Red Hat has expanded its collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS). The partnership supports enterprise-grade genAI on AWS using Red Hat AI and AWS AI hardware. The partnership aims to give organisations flexibility in running high-performance AI inference at scale, independent of underlying hardware. The growth of genAI is prompting organisations to reassess their IT infrastructure. The collaboration combines Red Hat’s platform capabilities with AWS cloud infrastructure and AI chipsets, including AWS Inferentia2 and AWS Trainium3. The Red Hat AI Inference Server, powered by vLLM, will run on these chips, providing a common inference layer that supports any genAI model. According to Red Hat, this setup can deliver up to 30–40% better price performance compared with GPU-based Amazon EC2 instances. In collaboration with AWS, Red Hat developed an AWS Neuron operator for Red Hat OpenShift, OpenShift AI, and OpenShift Service on AWS. This provides a supported path to run AI workloads with AWS accelerators. Red Hat also released the amazon.ai Certified Ansible Collection for Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform. It helps orchestrate AI services on AWS. The companies are contributing upstream to optimise an AWS AI chip plugin for vLLM. Red Hat, as the top commercial contributor to vLLM, aims to accelerate AI inference and training. vLLM also forms the basis of llm-d, an open source project for scalable AI inference, which is now included in Red Hat OpenShift AI 3.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by drobotdean via Freepik The post Red Hat Expands AWS Partnership for Enterprise GenAI appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Zepz, a London-based payments group behind WorldRemit and Sendwave, has launched stablecoin-linked Visa cards, in partnership with Bridge, a stablecoin infrastructure platform owned by Stripe. The cards allow Sendwave Wallet customers to spend their digital-dollar balances at merchants worldwide. Zepz has also signed an agreement with Stripe to expand into markets including the US, Canada and Australia. The Sendwave Wallet, launched in October 2025, is a stablecoin-backed peer-to-peer money platform available in more than 100 countries. It allows customers to send, store and spend funds while avoiding currency volatility and offering near-instant transfers within the Sendwave network. Using Bridge’s technology, Zepz will enable customers to use their stablecoin balances for everyday purchases. Bridge converts the stablecoins to local currency at the point of transaction, so merchants receive payment as they would for any standard Visa card transaction. Mark Lenhard, CEO of Zepz, said: Mark Lenhard “By leveraging Bridge’s infrastructure, Sendwave customers can use their digital dollar balance to not just send, receive and hold funds but also to spend them as an integral part of their daily lives. This isn’t just about moving money, but giving people better access, more stability and financial choice in their daily lives through a simple and trusted experience.” Bridge’s platform connects stablecoin wallets to global payment networks, providing instant access to funds without the need to transfer money to a separate account. The card is expected to be available in select markets, including Brazil, in early 2026. Zach Abrams, CEO and co-founder of Bridge, said: Zach Abrams “Global fintechs like Zepz shouldn’t have to spend years launching cards from scratch in every country. With Bridge, Zepz can launch card services quickly and expand to new countries with just a few lines of code.”       Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by freepik The post Zepz Launches Stablecoin-Linked Visa Cards appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

AMINA Bank, a Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA)-regulated crypto bank, has added Paxos’ USDG stablecoin to its custody, trading, and rewards services. The bank has also joined the Global Dollar Network (GDN), a consortium of enterprises supporting the adoption of digital dollars. USDG is a US dollar-backed stablecoin issued by Paxos Digital Singapore, an affiliate of Paxos. Paxos is a regulated blockchain infrastructure provider with long-standing experience in stablecoin issuance. Paxos Digital Singapore operates as a Major Payments Institution under the supervision of the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Membership in the Global Dollar Network gives AMINA Bank’s professional and institutional clients access to a wider ecosystem of regulated financial institutions. The network includes platforms such as Robinhood, Kraken, OKX, Galaxy, Anchorage, and Bullish. It supports interoperability and liquidity across digital dollar infrastructure. Myles Harrison, Chief Product Officer at AMINA Bank, said: Myles Harrison “Our stablecoin rewards programme enables clients to earn up to 4% annual rewards on USDG holdings, reflecting our commitment to delivering value through compliant innovation. Joining the Global Dollar Network connects AMINA to the financial institutions building the rails for stablecoin adoption at scale.” AMINA Bank says its integration of USDG responds to increasing demand for regulated stablecoin access within a traditional banking environment. The bank already supports several stablecoins, including USDT, USDC, EURC, and RLUSD, offering clients varied options for digital dollar and euro exposure. AMINA Bank notes that USDG backs its circulating supply one-to-one with reserves, primarily held in US government bonds, aligning with the bank’s risk management standards. Nick Robnett, Head of Crypto Business Development at Paxos, commented on behalf of the Global Dollar Network: Nick Robnett “We’re excited to welcome AMINA Bank to the Global Dollar Network. We’re building infrastructure that enables financial institutions to offer clients secure, compliant access to digital dollars, and AMINA’s integration demonstrates the growing institutional demand for trusted stablecoin services.”     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by rawpixel.com via Freepik The post AMINA Bank Adds USDG Stablecoin and Joins Global Dollar Network appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Zodia Markets has partnered with Bank Frick to join its fiat payment network, xPULSE. The collaboration allows Zodia Markets to provide near-instant fiat settlement in major currencies to any participant on the network, even outside standard banking hours. xPULSE supports real-time payments between Bank Frick clients by removing common delays linked to cross-border transfers, banking cut-off times, and manual processes. The network enables faster movement of funds between institutions, improving trade execution, capital efficiency, and treasury operations. Through the partnership, Zodia Markets, backed from inception by Standard Chartered, will offer Bank Frick clients broader access to cross-border liquidity and settlement tools. The integration aims to streamline the movement of capital across multiple fiat currencies without constraints imposed by business days or time zones. Mark Richardson, Chief Commercial Officer at Zodia Markets, said: Mark Richardson “Being part of the xPULSE network enables us to deliver a step change in settlement speed and client experience, without compromising on the standards and principles institutional clients expect. Any institution on the network can now access faster settlement through Zodia Markets and unlock wholesale FX execution at scale.” The announcement marks a notable phase of growth for xPULSE, which has more than 600 participants seeking greater speed, flexibility, and interoperability across fiat and digital asset markets. Mirko Pfiffner, Solutions Manager, Blockchain Banking Solutions at Bank Frick, said: Mirko Pfiffner “Zodia’s institutional strength and reputation are a perfect match for our xPULSE network. This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to driving innovation and connectivity in the digital finance landscape.”     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by freepik The post Zodia Markets Joins Bank Frick’s xPULSE Network for Faster Fiat Settlement appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Revolut has enhanced its security features ahead of the festive season, aiming to curb a predicted rise in phone-snatching and ‘transfer mugging’. The UK fintech firm has introduced a new feature, dubbed ‘Street Mode’, designed to protect users in public spaces. According to Finextra, the tool allows customers to define ‘trusted locations’, such as their home. Any locations not marked as safe are then subject to a one-hour delay for transactions, alongside additional identity verification checks. The move comes as phone-snatching incidents in the UK have surged dramatically, with reports rising by 425% since 2021. Criminals often target mobile banking apps like Revolut, hoping to extract funds while the victim’s phone is unlocked. Another growing threat is ‘transfer mugging’, where victims are coerced into completing the necessary ID checks to forward money. Revolut has also expanded its Wealth Protection feature, which was first launched in 2024, further strengthening safeguards for users’ funds. Rami Kalai, Product Owner at Revolut, commented: Rami Kalai “It’s vital that we stay on top of emerging threats to customer funds and transfer mugging is one that is rising across many cities and countries.” He added: “Street Mode is a smart, location-aware shield that adapts to locations where customers need an extra level of protection and provides confidence on the go.” The enhancements reflect a broader trend in fintech, as companies increasingly adopt proactive measures to secure users against evolving criminal tactics. With the festive period traditionally seeing higher levels of mobile theft, Revolut’s new security options aim to provide reassurance for those making transactions in public areas. By combining location-based protections with expanded verification processes, the app seeks to make mobile banking both safer and more flexible for customers on the move.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by appshunter.io via Freepik The post Revolut Launches ‘Street Mode’ to Combat Phone Snatching appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Israeli software company Nice is pursuing a strategic shift and is seeking a buyer for Actimize, its US-based financial-fraud prevention unit. A report from Calcalist indicates Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan have been engaged to manage the sale, with an asking price of US$1.5-2 billion. Nice acquired Actimize in 2007 for US$280 million, integrating it as a formal division in 2009 under the Nice Actimize brand. The unit provides financial-risk management tools, including anti-money laundering, fraud detection, and regulatory-compliance solutions. Strategic Shift and Recent Acquisitions The sale follows Nice’s US$955 million acquisition of German AI startup Cognigy, one of the largest deals in its history. With only US$667 million in cash at the end of Q3 2025, the company needs funds to finance Cognigy. Management sees Actimize as increasingly outside Nice’s core focus on cloud-based CRM and AI-driven customer-service automation. Actimize remains a major profit driver. The unit accounted for most of the Financial Crime and Compliance segment in 2024, generating US$453.5 million in revenue (16.6% of total) and US$158.3 million in operating profit (29% of total). Profitability, however, has declined from 2019 levels. Company Performance Nice reported 2024 revenue of US$2.73 billion, up 15% year-on-year. Operating margins were 20%, with net income of US$442.6 million. The first nine months of 2025 showed a slowdown. Revenue fell 13% to US$1.75 billion and net income dropped 25% to US$256.6 million. Since CEO Barak Eilam’s departure, shares have dropped 35%. Following Q3 earnings, they fell another 16%, reducing market value to US$6 billion. The company projects a 25–26% operating margin for 2026, down from 31% in 2025, due to investments in AI through Cognigy. Investors worry that AI and new competitors like Microsoft could reduce enterprise software demand. At the same time, rising financial crime, stricter regulations, and digital banking challenges suggest Actimize may benefit from the trends affecting Nice’s broader business.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by freepik The post Nice Seeks Buyer for Actimize appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Mt Pelerin, a provider of blockchain and self-custody financial services, has announced the launch of personal crypto IBANs within its service. The feature allows users to extend the function of their self-custodial wallets by enabling them to send and receive money across both blockchain and traditional banking networks. Self-custody is a core principle of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, centred on the ability to hold and control one’s own funds without third-party intervention. While this offers financial autonomy, it has traditionally limited interaction with the conventional banking system. The new crypto IBAN is intended to bridge this gap, making self-custody more practical in everyday transactions. Through the service, users can create a personal euro or Swiss franc IBAN and link it directly to their self-custodial wallet. They can receive bank transfers, such as salary payments or transfers from friends and family, which automatically convert into crypto in their wallet. They can also initiate bank transfers to others using the crypto they hold. These transactions appear as standard bank transfers to recipients and senders, with the crypto settlement handled in the background. According to the company, this development aligns with its long-standing aim to make self-custody a realistic alternative to a traditional bank account. By assigning a personal IBAN to a wallet, users can manage their funds independently while retaining the ability to transact within the wider financial system.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by kuprevich via Freepik The post Mt Pelerin Introduces Crypto-Linked Personal IBANs appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Ten AI infrastructure companies have been named in CB Insights’ 2025 Future Tech Hotshots, recognized among the startups most poised to make an outsized impact in the coming years. This underscores how AI infrastructure has become the focal point for investor and businesses alike, driven by surging demand for scalable and efficient AI platforms that can power next-generation applications. The Future Tech Hotshots 2025, released in October, showcases 45 emerging companies most likely to achieve major impact and strong exits over the next five to ten years. The list is based on CB Insights proprietary data and Mosaic Score, which assesses a company’s health, growth, and success potential, alongside criteria such as commercial maturity, business relationships, and funding. Future Tech Hotshots (2025), Source: CB Insights, Oct 2025 This year’s list reveals that AI infrastructure has emerged as the industry’s defining priority. In particular, a clear emphasis is being put on agentic AI, reflected in the inclusion of startups like Coval, an AI agent testing platform, Questflow, a multi-agent orchestration platform, and Syncari, an agentic master data management platform. These ventures are building the foundational tools to develop and embed AI into workflows, enabling the next wave of autonomous, high-performance applications reshaping how businesses operate. Ori Ori illustration, Source: Ori Founded in 2019 and headquartered in London, Ori is a leading AI infrastructure provider, offering AI compute resource and services to large corporates, enterprises and fast-growth AI scaleups. It combines graphics processing unit (GPU) compute with a flexible software layer that optimizes resource utilization, enabling teams to build and scale AI workloads efficiently. Its AI-native infrastructure is designed to meet the demands of large-scale AI model training, inference, and deployment while prioritizing scalability, flexibility, and efficiency across industries. Ori has presence in over 20 locations, predominantly across North America and Europe. In February, it secured strategic investment from Wa’ed Ventures to fuel expansion in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. Its localization in Saudi Arabia will kick off with the launch of a regional subsidiary based in Riyadh. Ori has a commercial maturity score of 3 out of 5, indicating that it is in the deployment stage with growing commercial distribution. Its Mosaic Score has increased by 352 points over the past year to now 806 out of 1,000. Starcloud Starcloud illustration, Source: Starcloud Founded in 2024 and headquartered in the US, Starcloud is developing GPU compute clusters in low Earth orbit, providing high-performance AI compute for a wide range of applications. The company aims to revolutionize AI training and large-scale computing capabilities, leveraging space’s energy resources and cooling efficiencies. Starcloud recently launched the first Nvidia H100 to space. The company raised a US$21 million Seed round at the end of 2024 to enable the launch of multiple satellites. Backed by Y Combinator, In-Q-Tel, NFX, and others, Starcloud will launch a demonstrator mission in late 2025 featuring GPUs 100 times more powerful than any previously flown in orbit, with a full micro data center scheduled for 2026. Starcloud has a commercial maturity score of 2 out of 5, and is still in the validating stage as it continues testing and refining its product.  It has a Mosaic score of 792 out of 1,000, growing 58 points over the past year. Syncari Syncari illustration, Source: Syncari Founded in 2019 and headquartered in the US, Syncari claims it is the first agentic master data management (MDM) platform built for the AI era. The platform unifies, governs, and synchronizes data in real-time, creating structured, trusted, and AI-ready pipelines for large language models (LLMs), copilots, and autonomous agents. By eliminating silos and operationalizing trust at scale, it empowers organizations to accelerate intelligent decision-making and unlock the full potential of their data. Syncari’s key capabilities include a AI-native architecture with semantic layers and continuous data quality, patented multi-directional synchronization for real-time governance, 50 times faster development than traditional MDM, and over 100 smart connectors, software development kits (SDKs), application programming interfaces (APIs), and webhooks for seamless enterprise integration. Syncari says it supports Fortune 1,000 enterprises across technology, financial services, healthcare, and manufacturing, and claims its platform has more than two trillion data operations under management. In September, it closed a Series B funding round. Syncari has a commercial maturity score of 3 out of 5 and is in the deployment stage, with growing commercial distribution. It has a Mosaic Score of 790 out of 1,000, growing 308 points over the past year. Questflow Questflow illustration, Source: Questflow Founded in 2022 and headquartered in the US, Questflow is an orchestration layer for the emerging multi-agent economy. The company’s core innovation, the Multi-Agent Orchestration Protocol (MAOP), allows users to seamlessly coordinate multiple AI agents to communicate, automate tasks for humans, and transact with one another in real time on-chain with built-in human oversight for critical decisions. The technology supports task orchestration by enabling AI agent swarms to execute complex, multi-step tasks across platforms, decentralized applications (dApps) and protocols, and token orchestration by enabling agent-to-agent micropayments via on-chain agent wallets. Questflow has gained early traction, being featured by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Cohere, and MongoDB, and being selected by Google for Startups. It was also named Product of the Day on Product Hunt following its launch. In July, it raised US$6.5 million in a Seed funding round to expand ecosystem incentives and prepare MAOP for broader developer adoption. Questflow has a commercial maturity score of 3 out of 5 and is in the deployment stage, with growing commercial distribution. It has a Mosaic Score of 776 out of 1,000, growing 236 points over the past year. Delphi Delphi logo Founded in 2022 and headquartered in the US, Delphi is a digital cloning platform designed to bridge the gap between personalized mentorship and scalable communication. The platform enables experts, including authors, coaches, CEOs, and thought leaders, to clone their unique thought processes, communication styles, knowledge, voice, and expertise. It supports multiple communication mediums, including text, voice, and now video, providing a versatile solution for personal digital replication. Delphi, which raised in July a US$16 million Series A, has a commercial maturity score of 2 out of 5. It is still in the validation stage, and currently testing and redefining its product. The startup has a Mosaic Score of 770 out of 1,000, growing 169 points over the past year. Exa Exa illustration, Source: Exa Founded in 2021 and headquartered in the US, Exa is an AI research lab redesigning search for the AI age. Exa trains embedding models, using the same technology behind ChatGPT, to convert web pages into lists of numbers known as embeddings. The result is a technology that packs the power of LLMs into the search process itself, making search smarter than keyword approaches like Google. So far, thousands of companies and developers have integrated Exa, from AI writing assistants helping students cite relevant papers, and venture capital (VC) firms sourcing highly specific startups, to AI research teams at companies like Databricks assembling large, high quality training datasets. Exa raised US$85 million in a Series B in September at a US$700 million valuation. The startup has a commercial maturity of 2 out of 5 and is still in the validation stage, currently testing and redefining its product. It has a Mosaic Score of 767 out of 1,000, adding 100 points over the past year. Finwave Semiconductor Finwave Semiconductor logo Founded in 2012 and originating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Finwave Semiconductor is a fabless semiconductor company. It develops advanced Gallium Nitride on Silicon (GaN-on-Si) transistor technology for applications ranging from RF communications and 5G and 6G mobile infrastructure to medical devices and cloud computing, producing 3D GaN transistors, enhancement-mode PAs, and high-power RF switches on silicon wafers. Finwave Semiconductor raised US$8.2 million in May, bringing its total raised to about US$33 million, to accelerate commercialization of GaN-on-Si for high-power RF applications. The company has a commercial maturity score of 3 out of 5 and is in the deployment stage, with growing commercial distribution. It has a Mosaic Score of 744 out of 1,000, adding 116 points over the past year. Coval Coval mockup, Source: Coval Founded in 2024 and headquartered in the US, Coval provides simulation and evaluation infrastructure for voice and chat AI companies building production-ready autonomous agents. Using simulation and evaluation techniques inspired by the autonomous vehicle industry, Coval improves test coverage, speeds development, and validates consistent agent performance, helping companies to not just create agents that delight customers, but to deploy them faster and with absolute confidence in their performance. Coval has a commercial maturity score of 3 out of 5 and is in the deployment stage, with growing commercial distribution. It has a Mosaic Score of 743 out of 1,000, adding 87 points over the past year. Scintil Photonics Scintil Photonics LEAF light, Source: Scintil Photonics Scintil Photonics is a global leader in integrated Photonic System-on-Chip (PSoC) solutions for AI factories. Using its proprietary heterogeneous integration process, SHIP, Scintil Photonics enables high-performance optical interconnects, meeting the power and bandwidth demands of large-scale GPU clusters enabled by the next generation of co-packaged optics (CPO). Its product LEAF Light is a single-chip, DWDM (Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing)-native light engine for high-density optical connectivity. Scintil Photonics’ solutions are purpose-built to meet the high-bandwidth, low-latency, and high-density demands for next-generation AI infrastructure, delivering the scale, efficiency, and performance required for tomorrow’s most powerful GPU clusters. Headquartered in Grenoble, France, with North American operations, Scintil Photonics is expanding globally to support the evolving needs of AI infrastructure. In September, it raised US$58 million to expand hiring in France and internationally, including the US, accelerate production, and deepen its international presence. Rhino Federated Computing Rhino Federated Computing logo Founded in 2020 and based in Boston with a research and development (R&D) center in Tel Aviv, Rhino Federated Computing has built the trusted end-to-end tech stack for federated AI in regulated industries. It enables data-driven collaboration across institutional and geographic boundaries, allowing enterprises to safely scale AI and analytics across increasingly large networks. Rhino Federated Computing is already powering major use cases, including enabling federated generative AI (genAI) capabilities in the biopharmaceutical industry, supporting healthcare organizations in building data harmonization and federated collaboration infrastructure, and helping financial institutions combat fraud and financial crime. The company raised a US$15 million Series A in May to scale its capabilities across more customers and regulated sectors. It has a commercial maturity score of 3 out of 5 and is in the deployment stage, with growing commercial distribution. It has a Mosaic Score of 708 out of 1,000, down 37 points over the past year.   Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by Frolopiaton Palm via Freepik The post Top 10 Emerging AI Infrastructure Startups in the World appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Wallester, Patron GO, and Malcom Finance have been named the three fastest-growing fintech companies in Central Europe, joining six other fintech companies featured among the region’s top 50 fastest-growing technology companies in Deloitte’s latest ranking. All nine fintech ventures appear in the 2025 Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Central Europe, a list which ranks the public and private tech companies headquartered in Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine, based on their revenue growth from 2021 to 2024. Entrants provided their financial data, which Deloitte cross-checked using each company of these 50 companies’ financial statements. With nine entries, fintech is this year’s second biggest industry featured in the ranking after software with 31 companies. This underscores the growth and prominence of fintech in the region’s startup ecosystem, driven by government support, demand from financial institutions for digital transformation, and increased consumer adoption of digital financial services. These fintech companies span business financing, payments, and wealthtech, and record an average revenue growth of 1,209% between 2021 and 2024. These rates range from 596% to 2,070%, and demonstrate how Central Europe is evolving into a significant fintech engine across the region. Wallester (Estonia) – +2,070% Wallester Business platform, Source: Wallester With a revenue growth rate of 2,070% over the past four years, Wallester is the 6th fastest-growing tech companies and the fastest-growing fintech company in Central Europe. Founded in 2016, Wallester is an Estonian-licensed financial institution and an official Visa partner specializing in innovative digital financial solutions and card issuance. It serves companies across the European Economic Area (EEA) and the UK, helping them streamline payments, launch branded cards, and scale operations. Wallester’s offerings include a white-label solution for businesses to integrate financial services directly into their platforms, and Wallester Business, a corporate expense management platform featuring virtual and physical Visa cards, expense tracking, budget analytics, and integration with accounting systems. Patron GO (Czech Republic) – +1,978% Patron GO illustration, Source: Patron GO With a revenue growth rate of 1,978%, Patron GO is the seventh fastest-growing tech company in Central Europe, and the region’s second fastest-growing fintech company. Founded in 2020 and headquartered in Prague, Patron GO is a smart app designed to optimize users’ finances across saving, earning, and protection. The platform detects savings opportunities, optimizes spending, and shields customers from financial risks. It learns from customer behavior, and uses AI and machine learning (ML) to identify unnecessarily high costs in bank accounts, and recommend better offers to improve financial health. Patron GO operates in Czech Republic and Slovakia, and claims more than 350,000 users. The company has analyzed transactions worth over PLN 66 billion (US$18 billion) and identified 70,000 savings opportunities, according to Fintek.pl. Malcom Finance (Czech Republic) – +1,940% Malcom Finance illustration, Source: Malcom Finance via Facebook With a revenue growth rate of 1,940%, Malcom Finance ranks ninth among Central Europe’s fastest-growing tech companies and third among fintech ventures. Established in 2018 as 4Trans Factoring, Malcom Finance is a Czech fintech company that provides tailored financial solutions to logistics small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across Europe. With thousands of registered carriers, the company finances invoices for logistics, offering factoring, invoice insurance, and access to a database of verified buyers. To date, Malcom Finance has financed over 240,000 invoices worth more than EUR 260 million, with a verified database of 88,000 debtors. Finqware (Romania) – +1,250% Finqware’s FinqTreasury platform illustration, Source: Finqware With a revenue growth rate of 1,250%, Finqware is the 17th fastest-growing tech company in Central Europe and the fourth fastest-growing fintech venture in the region. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Bucharest, Finqware is a fintech infrastructure provider licensed as a payment institution. It helps companies and financial institutions automate treasury operations, gain seamless access to pan-European banking data, and embrace next-generation account-to-account (A2A) payments. Finqware uses open banking to deliver real-time visibility, connectivity, and innovation across cash management, data aggregation, and digital payments. Its FinqTreasury platform enables multi-entity organizations to automate cash management, payments, collections, and reporting. In 2023, Finqware achieved a fourfold increase in turnover and reported its first profitable year, with an earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) margin of 29%, according to the Recursive. Vestberry (Slovakia) – +908% Vestberry illustration, Source: Vestberry With a revenue growth rate of 908%, Vestberry ranks 30th among the fastest-growing tech companies in Central Europe and fifth among fintech ventures. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Bratislava, Vestberry builds a fintech analytical portfolio intelligence platform helping venture capital (VC) firms and private equity investors manage their capital smarter. The platform consolidates vital portfolio information, enabling VC professionals to concentrate on extracting valuable insights from their data, rather than managing it. It leverages a no-code approach, allowing users to effortlessly construct their data infrastructure and seamlessly integrate with hundreds of data sources for unparalleled analytical capabilities. Vestberry primarily serves European VC funds, and manages over EUR 30 billion in investments, employing around 40 people. In March, it secured EUR 2.2 million to expand its operations, particularly into the US. VacuumLabs (Czech Republic) – +834% With a revenue growth rate of 834%, VacuumLabs is the 35th fastest-growing tech company in Central Europe, and the sixth fastest-growing fintech venture. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Bratislava, VacuumLabs provides design, product development, engineering, and data science services for the fintech industry. The company supports clients from eight locations in Europe, North America, and Asia, and operates in 20 countries. VacuumLabs primarily focuses on banking, cryptocurrency, and blockchain technology. It claims it has worked with more than 115 clients, including Standard Chartered, Twisto, Erste Group IT, Kiwi, Railsbank, Doconomy, Emurgo Innovatrics, and others. Besteron (Slovakia) – +686% Besteron POS, Source: Besteron With a revenue growth rate of 686%, Besteron ranks 40th among Central Europe’s fastest-growing tech companies and seventh among fintech ventures. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Bratislava, Besteron offers online and offline payment solutions via its payment gateway and point-of-sale (POS) terminals. The company operates in three countries, processes millions of transactions, and serves over 2,500 customers. nsure (Czech Republic) – +621% nsure illustration, Source: nsure With a revenue growth rate of 621%, nsure is the 46th fastest-growing tech company in Central Europe, and the eighth fastest-growing fintech venture. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Zlin, nsure provides an insurance and financial product comparison and negotiation platform for independent financial advisors in the Czech and Slovak markets. nsure’s platform allows financial advisors to compare and arrange a broad range of insurance, loan and investment products from major insurance companies and banks, generate necessary documentation, and finalize contracts online. nsure also offers a data-integration application programming interface (API), called nsure+, which centralizes and normalizes data on negotiated insurance contracts across insurance companies, helping stakeholders make accurate decisions. Payout (Slovakia) – +596% Payout mockup, Source: Payout With a revenue growth rate of 596%, Payout is a the 48th fastest-growing tech company in Central Europe, and the region’s ninth fastest-growing fintech venture. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Zilina, Payout provides a platform that allows businesses to automate financial operations, accelerate cashflow, and reduce costs through real-time payments, automated workflows, and API-based integration. Its capabilities include A2A payments via payment initiation service (PIS), real-time data transfers via account information service (AIS), automated bulk outgoing payments, real-time client identification for know-your-customer (KYC) compliance, and advanced data analytics and fraud-prevention tools. Payout also supports embedded financial products such as buy now, pay later (BNPL), insurance, and subscriptions, helping companies expand their revenue opportunities. Payout has processed over EUR 500 million in 14 European countries and six currencies.   Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by freepik via Freepik The post 9 Fintech Firms Recognized Among Top 50 Fastest-Growing Tech Companies in Central Europe appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Visa has expanded its stablecoin settlement capabilities across Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (CEMEA) through a partnership with Aquanow, a digital assets infrastructure and liquidity provider. The collaboration integrates Aquanow’s digital asset infrastructure with Visa’s technology stack, allowing issuers and acquirers on Visa’s network to settle transactions using approved stablecoins such as USDC. The move aims to reduce costs, operational friction, and settlement times for participating financial institutions. Demand for faster and more cost-efficient cross-border settlement has grown among banks and payment providers. In response, Visa is using stablecoins to digitise backend money movement and support 365-day settlement cycles. The company began exploring this approach in 2023, becoming one of the first major payments networks to enable clients to meet settlement obligations in USDC. Monthly volume linked to this process has since reached an annualised run rate of more than US$2.5 billion. Godfrey Sullivan “By harnessing the power of stablecoins and pairing them with our trusted global technology, we are enabling financial institutions in CEMEA to experience faster and simpler settlements,” said Godfrey Sullivan, Head of Product and Solutions for CEMEA at Visa. “Our partnership with Aquanow is another key step in modernising the back-end rails of payments, reducing reliance on traditional systems with multiple intermediaries, and preparing institutions for the future of money movement.” Aquanow CEO Phil Sham said: Phil Sham “Visa’s reliable global network has long moved money securely and efficiently. Together, Visa and Aquanow are unlocking new ways for institutions to participate in the digital economy, leveraging stablecoin technology to settle with the speed and transparency of the internet.”     Featured image credit: Aquanow This article first appeared on Fintech News Middle East The post Visa Extends Stablecoin Settlement in CEMEA with Aquanow Partnership appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Tuum has renewed its strategic partnership with Multitude Bank. The agreement maintains Tuum’s role as Multitude Bank’s core banking technology partner and supports the bank’s strategy of working with technology providers to deliver scalable and efficient banking operations. Since the partnership began in 2020, Tuum has assisted Multitude Bank in simplifying its technology landscape, unifying operations across more than ten European markets, and accelerating product development. Headquartered in Malta, the bank operates in a complex regulatory and payments environment, where Tuum’s platform has played a key role in maintaining compliance and enabling business diversification. As Multitude consolidates its technology stack and explores growth in areas including consumer lending under the Ferratum brand, secured debt, and cross-border payments, Tuum continues to provide a single core banking foundation. The platform supports the bank’s expanding product portfolio, multi-jurisdiction compliance, and connections to national payment schemes such as SEPA, SEPA-INST, Sweden’s RIX/BANKGIROT, and the Czech Republic’s CERTIS. Kornel Kabele “Partnering with leading technology providers like Tuum is fundamental to our mission of building an agile, fast-adapting, and scalable banking infrastructure,” said Kornel Kabele, CTO of Multitude. “By extending this collaboration, we strengthen our strategy to work with top-tier IT partners who share our vision for smarter, more connected financial services across Europe. This enables us to launch products faster, enhance resilience, and deliver an even better customer experience.” Miljan Stamenkovic, Chief Revenue Officer at Tuum, added: Miljan Stamenkovic “We are proud of the partnership we have built since 2020. This extension reflects our platform’s capacity to support demanding banking operations, and we remain committed to providing the core banking infrastructure they require to achieve their objectives.”     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by mrsiraphol via Freepik The post Tuum Renews Core Banking Partnership with Multitude Bank appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Bolt has entered a partnership with Pony.ai to introduce self-driving technology in Europe. The collaboration will integrate Pony.ai’s Level 4 autonomous driving technology into Bolt’s mobility ecosystem. The initial phase of the partnership will focus on real-world testing, safety validation, and experience design, establishing the basis for fully autonomous, driverless operations. Early deployments are planned in a range of European cities, including both EU Member States and non-EU countries. By combining Pony.ai’s autonomous technology with Bolt’s regulatory experience and European footprint, the partnership aims to advance the deployment of self-driving vehicles across the continent. Markus Villig, Founder and CEO of Bolt, said: Markus Villig “As the only independent, European-founded ride-hailing platform competing globally, Bolt is uniquely positioned to help scale autonomous vehicles responsibly and efficiently, in full alignment with Europe’s safety and data standards.” Pony.ai, which is pursuing its vision of “autonomous mobility everywhere,” has been developing and commercialising robotaxis globally. The company operates in eight countries and has driven over 55 million autonomous kilometres on open roads. Through this partnership, Bolt and Pony.ai intend to combine leading technology with experience in city-scale transport solutions, laying the groundwork for future autonomous mobility across Europe.   Featured image credit: Bolt The post Bolt, Pony.ai Partner to Introduce Self-Driving Vehicles in Europe appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Parliament and Council negotiators have reached an agreement on the Payment Services Regulation (PSR) and the Third Payment Services Directive (PSD3), aiming to harmonise payment services across the European Union and strengthen protections against fraud. The legislation applies to banks, post-office giro and payment institutions, technical service providers supporting payment services, and, in certain cases, electronic communications providers and online platforms. It also seeks to ensure fair competition among payment service providers and improve access to cash, particularly in remote areas. Under the new rules, payment service providers (PSPs) will be liable for customers’ losses if appropriate fraud prevention measures are not implemented. PSPs must verify that payees’ names and unique identifiers match and refuse payments in cases of discrepancy, while ensuring strong customer authentication and conducting risk assessments. PSPs must offer spending limits and blocking measures. If fraudsters initiate or alter a transaction, PSPs are liable for the full amount, and receiving PSPs must freeze suspicious payments. PSPs must refund customers in cases of impersonation fraud once the customer reports the incident to the authorities. Online platforms are liable to PSPs that have reimbursed customers if they fail to remove fraudulent content. The legislation also requires transparency on all charges, including currency conversion and cash withdrawal fees, and ensures access to human customer support. Retailers will be able to provide cash withdrawals of between €100 and €150 without a purchase. Open banking services will benefit from reduced market barriers, non-discriminatory access to payment account data, and simplified authorisation procedures. All PSPs must participate in alternative dispute resolution procedures if chosen by a consumer. René Repasi, rapporteur for the regulation, said: René Repasi “Consumers will benefit from new harmonised rules on the payment services regulation. Mandatory fraud preventive measures will be applied and lead to less payment fraud. Banks have to share more of the burden if they fail to do their part.”     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by rawpixel.com via Freepik The post EU Agrees on New Rules to Strengthen Payment Fraud Protection appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Backbase has entered a strategic partnership with Unblu, a firm specialising in conversational engagement for financial institutions. The collaboration aims to address a persistent challenge in digital banking: how to balance efficient self-service with access to human support when customers need guidance. The joint solution integrates Unblu’s Conversational Engagement Platform, including live chat, voice and video calls, co-browsing, and AI-driven chatbots, directly into the Backbase platform. This allows customers to move from digital self-service to human assistance within the same journey. Bank staff, including relationship managers and frontline service teams, gain full visibility of customer interactions, enabling more informed support while maintaining compliance and security requirements. Mayank Somaiya “Digital banking should never come at the expense of human connection,” said Mayank Somaiya, Global VP of Marketplace at Backbase. “By embedding Unblu’s collaboration tools into our ecosystem, banks can deliver effortless transitions from automated service to expert guidance, helping customers feel supported throughout their digital journey.” Jens Rabe “We’re excited to partner with Backbase to help financial institutions deliver the kind of personal, frictionless customer experiences today’s users expect,” said Jens Rabe, Co-CEO at Unblu. “By bringing our digital interaction tools directly into the Backbase platform, we’re enabling banks to build deeper relationships while maintaining the compliance and security standards they can’t compromise on.” The partnership also provides a unified employee workbench that connects capabilities previously spread across different systems. Staff can engage customers through case management, advisory services, or general support, with tools that streamline interactions, automate routine tasks, and surface real-time insights. The combined offering supports use cases such as digital onboarding, video-enabled wealth consultations, AI-supported customer service, and hybrid branch environments where advisers interact with clients both remotely and onsite. The pre-integrated solution is expected to be available to Backbase customers globally in early 2026, with institutions able to deploy the full suite or select specific Unblu features according to their needs.   Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by Trend2023 via Freepik The post Backbase and Unblu Partner to Integrate Human Support into Digital Banking appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

AMINA Bank and Crypto Finance Group, together with other banking partners, have completed a pilot programme demonstrating how distributed ledger technology (DLT) can support cross-border, cross-currency, and point-of-sale payments. Conducted on the Google Cloud Universal Ledger (GCUL) platform, the pilot allowed near-real-time, 24/7 settlement of transactions in fiat currency between Swiss-regulated financial institutions while maintaining standard banking security and compliance. The pilot addresses inefficiencies in current global payment systems, where cross-border transactions often take several days and incur significant costs. The project uses DLT as the infrastructure while retaining commercial bank money, showing that banks can modernise payments without introducing new digital currencies or breaching regulatory frameworks. Franz Bergmueller, CEO of AMINA Bank, said: Franz Bergmueller “With this pilot, we enabled near-real-time, compliant settlements within the existing banking framework. AMINA’s global reach and existing network of institutional partners makes us uniquely positioned to scale this pilot globally and to truly demonstrate DLT’s ability to transform the global financial system.” Stijn Vander Straeten, CEO of Crypto Finance Group, added: Stijn Vander Straeten “As the Currency Operator for this pilot, we can build a trusted foundation for digital payments and tokenised assets. The success of this pilot strengthens Switzerland’s position as a leading hub for digital financial innovation.” In the pilot, Crypto Finance Group acted as Currency Operator, overseeing compliance and participant onboarding, while settlement and payment execution were carried out by the banks. AMINA Bank integrated the technology into its core-banking systems, providing select clients with near-instant settlement without disrupting existing processes. The pilot establishes a foundation for broader implementation, with plans to expand to additional financial institutions and explore cross-border payments and point-of-sale applications for consumers.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by marpa.design via Freepik The post Swiss Banks Pilot DLT for Faster, Compliant Payments appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Klarna has announced the launch of its first stablecoin, KlarnaUSD, marking a notable development for the company, whose CEO was previously sceptical about cryptocurrency. The stablecoin will be issued on Tempo, a new independent blockchain developed by Stripe and Paradigm, which is specifically designed for payments. Klarna is the first bank to launch a stablecoin on Tempo. KlarnaUSD aims to streamline cross-border payments, which currently incur an estimated US$120 billion in transaction fees each year. The company sees stablecoins as a means to reduce costs for both consumers and merchants. Sebastian Siemiatkowski, co-founder and CEO of Klarna, said: Sebastian Siemiatkowski “Crypto is finally at a stage where it is fast, low-cost, secure, and built for scale. This is the beginning of Klarna in crypto, and I’m excited to work with Stripe and Tempo to continue to shape the future of payments.” ChatGPT said: Klarna is building KlarnaUSD on Open Issuance by Bridge, a stablecoin infrastructure platform and Stripe company, and plans to launch it on Tempo’s mainnet in 2026. It is currently live on Klarna’s testnet, allowing the company early access for advanced testing, prototyping, and integration. The partnership further strengthens the existing relationship between Klarna and Stripe, which spans payments infrastructure across Klarna’s 26 markets worldwide. Klarna has indicated that it will reveal its next partner in the coming weeks as it begins to share its broader crypto initiatives publicly.   Featured image credit: Klarna The post Klarna Launches Stablecoin KlarnaUSD on Tempo Blockchain appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Kraken, one of the world’s longest-standing crypto platforms, has announced the phased rollout of the Krak Card, offering 1% cash back on all purchases, along with new features including salary deposits and expanded wealth-building options. The Krak Card will first be available to users in the UK and EU, with additional markets to follow. Offered in physical and virtual formats, the card allows instant spending using multiple balances with no foreign exchange or monthly fees. Cash back can be received in local currency or Bitcoin. Powered by Mastercard, the card supports over 400 crypto and fiat assets within the Krak app, enabling real-time conversion at checkout. Users can select which assets to spend first and exclude certain holdings. Mark Greenberg “To us, everything is money. You should be able to use whatever assets you hold to pay for everyday goods and services in the digital era we live in,” said Mark Greenberg, Global Head of Consumer at Kraken. Krak is also introducing Vaults, a feature that integrates with audited lending protocols to provide potential returns of over 10% APY, allowing users to convert idle assets into earnings while tailoring strategies to individual risk profiles. Salary deposits for UK and EU customers will link income directly to the Krak ecosystem, with expansion planned for other markets. The card launch aligns with Kraken’s European growth strategy and regulatory framework, including its Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCAR) license, authorized by the Central Bank of Ireland. Kraken has operated in the UK since 2013 and holds FCA registration.   Featured image credit: Kraken The post Kraken Launches Krak Card with 1% Cashback in UK and EU appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Swiss banks have launched multibanking for private customers through the open banking platform bLink, operated by SIX. The initiative allows individuals to securely consolidate accounts from different banks in a single banking app or, with explicit consent, integrate them into non-bank applications, offering a simplified way to manage their finances. From this week, customers of eight Swiss banks and two third-party providers can link multiple accounts to display information in one app. More than 30 banks provide the necessary data interface. The same interface also enables customers to access account data through third-party applications, such as fintech apps, with potential uses including account overviews, spending analyses, and budget planning. Over the coming years, more banks are expected to provide customers with access to account data via third-party apps. Additional financial institutions are also likely to launch multibanking services, creating an open ecosystem intended to benefit all market participants. For customers, this could lead to new products and services that simplify financial management and improve transparency. Christoph Müller, Head of Banking Services and Executive Board Member at SIX, said: Christoph Müller “We’re delighted that numerous banks are implementing this milestone via our bLink open banking platform. Now it’s time to push the expansion forward together, because the more institutions that participate, the more complete the offering becomes, the greater the value for customers, and the better the conditions for innovative products.” The multibanking initiative began in 2022 under the association Swiss Fintech Innovations (SFTI) and was later coordinated by the Swiss Bankers Association. Participating banks committed to providing access to account data via standardised interfaces, ensuring that non-banks can access information securely and with explicit customer consent. bLink provides the technical foundation for multibanking, using standardised APIs and advanced encryption to ensure secure data exchange and integrity. The platform is continually developed with input from banks and fintechs and is adapted to meet national market requirements.   Featured image credit: SIX The post Swiss Banks Launch Multibanking for Private Customers via bLink appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

PostFinance has launched a multibanking service enabling private customers to integrate accounts from other Swiss banks and financial service providers directly into e-finance or the PostFinance App. The service allows customers to view all their accounts in a single, central overview. The multibanking service is aimed at private customers with multiple banking relationships who wish to consolidate their financial information. Accounts at participating third-party banks can be linked easily with a few clicks via e-finance or the PostFinance App. Once connected, customers can see payment and savings accounts, including income, expenditure, and account balances, in one overview, eliminating the need to navigate between different banking portals or applications. To connect an account, third-party banks must meet the technical specifications for multibanking, which requires integration with SIX Group’s bLink open banking platform. A list of eligible banks is provided during the registration process. Transactions from linked accounts are automatically displayed in PostFinance’s analysis overview, giving customers a complete picture of their finances. SIX, a provider of financial infrastructure in Switzerland, ensures secure and standardised data exchange between banks and third-party providers through the bLink platform. The multibanking solution complies with recognised interface standards from the Swiss open banking ecosystem and meets all regulatory requirements for secure payment data transactions.   Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by thanyakij-12 via Freepik The post PostFinance Launches Multibanking Service for Private Customers appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

BKN301 Group, a London-based fintech architecture provider, has secured a credit facility from funds and accounts managed by BlackRock and acquired Planky, a UK-based company specialising in AI-driven financial analytics and open banking. The credit facility complements BKN301’s latest Series B round, bringing the total capital raised to US$38 million. The financing will support BKN301’s expansion across the Middle East, Africa and Europe. By combining modular digital banking infrastructure with data analytics and machine learning, the company aims to provide financial institutions and fintechs with a scalable and intelligent platform. Through the acquisition of Planky, BKN301 gains a proprietary AI and data analytics engine. Planky’s machine learning models, which focus on real-time financial insights, behavioural scoring, and predictive analytics, will be integrated into BKN301’s platform. This is intended to enhance automation and the delivery of more personalised digital banking services while maintaining compliance and scalability. Stiven Muccioli “This milestone marks a defining moment for BKN301,” said Stiven Muccioli, Founder and CEO of BKN301. “With the growth financing and Planky’s AI capabilities, we’re accelerating toward our vision of a next-generation fintech infrastructure, one that’s intelligent, open, and designed to empower financial inclusion at scale across emerging markets.” Over the next 18 months, BKN301 plans to strengthen its AI and data analytics capabilities, expand partnerships with regional financial institutions, and explore further acquisitions to support technological innovation and market growth.   Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by shammianeybee via Freepik The post BKN301 Secures $38 Million, Acquires UK AI Fintech Firm appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.