Barclays Takes Strategic Stake in United Fintech
Barclays has invested in United Fintech, becoming the platform’s fifth global bank investor and taking a seat on its board. The move signals strong institutional confidence in United Fintech’s mission to help banks digitize and modernize through ready-to-deploy technology solutions. Barclays aims to accelerate its innovation strategy while reducing the cost and complexity of integrating fintech tools. The investment also strengthens United Fintech’s position as a global consolidator in financial technology. With increasing pressure on banks to upgrade legacy systems, this partnership highlights a shift toward strategic collaboration over in-house builds.
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Insight of the Day
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝’𝐬 𝐁𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐫𝐲𝐩𝐭𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓
The global crypto market is now nearing $3 trillion, and the distribution of value tells a very clear story about where things are heading.
Bitcoin is still the anchor.
It’s approaching a $2 trillion market cap, which is wild when you think about how long people have been calling it “dead.” Ethereum follows at $391 billion, holding strong as the leading smart contract ecosystem.
These two continue to define the core of crypto — everything else is built around them.
But the most interesting shift to me is what’s happening outside the big two.
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🔹 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬
Stablecoins are no longer infrastructure in the background. They’re becoming major assets in their own right.
- USDT: $184B
- USDC: $76B
Their rise shows one thing clearly: the world is demanding digital dollars for trading, payments, and moving money globally without friction. They’re the bridge that connects traditional finance with the on-chain economy.
🔹 𝐋𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫-𝟏 𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞
Projects like Solana, BNB, and Cardano continue to grow because developers and users want faster, cheaper networks. Whether they can sustain it long term is still the big question, but the demand is real.
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👉 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬
Curated News
💳 Payments
NayaPay Rolls Out Global QR Payments via Alipay+
NayaPay launched cross-border QR payments via Alipay+, giving Pakistani users seamless access to global merchants. This expands international payment capabilities and strengthens Pakistan’s digital payments ecosystem.
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Skydo Raises $10M to Fix Cross-Border Payments for Exporters
Skydo secured $10M Series A to streamline cross-border payments as India targets $2T in exports. The company aims to reduce costly settlement delays for SMB exporters.
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KPay Introduces Tap to Pay on iPhone in Hong Kong
KPay launched Tap to Pay on iPhone for Hong Kong merchants, allowing contactless payments with no extra hardware. This boosts accessibility for SMEs and accelerates mobile-first commerce.
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🏦 Banking
Starling Bank Debuts ‘Let’s Talk Money’ Tool
Starling Bank released a financial wellbeing tool to help customers navigate budgeting and financial decisions, reflecting banks’ growing focus on proactive financial support.
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Accountants Warn Banks Aren’t Keeping Pace With 2026 SME Growth
Accountants expect strong growth in 2026 but say banks are failing to meet SME financing needs. The findings highlight widening gaps between business expectations and traditional bank services.
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Plum Granted EMI Licence for Europe Expansion
Plum obtained an EMI licence, enabling broader fintech and banking services across Europe. This strengthens its positioning as a smart money and savings app.
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💡 Fintech
Visa Spotlights 22 Fast-Growing African Fintechs
Visa’s demo day showcased 22 high-growth African fintechs innovating in lending, payments, and commerce. It highlights Visa’s continued commitment to scaling fintech ecosystems across Africa.
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Tonik Raises $12M Pre-Series C
Tonik raised $12M to expand its digital banking and lending suite in Southeast Asia. The funds will accelerate product development and market scaling.
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Thought Machine Powers Zigi’s Digital Credit Expansion
Zigi will use Thought Machine’s Vault platform to scale digital lending products and accelerate credit innovation. The partnership supports faster product launches and better operational efficiency.
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GoDutch Raises €3.6M for AI SME Finance OS
GoDutch raised €3.6M to reduce SME admin time by up to 70% using its AI-powered finance OS. The solution streamlines bookkeeping, invoicing, and workflows.
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Validus Secures $30M Series D
Validus raised $30M to strengthen its SME financing platform across Asia. The fresh capital boosts underwriting, product expansion, and regional growth.
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LemFi Gains 14 U.S. Money Transmitter Licenses
LemFi secured 14 new U.S. licences, accelerating its rollout of compliant remittance services for immigrants. The expansion sharpens its competitive position in the U.S. money transfer market.
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🪙 Crypto
Paxful to Plead Guilty, Pay $7.5M Penalties
Bitcoin exchange Paxful will plead guilty to compliance violations and pay $7.5M in penalties. The case underscores rising regulatory pressure on crypto exchanges’ AML controls.
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Bitcoin & Ethereum Waver After Fed’s Third Rate Cut
Bitcoin and Ethereum fluctuated after the Fed delivered a third consecutive rate cut. Market uncertainty remains driven by macroeconomic and liquidity concerns.
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Official Trump Crypto Game Launches With $1M in Solana Meme Rewards
A new Trump-themed crypto game was launched featuring $1M in Solana meme coin rewards. The release merges politics, gaming, and Web3 hype amid an election-cycle spotlight.
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🏛️ Regulation
Bank of England Seeks CBDC Case Studies
The Bank of England is collecting real-world business case studies to explore where a digital pound could add value. This signals progress toward potential CBDC implementation.
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FCA Pushes Targeted Support for Investments & Pensions
The FCA is promoting frameworks that give consumers clearer, tailored support around investment and pension decisions. The initiative aims to bridge existing advice gaps.
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OBL Releases 2025 Open Banking Financial Crime Report
OBL’s latest report outlines emerging financial crime risks in open banking and calls for stronger standards and improved data sharing across institutions.
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💼 WealthTech
WTW to Acquire Cushon from NatWest
WTW plans to acquire employee savings platform Cushon from NatWest, expanding its workplace wellbeing and retirement offering. The deal strengthens WTW’s position in the workplace benefits market.
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Syfe Hits Profit With $2B in Client Returns
Syfe reported Q4 profitability driven by $2B in client investment returns, marking a major milestone for the digital wealth manager. The results reinforce confidence in online-first investment platforms.
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