facebook Facebook Ends Messenger Peer-to-Peer Payments in UK and France Facebook is discontinuing its Messenger peer-to-peer payment service in the UK and France on June 15 due to low usage. The company continues to operate the feature in the US and still allows charitable donations in Europe.
apple Apple Unveils Titanum Credit Card With Daily Cash Rewards Apple introduces the Apple Card, a digital and physical credit card built directly into the iPhone Wallet app. The card offers daily cash back, no hidden fees, and strict privacy protections.
grab Grab Secures $1.46B from SoftBank Vision Fund, Valued at $14B Southeast Asian ridesharing giant Grab adds $1.46 billion from the SoftBank Vision Fund to its record-breaking Series H round. The new capital pushes the company's valuation to $14 billion and supports its expansion into a comprehensive super app.
grab Thai Retail Giant Central Group Pours $200 Million Into Grab Southeast Asian ride-hailing leader Grab secures $200 million from Thai retail conglomerate Central Group to strengthen its local operations and fend off rival Go-Jek.
line Line Partners With Visa to Expand Digital Wallet Across Japan Japan's top messaging app is moving its digital payment service onto physical Visa credit cards. The partnership aims to accelerate the country's shift away from cash ahead of the 2020 Olympics.
lydia French Payment App Lydia Introduces Shared Accounts for Group Expenses Lydia rolls out shared sub-accounts to simplify group spending, eliminating the need to track debts. Users can pool money and spend directly via virtual cards or mobile wallets.
go-jek Go-Jek Secures $920 Million at $9.5 Billion Valuation Amid Rivalry with Grab Southeast Asian ride-hailing giant Go-Jek raises an initial $920 million from existing backers like Google and Tencent. The new round values the company at $9.5 billion as it seeks to expand its services and compete with Grab.
go-jek Go-Jek Raises $920 Million at $9.5 Billion Valuation to Rival Grab Southeast Asian ridesharing giant Go-Jek secures $920 million from existing backers like Google and Tencent, pushing its valuation to $9.5 billion. The company continues to seek additional investors to reach its $2 billion fundraising target.
zwipe Zwipe Raises $14M to Launch Fingerprint Payment Cards in Europe Biometric payment card startup Zwipe secures an additional $14 million to fund its commercial rollout of fingerprint-enabled credit cards later this year. The company currently runs pilot programs across Europe and the Middle East ahead of its market debut.
marketinvoice MarketInvoice Secures $33.5M From Barclays and Santander to Expand SME Lending Europe's largest online invoice finance platform, MarketInvoice, raises $33.5 million in a Series B round led by Barclays and Santander InnoVentures. The funding aims to deepen UK market penetration and launch cross-border fintech-bank partnerships.
ipo Tech Companies Bypass Wall Street With Direct Listing Trend Major tech companies like Spotify, Slack, and Airbnb choose direct listings over traditional IPOs to avoid Wall Street fees and roadshows.
wechat WeChat Quietly Launches Credit Scoring System for Over 1 Billion Users Tencent's WeChat introduces a credit-scoring system for its billion-plus users, challenging Alibaba's Sesame Credit.
wechat WeChat Quietly Launches Payment Score System for Deposit-Free Services Tencent introduces a new credit scoring system for WeChat that rewards users with deposit-free rentals based on their digital behavior. The feature directly competes with Alibaba's Sesame Credit system.
ipo Government Shutdown Delays Highly Anticipated 2019 Tech Unicorn IPOs The ongoing government shutdown forces major tech companies like Uber and Lyft to postpone their planned public debuts. Meanwhile, startups like Postmates and N26 continue to secure massive private funding rounds.
banking Automation Set to Replace Traditional Banking Models Fintech companies initially disrupted banks by offering better specialized services, but established banks are now copying these innovations to retain customers. The only viable long-term defense for fintech firms is full automation of personal financial decisions.