🚀 Fintech’s Big Moves: New CEOs, Fresh Funding & Global Expansions

Welcome back to Fintech Forward!
From major leadership appointments to high-impact funding rounds, product innovations, and global partnerships — this week has been a whirlwind in fintech. Whether you’re tracking crypto expansions or curious about climate-tech investments, we’ve got you covered with all the developments shaping financial technology this week.

👥 Leadership Moves: Who’s Stepping In?

• TrustLinq (Switzerland): Appoints Sharon Gal Franko as CEO, bringing 25+ years of fintech leadership at Nium, Nuvei, dLocal, and EMS.

• Commvault: Havier Haddad joins as channel lead for EMEA’s emerging markets, following 16 years at Dell Technologies.

• The Zebra: Insurance comparison platform names John Caine as COO to drive UX innovation; he’s held senior roles at NerdWallet and Priceline.

• EquityZen: Promotes Brian Griffith to Chief Business Officer and Sudesh Kulkarni to Chief Product Officer.

• Versapay: Adds Elizabeth Bramlage as CMO, former ComplyAdvantage marketing lead with over 15 years in fintech.

🚀 Product Launches & Innovations

• Thunes unveils Business Payments, an API-based solution to streamline cross-border payments and reduce legacy friction.

• Episode Six teams with Aspire to roll out a multi-currency corporate card for SMBs in Singapore and Hong Kong.

• ValidiFI expands its vAccount+ suite with enhanced bank account verification features for better fraud detection.

• eToro adds 29 new cryptoassets, including 17 ‘experimental’ ones—expanding DeFi and memecoin access for retail investors.

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💰 Funding Highlights: Fueling the Future

• Froda secures €20M Series B to support European expansion and empower SME financing.

• 51toCarbonZero raises £3M to expand its climate-success platform across UK, Europe, and the US.

• Hokodo lands €10M equity round co-led by Korelya Capital and BNP Paribas' Opera Tech to expand its trade credit services.

• LendMN (Mongolia): Receives $20M in debt financing from Lendable to enhance financial inclusion and reach underbanked communities.

🤝 Strategic Partnerships: Fintech's Power Plays

• Trulioo & PingPong: Partner on global KYB/AML compliance for seamless cross-border payments.

• Family Law Cafe selects Atoa for open banking-enabled SMS payments in the legal services space.

• BrightStar CU + Jack Henry: New collaboration aims to upgrade cloud infrastructure and customer experience.

• ChargeAfter & Foundation Finance: Expand embedded lending solutions for home improvement contractors.

More Partnerships Worth Noting:

• Visa renews deal with Nationwide to offer Debit and Credit card services to 16M UK customers.

• fumopay partners with Cashflows to enhance checkout flexibility with card and A2A payments.

• FICO teams up with dacadoo to offer insurers AI-driven health risk insights.

• RiseUp & Yapily join forces to turn financial insights into real-time actions via seamless bank payments.

🧩 Other Noteworthy Moves

• Capgemini acquires Delta Capita BV to strengthen its FCC transformation services.

• Revolut removes weekend currency exchange fees for Premium, Metal, and Ultra users.

• CleverTap acquires YC-backed rehook.ai, consolidating analytics and engagement under one roof.

• Anglo Scottish Asset Finance launches AS Finance Ireland to serve Irish SMEs.

• MultiSafepay grows 44% YoY post-Antom integration, expanding across Europe.

• GB Bank surpasses £2B in assets, hitting profitability shortly after securing £90M in growth capital.

🔚 That’s a Wrap for This Week’s Fintech Forward

From disruptive product launches to strategic hires and bold funding rounds, fintech continues to evolve at pace. Whether you're a founder, investor, or operator, staying informed means staying ahead.

Thanks for reading!
📬 Got a tip, launch, or announcement to share for next week? Hit reply or send it to us directly — we love hearing from our fintech community.

— Team Fintech Forward

See you in your inbox next week. Until then, stay innovative.