Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) Leads Series A Round for Stitch
Hey FinTech Fanatic!
Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) has led a $25 million Series A for Stitch, a financial infrastructure platform built to modernize legacy banking systems.
The investment marks a16z’s first in the GCC and brings Stitch’s total funding to $35 million. In addition to a16z, existing investors Arbor Ventures, COTU Ventures, Raed Ventures, and SVC also participated in the round.
The fresh capital will go toward accelerating product development, deepening Stitch’s presence across the GCC and broader MENA region.
By replacing the fragmented core with a modern system of record, Stitch unlocks the AI transformation that institutions have been promised but cannot reach without the right infrastructure.
With over $90 billion in AUM (Assets under management) across multiple funds, a16z is one of the most influential validators in venture capital. Their decision to lead this round shows strong conviction in the financial infrastructure space.
Scroll down to find the FinTech headlines right below. 👇 See you on Monday!
Cheers,
INSIGHTS
📰 Understanding 𝐓𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 and 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐚𝐲𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 by Pomelo.
PAYMENTS NEWS
🇩🇴 Mastercard brings together ecosystem leaders in the Dominican Republic to accelerate the next stage of digital payments. Mastercard Day event highlighted the country’s strong adoption of contactless payments, alongside the opportunity to expand digital payment acceptance among small businesses, while emphasizing collaboration, innovation, and public policy.
🇦🇺 Australian FinTech pioneer Zip Co forced to rebrand its local products and services. Zip has stated that the company is prepared for this outcome and will use this opportunity to evolve its Australian brand to ensure it best reflects its role as a digital-first financial services provider.
🇺🇸 Global Payments unveils AI-first genius handheld built for the future of commerce. The innovative handheld will feature groundbreaking new AI-powered voice ordering technology, which will allow servers to have real conversations with customers while the POS quietly builds the ticket in the background, even in high-noise environments.
🇵🇱 Poland’s BLIK joins pan-European cashless payment push. The partnership aims to connect local mobile payment providers, enabling seamless transactions between different payment systems, currencies, and countries while strengthening interoperability in the European digital payments market.
🇸🇦 Tamara’s profits surge 378% to SAR 123 million in Q1. The growth was driven by higher transaction volumes, expanding merchant and user adoption, and continued demand for buy now, pay later services across sectors such as e-commerce, retail, travel, and digital services.
🇺🇸 Klarna reported strong first-quarter 2026 results, with revenue rising 44% year over year to $1 billion, gross merchandise volume reaching $33.7 billion, and adjusted operating profit increasing to $68 million from $3 million a year earlier. The company also expanded to more than one million merchants and 119 million active consumers.
DIGITAL BANKING NEWS
🇬🇧 The UK FinTech “easy entry” era seems to be ending: FCA approvals for e-money institution (EMI) licences dropped from 171 in 2020 to just 35 in 2025 🤯
🇬🇧 Revolut gets UK approval to expand investments for customers. The firm’s trading entity is reworking its model to offer competitive pricing, according to a statement. It will also begin to offer portfolio management and private wealth services. Additionally, the company eyes a private bank arm for the UK and Europe to push into wealth. The move reflects the company’s strategy to expand revenue streams by offering premium financial services to high-net-worth individuals.
🇫🇷 Mistral is developing a new AI Model for banks lacking Mythos access. Mistral AI is reportedly developing a cybersecurity-focused AI model and has begun discussions with European banks about deploying the technology as demand grows for AI tools that can detect software vulnerabilities.
BLOCKCHAIN/CRYPTO NEWS
🇺🇸 Circle pitches stablecoin settlement as an alternative to batch banking systems. Circle is expanding its focus on institutional payments infrastructure, arguing that stablecoin-based settlement systems can replace traditional batch-processing models used in global finance.
🇺🇸 Kraken launches Flexline, a crypto-backed lending product for builders and traders. The service offers fixed APR rates between 10–25% and accepts cryptocurrency as collateral. Flexline targets two use cases: working capital for operational needs and proof-of-funds verification for significant transactions.
🇨🇴 Oobit launches in Colombia as Latin America’s $44B crypto market surges. Backed by Tether, Oobit says users across the region are increasingly using crypto, particularly USDT, for everyday purchases such as groceries, restaurants, fuel, and retail services, reflecting growing real-world adoption of digital assets in Latin America.
PARTNERSHIPS
🇭🇰 PhotonPay completes its first live agentic payment together with Mastercard. The project highlights the growing development of “agentic payments,” combining AI decision-making with programmable financial infrastructure, real-time settlement, and secure authentication to support automated and compliant digital commerce.
🇺🇸 Fiserv and Bridgeport partners agree to form a joint Venture to accelerate growth across ATM and cash services businesses. Bridgeport Partners is expected to assume operational control of the businesses and oversee day-to-day management. A formal governance structure will be established, with both parties aligned on long-term value creation, client outcomes, and sustainable growth.
🇬🇧 Deel and Arsenal announce multi-year sleeve partnership. Deel's logo will appear on the left sleeve of Arsenal's home, away, and third kit shirts from the start of the 2026/27 season. Read more
🇳🇱 Adyen's collaboration with SAP supports the launch of SAP Unified Payment: a native payment solution for SAP Commerce Cloud. This native, fully embedded solution is designed to remove the structural complexity of global commerce by connecting digital storefronts directly to the financial backbone of the enterprise.
🇺🇸 Shift4 partners with Lydian to support USDT Payment Acceptance. The Lydian partnership adds Tether, a top stablecoin, to the list of crypto payment options supported on the platform, with no new workflows or crypto expertise needed from merchants.
🇬🇧 MBANQ confirmed as rear of shirt sponsor. The agreement marks the beginning of a broader collaboration between the football club and the Seattle-based FinTech firm, focused on long-term innovation and community engagement in the UK. Read on
🇺🇸 Payway and Chargebee partner to streamline subscription payments and reduce revenue loss. The integration allows subscription-based businesses using Chargebee to process payments directly through Payway’s gateway without custom development, simplifying recurring billing operations while helping to reduce failed payments, involuntary churn, and manual reconciliation work.
DONEDEAL FUNDING NEWS
🌍 Stitch raises $25M Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz. The fresh capital will go toward accelerating product development, deepening Stitch’s presence across the GCC and broader MENA region, and expanding its global go-to-market operations.
🇦🇺 Former Up Bank team raises $4 million for AI finance startup, Extraordinary Money, also known as XMO. The company said the fresh funding would largely go toward hiring, AI infrastructure costs, and regulatory approvals. XMO also expects AI agents to eventually take a more active role in managing consumer finances.
🇺🇸 BNPL-as-a-service company Equipifi raises $34M. The Series B will fund two priorities: expanding equipifi’s reach to a broader base of financial institution partners and deepening product capabilities to further extend its leadership in the market.
🇦🇪 Stablecoin-powered neobank Fasset raises $51 million to expand across emerging markets. With the new funding, Fasset aims to expand into new markets, enhance its loan and trade finance offerings, and further develop its Own Network infrastructure.
M&A
🇦🇺 NAB acquires FinTech Banked, making payments easier for more businesses. The acquisition strengthens NAB’s innovative payments capability and aligns with its strategy to help more businesses receive payments faster and at a lower cost. Keep reading
🇯🇵 Japanese Telecom-backed FinTech group KDDI acquires Coincheck Group stake for $65M. The partnership includes a new joint venture, au Coincheck Digital Assets, which plans to launch a non-custodial digital asset wallet in 2026, combining KDDI’s telecom and financial services reach with Coincheck’s licensed crypto exchange infrastructure.
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
🇺🇸 Revolut hires Michael Schroeder, Coinbase Risk Chief, to drive global crypto expansion. Schroeder said his focus will be on licensing, regulatory readiness, operations, and market launches. Continue reading
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