Guzco Raised €1 Million to Fight Payment Fraud
Hey FinTech Fanatic!
Dutch company Guzco, specializing in fraud detection and claims management in e-commerce, has raised one million euros in growth capital in a pre-seed investment round.
Last summer, professional hockey player Boris Burkhardt and Stein van Maasakker launched Guzco to help e-commerce companies automate disputed payment claims using AI.
"My package never arrived", four words that cost the e-commerce industry billions every year. Whether it's legitimate delivery complaints, chargebacks, Klarna disputes, or outright friendly fraud, the problem of disputed transactions and false claims has become one of the most persistent and costly challenges facing online retailers today. And it's only getting worse.
This is a massive, fast-growing issue, and Guzco, the company tackling it, is setting its sights on a staggering $132 billion opportunity.
Not bad for a startup that’s not even one year old yet.
And speaking of companies going after big numbers, Kraken's parent company Payward is reportedly raising fresh capital at a staggering $20 billion valuation, ahead of a potential IPO.
Kraken has been building bigger than a crypto exchange. Through three major acquisitions (the $1.5B pickup of futures platform NinjaTrader, the $600M acquisition of stablecoin payments company Reap, and the $550M purchase of derivatives exchange Bitnomial), the company has aggressively expanded well beyond spot crypto trading.
More to cover. The rest of today's top FinTech headlines are right below. 👇 See you tomorrow!
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POST OF THE DAY
💳 The Evolution of Premium Cards by Composecure.
Do you think you know the history of Premium Cards? Check this out👇
INSIGHTS
📊 Ecommpay: 2026 Checkout Wins: What “Winning” Looks Like Report. The new report explores the future of checkout experiences in 2026 highlights how approval rates, payment resilience, open banking, AI, and inclusive payment journeys are becoming key competitive differentiators for merchants. Download the full report here
FINTECH NEWS
🌎 Airwallex has launched a Global Economic Advisory Council featuring former government and financial leaders, including Roy Blunt, Morgan Ortagus, Stephen Cutler, and Josh Frydenberg. The council will advise the FinTech on global trade, AI adoption, and financial infrastructure as Airwallex expands support for businesses operating across international markets.
🇺🇸 Kraken parent Payward seeks fresh funding at a $20 billion valuation ahead of planned IPO. The crypto exchange operator is pursuing a new fundraising round as it ramps up acquisitions across derivatives and stablecoins while laying the groundwork for a future public listing.
PAYMENTS NEWS
🇵🇭 Pine Labs expands Philippines footprint through GCash partnership. The partnership between GCash for Business and Pine Labs will integrate Instalment Payment Plan (IPP) offers, rewards, loyalty, and cashback features with the existing merchant acquiring solution of GCash.
🇰🇷 Kakao Pay targets 10 million offline payment users by 2027. The financial technology company said it currently has about 6 million monthly offline payment users and plans to accelerate growth through QR-based ordering services, merchant partnerships, and artificial intelligence-powered payment features.
🇨🇳 Alipay has expanded its AI Pay feature to Taobao, allowing users to authorize AI agents to make purchases through voice commands and automated order execution. The service, which surpassed 100 million users in China, is expected to expand into recurring payments and everyday transaction scenarios.
🌎 Visa unveils Tap to Confirm ID tech with Keyno and Fidelity Bank Bahamas, allowing cardholders to securely verify their identity and activate cards with a simple tap. The solution aims to reduce authentication friction while improving security and lowering issuer support costs.
🇧🇷 Pix has already surpassed 5 billion transactions, reinforcing its role as the backbone of Brazil’s digital economy while exposing growing infrastructure and fraud-management challenges. Read more
🇺🇸 Square has launched Square for Drive-Thru, a new solution developed with The Howard Company and Nanonation to help quick-service restaurants improve speed, efficiency, and order accuracy. The platform is designed to reduce bottlenecks and streamline drive-thru operations during peak service hours.
🌏 Dubai FinTech firm TransFi expands cross-border payments in SEA. The platform offers collections and payouts through a single chat-style interface, aiming to simplify international transactions for businesses in Southeast Asia. Continue reading
DIGITAL BANKING NEWS
🇺🇸 Chime has launched a new national campaign featuring John Cena to promote Chime Prime, its new rewards-focused banking offering. The campaign highlights fee-free banking, cashback rewards, high-yield savings, and travel perks designed around everyday spending habits.
🇬🇧 Keel emerges from stealth as profitable BaaS platform. Keel is now stepping into the public eye for the first time, unveiling a business that has spent the past two years growing quietly but deliberately in one of FinTech’s most scrutinised categories.
🌍 Trade Republic names Brad Pitt brand ambassador as neobroker strays from sports-star playbook. Co-founder Christian Hecker said the FinTech aims to offer better rates, lower fees, and modern investment tools as it surpasses 10 million customers and €150 billion in managed assets.
🇦🇺 Revolut has suspended inbound PayTo top-ups in Australia following a reported security incident involving suspected mule accounts and potentially millions in misdirected customer funds. The issue has raised concerns across the PayTo ecosystem, including among Banking Circle and major Australian banks.
🇲🇾 GXBank users hit 1.4 million as digital bank expands retail and SME base. The bank has processed more than 450 million transactions since launch, with GXBank users spending across categories such as food and beverage, retail, transport, and utilities.
PARTNERSHIPS
🇲🇿 Mastercard and Letshego aim to strengthen financial inclusion with the debit card launch in Mozambique. Leveraging Mastercard’s global network, the Letshego Debit Card enables customers to transact safely both locally and, where accepted, internationally, facilitating everyday payments and greater participation in the formal financial system.
🇷🇴 Romania signs MoU with Mastercard, deploying the EUDI Wallet. The initiative aims to enable citizens to securely access services such as banking through a unified digital identity solution. Read on
🇬🇧 Visa Flexible Credential brings more flexible ways to pay to Zilch and Thredd cardholders in the UK. Visa Flexible Credential is designed to support evolving expectations while preserving the simplicity, security, and trust of card payments.
🇦🇪 Telr and Geidea announce strategic FinTech collaboration to enhance merchant payment capabilities. This collaboration brings together advanced payment capabilities and a rapidly expanding merchant network, paving the way for more powerful digital payment solutions and a unified, seamless merchant experience across the region.
🇬🇧 iFAST Global Bank launches Worldwide Scan & Pay powered by Alipay+. Through the cross-border QR code payment feature, clients can make payments at Alipay+ compatible QR merchants and supported national QR networks by simply scanning via the iFAST Global Bank mobile application and confirming the transaction, without the need for a physical card.
🇺🇸 Klarna's flexible payments are coming to Google Search and the Gemini app within Google Pay. Google Pay users will see a Klarna button at checkout, giving them access to flexible payment options, including paying in four interest-free installments and longer-term financing for larger purchases, each underwritten with an affordability check.
🌍 Backbase and Atos partner to accelerate AI-native banking across regulated markets in APAC, the Middle East, and Europe. Under the agreement, Backbase and Atos will combine the Backbase AI-native Banking OS with Atos’ expertise in systems integration, sovereign cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, and large-scale services delivery.
🇺🇸 Payward and Franklin Templeton announce strategic collaboration to advance tokenized assets and institutional digital finance. The collaboration aims to bring traditional financial products on-chain and expand their utility across digital asset markets.
DONEDEAL FUNDING NEWS
🇬🇧 Paymentology raises $175 million, co-led by Apis Partners and Aspirity Partners. The investment will support Paymentology’s continued global expansion, product development, and strengthening of its team, as the company builds on strong demand for modern issuer processing on a global scale.
🇸🇦 Stream raises an additional $5.2M, bringing total seed funding to $9.2M. With this funding, Stream is doubling down on its role as a foundational layer in the region's financial stack, enabling businesses to move faster, operate with more precision, and scale without operational bottlenecks in a world where the way businesses get paid is changing as fast as the businesses themselves.
🌍 Embat secures €30 million Series B. The company will use the new financing to grow its local footprint, investing heavily in its operations and expanding its local team to meet growing demand from mid-market businesses. Read more
🇫🇷 TwoWay raises €1.5m pre-seed and brings real-time intelligence to fragmented trading desks. This raise marks an early validation of the FinTech firm’s ambition to modernise how market intelligence is captured, structured, and acted upon across trading desks.
🇳🇱 Dutch startup Guzco raises €1 million to tackle chargebacks and e-commerce dispute workflows. Guzco is a software company for fraud protection that automates Klarna disputes, PayPal chargebacks, and fake delivery claim responses for e-commerce merchants.
🇵🇱 Sky Ecosystem leads $13.5 million round for Stablewatch-incubated stablecoin yield startup Osero. The company plans to use the funding to expand adoption of Sky’s stablecoin products and strengthen the stablecoin yield infrastructure. Continue reading
🇺🇸 Boundary Labs announces $2M pre-seed led by Galaxy Ventures. The capital will accelerate the launch of USBD, a novel stablecoin protocol engineered specifically for financial and blockchain institutions and approved participants who require a new standard of on-chain verifiability in the $300B stablecoin market.
🇬🇧 With $18M in new funding, Adfin expands AI-powered business finance. Adfin plans to use the new funding to expand its AI-powered finance platform, helping businesses automate payments, improve cash flow management, and reduce delays in invoice payments.
🇬🇧 Deutsche Bank, Nasdaq back crypto firm Elliptic in $120 million round. London-based Elliptic will use the fresh injection of cash to expand adoption of its services and grow its global presence, Chief Executive Officer Simone Maini said in an interview.
M&A
🇺🇸 SoFi acquires Capital Markets partner PrimaryBid. The agreement with SoFi will see PrimaryBid’s independent status ended and most of its assets acquired by SoFi. Keep reading
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
🌎 Visa announces Romina Seltzer as leader of Value-Added Services for Latin America and the Caribbean. The executive, who was already part of the card brand's leadership team in the region, will be responsible for the strategy and expansion of the company's portfolio of value-added solutions for clients and partners.
🌍 Kuba Fast takes over for Revolut in Europe. Fast previously helped shape Chase’s European retail banking strategy and will now support Revolut’s push to become a primary banking provider across Europe. Read more
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