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New Titanium Boost Card and SmartPay Calendar by Receive Transform SMB Finance Management
Receive, a fintech startup focused on expanding financial access for small and medium-sized businesses, has officially emerged from stealth mode with the announcement of its latest milestone. With the help of further debt financing, the company announced that it has raised its total funding to approximately 7.1 million dollars, including a $4 million startup funding round headed by NGVP. Prominent financiers including Blank Ventures, Verissimo Ventures, Insight Partners, Corner Ventures, and Clocktower Technology Ventures are among the backers. Founded by Ariel Blum, a seasoned fintech executive with experience at Melio, Green Dot, and American Express, Receive was born from a clear understanding of the financial barriers facing SMBs. Blum recognized that traditional financial infrastructures were not equipped to meet the fast-moving demands of modern businesses, which often struggle with delayed payouts, extended settlement periods, and costly credit, all contributing to cash flow problems that hinder growth. According to data from SCORE, a partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration, 82% of small businesses fail due to cash flow issues.
In response, Blum launched Receive, positioning it as the first Earned Revenue Access platform designed to help small businesses access the revenue they’ve already earned, without the need for credit checks, interest, or conventional underwriting. By transforming pending sales into immediate spending power, Receive aims to empower businesses to reinvest more quickly and operate without accumulating debt. In addition to offering its platform directly to businesses, Receive operates through a white-labeled partnership model, enabling payment processors, ISOs, and software providers to integrate this solution seamlessly, generate new revenue streams, and strengthen merchant relationships.
In order to promote its purpose, Receive teamed up with Titanium Payments to launch the Titanium Boost Business Mastercard, which gives Titanium’s network of merchants direct access to Earned Revenue. This card allows businesses to convert pending settlements into usable funds instantly, supporting Receive’s goal of creating a more responsive and adaptable financial ecosystem for SMBs. Ariel Blum highlighted how critical immediate revenue access can be, citing the example of a local mechanic who, without timely access to funds, was unable to purchase parts and take on new jobs, illustrating how traditional financial delays can stall growth. With Titanium Boost, businesses gain the flexibility to access funds as needed, avoiding operational disruptions.
In addition to launching the Titanium Boost card, Receive introduced the SmartPay Calendar, a tool designed to transform cash flow management into a competitive advantage. This repayment system allows businesses to choose their repayment schedules and rewards early repayments with increased spending capacity. Through these innovations, Receive is working to redefine financial management for small businesses, providing tools that offer greater control, flexibility, and operational efficiency, ultimately helping SMBs grow on their own terms. The Titanium Boost Business Mastercard is issued by Patriot Bank under license from Mastercard and can be used wherever Mastercard is accepted.
From Spreadsheets to Smart Dashboards: Inside Finlens’ AI Accounting Platform
Finlens, a new AI-powered solution for accounting, has officially launched, aiming to streamline financial processes for startups and accounting firms alike. Backed by Y Combinator and Accel, Finlens positions itself as a tool designed specifically for founders and financial professionals who seek faster month-end closes, real-time financial visibility, and accurate bookkeeping without the usual spreadsheet clutter that bogs down many early-stage companies. The idea behind Finlens emerged after extensive conversations between its founders, Halim M. and Pawan Rochwani, and numerous founders and accountants. A consistent theme in those discussions was the frustration surrounding the manual and often disorganized nature of early-stage accounting. In response, Finlens was developed to automate much of the accounting backend, managing tasks like categorization, GAAP scheduling, and collaboration without requiring companies to migrate from existing systems like QuickBooks or endure complex change management processes.
According to co-founder Pawan Rochwani, the real challenge is not that founders are neglectful of their financial data but that traditional accounting platforms are not founder-friendly. Most founders have little interest in engaging directly with complex software like QuickBooks, preferring to rely on accountants to decipher and organize the data. Finlens seeks to bridge that gap by transforming the backend processes into something more intuitive and usable. The platform promises to give founders real-time visibility into their financials, reducing the need for accountants to repeatedly chase down receipts and preventing the typical end-of-month scramble many businesses experience.
Finlens offers features such as smart transaction categorization, receipt capture, and the management of split transactions. More complex accounting elements like accruals, compliance processes, and GAAP schedules are seamlessly integrated into the platform’s workflow. CPA firms can also benefit from its organized dashboard, designed to help them manage client accounts efficiently, whether they serve five clients or fifty. By syncing directly with QuickBooks through a two-way integration, Finlens eliminates the need for redundant data entry or double work.
Both founders bring prior experience in product development and go-to-market strategy. Rochwani, having previously held leadership roles in marketing and demand generation at companies like inFeedo and Pepper Content, also has experience as an angel investor. His co-founder, Halim M., had earlier worked on decentralized giving platforms and built widely-used consumer applications like FancyKey.
While Finlens enters an increasingly competitive market of AI-driven accounting solutions, it differentiates itself by focusing on usability and minimal disruption to existing systems. Another player in this growing space is Minerva Accounting, which also leverages artificial intelligence to automate core accounting functions. Like Finlens, Minerva aims to reduce manual workloads, minimize human error, and offer real-time insights into business finances. Minerva additionally promotes smart tax planning tools and on-demand financial chat services, presenting itself as a provider of CFO-level intelligence at a reduced cost.
Both companies reflect a broader trend in which artificial intelligence is reshaping financial operations, simplifying complex accounting tasks, and allowing both startups and accounting professionals to focus more on strategic growth rather than day-to-day financial admin work. Finlens, with its practical integration and founder-focused approach, is positioning itself as a key player in this evolving landscape.
Major Industrial Expansion: Georgia-Pacific’s Englehart Mill Set for $191M Overhaul
Georgia-Pacific has officially announced a significant capital investment in its Englehart OSB (Oriented Strand Board) mill, located in Ontario, marking a major step in the facility’s ongoing growth and modernization. The company plans to invest approximately $140 million USD, equivalent to around $191 million CAD, to upgrade the mill’s infrastructure. This investment will be directed toward developing a state-of-the-art log processing system and constructing an expanded finished goods warehouse to improve overall operational efficiency. This development aligns with Georgia-Pacific’s broader commitment to enhancing productivity and meeting the evolving needs of its customers.
The announcement comes at a momentous occasion as the Englehart OSB mill celebrates its fifteenth year as a member of the Georgia-Pacific network, even though the site itself dates back to 1983, when its first board was produced. Celebrating both its heritage and future, the mill now stands on the brink of significant transformation.
David Neal, senior vice president of Georgia-Pacific’s Building Products business, highlighted the company’s forward-thinking strategy during the formal groundbreaking ceremony. He highlighted that the investment not only underscores Georgia-Pacific’s dedication to serving its customers more effectively but also enhances the mill’s operational capabilities to support greater productivity well into the future. Neal acknowledged the local workforce, noting that ongoing operations at the facility will continue uninterrupted during the construction and implementation phases, allowing the company to maintain its service to current markets.
John Beers, president of Structural Panels at Georgia-Pacific, further reinforced this message by noting that improvements to the mill’s log processing system and warehouse symbolize the company’s commitment to continuous improvement and reinvestment in both the facility and the surrounding communities. According to Beers, these upgrades reflect the company’s focus on maintaining competitiveness while ensuring the mill operates as an environmentally responsible facility equipped to meet modern industry standards.
The upgrades are significant, as the log processing system plays a critical role in OSB production. This system is responsible for handling raw wood materials, sorting and debarking logs, and preparing them by cutting them into strands before they are dried and pressed into boards. As engineering and design work continues, Georgia-Pacific expects the upgrade to be completed by the second quarter of 2027, making the Englehart mill a modern facility ready to meet the company’s expansion plans.
Lloyds Banking Group Eyes £120m Deal to Acquire Digital Wallet Firm Curve
Lloyds Banking Group is now in the advanced stages of talks to acquire Curve, a well-known financial technology company. The deal, according to sources cited by Sky News, could close as soon as September 2025. The estimated value of the transaction stands at around £120 million. Curve is a strategic addition that Lloyds believes would let it play a bigger part in the expanding payments infrastructure market.
Founded in 2016 by Shachar Bialick, a former Israeli special forces soldier, Curve has quickly built a name for itself in digital payments. It competes directly with Apple Pay by offering a digital wallet service that allows users to combine multiple bank cards into a single, secure platform. Curve customers can avoid foreign exchange fees and collect rewards, which adds further appeal to the service. The company serves over six million customers and handles billions in payments every year across the UK and the European Economic Area.
For Lloyds, this acquisition holds strategic significance. The European Union currently pressures Apple to open its payment services to other platforms. This regulatory shift could allow Lloyds to benefit from acquiring Curve, offering its customers a direct alternative to Apple Pay and reducing reliance on Apple’s payment fees. In the framework of its larger fintech investment strategy, Lloyds also considers Curve to be a financially stable asset.
Although Curve’s valuation reached £133 million in its 2023 Series C funding round, the potential acquisition price falls slightly below that. Despite this, Curve remains valuable. Since its inception, the company has raised more than £200 million from investors like Britannia, IDC Ventures, Cercano Management, and Outward VC. Yet, last year, Curve faced some operational challenges. It reduced its workforce and paused expansion plans in the US market.
Lloyds Banking Group, led by chief executive Charlie Nunn, considers technology expansion a core part of its strategy. The group already holds stakes in multiple fintech firms. By acquiring Curve, Lloyds aims to strengthen its payments infrastructure and offer a competitive digital wallet alternative. The acquisition supports its long-term plan to build more efficient, cost-effective digital payment solutions for its customers.
Eltropy Unlocks New Growth for CFIs Through Secure, Personal Video Banking
Eltropy’s Video Banking solution is transforming how community financial institutions (CFIs) deliver services by enabling secure, face-to-face banking through any digital device. This technology effectively turns smartphones, tablets, and computers into virtual branches, allowing CFIs to offer personal banking experiences remotely while maintaining the human touch that customers expect. The rollout of this platform follows Eltropy’s 2022 acquisition of POPi/o, reinforcing its digital transformation strategy and positioning video banking as a fundamental solution for CFIs seeking to streamline operations, reduce vendor dependencies, and enhance overall customer engagement.
Video Banking addresses the modern challenges that CFIs and their customers face daily. For members and consumers, the technology eliminates the need for physical branch visits, helping those who have relocated, live in underserved areas, or simply prefer digital interactions. It also provides an inclusive service model by connecting customers with interpreters during video sessions, ensuring that language barriers do not limit access to essential financial services. For financial institutions operating with limited resources, video banking represents a practical solution to extend specialised consultations beyond typical branch hours, without the need for expanded staffing across all locations.
Eltropy’s solution meets these evolving needs by offering flexibility in its deployment. Through remote access, CFIs can provide on-demand or scheduled consultations, supporting services such as loan applications, new account setups, document submission, identity verification, and digital signatures from virtually anywhere. At the same time, in-branch video rooms allow CFIs to leverage centralised expertise, bringing specialised services like lending support, investment guidance, and business banking consultations to every branch without needing to hire additional specialists at each location.
Built specifically for the financial sector, Eltropy’s platform integrates identity verification, compliance management, secure communication, document handling, and seamless system integrations. As part of Eltropy’s broader Unified Conversations Platform, Video Banking combines these capabilities with AI-driven automation, workflow management, and analytics. This enables CFIs to strengthen vendor relationships, scale operations using digital assistants and automation, deliver enhanced omnichannel services, and expand their reach without increasing physical infrastructure, all while optimising the member experience.
Yiren Digital’s Hexiang Insurance Brokers Launched Innovative Insurance Products for Low-Altitude Economy
Hexiang Insurance Brokers, the insurance brokerage arm of Yiren Digital, has successfully launched specialized insurance products targeting China’s rapidly expanding low-altitude economy. The company has signed multiple contracts with enterprise aviation operators through innovative insurance solutions developed in partnership with Ping An Insurance and PICC.
This strategic initiative represents a significant step in Hexiang’s expansion into China’s emerging low-altitude economy, positioning the company as a pioneer in providing comprehensive insurance coverage solution for this high-growth sector.
Key Achievements in 2025
- March 2025: In partnership with PICC, Hexiang sold its first low altitude aviation insurance policy to Xinjiang Tianying General Aviation. This policy covers the company’s commercial Robinson R44 helicopters and includes hull all-risks coverage, liability insurance, and errors & omissions extensions – all designed by Hexiang’s specialized insurance team.
- April 2025: Hexiang, in collaboration with Ping An Insurance, signed an insurance contract for Hexiang’s all-scenario helicopter insurance covering an Airbus R66. The product bundles aircraft hull coverage, crew liability, third-party liability, and passenger accident coverage, providing over RMB17 million in protection. The policy specially addresses the needs of low-altitude tourism operators and business commutes.
- June 2025: Hexiang is appointed as a Council Member of the Jiangsu Aviation Industry Association (JAIA), strengthening its position within the aviation industry ecosystem. The collaboration supports Hexiang’s strategy to deliver value-added insurance products that meet the evolving needs of new economy sectors particularly low-altitude aviation economy.
Leveraging JAIA’s aviation ecosystem, Hexiang aims to develop customized risk management products for civil aircraft operators, drone manufacturers, and general aviation companies – reinforcing its commitment to supporting industry growth through insurance innovation.
Low-altitude economy presents a substantial opportunity for insurance sector. Hexiang is strategically positioned to capitalize on this trend through continued product innovation and market expansion. The company plans to further develop its insurance portfolio with specialized offerings for urban air mobility (including eVTOLs and air taxis), commercial drone logistics, and AI-driven flight operations.
Through these strategic initiatives, Hexiang Insurance Brokers continues to demonstrate commitment to supporting China’s low-altitude economy development while establishing itself as the leading insurance provider in this sector.
Vyntra launched by NetGuardians and Intix to boost banking intelligence
NetGuardians, a Swiss FinTech specialising in AI-powered financial crime prevention, and Intix, a Belgian RegTech known for its transaction data visibility and analytics capabilities, have formed a strategic alliance to launch Vyntra, a next-generation financial crime intelligence platform.
The partnership aims to deliver a transformative solution for global financial institutions seeking robust tools for risk mitigation and regulatory compliance in a fast-evolving digital environment, according to FF News.
Vyntra is designed to provide real-time, end-to-end transaction observability that enhances operational resilience, improves compliance, and reduces exposure to financial crime.
NetGuardians brings its advanced artificial intelligence tools to detect and prevent financial crime, while Intix contributes its expertise in transaction data analysis and visibility.
By integrating these strengths, Vyntra enables banks and financial institutions to monitor transactions and payment flows in real time, ensuring anti-money laundering (AML) compliance and instant fraud detection.
The new platform already serves over 130 institutions across more than 60 countries. Its core clientele includes retail banks, private banks, institutional banks, Central Securities Depositories, digital-native banks, and FinTechs. Vyntra’s features include searchable message archives, SLA monitoring, proactive fraud detection, AML monitoring, insider risk detection, and access to shared community intelligence.
This launch comes in response to growing industry demand for a unified solution that ensures transparency, compliance, and security without hindering business operations. Vyntra’s real-time intelligence capabilities aim to redefine how banks and payment service providers detect and respond to financial crime at scale.
The backing of Summa Equity, which supported the merger between NetGuardians and Intix, has been instrumental in Vyntra’s creation.
Vyntra CEO Joël Winteregg said, “Vyntra represents a new chapter—not just for us, but for the financial institutions we serve. Whether it’s monitoring transactions and payment flows, ensuring anti-money laundering (AML) compliance, or detecting fraud as it happens, Vyntra unifies transaction observability and financial crime prevention under one roof. Our mission is simple: to help financial institutions navigate complexity with clarity and protect the integrity of every transaction.”
Summa Equity partner Gisle Glück Evensen said, “The merger of NetGuardians and Intix was designed to support a safer and more transparent financial system. Now, as Vyntra, this vision becomes a reality. We’re proud to support the team as they lead the way in transaction observability and financial crime prevention.”
Vyntra chief strategy officer Raffael Maio added, “Our clients rely on Vyntra to deliver operational resilience, regulatory confidence, and superior customer experiences. This united front directly addresses some of the most urgent challenges in financial services today.”
MGAA and Insurance DataLab team up to boost MGA insights
The Managing General Agents’ Association (MGAA), which represents MGAs in the UK and Gibraltar, has entered a strategic partnership with market intelligence platform Insurance DataLab.
As part of the deal, Insurance DataLab joins the MGAA as a Supplier Member and offers exclusive benefits to MGAA members, including a 10% discount on new annual licences, according to FF News.
The platform provides deep insights into underwriting performance, claims, solvency, and customer satisfaction across insurers, MGAs, and brokers, helping members make smarter, more informed decisions.
Matt Scott, co-founder of Insurance DataLab, said, “MGAs are driving innovation across the insurance market, and we’re proud to partner with the MGAA to give their Members access to data that helps power better decisions. This is about helping MGAs thrive by putting real insight in their hands.”
Dan King, co-founder of Insurance DataLab, said, “We’ve built Insurance DataLab to deliver intelligence that’s not just interesting, but genuinely useful. This partnership with the MGAA allows us to reach more of the market and provide it with the tools it needs to succeed.”
$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.