The Fintech Times Bi-Weekly News Roundup takes a look at the latest fintech stories from around the world on Thursday 6 February 2025.
Appointments
Outliers Venture Capital, the early-stage investment firm backing outlier founders in MENA, today announced the appointment of Kenzie Falcoz as operating partner. In her new role, Falcoz will lead Outliers’ platform and portfolio support initiatives which are central to the firm’s investment strategy.
Offa, the UK’s leading Islamic property finance fintech firm, has unveiled a raft of appointments as the company expands. Mehreen Rafiq has joined Offa as senior underwriter, while Shamila Kausar is now customer service officer. Aamna Khan is Offa’s new operations team lead and Shamim Rahman joins as mortgage underwriter. Finally, Offa has also hired Sukhdev Atwal as financial controller.
Ballerine, an AI risk intelligence platform designed to help financial institutions, fintechs and marketplaces automate and optimise merchant onboarding, verification and lifecycle monitoring processes, appoints Cihat Fitzgerald as chief risk officer. He previously served as vice president of global ecosystem security and integrity at Visa.
Avaloq, a wealth management technology and services company, has appointed Dr. Heiko Beck to its group executive board. As managing director for region Europe, Dr. Heiko Beck will oversee Avaloq’s activities in Germany, the UK, Luxembourg and the rest of Europe. In this role, Dr. Heiko Beck will drive the acceleration of the digital transformation in the region.
Partnerships
Qantev, an AI-driven claims management platform for health and life insurance, announces a partnership with INSTANDA, the no-code policy administration platform in the global insurance market. This partnership will enable insurers globally to rapidly launch new products, automate claims processes and improve customer satisfaction through no-code technology and advanced AI.
PayMedix, a healthcare financing and payments solutions provider, has teamed up with XO Health, a value-based care and benefits platform dedicated to transforming healthcare for self-insured employers. The strategic partnership expands access to PayMedix’s healthcare financing solution to XO Health’s network of self-insured employers, TPAs and value-based providers.
XTransfer, the cross-border trade payment platform, and Ecobank Group, a private pan-African financial services group, have signed an agreement to roll out cross-border financial services to Africa’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) engaged in foreign trade. The collaboration will facilitate trade between China and African countries.
Kuady, a digital wallet solution, has integrated with BridgerPay, a global omnichannel payment orchestration platform, to expand seamless payment solutions for merchants across Latin America. This collaboration makes Kuady’s payment services available to all businesses using BridgerPay’s platform, providing a ‘frictionless and localised payment experience’ in Chile, Peru, Mexico, Ecuador and Argentina.
More collaborations
Hong Kong digital bank ZA Bank has collaborated with TransUnion in Hong Kong to offer the TransUnion Credit Alert Service, making it the first bank in the city to provide this service completely free to retail users. While TransUnion’s Credit Alert Service has long been available in Hong Kong, this partnership enables ZA Bank users to access the service with comprehensive features at no cost through the ZA Bank App.
Fiserv, a global provider of payments and financial services technology, is commissioned by Firstrand, one of the largest banks in Africa, to power its digital transformation. It is the first financial institution outside of the US to commission Finxact from Fiserv – the cloud-native, real-time banking solution that offers enhanced access to data.
Funding and investments
ZeroRisk, a merchant risk and compliance management software company, has raised $4million in a funding round led by Elkstone. ZeroRisk will use the funding to expand its US presence where it serves a number of Tier 1 acquiring banks. It will use the new financing to expand its operations globally, particularly in the US market.
INXY Payments, an EU-authorised payment platform, has successfully closed a $3million investment round led by Flashpoint VC with participation also fom prominent angel investors. This funding will accelerate INXY’s mission to simplify and secure crypto payments for businesses worldwide.
