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Bilt Rewards clinches $150m in fresh funding to enhance loyalty programs
The round was spearheaded by Teachers’ Venture Growth (TVG), a division of the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan specializing in late-stage and growth investments. Alongside TVG, significant contributions came from Vanderbilt University Endowment and the University of Illinois Foundation, with continued support from previous investors.
Bilt Rewards operates as a pioneering loyalty platform that significantly impacts both the residential and local business sectors. By integrating loyalty systems with rental payments, Bilt has facilitated an environment where every rent payment enhances tenant credit scores while simultaneously accruing redeemable points that can be spent within the local community.
The fresh capital will be used to expand Bilt’s influential resident loyalty program and grow its neighborhood loyalty initiatives. These programs are essential for connecting property owners with local businesses, creating a vibrant community ecosystem. Bilt aims to extend these services to include single-family homes and is planning to incorporate mortgage payments into its platform by year-end.
Additional information reveals Bilt’s impressive trajectory of growth. Since their last funding round in January, which raised $200m and put the company’s valuation at $3.1bn, Bilt’s annual platform spend has surged to over $30bn. This represents a 50% increase, driven by the expansion of its loyalty programs to more apartment buildings and into the condominium and homeowner association (HOA) markets. Furthermore, the neighborhood program has expanded to include over 21,000 restaurants and 3,500 fitness studios.
Rick Prostko , Senior Managing Director at Teachers’ Venture Growth, expressed his enthusiasm about the ongoing partnership: “Bilt Rewards has created a unique loyalty program to empower renters. We’ve seen the positive reaction from both customers and all those involved as part of their ecosystem. We are excited about the opportunity to work with Ankur and the full management team and find ways to support them as a value-add partner.”
Ankur Jain, CEO of Bilt Rewards, commented on the future prospects: “This funding accelerates our vision of rewarding Americans for how they live and spend in their communities. We’re rapidly growing our neighborhood loyalty program, expanding into essential categories like healthcare, gas, and groceries. With members in all 50 states, we’re building a comprehensive platform that benefits residents, property owners, and local businesses across the country.”
IntelePeer bags $140m to advance AI automation in customer service
This strategic investment was co-led by Savant Growth LLC and VantagePoint Capital Partners, with additional backing from Savant’s limited partners, including Coller Capital, Hollyport Capital, Manulife Investment Management, and Achmea.
The debt financing was led by Vector Capital through its new direct credit strategy, Vector Velocity. Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Inc. acted as financial advisor to IntelePeer.
IntelePeer specialises in providing AI-driven solutions for automating communications across various channels.
Fortune 500 and large mid-market firms across insurance, healthcare, retail, financial services, logistics, and transportation verticals are leveraging IntelePeer’s domain-specific AI Agents to enhance their customer service initiatives and experiences.
The newly secured funding will support IntelePeer’s mission to continue reinventing the contact centre and advancing their AI Agent portfolio. The investment will also boost their product development, sales, and marketing efforts, ensuring they remain at the forefront of AI-driven customer service automation.
Since 2020, IntelePeer has been implementing communications AI and automation, with significant acceleration following the adoption of Gen AI.
Their solutions include an omnichannel communications workflow engine and call centre integrations, delivering high levels of self-serve automation for their clients.
IntelePeer CEO Frank Fawzi commented, “IntelePeer grew its AI business by more than 100% year-over-year and is forecasting further acceleration, as a result of our commitment to reinventing the contact centre through customer self-service automation. This funding is further validation of this long-term goal. Our unique sales process harnesses Gen AI to extract why consumers contact a business. The collected data is used to develop an intent map that identifies what AI use cases will deliver the highest ROI with the best possible customer experience and can be used to create reports ready for executive and board presentations. This funding will enable us to continue growing our AI Agent portfolio, significantly increasing our investment in our product and development teams as well as our sales and marketing initiatives.
“The advent of Gen AI has opened the floodgates for businesses to realise massive operational efficiencies while vastly improving customer experience. The measures we have taken, including our partnership with Microsoft Azure OpenAI, ensure the guardrails are in place for responsible AI implementation, a key consideration for all clients looking to implement AI. It’s exciting to have this new backing from investors, and we’ll continue to move forward in developing top-tier AI Agents that provide our customers with best-in-class security and compliance.”
Javier Rojas, Founding Partner, Savant Growth, added, “IntelePeer has been implementing communications AI and automation since 2020 but saw an acceleration after adopting Gen AI which radically increases ROI for customers. While IntelePeer’s workflow capture and guardrails result in rapid reliable implementations, its market leading product success results from its whole product offering including its omnichannel communications workflow engine, call centre, integrations and voice quality experience which provides the contact centre with full self-serve automation for approximately 65% of calls across its customers.”
Nick Ghoussaini, Head of Credit at Vector Capital, remarked, “We are excited to draw from our deep credit investing experience to provide a flexible financing solution to IntelePeer and support the company’s transition to its next phase of growth. As the use of AI continues to rapidly grow within the contact centre solutions sector, we look forward to leveraging our proven operating support and technology expertise to ensure IntelePeer is best positioned to capitalise on AI expansion opportunities.”
Finance in Motion teams up with Napier AI to enhance AML efforts in impact investing
Napier AI is set to enhance Finance in Motion’s operations by integrating its Client Screening solution and Client Risk Assessment module within the Napier AI Continuum platform. This initiative is aimed at bolstering Finance in Motion’s growth and enabling the firm to focus on generating positive change in emerging markets through impact investments.
The Napier AI platform offers several innovative features that Finance in Motion will benefit from, including API-enabled, cloud-native automated client screening which supports transliteration across 22 languages, AI fuzzy matching, and secondary scoring capabilities. Additionally, the platform offers a user-friendly interface with customisable workflows, a sandbox environment for optimising screening configurations, and configurable dashboards that facilitate efficient decision-making through no-code rule building and AI insights.
Impact investing is crucial for addressing global challenges and achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Specifically, the 8th goal aims to promote ‘Decent work and economic growth’ by taking immediate and effective measures against forced labour, modern slavery, human trafficking, and the worst forms of child labour. Finance in Motion is dedicated to this cause, ensuring that the funds they manage are not only invested responsibly but also safeguarded against financial crime through robust AML controls.
Sylvia Wisniwski, Managing Director at Finance in Motion, emphasized the importance of their duty to ensure that all capital raised is used precisely for intended impact investments in emerging markets. She said, “Like any institution, we have a duty to ensure that the public and private capital raised is used exclusively for the intended objectives, in our case impact investments in emerging markets. Accordingly, regulation requires effective measures to prevent funds from being used to finance criminal activities. The collaboration with Napier AI allows us to efficiently query data through automated processes and integrated systems.”
Greg Watson, CEO of Napier AI, expressed pride in their partnership with Finance in Motion. He said, “Napier AI is proud to join forces with Finance in Motion to use next generation technology to make a positive impact on the planet. The key to dismantling criminal networks lies in cutting off their sources of revenue entirely by correctly identifying accounts, transactions, and behavioural patterns associated with financial crime. Napier AI’s cutting-edge compliance solutions supercharge Finance in Motion’s mission to generate positive change in emerging markets with automated client screening.
Napier AI is a pioneering RegTech company providing anti-money laundering and financial crime compliance software to the banking, payments, and wealth & asset management sectors. With a client base of over 150 institutions globally, Napier AI Continuum is transforming compliance into a strategic advantage.
Exploit intelligence firm VulnCheck announces $7.95m seed investment
This recent financial infusion includes $4.75m in new capital primarily contributed by Sorenson Capital, a noteworthy participant in this funding round.
The company, which specialises in providing next-generation exploit intelligence solutions, has raised $7.95m to further its mission. The investment was led by Sorenson Capital, marking a significant milestone in VulnCheck’s financial journey.
VulnCheck offers sophisticated services that streamline vulnerability prioritisation by integrating exploit and threat intelligence. This approach allows enterprises, government agencies, and cybersecurity entities to focus on critical threats with enhanced efficiency and accuracy. The firm’s unique selling proposition lies in its ability to deliver actionable, machine-readable data at the moment of disclosure, significantly reducing the need for human intervention and accelerating response times.
The freshly acquired funds are earmarked for accelerating VulnCheck’s growth and enhancing its product development capabilities. The aim is to expand the company’s impact on enterprise platforms and workflows, and meet the burgeoning demand for robust exploit intelligence across government entities and organisations tasked with safeguarding critical infrastructure.
Additional insights into the company’s trajectory include its recent accolade as a finalist in the RSA Conference 2024 Innovation Sandbox contest, which underscores its innovative approach and industry recognition.
VulnCheck CEO Anthony Bettini remarked, “Since launching, we’ve seen demand for VulnCheck’s intelligence services skyrocket. Advanced vulnerability management, threat intelligence, and application security features are on the horizon, and VulnCheck is committed to continuing to help organisations prioritise threats in today’s rapidly evolving landscape. This funding is a testament to our momentum, and we are excited to further invest in developing our enterprise and critical infrastructure solutions.”
Previously, VulnCheck has been proactive in securing financial backing to fuel its strategic initiatives, with this round serving as a continuation of its efforts to lead and innovate within the cybersecurity space.
Victory Park Capital strengthens alliance with Zip
Victory Park Capital Advisors, an established credit manager and global alternative investment firm, has closed a refinancing agreement for a $225m debt facility with Zip, a renowned player in the digital retail finance and payments industries.
This strategic financial collaboration is set to bolster Zip’s US receivables, marking a crucial step in the expansion of its operations within the American market.
Founded in Australia in 2013, Zip has emerged as a global FinTech powerhouse, offering innovative, customer-focused products and services that bridge the gap between consumers and merchants. The company operates chiefly in Australia, New Zealand, and the Americas, providing versatile point-of-sale payment solutions and connecting millions of customers with a vast network of merchants. This new injection of funds is expected to fuel Zip’s strategic initiatives, enhancing its comprehensive suite of consumer financing solutions and driving the growth of its business platform.
The partnership between Victory Park Capital and Zip is not new; it dates back to 2015, signifying a long-standing, fruitful relationship. The journey began with a A$108m asset-backed warehouse facility, which subsequently expanded to A$200m. In 2020, another milestone was achieved when the two firms closed a A$100m debt facility, aimed at funding receivables and fortifying the Zip Business platform.
Zip’s Co-founder and U.S. CEO, Larry Diamond, expressed his enthusiasm about the renewed collaboration with VPC, emphasising the transaction’s significance in reinforcing Zip’s presence in the U.S. market.
He said, “We are thrilled to announce our renewed collaboration with VPC, a cornerstone investor in Zip since our early days. This pivotal transaction marks a significant step in bolstering Zip’s expansion within the U.S. market. As we refine and broaden our portfolio of consumer financing solutions, the three-year deal provides us with both the strategic timing and the flexibility needed to spearhead innovation in both our new and existing product lines. This partnership not only underscores our shared vision for market leadership but also cements our commitment to delivering unparalleled financial products to our American customers.”
Viva.com unveils two new features to simplify payments in Europe
European neobank Viva.com has launched two new features designed to simplify business across the continent.
The first new feature, real-time payments gives the Viva.com merchant community near-instant access to their funds. Transactions are now settled in up to 60 minutes, compared to the previous next-day settlement system.
The second new feature, Offline Payments, was developed to ensure that Viva.com merchants can minimize the risk of losing sales due to network connection problems or interruptions. Offline payments allow card transactions to be automatically accepted, even when the merchant is offline at the point of sale.
“The last thing a business wants is to be waiting for funds to come through on a sale that’s already been completed, or worse yet, missing out on a sale due to network connectivity issues. With Real-Time Settlement and Offline Payments, those issues are a thing of the past. Near-instant payments, 0% transaction fee options and the possibility to complete sales under even the most challenging connectivity conditions are in-house-created features specifically designed to support our merchants, no matter their size or location.”
Kostas Xiradakis, VP Product and Growth at Viva.com.
Viva.com payment solutions are designed to help businesses of all sizes with innovative tools to streamline operations and increase revenue. The viva.com Terminal app turns smart devices into card terminals, while the viva.com Smart Checkout payment gateway increases conversion rates by up to 21%; both offer more than 30 payment methods.
These new features will initially be enabled for companies with viva.com accounts, thereby optimizing cash flow and managing costs. Real-time payments and offline payments are the latest additions to Viva.com’s suite of commerce products, including Business Debit Cards to manage, automate and monitor business expenses, At the same time, reduce costs by 0% transaction fees.
Credit Unions Benefit from Advanced Functionality and Expanded Capabilities with Fiserv Core Platform Enhancements
Fiserv, Inc., the world’s leading provider of financial services and payments technology solutions, continues to enhance its core banking platform to deliver greater agility, fundamental resilience better infrastructure and greater scalability, enabling innovation and growth for credit union customers.
One of many Fiserv cloud platforms, Fiserv Portico® enables credit unions to operate more efficiently while meeting the needs of today’s members. More than 500 credit unions currently use the platform.
After recent updates, Portico now operates in a cloud environment in Microsoft Azure. Continuous technology upgrades and third-party integrations enable credit unions to deliver superior digital and direct financial services from anywhere, anytime.
“We are focused on powering credit unions with technology that allows them to operate more efficiently and respond quickly to their members’ changing needs,”
“With the migration of Portico to the cloud, clients will enjoy greater flexibility, with the ability to enhance the experience of both staff and members, and will be able to access additional capabilities via both Fiserv and third party integrations.”
Doug Donofrio, senior vice president and Head of Credit Union Solutions at Fiserv.
The cloud-based deployment model helps financial institutions deliver maximum uptime, helping to deliver consistently great customer experiences to credit unions and their members. Benefits include enhanced monitoring tools, architectural improvements for greater speed and efficiency, tightly monitored controls, and compartmentalized disaster recovery environments, Reduces complexity and potential points of failure.
New Integrations Equip Credit Unions for Innovation
Recent third-party integrations into Portico include MessagePay, a solution that allows credit union members to make self-service ACH and debit card payments for their outstanding debts, and Eltropy, a digital conversation platform that optimizes two-way messaging between members and families. credit unions, with documents generated directly from the Portico platform.
Honolulu Fire Department Federal Credit Union took advantage of MessagePay and Eltropy’s integration with Portico, creating a real-time solution for members to make loan payments and see results immediately in their digital banking applications.
“We pride ourselves on offering unique solutions to our fire department and firefighter membership, equipping them to manage their finances in the ways that are most convenient for them, at any time of the day or night,”
“With Portico at the heart of our credit union, we have the flexibility to quickly respond to our members’ changing needs.”
Guy Usui, CEO, Honolulu Fire Department Federal Credit Union.
Based on a service-oriented architecture, Portico is a trading account processing solution that supports a sophisticated, real-time service desk with a zero-trace infrastructure that delivers unprecedented reliability. Portico supports credit union growth by providing intuitive user experiences, streamlined workflows, and rapid training.
In a world that is changing faster than ever, Fiserv helps its customers deliver solutions for the way people live and work today – lifestyle-driven financial services.
Stax Payments Acquires APPS, Expands Technology Stack to Offer Bespoke End-to-End Payment Processing Experience
Stax Payments, a leading payment technology provider, today announced the acquisition of Atlantic-Pacific Processing Systems (APPS), creating a seamless end-to-end payment processing platform . The APPS integration marks a significant expansion in Stax’s technology stack, providing partners and merchants with flexible and customizable options for their payment processing needs on one cohesive platform. final, unique.
“Our partners and customers want a simple, secure, multi-channel payment experience, not only for themselves but for their end consumers,”
“Through the acquisition of APPS, we have heightened our innovation capabilities and technology position, allowing us to create a bespoke payment experience for any merchant, ISV, ISO, or payment facilitator. I’m excited to lead a new era of growth for our employees, partners, and customers.”
Paulette Rowe, CEO of Stax.
The APPS platform, which will be called Stax Processing, will over time serve as the foundational processing layer supporting fintech services for ISVs, ISOs and SMBs. The new comprehensive, seamless ecosystem will include enhanced omnichannel offerings, enhanced data reporting and additional personalization capabilities. This significant expansion of Stax functionality will begin in the fourth quarter of 2023, with full integration and additional developments planned throughout 2024.
With this acquisition, members of the APPS leadership team will join Stax to usher in a new era of all-in-one payments processing. , with APPS CEO Abe Maghaguian moving to Stax as head of payments and APPS COO Sarah Gerald promoted to COO processing at Stax. Additionally, Stax welcomes nearly 50 new APPS members to its expanding team.
“As the payment landscape becomes more complex, users are looking for a one-stop shop for all of their payment needs,”
“This acquisition gives our customers access to a highly experienced team who have worked tirelessly to reduce points of friction and maximize the value of payments for our partners. We are thrilled to join Stax and merge our offerings to deliver a powerful payments platform.”
APPS CEO Abe Maghaguian.
Wisedocs bags $4.5m from CIBC to streamline insurance claim reviews with AI
Wisedocs, an innovative leader in the InsurTech sector, recently received a significant financial boost. CIBC Innovation Banking has extended $4.5m CAD in growth capital financing.
This move is designed to support Wisedocs in broadening its client base and enhancing its product offerings.
The company, renowned for its artificial intelligence (AI) software platform, offers streamlined solutions for summarizing claim files. Specifically, it serves the insurance industry by enabling rapid and cost-effective medical record reviews.
With the new funds, Wisedocs plans to continue its trajectory as a market leader. The focus will be on further developing its intelligent technology platform to manage claims more efficiently. This strategic enhancement aims to leverage advanced generative AI to revolutionise how medical records are processed.
CIBC’s funding follows Wisedocs’ successful $12.7m oversubscribed Series A financing round in January 2024. This indicates strong confidence in Wisedocs’ ongoing expansion and its role within the InsurTech industry.
Connor Atchison, Chief Executive Officer of Wisedocs, praised the partnership with CIBC Innovation Banking. “The CIBC innovation banking team is phenomenal to work with. They have a deep understanding of our business needs, the requirements of a high growth tech company, and the need for dynamic banking solutions to expand globally. We are excited to continue to accelerate our growth with an amazing partner like CIBC.”
SentinelOne launches Risk Assurance Initiative with AI-powered security for insurers
The program, known as the SentinelOne Risk Assurance Initiative, aims to offer insurers the SentinelOne Singularity™ Platform at preferred rates, enabling them to stop attacks before they occur and reduce both financial losses and insurance premiums.
The move has been driven by the growing need for insurers to provide robust cybersecurity solutions to their clients. As cyber threats become more sophisticated, insurers are seeking advanced technologies to mitigate these risks and enhance their service offerings.
The company’s Singularity Platform is recognised for its superior performance in the MITRE Engenuity ATT&CK Evaluations and has been named a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection Platforms for three consecutive years.
Customers have also rated it highly, with a 95% recommendation rate on Gartner Peer Insights.
The platform provides 100 percent detection and the highest level of real-world protection. This initiative will enhance the efforts of leading carriers and cyber insurance providers, including AXA XL, Coalition, Travelers, At-Bay, and CFC, who are already deploying the Singularity Platform to prevent ransomware and other cyber threats.
One of the key features of the new initiative is the Insurance Posture Report, integrated into the Singularity Platform. This comprehensive report on key telemetry signals, mapped to the CIS18 standard, allows customers to share their cybersecurity status with insurers, enabling quick validation of acceptable risk profiles.
Additionally, SentinelOne backs its platform with a $1m Breach Response Warranty, offering financial relief and added assurance in the event of a breach.
Managed Service Solution Providers (MSSPs) also trust SentinelOne to deliver top-notch cybersecurity for their clients.
The Singularity Platform is included in the portfolios of companies like Optiv, which use it for Incident Response and Managed Services. This integration supports SMB and mid-market companies in containing threats, remediating breaches, and maintaining robust risk profiles.
John Roberts, General Manager, Security, Coalition, stated, “When a client is managed with SentinelOne, we know they have strong protection against sophisticated cyber-attacks. Coalition can generally offer them more favourable insurance pricing based on their use of managed detection and response technology than if they did not have those security measures in place. We not only leverage SentinelOne in our Coalition Managed Detection and Response offering as a trusted solution for our clients, but also lean on SentinelOne for Coalition Incident Response to support more rapid containment and remediation for clients that have experienced a breach.”
Next-gen core banking leader Tuum bags €25m in Series B investment
The round witnessed leadership from CommerzVentures, accompanied by contributions from Speedinvest and several returning investors.
The company, renowned for its groundbreaking approach to banking technology, has been on a rapid growth trajectory since its first client partnership in February 2019. Tuum stands at the forefront of digital transformation in the banking sector, offering flexible, cost-effective systems that liberate banks to innovate, develop new products, and penetrate fresh markets.
Boasting a diverse customer base across 10 countries, with a significant footprint in the UK and the Nordics, Tuum’s financial performance has been stellar, showcasing a compound annual growth rate exceeding 250% over the last three years.
The newly secured funds are earmarked for an ambitious expansion plan. Tuum aims to strengthen its international presence, targeting pivotal markets in the DACH region, Southern Europe, and the Middle East, including the establishment of a new office.
Additionally, the investment will enable Tuum to bolster its direct sales and marketing efforts and fortify its partner channel.
Reflecting on the funding round, Tuum CEO Myles Bertrand shared his vision, stating, “I joined Tuum in the summer of last year because I saw the gap in the market for its proposition. Everyone knows that banks need to replace their aging core banking systems if they are going to successfully adapt their business models for digital banking.
“However, no core banking vendor has to date made core migration simple and predictable, which is what Tuum is now doing through a combination of smart migrations, a modular and functionality rich core, massive extensibility, and a broad ecosystem of partners.”
ESG FinTech Watershed raises $100m, hitting $1.8bn valuation
The Series C round brings Watershed’s valuation to $1.8bn. This significant injection of capital comes courtesy of lead investor Greenoaks, with notable contributions from Kleiner Perkins, Sequoia, and several other existing stakeholders.
At its core, Watershed’s mission is to hasten the progression of the climate economy. The firm operates with a heightened sense of urgency and possibility, especially considering the environmental milestones and challenges of 2023.
The year marked not only a peak in global temperatures but also saw unprecedented investments in clean energy sectors. Watershed is strategically positioned to catalyse this momentum into tangible climate action, particularly at a time when Fortune 500 companies and thousands of businesses are mandated to adhere to the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), showcasing their commitment to sustainability.
Within the finance world, Watershed allows clients to analyse, reduce and report on their portfolio’s emissions. Financial institutions can get a complete picture of their financed emissions through a carbon estimation engine, with the information all displayed in a handy dashboard.
The capital infusion is earmarked for several strategic initiatives. Their services are comprehensive and global, catering to a diverse client base that includes industry leaders across sectors. The company is dedicated to assisting these entities in navigating their decarbonisation journey, making informed decisions regarding their supply chains, and achieving their net zero objectives expediently.
Watershed is not resting on its laurels. The firm has been industriously developing and augmenting its suite of tools to meet the escalating standards of climate-related work. Noteworthy milestones include the acquisition of CEDA, the establishment of Watershed Disclosures, and the expansion of the Watershed Marketplace. These advancements are designed to empower companies with precise carbon data and streamlined sustainability reporting. Moreover, Watershed’s collaborations with esteemed organisations like KPMG, Accenture, and ERM, and the guidance from its Policy and Science Advisory Boards, ensure that its approach is both scientifically sound and policy-compliant.
Wisedocs secures $9.5m in Series A to revolutionise InsurTech with AI
The investment was spearheaded by Information Venture Partners, a prominent early-stage B2B FinTech investment firm. They were joined by Thomson Reuters Ventures and ManchesterStory, marking a significant vote of confidence in Wisedocs’ future.
At its core, Wisedocs specialises in the development and provision of machine learning software-as-a-service (SaaS) aimed at medical record review, indexing, and summarisation. This innovative service is transforming the way the insurance industry manages and processes medical claims, setting new standards for efficiency and accuracy.
The recently secured funds are earmarked for several strategic areas of growth. Primarily, the investment will support the expansion of Wisedocs’ team, product offerings, and sales territories. This expansion is part of a broader strategy to capitalise on the company’s rapid growth. Notably, Wisedocs made a significant leap into the American market in 2022, establishing new headquarters in Florida to better serve an expanding US customer base.
Additional developments include the launch of Wisedocs’ state-of-the-art Generative AI product suite. This suite, powered by Large-Language Models (LLMs), is a testament to the company’s commitment to innovation. It is set to revolutionise the entire claims ecosystem by offering an intelligent technology platform that streamlines the claims process for insurers, healthcare providers, legal firms, and third-party administrators.
Wisedocs CEO Connor Atchison commented on the funding, saying, “This latest financing round proves the success of our most recent technological advancements. The claims ecosystem has long remained a siloed and slow-moving machine. With the improvements in automation, intelligence, and centralization that Wisedocs enables, the claims process will be an efficient experience for companies, team members, and claimants alike.”
Insurity launches AI-powered solution to revolutionise decision-making for P&C insurance carriers
Utilising Insurity’s analytics solutions grants carriers an enhanced level of reliable insights into their portfolios, facilitating heightened segmentation and improved loss ratios.
The flagship offering of the solution, known as Insurity Predict, harnesses the power of AI to elevate predictive analytics and modelling capabilities, delivering a substantial enhancement in loss ratios and instilling credibility in strategic decisions.
This solution goes beyond merely boosting the accuracy of risk assessment; it also streamlines the underwriting process. Insurity’s analytics models employ advanced AI and machine learning techniques, enabling automation and furnishing superior decision support.
The move has come in response to today’s complex P&C insurance market, which is facing insurance organisations with a myriad of challenges which require accurate and timely decision-making.
Conventional approaches employed by insurers frequently suffer delays, resulting in considerable financial losses and operational hurdles. Insurity’s analytics solutions, driven by AI-powered insights, provide sophisticated, real-time, and reliable insights. This empowers insurers to acquire a more profound understanding of their portfolio, facilitating proactive business management.
Kirstin Marr, Chief Analytics Officer at Insurity, said, “Insurity Analytics, with its AI-powered insights, is a game-changing tool in the insurance industry, empowering carriers to proactively tackle diverse challenges, ensuring better protection for their policyholders and assets. Insurity Analytics is not just about predicting risks but about equipping our customers with the foresight and tools necessary to protect and serve their policyholders more effectively. This is a leap forward in how we use technology to make a tangible difference in people’s lives during critical moments.”
CollateralEdge empowers middle market with Phalanx Impact Partners’ significant FinTech funding
Phalanx Impact Partners, a pioneering investment firm with a focus on fostering positive environmental and community change, has recently announced a significant investment in CollateralEdge.
The amount invested, though undisclosed, has been gathered from several investors with Phalanx Impact Partners leading the round. This infusion of capital is set to further propel CollateralEdge’s mission of providing competitive commercial loans to small and middle market businesses, addressing a critical need in the financial landscape.
CollateralEdge operates at the intersection of technology and finance, offering a revolutionary platform that provides hard collateral support instantly. This aids community banks in mitigating short-term underwriting concerns and minimising policy exceptions on commercial loans. The company’s industry-agnostic platform is particularly beneficial to community banks in rural and urban underserved areas, enabling them to close more deals efficiently and bolster local economies through quality lending.
The newly acquired funds are earmarked for enhancing CollateralEdge’s proprietary Portal technology, which automates the entire loan process, delivering high-quality collateral enhancement solutions directly to banks. This innovation allows banks to maintain autonomy over the loan process and customer relationships.
CollateralEdge, co-founded by Joe Beard and Joe Radtke amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, has since been on an upward trajectory. The company prides itself on being minority and veteran-founded, with leadership bringing over four decades of experience in investment banking, private equity, and entrepreneurship.
John Pantalena, Partner at Phalanx Impact Partners, echoed this sentiment, stating, “CollateralEdge’s vision deeply resonated with our belief that expanded access to credit can transform communities. In a financial landscape where middle-market capital is disproportionally allocated to private equity owned businesses in a narrow range of target industries, CollateralEdge stands out as a unique solution-driven value proposition. We believe that they will be able grow both by being a valued partner to middle-market lending institutions and by expanding the number of participants in the yield products that they are creating through their platform.”
Joe Beard, Co-Founder of CollateralEdge, expressed his vision for the company, saying, “We are not just building a company; we are constructing a bridge to financial inclusion for small businesses, especially those in underserved communities who need it the most.
“Our collaboration with Phalanx Impact Partners is a testament to our shared belief in the economic backbone of the country small businesses. Together, we empower community banks to extend competitive credit offers to small and middle market businesses which are the key drivers of economic development in this country.”
Surfboard Payments partners with Worldline to revolutionise Nordic payment solutions
This strategic partnership aims to combine Surfboard Payments’ innovative payment solutions with Worldline’s comprehensive expertise in acquiring, processing, and fraud prevention. The collaboration is designed to offer a wide range of payment options and services to businesses across the Nordics, enhancing their payment systems and customer experiences.
Surfboard Payments develops an acquiring platform for card present payments, including SoftPOS and API-based payment terminals. Its solution ensures agile development, minimal dependencies, and control over IP. The company’s offerings are directed towards ISVs and payment partners who aim to disrupt in-store experiences with better value for merchants and consumers.
Worldline, on the other hand, is a technology partner for merchants, banks, and acquirers. With a workforce of 18,000, it provides in-store and online card acquiring, secure payment transaction processing, and a variety of digital services.
The partnership initially focuses on Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland, with potential expansion to other markets. It features Surfboard Payments’ suite of payment terminals like SurfPad, SurfTouch, SurfPrint, CheckoutX, and SoftPOS solutions. These will be integrated into Worldline’s merchant and partner offerings. Additionally, all hardware will be delivered by Surfboard Payments’ SurfShip API first platform, including next-day delivery within the Nordics.
The strategic alliance between Surfboard Payments and Worldline signifies a major advancement in the payment sector, aiming to boost business efficiency, security, and customer satisfaction with innovative solutions.
Worldline Head of Strategy & GTM Merchant Services RB Nordics, Filippa Marklund said, “We are thrilled to embark on this transformative partnership with Surfboard Payments. Surfboard Payments’ innovative payment solutions perfectly complement our existing portfolio, enabling us to provide businesses with a competitive range of payment options and services that create real value for the merchants.”
Surfboard Payments CEO, Christopher Lindfeldt said, “We are excited to collaborate with Worldline to expand the reach of our payment solutions across the Nordics. Worldline’s established strong presence, deep understanding of the market and strong sales capabilities will be instrumental in driving our mutual success.”