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Hey fintechers,
This week we take a look at the need for financial products built for women, the revenue-financing startups landscape in Europe, the developments around the digital dollar, a few new fintech funds, the impact of APIs on banks, plus much more.
As always, if you like this newsletter, remember to share the love and tell your fellow fintech enthusiast friends to sign up!
If your product is made for the lived male experience, it will attract more male customers and so – yep, you guessed it – your user experience data - will also be biased.
The Biden administration is putting its support behind the research and development of a “U.S. Central Bank Digital Currency,” or CBDC. The move is part of a sweeping executive order President Joe Biden signed Wednesday instructing the federal government to explore possible uses of and regulations for digital assets like cryptocurrencies.
Nordic neobank Lunar raised $77 million at a $2 billion valuation and unveiled a crypto trading platform. Users are able to trade bitcoin, ether, DOGE, ADA and DOT at the platform’s launch.
Global financial transactions are facilitated mainly by payment processors such as Visa or Mastercard. They are responsible for communication between banks and fintechs to settle transactions for consumers and businesses swiftly. Africa has it different. It’s not a predominantly card continent.
Debt marketplace CredAvenue, which helps businesses and enterprises secure debt from lenders, has become the fastest Indian fintech startup to join the unicorn club, it said on Sunday. The two-year-old startup has raised a $137 million Series B financing round led by Insight Partners, B Capital Group and Dragoneer, it said.
The number of application programming interfaces (APIs) being used in banking is growing, and it’s time for banks—even (and especially) those that rely on vendor applications—to get a handle on their API strategy.
Portage Ventures, the venture capital arm of investment firm Sagard, announced the sixth close of its Portage Ventures III LP. The VC firm said it has raised $788.5 million CAD ($616 million USD) to date, and claims the fund is now one of the largest early-stage FinTech-focused venture funds in the world.
Millennials were the neobanks’ bread and butter. But seven years since the likes of Monzo and Revolut first emerged on the scene, the new kids on the block are Gen Z.
Alessandro Ravanetti- Fintech writer, copywriter & content strategist. Working in the fintech industry since 2011, previously as a founder and now as a consultant. Independent expert with the European Commission and SXSW advisory board member. alessandro.ravanetti@startupdigestmail.com
