Fintech scams promise windfall for crime prevention firms

Silent Eight, a Singapore-based financial crime prevention firm, announced yesterday that it had raised $40M in Series B funding. HSBC and Standard Charter’s venture wings were listed as investors.

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ACI integrates Venmo and PayPal for IRS filings

Real-time payments provider ACI Worldwide announced these new digital payments options for U.S. federal taxpayers, not for state filings. ACI is the first platform to offer tax payments through Venmo.

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Should banks be worried about Zelle?

Should banks be worried about Zelle?

More than 17 million Americans were the victims of fraud on digital wallets or peer-to-peer payment apps in 2020. A large proportion of these crimes took place on Zelle, according to the New York Times.

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New tool to tackle bias in finance

On Monday, machine-learning solutions provider Stratyfy released UnBias, which helps financial institutions discover and undo bias in their systems. UnBias will be available as a standalone offering.

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Dutch Bros. doubles down on rewards

In an earnings call with analysts on Tuesday, the coffee chain’s executives said they would invest in expanding customer use of the Dutch Rewards app. Between 20% and 25% of rewards transactions include stored-value activity, according to the company’s CFO.

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BNPL payments now reflected in credit reports

On Monday, Equifax started adding “pay-in-four” installment loans to its credit reports. Experian and TransUnion said they would roll out similar developments this year as well.

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Bank of America to launch all-in-one app

In a joint statement on Saturday, the U.S., U.K., E.U., and others announced that they would move to exclude “selected Russian banks” from SWIFT, the international payments system. The group of countries has also frozen assets belonging to Russia’s central bank in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

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Fintechs are building out internal M&A teams

After a series of IPOs and significant fundraising deals, fintechs are poaching junior bankers to evaluate and negotiate M&As internally. Banking giants increasingly see fintechs and other startups as talent competitors.

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Through acquisitions, SoFi eyes one-stop-shop status

Through acquisitions, SoFi eyes one-stop-shop status

The personal finance giant announced today that it’s acquiring banking-software maker Technisys SA through an all-stock deal worth $1.1B. SoFi’s stock has slid more than 30% since the beginning of the year.

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Delta to offer BNPL option through AmEx

Through AmEx’s Plan It BNPL tool, AmEx U.S. Customer Card members can now split payments made on Delta.com. The airline’s app will offer the same feature this spring.

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Discover to offer non-card payments

Through a partnership with fintech Buy It Mobility Networks Inc. (BIM), Discover will let merchants accept payments directly from consumers’ bank accounts. The feature is popular in Asian markets.

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Facebook Messenger debuts ‘split payments’ feature

Launched yesterday, the feature lets users split bills evenly or in customized amounts through Facebook Pay. Facebook had publicly tested the feature for two months.

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Massachusetts eyes fintech incubation—and, hopefully, a bigger boom

Through public-private partnerships, conferences, and communities, the state has encouraged cross-pollination between academic institutions, investor communities, regulators, and regional talent pools. Last year, Massachusetts saw a record-breaking $3.1B raised in fintech venture funding.

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AmEx debuts all-digital checking account

Launched yesterday, the checking account and its debit card offer rewards, round-the-clock support, and purchase protection. It’s the company’s first checking account for consumers.

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African fintechs smashed fundraising records in 2021

African startups raised between $4.3B and $5.2B in 2021. Between 53% and 62% of that funding went to fintech.

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