Tagged: startups

April 8, 2021 @ 8:39 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Payments giant Visa (NYSE:V) has announced that it has chosen five high-potential startups to participate in its very first Accelerator Program for the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. During the next 4-6 months, the startups will be focused on developing various commercial initiatives such as new… Read More

April 3, 2021 @ 9:37 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Astorya.io, which aims to serve as the search engine for Insurance and Banking technologies, has published a blog post, titled InsurTech Europe: 10 Years Of InsurTech In Europe Analyzed Through 800+ Startups (based on data from astorya.io). While discussing how InsurTech startups are gaining considerable… Read More

April 1, 2021 @ 1:40 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Plug and Play announced on Thursday it has selected 154 startups into their Summer 2021 Batches. The accelerator program reported that each company has been accepted into one of the following programs that run through June: Energy, Enterprise Tech, Fintech, Health, Insurtech, Internet of Things, Mobility, Real Estate & Construction, or Travel &… Read More

March 29, 2021 @ 11:14 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), which is a member of the World Bank Group, and the Egyptian Fintech Association recently teamed up in order to support entrepreneurship in the financial technology sector. Both organizations intend to offer support to the MENA region naton’s private sector… Read More

March 20, 2021 @ 7:03 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Qatar Development Bank (QDB) and M7, a creative start-up hub that’s operated under Qatar Museums, are introducing Scale7, which is a business incubator for MENA region entrepreneurs. Scale 7 aims to support a creative and artistic ecosystem. The initiative will help Qatari entrepreneurs, local… Read More

March 15, 2021 @ 11:25 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

UK-based Diem, a startup that aims to combine traditional banking with a service that allows users to sell their unwanted items to the company, has secured $5.5 million in capital via a seed round that was led by Fasanara Capital. Diem provides a user account,… Read More

March 14, 2021 @ 2:10 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The third edition of Startupbootcamp Fintech Dubai’s accelerator program has now concluded. During the Demo Day, there were 11 startups that pitched their ideas to potential investors, corporate partners, industry experts, mentors, and the general public. Startupbootcamp Fintech Dubai was introduced in 2018 through a… Read More

March 8, 2021 @ 10:59 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Fintech industry experts from Qatar and Bangladesh recently talked about potential opportunities in the financial services sector during a webinar.  Bangladesh Forum Qatar (BFQ) had organized the webinar on “An Exploration of the Qatar – Bangladesh Startup and Fintech Opportunities” along with assistance from the… Read More

March 7, 2021 @ 7:14 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Swiss Blockchain Federation has introduced the NTN Innovation Booster, called the Blockchain Nation Switzerland program, which is a 4-year initiative that has been co-funded by the Swiss Innovation Agency and Innosuisse. The Blockchain Nation initiative will be focused on promoting and supporting blockchain or… Read More

March 6, 2021 @ 6:12 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The team at LendIt Fintech USA notes that if the last year has taught us anything, it’s that “innovation” in Fintech has only just started. LendIt Fintech is now challenging early-stage company founders to “”take a chance and compete in PitchIt.” PitchIt at LendIt Fintech… Read More

February 27, 2021 @ 2:55 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Silicon Valley-based Fintech Unicorn Brex recently explained how selling wholesale can help your business expand its operations. Brex notes that many digital commerce business owners start out quite small: an online shop or retail location, a “handful of new products” and perhaps a couple of… Read More

February 21, 2021 @ 11:00 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The total value of venture capital secured by UK-based firms surged to the highest level in Q4 2020 according to estimates from Refinitiv Deals Intelligence. UK firms secured £2.4 billion in capital from 137 different deals during the last three months of 2020, which is… Read More

February 21, 2021 @ 9:48 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

San Francisco-based Carta, a firm that helps private and public companies, investors, and employees manage equity and ownership, has published its private markets report for Q4 2020. Carta’s report, which was posted on February 17, 2021, notes that venture capital managed to close out 2020… Read More

February 21, 2021 @ 9:40 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The current Bitcoin (BTC) bull market has been fueling another major boom in blockchain or distributed ledger tech (DLT) startup deals. Coinbase Ventures had launched back in 2018, which was during the extended cryptocurrency bear market that lasted from early January of that year to… Read More

February 11, 2021 @ 9:40 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Arshad Mehmood Bhatti, Director, Exchange Policy Department at the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the nation’s central bank, has noted that the SBP has updated its Foreign Exchange Manual in order to facilitate local startups and Fintech firms in the country. The manual was also… Read More

February 10, 2021 @ 11:45 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

SCB 10X, a subsidiary of Thailand’s Siam Commercial Bank or SCB (BKK: SCB), has launched a $50 million VC fund that will make strategic investments in early and growth stage startups globally. SCB is looking for initiatives that are focused on blockchain, decentralized finance (DeFi),… Read More

February 7, 2021 @ 7:36 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Saudi Arabia’s venture capital funds are increasingly looking to tap into Fintech, digital commerce, and healthcare segments this year. VC activity has increased considerably in the MENA region including Saudi Arabia during the past few years, with local startups recording a 55% year-over-year growth in… Read More

February 4, 2021 @ 12:10 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Switzerland is currently home to around 130 startups that are actively applying blockchain or distributed ledger tech (DLT) to improve processes in the finance sector, according to new data from Swisscom. The majority of these firms (48%) offer services related to banking infrastructure, with many… Read More

January 30, 2021 @ 5:25 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The European venture capital markets managed to perform reasonably well last year, even though there was a significant slowdown in funding or financing following the COVID-19 outbreak (during Q1 2020 and also leading into Q2 2020), Crunchbase data confirms. Funding provided to European startups during… Read More

January 27, 2021 @ 7:46 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Banco Sabadell (BME:SAB), a Spanish multinational financial services company headquartered in Alicante and Barcelona, Spain, has reportedly invested €2.5 million in Nomo, an inhouse incubated initiative that spun out from the banking institution. The startup offers various business management tools for SMEs and sole traders…. Read More