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Fintech Platform Atomic Lands $30M to Accelerate Global Regulatory Expansion
Atomic, the embedded investing platform enabling fintechs and financial institutions to integrate wealth management into their offerings, has secured an additional $30 million in growth capital. The round was led by Aquiline and Brewer Lane, with participation from Intuit, Nationwide Ventures, Erie Strategic Ventures, Samsung Next, and Appia Ventures, alongside existing backers QED Investors, Anthemis, and Y Combinator. The funding will fuel Atomic’s regulatory expansion and support the global scaling of its investing platform across banks, insurers, fintechs, and consumer brands.
The company is transforming wealth management by separating the client-facing distribution of investing services from the underlying brokerage infrastructure and regulatory requirements. This model allows financial and non-financial companies to embed investing capabilities directly into their products within weeks, offering customers the same access as incumbent brokerage firms without the need for businesses to build brokerage operations in-house.
With wealth management representing a $100 trillion global market, Atomic is broadening access by enabling institutions with existing customer relationships to act as gateways to investing. The need for this strategy is evident in the company’s explosive growth: Atomic has grown end-investor accounts 52 times in the last year and currently handles over $20 billion in annualized trading activity. Its technology powers products for a wide array of partners, including NerdWallet in consumer finance, Yieldstreet in private markets, and Bluevine in business banking.
David Dindi, CEO of Atomic, said the company’s mission is to democratize access to compounding and wealth creation. We’re constructing a future where everyone may use compound interest to attain financial success in collaboration with our global partners. We’re excited to welcome investors who share our vision for transforming how wealth is built and delivered,” he stated.
Max Chee, Co-head of Aquiline’s venture strategy, noted Atomic’s disruptive impact on the industry. “Atomic is redefining wealth management by making it much easier for any financial institution to embed investing into their customer experience. Through cost reduction and access expansion, their platform is enabling new ideas among fintechs and incumbents,” he said.
The new capital will enable Atomic to expand its regulatory footprint, enrich its product suite, and strengthen collaboration with fintechs, traditional banks, insurers, and brokerages. By decoupling infrastructure from distribution, the company is embedding investing into everyday apps and services, bringing wealth-building opportunities to a broader global audience.
Founded in 2020, Atomic is headquartered in New York and backed by leading fintech investors. Guided by its mission to make wealth accessible to all, the company continues to build tools that bring investing to the forefront of everyday financial experiences.
Financing at checkout made easier for the insurance industry with FIRST Insurance Funding’s integration with ePayPolicy
FIRST Insurance Funding, a division of Lake Forest Bank & Trust Company, N.A. (“FIRST”), has announced a new integration with ePayPolicy designed to make premium financing more accessible and seamless for insurance companies and their clients.
With this collaboration, insureds now have the ability to view pay-in-full and premium financing options side by side at checkout, giving them clear choices and greater flexibility. Those who choose financing can complete enrollment directly through FIRST in just a few steps, benefitting from simplified terms and an easy, integrated process. As a long-standing partner of ePayPolicy, FIRST continues to deliver customized financing solutions that give insurance providers the ability to offer clients choice, efficiency, and enhanced service without adding complexity.
The integration is powered by ePayPolicy’s latest feature, Finance Connect, which extends the same convenience to online premium payments. Clients can now enroll in financing during a single online session, with premium finance agreements signed electronically and payments automated through secure connections with FIRST’s systems and leading agency management platforms.
“This collaboration with ePayPolicy reflects our shared vision of advancing digital transformation in the insurance sector,” said Dana French, Executive Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at FIRST. “By embedding premium financing directly within ePayPolicy’s workflow, we’re providing agents with a simple, streamlined solution that enhances productivity and eliminates disruption. We are confident this will ease the workload for our clients’ employees, while also making the payment and financing process smoother for their agencies and insureds.”
FIRST Insurance Funding has long been recognized as one of North America’s largest premium finance companies, financing more than $16 billion annually. For over three decades, the company has built a reputation for flexible service and innovative payment solutions, becoming a trusted partner for insurance industry clients. Its commitment to pioneering integrations with Insurtech providers has further strengthened its ability to deliver the latest financing technology tailored to the needs of brokers, agents, and carriers.
FIRST is part of Wintrust, a financial holding company with approximately $65 billion in assets and operations spanning more than 170 community banking locations across the greater Chicago area and southern Wisconsin. Wintrust blends the resources of a major financial institution with a community-focused approach to service, complemented by a range of non-bank business units that include premium finance in the U.S. and Canada, accounts receivable financing, wealth management, and mortgage services.
ePayPolicy, trusted by more than 7,500+ insurance companies, continues to modernize how the industry handles payments. With secure online tools, automated processing, and deep integration with agency management systems, the company is helping insurers streamline operations and deliver a faster, more convenient payment experience for clients across the industry.
AI-powered FP&A advisory services may available through Clockwork.ai in partnership with Thomson Reuters
Clockwork.ai, the AI-first financial planning and analysis (FP&A) platform transforming the future of finance, has announced a strategic alliance with Thomson Reuters, a global leader in content, technology, and professional services. Through this collaboration, Clockwork will now be integrated as a premier FP&A solution within Thomson Reuters’ expansive ecosystem, enabling accounting firms across its wide-reaching network to unlock powerful new capabilities.
This partnership directly tackles one of the most pressing challenges in the market: helping accounting firms elevate their advisory practices by converting complex client data into clear, actionable insights. With Clockwork’s intelligent real-time forecasting, automated weekly cash flow projections, and advanced AI-driven scenario modeling, firms gain the ability to deliver precise, high-value insights consistently and at scale. These capabilities empower accountants to strengthen client relationships, enhance decision-making, and accelerate growth in an increasingly competitive financial environment.
According to Fady Hawatmeh, founder and CEO of Clockwork.ai, “this collaboration is a major step forward for our team and the forward-thinking companies we collaborate with.” We believe that innovative tools, when designed with speed, precision, and genuine customer empathy, can redefine how firms operate. By combining Clockwork’s AI-powered platform with Thomson Reuters’ global reach and expertise, we are making advisory services an essential and accessible function for every firm. Today, advisory is not optional—it’s a mandate. Together, we are enabling firms to scale confidently with automation, transparency, and real-time financial clarity.”
Brian Wilson, General Manager of Tax at Thomson Reuters, added, “Our mission is to deliver the tools and intelligence that firms need to succeed in today’s rapidly changing financial landscape. We are continuously innovating internally and forging strong partnerships externally to expand the value we provide. Our commitment to providing businesses with cutting-edge, AI-powered FP&A solutions that extend and enhance our current technology portfolio and produce quantifiable results for our clients is demonstrated by our partnership with Clockwork.
Partnership Between Fortis and Risemint Strengthens Wealth Management Offerings for Families and Businesses
Bryce Johnson founded the independent wealth management firm Risemint, which has teamed up with Fortis Capital Advisors. Since launching in 2019, Risemint has grown impressively from zero assets under management to more than $120 million before joining forces with Fortis. This collaboration marks the next phase of Risemint’s growth, with the support of Fortis Capital Advisors’ seasoned team of specialists, allowing the firm to expand its ability to deliver tailored wealth management strategies for families and businesses.
Risemint founder Bryce Johnson emphasized the common values that made the collaboration a logical choice. “What makes this collaboration so powerful is our mutual dedication to continually investing in and improving our services,” he said. “Both firms share a progressive vision and a steadfast commitment to the highest standards of service and results. Our clients deserve partners who never settle but continue to evolve year after year.”
Rob Hagg, Chief Sales and Growth Officer at Fortis Capital Advisors, expressed a similar sense of enthusiasm. The addition of Risemint and Bryce to the Fortis family makes us very happy. His proven ability to build a thriving practice while keeping client outcomes at the center of his work perfectly aligns with our mission. Together, we can deliver greater value and a broader range of resources to his clients.”
With an MBA in Finance from the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver, Johnson brings a solid track record to the collaboration. Prior to launching Risemint in 2018, he spent a decade as a lead portfolio manager at two Denver-based firms. His investment-driven approach quickly established a loyal client base and fueled the firm’s steady growth. With Fortis Capital Advisors now providing comprehensive back-office support, Johnson will be able to focus more deeply on his dual responsibilities as portfolio manager and primary client advisor, roles for which he has already earned high praise.
“Our clients’ success is our success,” said Johnson. “With Fortis as a partner, I am confident we are entering the most exciting chapter of our journey.”
FieldAI Expands Global Robotics Platform Following $405M Investment Rounds
FieldAI, a leader in robotic autonomy and embodied AI, has secured $405 million through two consecutive funding rounds backed by investors including Bezos Expeditions, BHP Ventures, Canaan Partners, Emerson Collective, NVentures, the venture arm of NVIDIA, Temasek, Prysm, Intel Capital, and Khosla Ventures, among others. Previous supporters such as Gates Frontier and Samsung also participated. The rounds were oversubscribed, reflecting rapid adoption of FieldAI’s general-purpose robotics platform, which has already been deployed successfully in hundreds of complex industrial environments worldwide.
The company is pioneering a single “software brain” capable of powering multiple types of robots across diverse settings. From Japan to Europe to the U.S., FieldAI systems are already operating daily in industries such as construction, energy, manufacturing, logistics, and inspection. Its models make decisions in real time at the edge, seamlessly integrating into customer workflows. With significant operational hours and real-world data logged, FieldAI has demonstrated continuous improvement, scalable autonomy, and meaningful cost efficiency. Rising demand for automation to address labor gaps, safety challenges, and productivity goals is accelerating the adoption of its technology.
With ambitions to double the staff by the end of the year, the new funding will be utilized to support strategic hiring, propel improvements in locomotion and manipulation, and broaden FieldAI’s global presence. According to Vinod Khosla of Khosla Ventures, FieldAI’s unique approach to embodied intelligence provides a pragmatic and scalable path to autonomy, unlocking long-term economic and social value.
At the heart of FieldAI’s platform are Field Foundation Models (FFMs), a new generation of “physics-first” foundation models designed specifically for robotics. Unlike vision or language models adapted for physical use, FFMs are built from the ground up to account for risk, uncertainty, and real-world physical constraints. This design allows robots to operate safely in unpredictable conditions, navigating environments without maps, GPS, or predefined paths. FieldAI CEO Ali Agha explained that the company’s years of field research informed the development of intrinsically risk-aware architectures, avoiding the limitations of retrofitted AI approaches.
FFMs enable robots to dynamically adapt to new challenges without reprogramming and have already been validated across quadrupeds, humanoids, wheeled machines, and passenger-scale vehicles. Their hardware-agnostic nature means that a wide variety of robots can run on the same intelligence core, accelerating deployment and scaling.
FieldAI’s team includes veterans from DeepMind, Google Brain, Tesla Autopilot, NASA JPL, SpaceX, Zoox, Cruise, DARPA, TRI, and more—bringing together deep research expertise and proven deployment at scale. Headquartered in Irvine, California, the company is driving a new era of autonomous robotics, equipping industries worldwide to scale automation safely and effectively.
MoneyHero Emerges as Market Leader in Finance Comparison with Smart Insurance Solutions
For anyone seeking a new insurance policy—whether for health, home, or car—the sheer number of options can feel overwhelming. Navigating through various products with different features and pricing often proves confusing. Personal finance comparison platforms like MoneyHero help simplify this journey by consolidating a wide range of insurance options into one accessible, easy-to-use platform, allowing users to compare offerings and choose the right fit with confidence.
According to Rohith Murthy, CEO of Singapore-based MoneyHero, such platforms make it much easier for consumers to understand and secure the coverage they need. Insurance is often a protective purchase, made in the hope it’s never needed. Unfortunately, many individuals underestimate its importance, potentially leaving themselves vulnerable to significant financial setbacks during unexpected events. At the same time, insurance represents a sustainable revenue stream for platforms like MoneyHero through policy renewals. In markets such as Singapore and Hong Kong, MoneyHero has grown its presence in car, travel, and health insurance, delivering more choice to consumers and steady business growth.
Education plays a central role in MoneyHero’s strategy. Many people see insurance as complex or unnecessary. The platform addresses this by offering straightforward educational content to highlight why proper coverage matters for financial security. Once consumers are ready to act, MoneyHero provides transparent side-by-side comparisons of various insurance products, helping users navigate complex terms, fluctuating premiums, and a crowded provider landscape. The platform’s intuitive interface ensures the purchase process is smooth and user-friendly, allowing people to secure insurance quickly and with clarity.
As the broader industry embraces insurance technology, MoneyHero remains focused on enhancing its digital marketplace rather than becoming an insurtech itself. Through key partnerships with firms like Bolttech and eBaoTech, MoneyHero has introduced real-time pricing and seamless end-to-end purchasing experiences for car and travel insurance. These collaborations strengthen the platform’s capabilities while delivering exceptional customer experiences.
MoneyHero has also developed a strong partner network, working closely with over 260 institutions across four markets. These partnerships allow the platform to offer exclusive deals and competitive rates while leveraging APIs and integrated systems to optimize the user experience. The company’s Creatory platform further supports its mission by empowering content creators and influencers to connect with audiences through ready-made content and back-end support.
Founded in 2014, MoneyHero has outlasted many regional competitors to become the only publicly listed comparison platform in its space. With AI and conversational technology on the horizon, the company is evolving to become more like a personalized digital financial coach—capable of understanding individual needs and offering tailored, real-time advice.
How African Fintechs Are Redefining Financial Inclusion Worldwide
Africa’s fintech sector is emerging as one of the most influential drivers of global financial innovation, outpacing traditional hubs like Silicon Valley. While Western fintech companies largely enhance existing systems, African startups are creating the very foundations of financial access for millions of unbanked and underbanked people. Despite a 38% decline in worldwide fintech investment, transaction funding for African fintechs increased by 59% in 2024. By contrast, Silicon Valley’s fintech-focused fundraising has sharply declined, with venture funding falling 91% from its 2021 peak, signaling a broader shift in where transformative ideas are being born.
The defining difference is rooted in problem-solving. Startups in Africa are building financial infrastructure from scratch, addressing the needs of communities historically excluded from banking systems. Companies such as Flutterwave and Maplerad are providing traders with affordable digital payment options, instant settlements, and support in local languages. These are not incremental upgrades but radical innovations that expand access and usability.
Africa’s mobile-first approach was born out of necessity rather than choice. Limited banking infrastructure and the widespread use of mobile devices created an environment where fintech had to prioritize resilience, scalability, and accessibility. As a result, solutions such as offline functionality, lightweight synchronization, and user-friendly interfaces for basic smartphones are now influencing product design worldwide.
Collaboration is another hallmark of African fintech. Instead of competing in isolation, companies build interconnected ecosystems of mobile money services, digital banks, and microfinance platforms, creating network effects that reinforce sustainable growth. This cooperative model contrasts sharply with Silicon Valley’s winner-takes-all approach.
The sector is also at the forefront of practical AI applications, from machine learning-powered credit scoring and fraud detection to multilingual customer support in markets lacking formal financial data. These innovations directly address the barriers faced by underserved populations. Regulatory frameworks in countries like Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa further support progress, with sandboxes allowing real-world testing of new ideas in partnership with regulators. This accelerates innovation while aligning it with consumer needs, unlike the slower and more rigid processes typical in Western markets.
African fintechs have also redefined the business model for financial services. They prioritize profitability and customer retention over venture capital-fueled growth, making them more resilient in the face of economic or regulatory shifts. It is expected that the African fintech sector would bring in $65 billion by 2030, primarily from financial inclusion rather than upscale features.
These solutions are already spreading beyond the continent, inspiring fintech development in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe. Far from catching up, Africa is setting the pace for the future of global financial innovation.
For the second season, Ebury will be Southampton Football Club’s official fintech partner
Ebury, a global leader in financial technology, is pleased to announce the renewal of its partnership with Southampton Football Club for the 2025/26 season, continuing as the club’s Official Fintech Partner. This extension builds on the strong relationship first established in October 2024 and will see Ebury maintain its support for Southampton’s growth ambitions by providing expertise in international financial operations.
Through the agreement, Southampton will continue to benefit from Ebury’s online payments platform, currency exchange capabilities, and money transfer services. Ebury’s presence will also remain visible at St Mary’s Stadium with branding on LED boards and big screen displays during matchdays.
With the extension, Ebury’s expanding sports portfolio-which already includes collaborations with top teams like Aston Villa, Rangers, and PSV Eindhoven-is even more robust. By operating a specialist sports business unit, Ebury delivers tailored solutions designed to help clubs, athletes, and agents manage cross-border payments, FX risk, sponsorship revenue, player trading, merchandising, and major capital investments.
With operations in more than 40 global offices across 29 markets and a team of 1,800 professionals, Ebury supports organizations with international payments, FX risk management, collections, and business lending. These services empower sports businesses to expand globally with greater efficiency and security.
Peter Brooks, Global Head of Sports at Ebury, expressed his enthusiasm about the extended collaboration: “We are delighted to continue as Southampton’s Official Fintech Partner for the upcoming seasons and look forward to supporting their success in the Championship. In today’s football landscape, clubs need fast, secure, and globally connected financial solutions-precisely what Ebury delivers. Our global experience with leading sports organizations allows us to anticipate evolving needs and provide the tools for growth.”
Additionally, Dave Driver, Southampton FC’s financial director, stated: “Ebury has been a great partner, providing outstanding experience that has improved our finance operations. We are excited to continue building on this strong foundation together.”
$820M Milestone: iCapital Powers Ahead in Modernizing Global Investment Access
Global fintech leader iCapital has raised over $820 million in its latest funding round, pushing its valuation beyond $7.5 billion. The financing was co-led by T. Rowe Price and SurgoCap Partners, with ongoing backing from existing investors Temasek, UBS, and BNY, and support from State Street.
Founded in 2013, iCapital provides a comprehensive technology and data infrastructure platform that simplifies access to alternative investments, structured products, and annuities. Its unified system allows financial advisors, wealth managers, and asset managers to manage these offerings alongside traditional investments at scale.
The newly secured funds will help advance iCapital’s global acquisition strategy, accelerate international expansion, and support further technological innovation across its services. Over the years, the company has invested more than $700 million into developing its platform and has completed 23 strategic acquisitions, including names like Mirador, AltExchange, and Parallel Markets. These moves have contributed to the firm’s rapid growth, which now includes a workforce of 1,875 across 16 global offices. iCapital’s platform currently supports over 750 product providers and more than 3,000 wealth management firms, offering access to 2,100 funds and serving 114,000 active financial professionals.
The deal’s financial advisor and placement agency was Goldman Sachs, while its legal counsel was Ropes & Gray.
CEO Lawrence Calcano emphasized that this funding is not just a vote of confidence from investors, but a catalyst to accelerate the company’s mission of enhancing the investing experience. He reiterated the company’s commitment to delivering technology-driven solutions that empower advisors and managers with the tools and insights they need to offer exceptional service in an evolving financial landscape.
David DiPietro of T. Rowe Price praised iCapital for building a platform that is becoming essential to private markets investing, highlighting its blend of sophisticated technology and deep market understanding.
Efficacy Joins Stitch: A New Era for Card Clearing and Merchant Services in SA
Leading South African payments infrastructure provider Stitch Group has announced that it has acquired Efficacy Payments, a digital payments business with headquarters in Cape Town that specializes in cash deposit and card acquiring solutions. While the financial terms of the deal remain confidential, the move is positioned as a strategic step to expand Stitch’s role in the local payments landscape.
With this acquisition, Stitch intends to offer merchants direct card acquiring services as a DCSP, a role that allows the company to facilitate direct card clearing for both online and in-person payments. Efficacy, established in 2016, has held DCSP status since 2021, bringing regulated clearing experience to Stitch’s growing portfolio.
The integration of Efficacy’s technology is expected to unlock a number of operational benefits for Stitch’s clients. These include better conversion rates at checkout, reduced transaction costs, real-time reporting, and more efficient reconciliation processes. Stitch also highlights that merchants will gain faster access to innovative product features and updates as a result of this enhanced infrastructure.
Junaid Dadan, Stitch’s president and co-founder, commented on the announcement, noting that card processing remains a core need for South African businesses. He emphasized the opportunity to improve key aspects such as transaction success rates, reconciliation systems, and accessibility to cutting-edge technology.
This deal follows Stitch’s earlier acquisition of Dutch fintech ExiPay in January, which added in-person payment functionality to the company’s existing online payment solutions. The company’s consistent growth led to a $55 million Series B investment round in April, which was led by QED Investors. This round brought Stitch’s total funding to $107 million, further reinforcing its ambition to build a full-stack payments infrastructure offering for the South African market.
With Efficacy now part of its ecosystem, Stitch is well-positioned to deliver an end-to-end payment experience across digital and physical channels.
Timestamp Partners with BitGo to Power Innovative Capital Formation
Timestamp Financial, a regulated investment platform for startup investing, today announced a strategic partnership with BitGo, the leading infrastructure provider of digital asset solutions, through which BitGo will serve as Timestamp’s official custodian and escrow partner.
Timestamp’s integration of BitGo’s custody and escrow solutions is the first step towards their forward-looking strategy for startup capital formation. Soon after the initial phase of this integration, founders and investors will be able to participate in regulated investment offerings using bitcoin without compromising on security, trust, or regulatory integrity. The partnership marks a tangible step towards the responsible financialization of bitcoin.
“Partnering with BitGo sets the stage for the development of capital formation infrastructure aligned with the Bitcoin standard.” said Arman Meguerian, Founder and CEO of Timestamp. “Our mission is to give founders and investors a secure, compliant, and accessible path to raise and deploy capital in a rapidly evolving financial landscape. That requires regulatory clarity and institutional-grade systems, which BitGo delivers at the highest level.”
“We’re proud to partner with Timestamp to bring secure, regulated infrastructure to the frontier of startup investing,” said Mike Belshe, Co-founder and CEO of BitGo. “This collaboration represents a powerful step forward in aligning capital formation with the principles of sound money and digital asset security. Through the integration of BitGo’s institutional-grade custody and escrow services with Timestamp’s innovative platform, we aim to establish the financial infrastructure that will underpin a Bitcoin-native future.”
In the next phase of this partnership, Timestamp and BitGo plan to lay the groundwork for a new era of capital formation—one that is bitcoin-native, regulation-ready, and designed for a world operating on the bitcoin standard.
Start Anytime: ezAccounting Payroll Software Built for Mid-Year Setup and Business Growth
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ezAccounting is a powerful all-in-one solution built for accountants, agricultural businesses, and business owners—making it easy to track income and expenses, process payroll, print checks, generate detailed reports, and prepare tax forms with confidence.
ezAccounting offers both payroll and bookkeeping tools in one easy-to-use solution—ideal for small businesses and accounting professionals alike. Whether you’re new to accounting software or switching from QuickBooks, ezPaycheck, or another program, transitioning to ezAccounting is quick, intuitive, and stress-free.
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Enterprise WealthTech XFOLIO lands $2m seed funding
XFOLIO, a French and Lebanese-based FinTech company redefining institutional wealth management, has successfully closed a $2m seed funding round.
The investment was fully provided by Middle East Venture Partners (MEVP), and will enable XFOLIO to accelerate its product development, expand into new markets across MENA and Europe, and form strategic partnerships.
Founded in 2024 by serial entrepreneur Anis Rahal, who previously founded TreasuryXpress before it was acquired by Bottomline Technologies, XFOLIO offers a unified platform that merges portfolio management and treasury automation into a single cloud-based system.
The platform is designed to help financial institutions, family offices and wealth managers consolidate, automate and visualise both bankable and non-bankable assets. It leverages financial messaging standards to deliver a first-of-its-kind application that addresses growing demand for streamlined digital solutions.
The newly secured capital will support the company’s go-to-market strategy and fund the development of AI-powered recommendation tools and cross-bank trading features.
Middle East Venture Partners partner Jad El Boustani said, “We believe XFOLIO is building the future of enterprise WealthTech.
“Anis and the co-founders bring unmatched expertise in financial connectivity and portfolio management. Their solution addresses a critical gap in the market: modern, cost-effective tools for mid-sized wealth managers who have been left behind by legacy systems. It is an honor to be working again with Anis and his team.”
XFOLIO co-founder and CEO Anis Rahal said, “At XFOLIO, we believe that Treasury and Wealth Management should be unified into a single, seamless system. Both sectors depend on one critical success factor: real-time connectivity to market data providers. We find the current pricing in the market to be excessive, largely due to legacy systems that fail to leverage modern, cutting-edge technologies. XFOLIO is here to change that. We’re introducing fair, transparent pricing – and our mission is to democratize access to both Treasury and Wealth Management solutions.”
Whalet and TerraPay team up to boost SME global payments
Whalet has announced a strategic partnership with global money movement firm TerraPay to deliver seamless cross-border payout solutions aimed at supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The collaboration will focus on simplifying international transactions for Whalet’s core customers — cross-border sellers from the Asia-Pacific region — while improving overall payment efficiency.
TerraPay vice president – IMT (APAC) Sukesh Malliah said, “This partnership enhances global payouts, ensuring businesses can move funds effortlessly. By working with Whalet, we’re enabling a more accessible and efficient payout experience for SMEs and marketplace sellers, empowering businesses to operate seamlessly across multiple regions.”
Whalet founder and CEO Nicholas Liao added, “Partnering with TerraPay strengthens our ability to offer reliable payouts for cross-border trade enterprises and e-commerce marketplace sellers. This collaboration ensures our customers can efficiently manage transactions while optimizing financial processes worldwide.”
Whalet focuses on providing SMEs with a wide suite of global payment services. Its offerings include one-click store setup, multi-currency global accounts, pay-ins, payouts, currency exchange, and card issuance. The firm holds payment licences in Singapore, the US, and Hong Kong SAR, ensuring its operations meet compliance standards across key international markets.
With international commerce rapidly evolving, both Whalet and TerraPay are focused on building a robust financial ecosystem that enables SMEs to pursue growth across borders. Their joint solution aims to provide reliable, frictionless payout networks that align with SMEs’ global expansion goals.
Whalet’s mission is to help SMEs approach global trade with confidence, offering secure and cost-effective cross-border solutions that cover a wide range of services from store setup to multi-currency management. The company currently supports transactions in 39 major currencies and partners with financial institutions worldwide to ensure businesses can scale efficiently while meeting regulatory demands.
European Fintech Paynt Acquires Canada-Based E-xact Transactions to Accelerate North American Expansion
Paynt, a leading European payment technology company, today announced its acquisition of Canadian firm E-xact Transactions, marking a major milestone in the company’s strategic expansion across North America.
Paynt currently processes payments across the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom, with regional offices in the UK, Ireland, the Baltic States, and the United States. The acquisition of E-xact, which processes over CAD 3.5 billion annually across more than 50 million transactions, will add a new operational hub in Vancouver, Canada.
To support this North American growth, Paynt has appointed payments industry veteran JohnPaul Golino to its board of directors. Golino will lead the integration of E-xact into Paynt’s platform and oversee regional go-to-market efforts.
“With a new established presence in Connecticut and Vancouver, we’re entering a new chapter in building Paynt’s North American footprint and reinforcing our global leadership in payment solutions,” said Sam Kohli, founder and Group CEO of Paynt.
Founded over 25 years ago, E-xact Transactions delivers lightning-fast, secure payment processing — with sub-one-second transaction times — and supports leading e-commerce platforms such as Shopify, Magento, and WooCommerce.
“This acquisition not only expands our reach but enhances the solutions we bring to merchants and partners across Canada,” said JohnPaul Golino. “We thank MAPP Advisors for their guidance in connecting us with E-xact — this is the beginning of a powerful new phase.”
Paynt is also actively evaluating additional acquisition targets in the United States, with plans to finalize another deal by the end of 2025.
Saphyre Launches AI Agent for Onboarding, Enabling Fund Launch by Email
Saphyre, the leading fintech platform for pre-trade and post-trade intelligent automation, today announced the launch of its AI Agent for Onboarding, a game-changing capability that allows brokers and clients to initiate full fund onboarding simply by sending an email.
With no portals, forms, or extra tools required, the AI Agent for Onboarding enables firms to meet their clients exactly where they are in their inbox. Clients of brokers can submit onboarding requests by emailing their required data points and documents. From there, Saphyre’s AI reads the message and attachments, intelligently parses the data, and automatically starts the onboarding process.
“The same emails your clients send today can now kick off a complete onboarding without any back-and-forth and manual rekeying or specialized formatting” said Stephen Roche, President and Co-Founder of Saphyre. “This is real operational efficiency, at scale.”
If any required data or documents are missing, Saphyre’s AI Agent for Onboarding follows up with a clean, automated request — asking only for what is needed. Once all information is collected, the system passes the request to the broker operations team for final review and approval. The onboarding is then seamlessly processed through their internal systems, via API integrations.
“We’ve eliminated the tedious steps that slow teams down,” Roche added. “Instead of chasing clients for missing information or copying data from emails into static forms, brokers can now focus on higher-value tasks — and get their clients to market faster.”
“This isn’t a chatbot or assistant. It’s a fully integrated AI capability designed to reduce onboarding timelines, eliminate inefficiencies, and improve client experience,” said Gabino Roche, CEO and Founder of Saphyre. “With our AI Agent for Onboarding, firms can operate smarter, move faster, and scale without sacrificing control.”
The AI Agent for Onboarding reflects Saphyre’s continued commitment to transforming operational processes through intelligent automation helping firms thrive in an increasingly fast-paced and regulated market.