confidence, today and as new customer expectations emerge.” The partnership targets enterprises with cross-border and multi-region operations, enabling them to process payments consistently, uphold high security standards, and expand into new commerce formats without rebuilding their existing technology infrastructure.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by digitizesc via Freepik The post Nuvei and FreedomPay Team Up on Enterprise Payments appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Accenture has agreed to acquire Faculty, a UK-based AI services and products company known for applied AI expertise and its decision intelligence product, Faculty Frontier, which provides advanced simulation and optimisation capabilities. Founded in 2014, Faculty has delivered AI solutions to public and private sector clients in the UK and internationally. Its services include AI strategy, AI safety, and the design, build and implementation of high-performance AI systems, supporting the scaled adoption of AI while addressing risks such as bias, privacy, and unexplainable outcomes. Faculty collaborates with leading AI labs, including OpenAI and Anthropic, and with the UK AI Security Institute, to assess and ensure the safety of AI models. Upon completion of the acquisition, Faculty’s team of more than 400 AI professionals will join Accenture to strengthen its AI capabilities. Faculty CEO Marc Warner will become Accenture’s Chief Technology Officer and join the Global Management Committee. Warner was previously a Research Fellow in Quantum Physics at Harvard and a member of the UK AI Council. Julie Sweet, Chair and CEO of Accenture, said, Julie Sweet “With Faculty, we will further accelerate our strategy to bring trusted, advanced AI to the heart of our clients’ businesses. I’m pleased to welcome the Faculty team to Accenture and look forward to Marc’s contribution shaping our technology vision and strategy as Chief Technology Officer.” Accenture will integrate Faculty Frontier into its suite of products to support decision-making by connecting data, AI models, and business processes. Companies such as Novartis have already used the platform to optimise clinical trial planning. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Faculty developed the UK NHS Early Warning System, which helped predict patient demand and allocate critical care resources effectively. Marc Warner said, Marc Warner “Our vision has always been a world in which safe AI delivers widespread benefits to humanity. I am delighted that by teaming up with Accenture, we have everything in place to support AI transformation from start to finish.”     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by thanyakij-12 via Freepik The post Accenture to Acquire UK AI Firm Faculty appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

xAI has completed its upsized Series E funding round, surpassing the initially targeted US$15 billion to raise US$20 billion. Participants in the round include Valor Equity Partners, Stepstone Group, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Qatar Investment Authority, MGX, and Baron Capital Group, among other partners. Strategic investors NVIDIA and Cisco Investments also took part, supporting xAI’s expansion of compute infrastructure and the development of large-scale GPU clusters. The company reports that 2025 was a year of substantial progress across multiple initiatives. xAI has continued to expand its data centre operations. It has achieved over one million H100 GPU equivalents across the Colossus I and II supercomputers. This growth supports the development of xAI’s advanced language models, including the Grok 4 series. These models have benefited from extensive reinforcement learning training and pretraining-scale compute. This has enhanced their reasoning, intelligence, and agency. xAI has also advanced Grok Voice, a conversational voice agent capable of low-latency speech across multiple languages, tool integration, and real-time data access. Grok Voice is accessible via the agent API and is used across the Grok mobile app and in Tesla vehicles. The company reports a reach of approximately 600 million monthly active users across the ? and Grok apps. In addition, xAI has developed Grok Imagine, a platform for rapid image and video generation that leverages multimodal understanding and editing capabilities. The company continues to integrate its models with the X platform to provide real-time insights on global events. Looking ahead, xAI is training the next-generation Grok 5 model and plans to introduce new consumer and enterprise applications that utilise the combined capabilities of Grok, Colossus, and X. xAI will use the latest funding round to accelerate infrastructure development, deploy products at scale, and advance research in line with its mission to further understanding through AI.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by abuuhurera via Freepik The post Elon Musk’s xAI Secures US$20B in Series E Funding appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Crypto.com and Stripe have announced product updates aimed at making it easier for businesses to accept cryptocurrency payments. Through an integration with Stripe, businesses using Crypto.com Pay will be able to accept payments directly from customers’ crypto balances. Crypto.com is the first cryptocurrency platform to be integrated with Stripe for direct balance-based crypto payments. Customers will be able to check out using their preferred cryptocurrency, including stablecoins, while Stripe converts the payment into the merchant’s chosen local currency and deposits it into their bank account alongside other payments. Joe Anzures “Increasing everyday accessibility to and utility of cryptocurrencies for consumers and merchants is central to our vision at Crypto.com,” said Joe Anzures, General Manager, Americas and EVP of Payments at Crypto.com. “We are excited to partner with Stripe, a recognised leader in digital payments, to collectively catalyse a new era for crypto-enabled commerce.” Separately, Crypto.com will also use Stripe to enable customers to purchase cryptocurrencies using credit and debit cards.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by davidpinta9122 via Freepik The post Crypto.com and Stripe Partner to Enable Direct Crypto Payments appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Global fintech firm Broadridge has finalised its previously announced acquisition of Acolin, a Zurich-based provider of cross-border fund distribution and regulatory services. The acquisition broadens Broadridge’s distribution capabilities for asset managers, supporting market expansion and asset growth, while enhancing its regulatory services for the international asset management sector. Michael Tae “The combination of Acolin’s proven distribution and compliance technology with our existing analytics and investor communications will allow Broadridge to deliver more extensive regulatory and fund compliance services across the fund lifecycle from creation and registration to ongoing distribution,” said Michael Tae, Broadridge’s Group President of Funds, Issuer, and Data-driven Solutions. “Together, our capabilities will let asset managers centrally manage the lifecycle of fund launches and enable them to create the right products, at the right time, and for the right markets.” Acolin serves over 350 clients, providing access to more than 3,000 distributors across 30 countries. Its services cover fund registrations, legal representation, and ongoing compliance management.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by Nauthar via Freepik The post Broadridge Completes Acquisition of Fund Services Provider Acolin appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

The Board of Directors of radicant bank (radicant) has elected Matthias Kottmann as its new Chairman, succeeding Marco Primavesi, who announced his resignation in June 2025. Matthias Kottmann took up the role on 1 January 2026. His appointment comes at a pivotal moment for the organization, following the November 2025 announcement that radicant will cease its banking operations and return its license. This decision was made by the Board in consultation with its majority shareholder, Basellandschaftliche Kantonalbank (BLKB). In his new role, Kottmann will oversee the orderly wind-down of the bank’s activities, which is expected to be completed by April 2026. A key priority under his leadership will be the execution of a recently signed agreement with Alpian, a Swiss digital bank. This partnership ensures a seamless transition for radicant’s approximately 20,000 customers, who are being offered the opportunity to migrate their accounts and assets to Alpian’s platform. Kottmann brings extensive stability and institutional knowledge to this transition, having been a member of the Executive Board of BLKB since 2023. He joined BLKB in 2011 and currently serves as Deputy CEO and heads the Private Wealth and Financial Advisory division.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by Trend2023 via Freepik The post radicant bank Appoints Matthias Kottmann as Chairman appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Australian payments firm Airwallex said that it will invest about €200 million over the next five years in the Netherlands, marking a major European expansion as it shifts focus from its Asia-Pacific base. According to Reuters, the Melbourne-founded fintech plans to increase its Amsterdam headcount by 60% to around 70 full-time employees by the end of 2026, strengthening its European operations. Founded in 2015, Airwallex operates a global payments platform that enables businesses to send and receive international payments, hold multi-currency accounts and process online transactions. The company raised US$13 million in a Series A round led by Tencent in 2017. More recently, Airwallex secured US$300 million in funding in May 2025, pushing its valuation past US$6 billion, followed by an additional US$330 million Series G round in December 2025 that lifted its valuation to US$8 billion. The company also surpassed US$1 billion in annual recurring revenue last year. Airwallex said in 2024 that it was aiming to be ready for an initial public offering in 2026, though it declined to comment on its current IPO plans. The latest investment reflects a strategic push to prioritise growth in Europe and the Americas after a decade focused on Australia and Asia-Pacific markets. The company received a license in the Netherlands in May 2021, granting access to the European Economic Area.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by gar1984 via Freepik The post Airwallex Invests €200M in the Netherlands appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

ServiceNow has agreed to acquire Armis, a cyber exposure management and cyber-physical security company, for US$7.75 billion in cash. Armis manages cyber risk across IT, operational technology (OT), medical devices, and other environments for businesses, governments, and critical infrastructure worldwide. The acquisition will extend ServiceNow’s security workflow offerings and support proactive cybersecurity and vulnerability management across all connected devices. Amit Zavery “ServiceNow is building the security platform of tomorrow,” said Amit Zavery, President, COO, and Chief Product Officer at ServiceNow. “Intelligent trust and governance across any cloud, asset, AI system, or device are essential if companies want to scale AI safely. Together with Armis, we will provide end-to-end proactive protection across all technology estates.” Armis’ platform discovers assets in real time, prioritises high-risk issues, and integrates with ServiceNow workflows to support security teams across industries with cyber-physical assets, including manufacturing and healthcare. By combining Armis’ agentless discovery and classification of managed and unmanaged devices with ServiceNow’s business-context CMDB and AI Platform, organisations can gain a complete view of cyber exposures and automated resolution workflows. Yevgeny Dibrov “Every connected asset has become a potential point of vulnerability,” said Yevgeny Dibrov, Co-Founder and CEO of Armis. “Our platform provides real-time intelligence to understand risk in context and act before incidents occur. Together with ServiceNow, customers will have a new way to reduce exposure and strengthen security at scale.”     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by freepik The post ServiceNow to Acquire Armis for $7.75B to Boost Cybersecurity appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Coursera and Udemy have announced a definitive merger agreement under which Coursera will combine with Udemy in an all-stock transaction. Based on the closing prices of Coursera and Udemy shares on 16 December 2025, the implied equity value of the combined company is approximately US$2.5 billion. Greg Hart, CEO of Coursera, said, Greg Hart “We are at a pivotal moment in which AI is rapidly redefining the skills required across industries. By combining the complementary strengths of Coursera and Udemy, we will be better positioned to address the global talent transformation, support innovation, and provide learning opportunities for our users, enterprise, university, and government customers, and instructors.” Hugo Sarrazin, CEO of Udemy, added, Hugo Sarrazin “Udemy has helped millions of people acquire in-demand skills over the past 15 years. This combination will allow us to expand our reach, accelerate our AI product development, and create benefits for learners, enterprise customers, and instructors, while delivering value to our shareholders.” Under the terms of the agreement, Udemy shareholders will receive 0.800 shares of Coursera common stock for each Udemy share. This represents a 26% premium based on the 30-day average closing prices before the announcement. After completion, Coursera shareholders will hold around 59% of the combined company. Udemy shareholders will hold approximately 41% on a fully diluted basis. Coursera intends to implement a share repurchase programme following the merger. The boards of both companies have unanimously approved the agreement. The merger is expected to close in the second half of 2026, subject to regulatory and shareholder approval and other customary conditions. Insight Venture Partners and New Enterprise Associates, major shareholders of Udemy and Coursera respectively, along with Coursera Chairman Andrew Ng, have entered support agreements to vote in favour of the transaction. The combined entity expects to achieve operational efficiencies and anticipates annual cost synergies of US$115 million within 24 months. It will continue to invest in AI-driven learning platforms and product development.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by pressfoto via Freepik The post Coursera and Udemy to Merge in $2.5B All-Stock Deal appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Fintech News Switzerland would like to take this opportunity to wish all our readers a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year. We will be taking a break from the 23rd December to 2nd January 2026. Until then take a walk down memory lane with the most important stories in Switzerland’s fintech scene this year. Top 15 Fintech Startups in Switzerland for 2025   The Future of Fintech: Top Trends According to SVB Top 10 Fintech Companies by Market Valuation in 2025 Top 10 Fastest-Growing Fintechs in Europe for 2025 Swiss Bankers Report: GenAI Poised to Transform Swiss Banking   The post Year End Message to Our Readers – Offline From 23rd December to 2nd January appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.