FinTech News

Former CEO of Wirecard Arrested in Accounting Scandal Involving Missing $2.1 Billion

FRANKFURT – Wirecard’s former boss was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of falsifying accounts, after the German payments firm disclosed a $2.1 billion financial hole and questioned whether trustees had actually held money on its behalf. Markus Braun turned himself …

Sony to Take Full Control of Its Financial Unit for $3.7B, Aiming for Fintech Growth

Sony Corp. said on Tuesday it will turn its listed financial arm, Sony Financial Holdings Inc, into a wholly owned unit through a tender offer worth about 400 billion yen ($3.72 billion). The deal will allow the Japanese electronics and …

Allianz-Backed Fintech Startup, N26, Closes UK Mobile Bank Accounts, Blaming Brexit

N26 GmbH, the German mobile bank backed by billionaires Peter Thiel and Li Ka-Shing, said it will end UK operations citing the country’s departure from the European Union. The Berlin-based digital bank will close UK accounts on April 15, N26 …

Alibaba Unveils Management Changes Including CEO for Ant Financial

Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd. and finance affiliate Ant Financial unveiled a series of management changes, including a new chief executive officer for Ant, as they seek to boost expansion overseas and tighten coordination between the two operations. Ant Financial, the …

British Watchdog FCA Probes Data Sharing in Financial Services

Britain’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is investigating whether sharing data with outside competitors could be extended beyond banks to savings, insurance, mortgages, investments, pensions and consumer credit to increase innovation and choice. “Open banking” rules already allow payment companies and …

China’s Ping An Insurance to Spend $22B on Tech, From AI to Blockchain

Ping An Insurance wants to be valued more like a technology company. Its executives have yet to convince investors their planned $22 billion spend on everything from artificial intelligence to blockchain will work. While Ping An (Group) Co.’s Hong Kong-traded …

African Telecom Firm Africell Plans to Expand in Micro-Insurance, Mobile Payments

African telecom firm Africell plans to spend part of a $100 million U.S. credit line on expanding its infrastructure and fintech services, its chief executive said on Friday. The 18-year-old company, which has 15 million subscribers across its four African …

Allianz Invests in Canadian Robo Adviser Wealthsimple, Leading $75M Funding Round

Wealthsimple, the Canadian robo adviser company controlled by Power Financial Corp., is gaining another behemoth shareholder as it slowly gears up for an initial public offering. Allianz X, the tech investment fund of Munich-based insurer and asset manager Allianz SE, …

Another Money Laundering Risk Seen Coming from Firms Providing Payment Services

As one avenue for money launderers is shut, another one may be opening. In Denmark, home to Danske Bank A/S, the authorities are now taking a closer look at companies that provide payment services. The worry is that the chain …

Brexit Makes It Harder for Fintech, Financial Services Firms to Recruit Top Talent: Report

Leaving the European Union is making it harder for fintech firms in Britain to recruit top talent, a report said on Tuesday, threatening to slam the brakes on a 7 billion pound ($9 billion)growth sector just as EU states step …