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Google Pay launches UPI-linked credit card in India
Google Pay has long been an anomaly in India’s fintech industry. It is the only U.S. tech giant that has gained a strong foothold in the Indian payments sector and has been able to maintain at least a 33% share of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) market for almost eight years. Paramount to Google Pay’s
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Are N26’s best days behind it?
Are N26’s best days behind it? N26 is one of Europe’s most prominent digital banks, with $486 million in sales in 2024. Yet despite the German neobank’s impressive growth over the past 12 years, we cannot help but wonder if it will ever live up to the promise of the US$9 billion valuation it achieved
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North Korea’s crypto theft reaches new high in 2025
Long known for financial crime, North Korea has become the most notorious crypto-pilfering state actor over the past few years. The Hermit Kingdom operates a sophisticated, state-directed cyber apparatus, known largely through groups like the Lazarus Group. North Korea steals cryptocurrency for the same reasons it engages in financial crime involving fiat currency: to circumvent
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South Asia doubles down on crypto
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In 2025, the United States was arguably the most prominent cryptocurrency market globally because of the Trump administration’s high-profile moves to regulate digital assets and incorporate them into the mainstream financial system. However, when it comes to actual demand for cryptocurrency, the U.S. is an outlier. Demand for digital assets is growing fastest in emerging
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Starling Bank mulls next big steps
Technology forward with a lean cost structure and known for being customer centric, Starling Bank is one of the most successful UK digital lenders. It has operated as a licensed bank in the U.K. since 2018 with shareholders that include Goldman Sachs, Fidelity Investments and the Qatar Investment Authority. In the fiscal year ended March 31,
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Why Mizuho took a majority stake in India’s Avendus
Japan’s financial heavyweights like Mizuho, MUFG and Sumitomo Mitsui are increasingly looking for more promising banking opportunities overseas as growth in their home market is flat given a legacy of ultra-low interest rates, deflation, heavy corporate cash holdings stifling investment, and a shrinking population. India has emerged as a preferred market for Japanese financial firms.
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UK neobanks hungrily eye U.S. market
UK neobanks, including Monzo and Revolut, are hungrily eyeing the massive, affluent but ultra-competitive American market. Monzo launched in the U.S. in 2022 via a partnership with Sutton Bank after an initial failed attempt to get its own U.S. banking license in 2021. Revolut also operates in the U.S. via partnerships, such as the one
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Why Toss Bank had a stellar Q3
Korean digital banks tend to be a cut above the industry standard, and Toss Bank is no exception. Leveraging the broader Toss super app’s 10 million monthly active users (MAU), the company has successfully integrated payments, stock trading, and lending, improving profitability and user engagement. While most tech companies outside China have struggled to build super apps,
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Paytech deals drive Europe’s Q3 fintech funding
A recent Finch Capital report shows that paytech deals drove Europe’s fintech funding in the third quarter, which fell slightly from the April to June period. Overall, paytech startups raised €896 million the third quarter, up 117% from €413 million sequentially. A key third quarter paytech deal was XBO Ventures’ US$25 million strategic investment in Rapyd’s Series F round, which
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Why is GXS Bank cutting 10% of its staff?
One of the brightest ideas (or not) of Southeast Asia’s early 2020s tech bubble was centralizing every digital service imaginable in a single smartphone app, a barely veiled attempt to replicate the success that China’s dominant platform companies enjoyed with this business model. Unsurprisingly, the results have been inconclusive because China is a unique market
