The Fintech Times Bi-Weekly News Roundup takes a look at the latest international fintech stories. This Thursday we put the spotlight on innovative events as well as the latest fintech partnerships.
Driving innovation
Bahrain Islamic Bank (BisB) is teaming up with Bahrain FinTech Bay (BFB) to challenge local startups to create the ‘ultimate marketing automation platform’. Teams of marketeers, software developers and computer programmers will be challenged to create the ultimate tech platform for social media.
AMTD and Global FinTech Institute have joined forces to ‘support and anchor’ the Chartered FinTech Professional (CFtP) qualification. AMTD will also offer 20 scholarships to the Singapore University of Social Sciences and the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics.
Tel Aviv Municipality, with help from Google and Microsoft, is hosting a 24-hour Start-Up Bootcamp on 15-16 September. Participants will be matched to mentors, with topics covered to include fintech, cyber, blockchain, agritech and education tech.
Standard Chartered Bank UAE is promising to support female-led startup businesses throughout Africa and the Middle East with its second Womentum programme. This year, Womentum has adapted its curriculum in order to give its third cohort of startups the tools they need to navigate the Covid-19 pandemic.
While, Saudi Arabia is to host the 2020 virtual Global AI Summit this October. In addition to ‘building dialogues of global significance’, the event will focus on developing artificial intelligent technologies ethically in apps that affect human life.
Doing it for the kids
Digital bank Starling says it is launching a new card in order to ‘help teach children money management skills’. Linked to a parent/guardian’s account, the Starling Kite debit card is for children aged six to 16. Going live next week, Kite will be available for £2 per card per month.
Understanding the value of money and learning skills such as budgeting and saving from a young age, can help people lay the foundations for them to achieve better financial wellbeing later on in life.
Meanwhile, investment app tickr has unveiled a junior impact stocks and shares ISA (JISA) for ‘the next generation of investors’. Parents can invest in their children’s future while positively affecting climate change, equality, disruptive technology, says tickr.
Fintech job moves
H.E. Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa Al Hammadi is the new chairman of Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX). Al Hammadi is also chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, as well as a board member of the Abu Dhabi Global Market.
Funding Societies, the Southeast Asia digital financing platform, has made a slew of changes to its executive team. In order to gear up for ‘post Covid-19 growth’, Frank Stevenaar has joined as its first chief financial officer, Nihit Nirmal takes on the role as chief product officer and Ishan Agrawal is stepping up to the role of chief technology officer.
Sue Barenbrug has joined re/insurance outsourcing specialists Pro Global Holdings. Taking on the role of head of data management & risk modelling, Barenbrug is tasked with leading Pro’s augmented intelligence project in order to offer insurers ‘better operational and business efficiency’.
Fintech veteran Ben Sheri is moving to leading finance portal Funding Xchange as chief commercial officer. The business finance marketplace says Sher is a key hire as it expands the scope of the platform and its client portfolio.
GoCardless appoints Even Walser as chief revenue officer in order to drive adoption of the fintech’s mid-tier and enterprise organisations globally. Walser has held leadership positions at Practice Fusion, Genius.com and Brand Watch. Most recently he was chief revenue officer at Decibel.
Finally, Ben Agnew is the new CEO of the Emerging Payments Association (EPA), following his four-year spell at Informa. Agnew says he will use his ‘extensive B2B events and digital experience’ to further the EPA’s ‘already impressive’ events programme.
Partnerships and acquisitions
Buy now, pay later fintech Jifiti has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Mastercard. The fintech’s technology enables point of sale financing, allowing banks and retailers to offer immediate credit using Mastercard.
Digital Currency Group has acquired the cryptocurrency exchange platform Luno. DCG first bought a stake in Luno by investing in the exchange’s seed round in 2014.
And, Moneybox has added to its range of products by launching a ’45 Day Notice Savings’ account powered by Charter Savings Bank. Moneybox recently reached the milestone of £1billion in assets, with customers depositing over £100million per month on average onto the platform.
