Citi Invests in Japan’s Sakana AI to Accelerate Fintech Innovation

Innovation

London overtakes San Francisco, New York as top FinTech hub, growth capital fund says

London has overtaken San Francisco and New York as the ‌world's largest financial technology hub, as European FinTech funding achieved parity with the United States for the first time, according to data released by growth capital fund Finch Capital.

AI

Citi Invests in Japan’s Sakana AI to Accelerate Fintech Innovation

Citi has made a strategic investment in Sakana AI, marking the bank’s first investment in Japan and signaling deeper collaboration between global financial institutions and emerging AI developers. The deal was executed through Citi’s Markets Strategic Investments unit, which backs fintech and enterprise technology firms aligned with its Markets division. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Digital Finance

Legado nears 500,000 users as fintech digitises paperwork

Legado has reported triple-digit growth in its customer base over the past year and is closing in on 500,000 users, as financial services firms increase investment in digital communications and document controls.

Cryptocurrencies

Revolut, crypto-friendly fintech, becomes fully licensed UK bank

The move is a major step in Revolut's goal to become a global digital bank. Services like crypto and stock trading remain separate.

The Company That Wants to Be Wall Street's Crypto Backbone

Zerohash has been building crypto and stablecoin infrastructure for financial institutions since 2017. Its model is not to offer services directly to consumers. It provides the backend that allows other companies to offer crypto services to their own customers, without building the underlying technology themselves.

Research

Mastercard, Visa join FinTech Alliance PH as membership expands

The expansion highlights growing industry cooperation across fintech firms, banks, technology providers, digital platforms, and academic institutions as the Philippines accelerates its transition toward a more inclusive digital financial ecosystem.

Wealth Firms Turn to Fintech as Industry Goes Digital

Wealth management is undergoing a rapid transformation, moving away from traditional in-person models toward digital-first, data-driven services, according to Temenos. Given these changes, wealth management companies must adapt to the latest fintech innovations and a new demographic of clients to remain competitive.

Digital Banking

Why Open Finance Should be on Your Business Agenda for 2026

New research from Mastercard and FT Longitude reveals a powerful competitive signal: 76% of consumers would switch banks for better digital tools

Crédit Agricole Ukraine acquires Bank Lviv

Based in Western Ukraine, Bank Lviv provides services to more than 37,000 retail customers and 8,400 SME clients.

Open Banking

TD Bank US to embed banking capabilities into Workday

TD Bank US has partnered with Canadian embedded finance fintech FISPAN to integrate its bank feeds into Workday - find out more about the partnership here!

Acquisition

RBC acquires mortgage fintech Pinch

Royal Bank of Canada has acquired Pinch Financial, a digital mortgage specialised based in Toronto - see the deal here.

Europe

PAYSTRAX plans major hiring drive as Lithuanian fintech hub expands

International payments company PAYSTRAX is preparing a major recruitment drive in Lithuania – with plans to create up to 150 new fintech jobs over ...