Latest Alternative finance News: Finextra Research

EU foils €600m crypto scam

European authorities have arrested nine people in connection with a cryptocurrency money laundering network that defrauded victims of more than €600m

04 November 2025

News/inclusion

Pakistan startup raises $13m for stablecoin launch

ZAR, a Pakistan-based startup, has secured $12.9m from venture capital firm Andreesen Horowitz to finance its ambition to bring stablecoins to Pakistan's unbanked.

29 October 2025

News/regulation

Bunq secures US broker dealer licence

European challenger bank bunq has been approved by US regulator FINRA to act as a broker dealer in the US market.

27 October 2025

News/markets

UK pension funds to back fintech startups

A consortium of 20 UK-based pension funds, asset managers and asset owners is set to invest in the country's fintech sector.

21 October 2025

News/inclusion

Mexican fintech Plata sees valuation exceed $3bn

Plata, a startup based in Mexico and founded by three former Tinkoff executives has completed a $250m fund raise.

21 October 2025

News/retail

Klarna to launch digital wallet and debit card in UK

BNPL provider Klarna has fired the first shots in its assault on UK bank's retail business with the launch of a debit card and a digital wallet.

16 October 2025

News/startups

UK venture funding reaches multi-year high

Startups and scaleups based in the UK secured more than $9bn in venture capital funding in Q3, making it the second-highest quarterly funding total on record.

14 October 2025

News/crypto

FCA lifts retail ban on crypto ETNs

The UK's financial watchdog has ended its four year ban on the use of crypto-based exchange traded notes (ETNs) by retail investors in a move that could add 20% to the UK's crypto market

08 October 2025

News/Sibos

Sibos 2025: DeFi expected to take over financial ecosystem

In the rapidly developing financial universe, there are certain buzzwords that have been reappearing throughout discussions: blockchain, stablecoins, and tokenisation. While cryptocurrencies are not new, these new developments in decentralised finance (DeFi) are taking the financial sector by storm.

02 October 2025

News/crypto

ING digital asset lead: Euro stablecoin could revolutionise music industry with tokenised royalties

Hot on the heels of news that nine European banks have partnered to launch a Euro denominated stablecoin, Finextra spoke to Floris Lugt, digital assets lead at ING, about the catalyst for this launch and why they didn’t want to wait for the ECB’s digital euro launch slated for 2029.

25 September 2025

News/crypto

Kaia and Line to launch stablecoin superapp

Two Asia-based fintechs, Line Next and Kaia, have launched what is described as a stablecoin superapp, designed to facilitate cross-border payments.

22 September 2025

News/inclusion

Indonesia's Pintarnya raises $16.7m

Pintarnya, an Indonesian platform that helps users find jobs and also offers access to secured loans, has raised $16.7 million in Series A funding.

26 August 2025

News/crypto

Bullish shares more than double in NYSE debut

Investor confidence in the cryptocurrency sector was punctuated after Bullish was valued at $13.16 billion last week, setting the pace for other digital asset firms looking to list in the US.

18 August 2025

News/regulation

BVI survey attempts to woo cross-border fintechs

Fintech’s international expansion plans are being thwarted by a fragmented regulatory landscape, according to recently published research designed to promote the role of international finance centres (IFCs).

06 August 2025

News/payments

Australians embrace digital banking as digital wallet use surges

Australian consumers are adopting digital banking services in increasing numbers with 99.3% of transactions taking place over digital channels, including A$160bn in payments made via mobile wallets.

25 July 2025

News/startups

Banxware co-founder launches credit infrastructure platform

Berlin-based startup Credibur has secured $2.2 million in pre-seed funding to launch its credit infrastructure platform.

23 July 2025

News/crypto

Wall Street names announce stablecoin plans

Two of the biggest names on Wall Street are seemingly about to enter the stablecoin market based on comments made by their senior executives.

16 July 2025

News/inclusion

Binance launches Sharia Earn, an Islamic banking-aligned token

Global blockchain platform Binance has launched a Sharia-compliant multi-token in alignment with Islamic principles to promote inclusivity in crypto-trading.

11 July 2025

News/devops

CBDC pilot projects seeing adoption in Ghana and Thailand – Giesecke + Devrient

Raoul Herborg, managing director, central bank digital currency (CBDC) solutions at Giesecke and Devrient (G+D) spoke to Finextra on their release of a recent survey on CBDC progress worldwide, and what we can expect from CBDCs in the coming years.

04 July 2025

News/retail

South African fintech Lesaka to buy Bank Zero

Lesaka Technologies, the South African fintech firm formerly known as , is set to buy South African digital-only institution Bank Zero Mutual Bank in a deal worth R1.1bn (US$62m).

27 June 2025