Airwallex Commits $590M to UK Expansion as EMEA Push Accelerates

Hey FinTech Fanatics!

Airwallex will spend $590M on UK-focused growth as it prepares a wider expansion across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

The company plans to roll out new products, including credit cards and billing tools. Dozens of hires are coming, taking the UK team to 160 by the end of next year.

Airwallex says the UK remains a launchpad for its regional strategy. Licenses, fees, and local marketing are part of the multi-year plan. The firm also upgraded to a larger office in London’s Fitzrovia.

All of this follows the $330M round announced this week that valued the company at $8B.

Clear momentum as Airwallex scales full-stack business banking across key markets.

And I finally have today’s confirmed news out of Amsterdam... 🇳🇱 It’s now official!

Mollie has acquired GoCardless for €1.05B, confirming the deal we covered yesterday before it was announced.

The combined group now forms a €3.5B payments player serving more than 350,000 businesses across SME and enterprise.

The move unifies bank payments and card payments under one roof. A strategic path that gives Mollie deeper product breadth, stronger distribution, and a clearer shot at category leadership in European payments as consolidation ramps up.

If you're tracking the next big FinTech moves, take a look at the updates below 👇 I'll be back in your inbox next week.

Cheers,

Marcel

#FINTECHREPORT

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FINTECH NEWS

🇬🇧 It’s official: Mollie buys GoCardless for €1.1bn, valuing the Dutch FinTech at €1.95bn. The deal expands Mollie’s capabilities into bank payments, creating a combined group serving 350,000+ customers. Completion is expected by mid-next year.

🇺🇸 Klarna partners with Privy to develop a simple and secure crypto wallet for the masses. The agreement follows Klarna's recent launch of its own stablecoin, KlarnaUSD, in partnership with Tempo and Bridge. Now, the company is exploring building a wallet to make it easier for everyday people to actually use, store, and transact with crypto, lowering the barrier for mainstream adoption.

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PAYMENTS NEWS

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🇬🇧 Affirm expands partnership with Shopify to bring Shop Pay Installments to the UK. With Shop Pay Installments, customers can apply to split eligible purchases into monthly payments. If approved, shoppers can choose from customised interest-free or interest-bearing payment plans.

🇷🇴 ING Bank launches instant euro incoming payments. Customers will be able to receive instant euro transfers, free of charge, from all European countries that have adopted the euro currency. They will also be able to receive instant incoming payments from SEPA countries that do not use the euro, from banks that have joined the instant euro payment scheme.

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DIGITAL BANKING NEWS

🇬🇧 FinTech Airwallex to spend $590 million on UK-focused growth. The business banking firm, founded in Melbourne, Australia, said it will roll out products such as credit cards and billing management, while hiring dozens of staffers to take its UK headcount to 160 by the end of next year.

🌍 Wero will launch on Nickel in early 2026, enabling account holders in France, Belgium, and Germany to send and receive secure, instant P2P transfers, representing a significant milestone in the rollout of Nickel’s unified digital payments solution.

🇺🇸 SoFi Technologies announced the SoFi Smart Card, the best all-in-one account. The Smart Card offers the benefits of checking and savings products, debit cards, and credit cards, all in one account. While people use debit cards to avoid paying interest and spending beyond their account balance.

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🇺🇸 Mercury launches Premium Consumer Banking for builders and founders. The personal account offers features that allow builders and founders to manage money the way they want to: with shared access and customizable permissions, competitive high-yield savings and investments, and seamless money movement.

BLOCKCHAIN/CRYPTO NEWS

🇪🇺 Revolut and Trust Wallet launch instant crypto buys in the EU with a self-custody focus. The integration allows users to buy crypto and have it sent directly to their Trust Wallet, a self-custodial app, giving them full control of their assets from the moment of purchase.

🇺🇸 Gemini gets key CFTC sign-off as firm eyes prediction market. The move will allow the company to join the fast-growing field of prediction markets. Gemini will soon allow existing US customers to trade event contracts on its website and mobile app, the company said.

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🇺🇸 Anchorage Digital to issue OSL’s USDGO stablecoin under a U.S. federal bank charter. USDGO aims to provide compliant, multi-chain, and instant cross-border settlements fully backed by U.S. Treasuries. Keep reading

🇨🇭 Z.ro Bank creates a unit for international payments and transfers with crypto assets, aligned with Central Bank regulations. Z.ro Digital Assets' mission is to open new financial channels in the United States, Europe, and Asia, with the goal of reaching US$20 billion in transaction volume by 2030. 

PARTNERSHIPS

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🇦🇪 Mastercard joins forces with Kee Platforms to offer embedded financing solutions for SMEs. With the opportunity to scale in the Middle East region, the collaboration will aim to create faster, fairer, and more inclusive credit access for financially underserved businesses.

🇺🇸 A16z-backed Lead Bank adds Loop Crypto to inner circle with eye on scaling stablecoins and payments. The two companies plan to scale their work in stablecoins and digital asset payments. Continue reading

🇸🇬 Ant International and HSBC test new cross-border payments solution using tokenised deposits on Swift’s network and powered by ISO 20022. This initiative enables real-time treasury management across borders through HSBC Singapore and Hong Kong, via HSBC’s Tokenised Deposit Service.

🇦🇪 Crypto.com partners with e& money to advance the UAE crypto ecosystem. e& money will explore partnership opportunities with Crypto.com’s crypto-as-a-service solution, designed to enable partners to incorporate digital assets into Crypto.com’s treasury and product suites via seamless integration and robust support.

🇧🇷 PicPay and Porto Serviço launch exclusive benefits for Epic customers. Epic members will have access to a range of home assistance services, such as plumbing repairs, electrical services, and locksmith services, offering quick and practical solutions for unexpected home emergencies. 

DONEDEAL FUNDING NEWS

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🇬🇧 CapRelease raises £27m, so scale flexible ecommerce capital offering. The platform uses real-time data from logistics partners, sales performance, payment systems and consumer behaviour to offer cash that more accurately reflects the business’s trading momentum.

M&A

🇺🇸 Stripe acquires Valora Team to power stablecoin payments. The Valora app will continue operating under cLabs, the Celo development group, while its creators join a payments platform project. Continue reading

🇺🇸 Enova International is acquiring Grasshopper Bank in a $369 million cash-and-stock deal, allowing the long-time online lender, which has issued over $65 billion in loans to 13 million+ customers, to combine lending, deposits and banking under one charter rather than relying on partners. 

MOVERS AND SHAKERS

🇺🇸 Chime announces executive promotions, reflecting the company’s continued expansion, innovation, and growth. Effective immediately, Mark Troughton has been promoted to the role of President, Janelle Sallenave to Chief Operating Officer, and Vineet Mehra to Chief Growth Officer. These leaders have been key drivers of Chime’s mission and continued growth.

🇺🇸 MoneyGram appoints Marc Winniford as Chief Financial Officer. In this role, Winniford will oversee all aspects of finance, accounting, tax and treasury, and play a central role in advancing the company's ongoing finance transformation as part of MoneyGram's broader re-founding journey.

🇬🇧 Tandem Bank appoints Russell Strevens as Chief Technology Officer. In his new role, Strevens will steer Tandem’s continued digital transformation, simplifying the bank’s propositions, boosting app performance and capability, and accelerating its use of AI to enhance both customer and colleague experiences.

🇪🇸 Banco Santander has hired Felipe Peñacoba and José Luis Bellosta. Peñacoba had been Revolut's CIO for Europe since 2021, but left the position in November 2025 to become CEO of Payments Hub, a subsidiary of PagoNxt. Read more

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