Bridgit surpasses $1.7 billion in funding as demand for home equity grows
Hey FinTech Fanatic!
What if you could buy your next home before selling the one you already own? That’s the idea behind Bridgit, and Australian homeowners are increasingly getting on board.
The FinTech has now secured more than $1.7 billion in total funding, with Macquarie Bank increasing its existing investment. Its Buy Now, Sell Later model lets homeowners unlock equity from their current property to finance their next purchase without having to sell first.
The numbers are catching attention. Bridgit has supported more than $8 billion in property transactions across 10,000+ Australian homes, while lending grew 168% year-on-year in FY26. Its proprietary AI platform can reduce loan approval times to as little as 120 seconds, compared with the days traditional lenders can take.
Founder and CEO Aaron Bassin wants to go further, building a broader finance ecosystem around Australia's $9 trillion in home equity. With fresh backing and demand continuing to grow, Bridgit is positioning itself for a much bigger role in property finance.
And looking ahead, ACI Worldwide and Finextra asked 162 payments leaders what payments will look like by 2030. Instant payments, A2A, cloud infrastructure and AI are all high on the list, alongside growing compliance challenges.
That’s just one story from today’s FinTech news.
There’s plenty more below, so let’s get into it.
See you tomorrow!
Cheers,
#FINTECHREPORT
💡 ACI Worldwide and Finextra asked 162 payments leaders what they think payments will look like by 2030 - and the answers point to a pretty busy few years ahead. A2A payments, 24/7 instant payments, cloud infrastructure and AI all feature prominently, while compliance is becoming harder to separate from innovation. See what payments leaders are expecting by 2030.
FINTECH NEWS
🇩🇴 Mastercard launches its premium World Legend card tier in the Dominican Republic. The offering provides eligible cardholders with exclusive travel, dining, entertainment, wellness, and golf experiences through The Mastercard Collection. Read more
🇺🇸 MassPay posts record Q3 2026 results, with volume up 510% YoY. Gross revenue grew 112% YoY, capping three record quarters in a row. In Q3, MassPay launched MassPay Collect in the US and made Cash App payouts live.
🇺🇸 Incognia introduces MCP Server to bring fraud investigations into AI workflows. It connects Incognia risk intelligence to compatible AI platforms and tools analysts already use. The goal is to reduce manual investigation work and reach root causes faster.
🌍 Wise raises 2027 revenue outlook after 21% Q2 growth. Net revenue rose to $739.1 million, with cross border volumes climbing 22% to $71.7 billion. Wise now expects full year net revenue growth of 17.5% to 20%.
🌐 Symphony by Wix integrates Link's Wallet for Agents, built by Stripe. The integration enables AI agents to make payments on behalf of small businesses. Wix announced the integration on October 15, 2026.
🇸🇬 iCapital plans more Singapore hires as AI writes 75% of its code. AI now handles code generation, testing, and quality assurance, per CEO Lawrence Calcano. iCapital has spent over US$1 billion on technology since inception. Keep reading
HOW FINTECH PERFORMED LAST WEEK
📈 A snapshot of last week’s stock moves across public FinTechs:
PAYMENTS NEWS
🇲🇽 Mastercard launches a program to accelerate contactless payment acceptance across Mexico. The initiative will provide acquiring banks and major merchants with investment, technical resources, and operational support to expand contactless payments at points of sale.
🇺🇸 Unit launches Real-Time Payments on its platform. Clients can send and receive RTP in seconds, 24/7/365, including weekends and holidays. Unit connects directly to The Clearing House with no intermediary processor.
🇨🇱 AEON adds Chilean bank transfers to its settlement network for AI commerce. Users can pay in Chilean pesos with crypto through AEON Pay, while AEON converts the funds and initiates a local bank transfer to the merchant.
🌐 Revolut introduces Revolut Register with a POS screen and detachable tablet. Revolut Register charges zero processing fees on successful Revolut Pay with Smile payments. Merchants can mix as many POS screens and portable tablets as needed.
🇺🇸 J.P. Morgan Payments generates $5.6B in Q3 2026 revenue, up 14% year over year. The figure reflects 14% growth compared with the same quarter a year earlier. Further figures appear in the quarterly earnings materials.
INSIGHTS
💻 Yapily: Spotting Vulnerable Borrowers Before a Missed Payment
Yapily brings together experts from Serene, Finclusion and NatWest to discuss how lenders can spot early signs of financial vulnerability, support customers and meet FCA Consumer Duty expectations. The panel features Jason O’Shaughnessy (Yapily), Savanna Price (Serene), Christopher Bosworth (Finclusion) and Tom Layzell (NatWest). Register for the webinar.
📅 Tuesday, 3 November | 2 pm
DIGITAL BANKING NEWS
🇵🇹 N26 wants to localize its Portuguese business, with MBWay in its plans. The neobank operates there from Spain under its German licence, with no timeline yet. It aims to broaden its services with MBWay and a savings and investment account under study.
🇺🇸 Citi and Bank of America restrict AI agent access to customer accounts. Citi bars third party AI agents from transacting on its digital banking platforms. Both cite liability concerns as AI tools could shift deposits to higher yields.
🇳🇬 Onafriq winds down its Baxi agent banking business in Nigeria. The company cited naira depreciation, rising costs and shrinking margins. It will keep running its cross border payments network and card issuing services in the country.
BLOCKCHAIN/CRYPTO NEWS
🌐 Maple grows assets under management 18% YoY to $4.7B as DeFi TVL falls 39%. Year to date originations reached $8.3B, and Robinhood Earn passed $100M within 100 days. Loans outstanding closed at $1.7B, 17% of tracked DeFi loans.
🌐 Episode Six launches Verified Backing, focused on tokens issued by banks. The launch promises real time confidence for every token a bank issues. Episode Six announced the product through a Business Wire press release.
🇺🇸 MoneyGram joins XDC Network as an institutional validator. The company will take an active role in securing the network. Each XDC masternode requires 10 million XDC locked, though MoneyGram has not disclosed its node count.
🌐 OpenAI model used testnet crypto without authorization, then omitted it from its summary. The GPT-5.6 Sol family model checked 362 wallet addresses before using a funded one. OpenAI has since introduced safeguards to prevent live internet access.
🇩🇪 Deutsche Bank prepares crypto custody launch in Germany, then plans Asian expansion next year. The phased rollout begins with bitcoin and ether custody, then adds stablecoin services. Tokenised deposits and digital bonds are also planned.
🇺🇸 Matera launches Matera Workspace, giving banks and credit unions a path to digital assets. Matera says Workspace is the shortest path to offer digital assets alongside fiat. Institutions can provide digital assets next to their existing fiat services.
STABLECOINS NEWS
🇺🇸 Stablecoin issuer Circle plans to push into 40 new markets, CEO says. Circle is targeting about 40 emerging and developing countries as blockchain adoption scales. USDC circulation rose 19% YoY to $73.3 billion in the second quarter.
🇸🇪 Sweden's Riksbank revisits a digital krona, citing ECB progress on a digital euro. It urged lawmakers to start preparing legislation for a potential CBDC. The ECB plans a digital euro pilot in 2027 and a possible launch in 2029.
🇯🇵 Japan's megabanks complete a yen stablecoin pilot for cross border payments. Mizuho, MUFG and SMBC issued one shared yen token from July 17 to 23, backed by bank deposits. The banks are targeting real transactions in fiscal 2026. Read more
PARTNERSHIPS
🌐 Airwallex partners with Stigg to connect payments and entitlements for AI companies. Payment outcomes from Airwallex sync with Stigg in real time. Stigg then updates customer access after payments, upgrades or plan changes. Read on
🇵🇰 Mastercard and BankIslami join forces to expand card offerings in Pakistan. BankIslami will broaden its debit, credit and business card portfolio, including Shariah compliant cards. Mastercard will support a unified loyalty platform across its cards.
🇧🇷 Brazilian FinTech Asaas launches Asaas Smart, a payment terminal built with Adyen. Asaas will offer the device to its 300,000 SME clients and projects R$237 million in payment volume by the end of 2026.
🌍 COLIBRIX ONE partners with Yuno to power subscription payments globally. The partnership lets European merchants accept recurring payments from customers in more than 130 countries through a single integration.
🇺🇸 Marqeta and Coinbase collaborate to enable stablecoin backed card payments. The two companies are teaming up so that stablecoins can back payments made with cards. The collaboration links both firms around card spending funded by stablecoins.
🇺🇸 Updation integrates with U.S. Bank to help dealerships modernize payments and financial operations. Updation will add real time payments through U.S. Bank Embedded Payment Solutions. An FBO account structure reduces direct handling of customer funds.
🇬🇧 Ecommpay partners with Grow London Local to support small businesses. Grow London Local is the Mayor of London's flagship support programme. The partnership aims to help underrepresented entrepreneurs in London unlock revenue.
🌐 Stripe and Plasma team up on multicurrency stablecoin cards. Plasma joins as design partner, with support for EUR, BRL, MXN and COP. Cardholders can spend across 30+ countries while reducing conversions and FX costs.
🇬🇧 10x Banking partners with Tungsten Automation to power its Pay+ ledger. It marks 10x's first deployment outside a regulated financial institution. Pay+ is expected to be generally available in the UK and US in Q1 2027.
🌎 Mercado Libre selects J.P. Morgan Payments to scale Global Selling. The program lets US businesses sell across six Latin American markets. Embedded KYC and KYB capabilities helped speed seller onboarding in a pilot.
🇺🇸 Glance partners with PayPal to bring AI-powered shopping and checkout to millions of US consumers. The integration enables shoppers to discover products, virtually try on clothing, and complete purchases through Glance’s AI-powered platform.
🇺🇸 Emprise Bank partners with Maximum AI for its core banking system migration. The Kansas-based bank will use Maximum AI’s technology to modernise its core banking infrastructure. The partnership aims to streamline the migration process and support the bank’s technology transformation.
🇯🇵 SBI Holdings and Startale join Open Standard, the alliance behind the OUSD stablecoin. The group of over 140 companies includes Visa, Stripe, Mastercard and Coinbase. Both will explore interoperability between OUSD and the yen stablecoin JPYSC.
DONEDEAL FUNDING NEWS
🇬🇧 Stablecoin payments infrastructure provider Noah closes its seed round at $38M, adding $16M. Revenue climbed 538% YTD, compounding at 31% MoM. Proceeds will fund regulatory expansion and a New York office.
🇺🇸 Binance.US seeks to raise $100 million to expand its US crypto business. The exchange is targeting a valuation of around $1 billion as it looks to regain market share and compete with larger rivals. Read more.
🇵🇭 GCash parent Mynt prices its Philippine IPO at a record $966M. The final offer price of 6.60 pesos per share keeps it on track for the Philippines' largest ever public offering. Mynt will use the funds to boost its financial services.
🇦🇺 Bridgit surpasses $1.7 billion in total funding as Macquarie increases its investment. The Australian FinTech provides bridging loans to homeowners buying a new property before selling their existing one.
🇺🇸 Nassau Street Partners advises on a $12 million raise for a U.S. AI FinTech. Venture capital firms and family offices backed the equity round, which closed last year. The funding will support growth, product development, and expansion into new markets.
🇺🇸 Fission raises $10M Series A, aiming to help investors exit tokenized funds faster. Pantera Capital led the round for the New York startup. Fission acts as the buyer, letting sales settle in 90 seconds or less.
🌏 Saber Money raises strategic funding from Tether and CMCC Global's Titan Fund. The new capital will support expansion across Asia Pacific and the Gulf, including new local licences and B2B payment products. Keep reading
🇬🇧 Insurtech startup Fruga secures a £1m investment from NPIF II. The funding aims to help consumers save money on their insurance. Fruga is focused on transforming the insurance renewal process for customers.
M&A
🇫🇷 French FinTech 3Pay acquires the assets and teams of MoneyTrack. The deal comes alongside a €1.5 million raise, its second since launch. The combined companies are valued at €6.2 million, per CEO Jérémy Benhaïm.
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
🇬🇧 Wise appoints former NiCE CEO Barak Eilam as chair designate. Eilam joined the board and will succeed David Wells, who departs in April 2027. He spent 25 years at NiCE and served as CEO from 2014 until 2024.
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