Welcome to the FinTech Times, a weekly newsletter covering the biggest FinTech news from around the globe. If you want to read F|T before anyone else, make sure to subscribe using the form at the bottom of this page.
Social entertainment app, MadLipz, integrates Kin cryptocurrency
(BETAKIT)
MadLipz, a social entertainment platform that allows users to create and share instant voiceovers, has announced that its integration of Kin cryptocurrency is now live in the app.
Why Adaptive Insights chose acquisition over IPO (BETAKIT)
Speaking to BetaKit ahead of his appearance at TechExit.io on April 10th in Vancouver, Rob Hull shared Adaptive Insights’ founding story, the company’s initial plans to IPO, and why it ultimately chose acquisition over going public.
Motusbank, Meridian’s digital bank, officially launches (BETAKIT)
Motusbank plans to offer Canadians all day-to-day banking services, apart from credit cards and investments.
Western Union, often disrupted by startups, partners with a startup for digital push in the Philippines (TECHCRUNCH)
The partnership means Coins users — the company claims five million downloads to date — who receive money via Western Union won’t need to trudge out and wait in line to collect it.
Mswipe raises $30 million in Series E (FINEXTRA)
Apart from expanding its existing line of mPOS terminals, the company is driving forward on two new initiatives – smart POS terminals and UPI QR codes.
German FinTech company builder Finleap acquires SME banking provider Penta (TECHCRUNCH)
Just since months after raising $7 million in Series A funding, German SME banking provider Penta has been acquired by Finleap.
Tencent raising $5bn bond in China’s biggest sale this year (TELEGRAPH)
Tencent, the technology company behind hugely popular social media app WeChat, will launch what would be China’s biggest bond sale this year, Bloomberg reported.
Beating back bears, Bitcoin briefly balloons beyond $4,900 (TECHCRUNCH)
Bitcoin went on a tear in early morning trading earlier today, popping up to above $4,900 and reminding some investors of the good old days of 2017.
A Japanese crypto startup says it’s hit a rare $1 billion valuation (BLOOMBERG)
Liquid Group Inc., a Tokyo-based crypto-currency trading platform, put out a press release Wednesday that it had raised venture funds at a valuation in excess of $1 billion, making it one of the rare so-called unicorns in Japan.
