

Marcel van Oost


Kraken, Bybit, and Robinhood Race to Tokenize Wall Street Stocks
Hey FinTech Fanatic!
Usually, I start the week with a team meeting, and this week we kicked it off with a question: What would make this newsletter even better?
After digging into the data (hello, stats!), we sat down to brainstorm. Some ideas were expected, such as more educational content,

Revolut Mafia: The Force To Be Reckoned With

Lesaka Acquires Bank Zero in $62M Deal to Bolster SA FinTech Ambitions
Hey FinTech Fanatics!
South African FinTech firm Lesaka Technologies is making a bold move to solidify its digital banking footprint with the R1.1 billion (~$62M) acquisition of Bank Zero, a digital-only mutual bank.
The all-equity-and-cash deal, still subject to regulatory approvals, will see Lesaka acquire 100% of Bank Zero’

Starling Eyes US Banking Licence or M&A, Kraken Rolls Out P2P App ‘Krak’
Hey FinTech Fanatic!
Yesterday, I highlighted one of my portfolio companies, Confide Platform. Today, I want to shine a light on another inspiring FinTech founder: Vroon Modgil. And yes, I’m proud to say his company, Sokin, is also part of my portfolio.
Check out this great Entrepreneur magazine interview,

Worldline Under Pressure Following “Dirty Payments” Allegations
Hey FinTech Fanatic!
Let's kick things off with some exciting news: my portfolio company, Confide Platform, has been nominated for the Asia FinTech Awards in not just one, but two categories: RegTech of the Year and Startup of the Year.
A huge congratulations to the entire team, and

Mastercard Joins Paxos Stablecoin Consortium, Adds Fiserv and PayPal Stablecoins
Hey FinTech Fanatic!
Stablecoins are once again in the spotlight! After yesterday’s news on Fiserv stepping into the stablecoin space, today brings another major update, this time from Mastercard.
The global payments company has officially joined the Global Dollar Network, a stablecoin consortium formed by Paxos in 2024. Existing