Press
Celero Commerce Acquires Petroleum Processing Solutions
Celero Commerce, a financial technology company focused on optimized payment solutions for small to mid-sized businesses and strategic partners, today announced the acquisition of substantially all the assets of Petroleum Processing Solutions, a Massachusetts-based payments provider specializing in pay-at-the-pump and multi-lane retail solutions for independent fuel and convenience merchants nationwide. This acquisition marks a strategic entry into the fuel sector, building directly on Celero’s 2024 acquisition of Precision Payments, a recognized leader in grocery and convenience store processing. Together, these moves establish Celero as a formidable competitor and preferred provider across fuel, convenience, and grocery retail verticals which represent high-growth, operationally complex segments where specialized technology,
Capital Markets Tech / WealthTech
Nasdaq Invests $100M in Kraken Parent Payward, Targets 2027 Tokenized Stocks Launch
Nasdaq‘s venture capital arm is investing $100 million in Payward, the parent company of crypto exchange Kraken, deepening a tokenized-equities partnership first announced in
Chart Of The Week
The SEC’s Tokenization Trial: What the New Exemptive Order Actually Does
The crypto friendly Clarity Act did not pass in Congress, so the SEC kept going on its own. On September 17, it said that,
Blockchain
Velocity Raises $10M Series A Extension, Bringing Total to $48M With Backing From Visa and Circle
Velocity, a London-based stablecoin payments and treasury platform, has raised a $10 million extension to its Series A from Visa Ventures, Circle Ventures, Ripple,
E-commerce
Grab to Buy Majority Stake in Atome for $1.49 Billion to Spur Lending Push
Grab Holdings, Southeast Asia’s largest ride-hailing and food-delivery company, has agreed to buy an initial 60% stake in Singapore-based buy-now-pay-later platform Atome Financial for
Embedded Finance
Saudi-Based Tarabut Secures $50 Million to Deepen Embedded Finance Expansion
Tarabut, a Saudi-based regulated financial infrastructure platform operating across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain, has secured $50 million in strategic financing from a
Fintech AI
In OpenAI We (Should Not) Trust
Google, Meta, and X should be thrilled. For years Google, Meta, and X have had political and regulatory targets on their backs, justifiably so, for
IDV / AML / KYB / Biometrics
Unico Acquires Biometrics Provider Valida, Gaining Entry Into Argentina Market
Unico, a Brazil-founded identity verification network that handles onboarding for four of Brazil’s five largest banks and operates in more than 20 countries, has signed
Stablecoins
Bastion Receives Conditional OCC Approval for a National Trust Bank Charter
Bastion, a stablecoin infrastructure provider for global enterprises and financial institutions, has received preliminary conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
Open Banking
Riyadh Fintech Lean Technologies Raises $67.5M Series B Led by General Catalyst
Lean Technologies, a Riyadh-based open banking and fintech infrastructure provider, has raised $67.5 million in Series B funding led by General Catalyst — its first
Payments
European Fintech Chift Raises €10.5M Series A Led by BlackFin to Build Europe’s AI-Ready Financial Connectivity Layer
Chift, a Brussels-based financial data connectivity platform, has raised €10.5 million in Series A funding led by BlackFin Capital Partners, with existing investors Entourage,
PropTech
GI Partners Acquires Majority Stake in Otodata as IoT Platform Monitors 3.5+ Million Tanks Globally
GI Partners, the San Francisco-based alternative investment firm with more than $50 billion raised since 2001 across private equity, real estate, and data infrastructure
AML
Unico Acquires Biometrics Provider Valida, Gaining Entry Into Argentina Market
Unico, a Brazil-founded identity verification network that handles onboarding for four of Brazil’s five largest banks and operates in more than 20 countries, has signed
Specialty Finance / LendTech
Split Pay Raises $125M Across Series A and B Led by Khosla Ventures
Split Pay, a Miami-based credit technology company, has raised $125 million across back-to-back Series A and Series B rounds led by Khosla Ventures, with
InsurTech
AIUC Raises $40M Series A to Build Insurance and Certification Infrastructure for AI Agents
AIUC (Artificial Intelligence Underwriting Company), an insurtech building the audit, certification, and insurance infrastructure needed to bring AI agents into the enterprise, has closed
WealthTech
Savvy Wealth Raises $100 Million Series C as AUM Reaches $9 Billion and ARR Nears $100 Million
Savvy Wealth, an AI-native registered investment advisor platform for independent financial advisors, has closed a $100 million Series C led by Halo Fund, the
Press
Fintech Investment Bank Wellesley Hills Financial Expands Capabilities with New Executive Advisors
Announces addition of two recognized fintech and payments leaders to the team NEWTON, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Wellesley Hills Financial, a global investment bank and strategic advisory
Week's Most Interesting
Capital Markets Tech
Nasdaq Invests $100M in Kraken Parent Payward, Targets 2027 Tokenized Stocks Launch
Nasdaq‘s venture capital arm is investing $100 million in Payward, the parent company of crypto exchange Kraken, deepening a tokenized-equities partnership first announced in
Chart Of The Week
The SEC’s Tokenization Trial: What the New Exemptive Order Actually Does
The crypto friendly Clarity Act did not pass in Congress, so the SEC kept going on its own. On September 17, it said that, for
Crypto
Velocity Raises $10M Series A Extension, Bringing Total to $48M With Backing From Visa and Circle
Velocity, a London-based stablecoin payments and treasury platform, has raised a $10 million extension to its Series A from Visa Ventures, Circle Ventures, Ripple, Haun
Embedded Finance
Saudi-Based Tarabut Secures $50 Million to Deepen Embedded Finance Expansion
Tarabut, a Saudi-based regulated financial infrastructure platform operating across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain, has secured $50 million in strategic financing from a group
E-commerce
Grab to Buy Majority Stake in Atome for $1.49 Billion to Spur Lending Push
Grab Holdings, Southeast Asia’s largest ride-hailing and food-delivery company, has agreed to buy an initial 60% stake in Singapore-based buy-now-pay-later platform Atome Financial for $1.49
Fintech AI
In OpenAI We (Should Not) Trust
Google, Meta, and X should be thrilled. For years Google, Meta, and X have had political and regulatory targets on their backs, justifiably so,
IDV / AML / KYB / Bioemetrics
Unico Acquires Biometrics Provider Valida, Gaining Entry Into Argentina Market
Unico, a Brazil-founded identity verification network that handles onboarding for four of Brazil’s five largest banks and operates in more than 20 countries, has signed
Wealthtech
Savvy Wealth Raises $100 Million Series C as AUM Reaches $9 Billion and ARR Nears $100 Million
Savvy Wealth, an AI-native registered investment advisor platform for independent financial advisors, has closed a $100 million Series C led by Halo Fund, the
Open Banking
Riyadh Fintech Lean Technologies Raises $67.5M Series B Led by General Catalyst
Lean Technologies, a Riyadh-based open banking and fintech infrastructure provider, has raised $67.5 million in Series B funding led by General Catalyst — its first
Payments
European Fintech Chift Raises €10.5M Series A Led by BlackFin to Build Europe’s AI-Ready Financial Connectivity Layer
Chift, a Brussels-based financial data connectivity platform, has raised €10.5 million in Series A funding led by BlackFin Capital Partners, with existing investors Entourage,
GI Partners Acquires Majority Stake in Otodata as IoT Platform Monitors 3.5+ Million Tanks Globally
GI Partners, the San Francisco-based alternative investment firm with more than $50 billion raised since 2001 across private equity, real estate, and data infrastructure strategies,
Insurtech
AIUC Raises $40M Series A to Build Insurance and Certification Infrastructure for AI Agents
AIUC (Artificial Intelligence Underwriting Company), an insurtech building the audit, certification, and insurance infrastructure needed to bring AI agents into the enterprise, has closed a
Specialty Finance / LendTech
Split Pay Raises $125M Across Series A and B Led by Khosla Ventures
Split Pay, a Miami-based credit technology company, has raised $125 million across back-to-back Series A and Series B rounds led by Khosla Ventures, with participation