Nationwide Building Society is a commercial bank that serves as a building society, savings provider, and mortgage lender. The bank provides a diverse range of financial services, including savings, mortgages, current accounts, credit cards, investments, and loans.

Nationwide

Tech Nation Fintech is helping UK fintech startups scale, at home and abroad. Their new fintech programme is aimed at company founders. Through a 24 hour induction, series of in-depth learning sessions, networking events and a three-day international showcase trip, you’ll become part of the very first Tech Nation Fintech cohort. Insights sessions will be delivered by some of the most established fintech entrepreneurs, investors and partners, who will cover topics such as regulation, partnering with banks and expanding internationally.

Tech Nation Fintech

Praetura have been supporting SMEs since 2011, raising capital and investing in the early stages of business life cycles. We have a strong track record in past performance and have developed a reputation for being a supportive and proactive investor who injects more than just capital. We can evidence the value from our differentiated approach both from investment returns and testament from our portfolio companies. Our partnered entrepreneurs embrace the shoulder to shoulder Praetura approach and utilise our experience and resource to maximise their businesses’ potential.

Praetura Ventures

Greater Manchester Combined Authority is the combined authority of Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester Combined Authority

Co-operative Bank is a commercial banking firm. Co-op Bank was created in 1872 as the Co-operative Wholesale Society's loan and deposit department. The bank offers mortgages, insurance, overdraft warning services, and professional and career development loans.

Co-Operative Bank

The FIS FinTech Accelerator is a 12-week, intensive program designed to accelerate the growth of early stage financial technology companies.  We are the ONLY accelerator with an open door to the executive suite of the global fintech leader, FIS™, and access to their 20,000 financial institution customers across 130 countries. FIS is the world's largest global provider dedicated to banking and payments technologies. FIS empowers the financial world with payment processing and banking solutions, including software, services and technology outsourcing. The highly selective program will admit up to 10 financial technology startups poised to challenge the status quo in the financial services sector. Startups chosen to participate in the VC FinTech Accelerator will enter a 12-week on-site program, complete with curriculum that will help them plan strategically, address business and finance challenges, and provide rigorous mentorship from successful fintech and entrepreneurial experts. How can VC FinTech and FIS help your startup?  FIS serves the largest players in the financial world, processing 27 billion transactions and $9 trillion annually. FIS is committed to disrupting the FinTech space with innovation centers in San Francisco, New York, London, Bangalore, Bangkok--and Little Rock, Arkansas. FIS stands uniquely poised to support your startup in ways that no other organization can.  By joining with VC FinTech, you aren't just getting an accelerator. The Venture Center is a strategic partner that can help you transform your company and gain access to some of the inaccessible decision-makers in the world!  Our next Accelerator begins May 8, 2017.

The FIS FinTech Accelerator in Partnership with The Venture Center

BankiFi

Provide your business customers with the right solutions at the right stage of life, throughout their entire journey. Banks can so support businesses gig to big: from sole-trader/self-employed (‘Gig’) and microbusiness through to SME and internationally operating enterprises with sophisticated requirements. Acquire new business customers early for a very low cost, and stay with them for life.

BankiFi is a British open banking platform that provides API-based white-label and full-stack infrastructure for banks to provide integrated financial services to its SME customers. These services include invoicing, payments and collections, accounting, cash management and forecasting, among others. BankiFi also handles licensing requirements through its infrastructure, in turn, allowing its users to either use BankiFi’s regulatory license or its own.

Democratizing financial technology with a suite of API-based solutions

FinTech Infrastructure

Metro Bank Partners With BankiFi To Help SMEs Overcome Late Payments

Visa

BankiFi has joined Visa Fintech Partner Connect in Europe – a programme that helps Visa`s clients deliver the next generation of digital banking solutions.

BankiFi is a British open banking platform that provides API-based white-label and full-stack infrastructure for banks to provide integrated financial services to its SME customers. These services include invoicing, payments and collections, accounting, cash management and forecasting, among others. BankiFi also handles licensing requirements through its infrastructure, in turn, allowing its users to either use BankiFi’s regulatory license or its own.The company expanded its banking products in 2021 by offering two new products: 1) SME mobile banking service apps, and 2) Request to Pay (RTP) apps (dubbed “Incomeing”). Incomeing allows SMEs to facilitate instant payment collections by sending payment requests via text, email, Whatsapp, and QR codes. The solution was initially rolled out by The Co-operative Bank; however, it is also available to other businesses with SME clientele.BankiFi, has a global presence with operations in the UK, Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands and Singapore. It also <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/11733">expanded its operations to North America </a>in July 2022, to help SMEs in the region digitize and modernize their payments.Key customers and partnershipsAccordingly, <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/13650">BankiFi partnered with Axiom Bank </a>, a North American community bank, in October 2022, to improve cash management for Axiom’s SMB clients across the US. Axiom will offer its SMBs access to BankiFi’s “Open Cash Management” platform, enabling them to track and manage their business finances.BankiFi also partnered with open banking infrastructure provider <a href="https://sp-edge.com/companies/37235">MX </a>to enable data sharing, ID verification, and account connectivity, for BankiFi’s “Open Cash Management” platform users.The company joined Visa’s Fintech Partner Connect in Europe - a program for Visa’s clients to deliver digital banking solutions - in March 2022, to expand BankiFi’s customer base and reach additional European markets.Funding and financialsBankiFi <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/12387?industryIds=53">raised GBP 4 million (USD 4.8 million) </a>in August 2022, led by Praetura Ventures - marking its third funding raise <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/7022">since September last year </a>- to invest in global expansion.

Cross River Bank provides a white-label banking-as-a-service (BaaS) platform for enterprises, combining banking services, payments, and marketplace lending infrastructure to build fintechs. Its solutions comprise demand deposits, savings accounts, credit and debit cards, and payment clearing services, including automated clearing house (ACH) and real-time payments. The company also provides banking and payment infrastructure for the crypto industry, including risk management services for its crypto clients. Key customers and partnerships As of December 2020, the company had over 400 employees, and had entered into more than 30 partnerships. Moreover, as of March 2021, the platform had been used to support over 375,000 small businesses through the paycheck protection program (PPP).Cross River Bank teamed up with UK-based BaaS provider <a href="https://sp-edge.com/companies/421515">Railsr </a>in January 2019 to launch a common API for their platforms to be used globally. As of April 2022, Cross River had over 80 clients including lenders such as Affirm, Best Egg, and Upstart, neobanks such as <a href="https://sp-edge.com/companies/220119">Revolut </a>, and blockchain-based payment processing platform GreenBox. The platform reportedly originated over USD 24 billion in loans per annum, around 10x the value of loans it originated in 2015. Cross River Bank has expanded its operations by acquiring Betterfin, a platform offering lending-as-a-service (LaaS) solutions, in November 2021. Through the acquisition, Cross River Bank leveraged Betterfin’s software to digitize parts of the small-business lending process (such as origination and underwriting).The company partnered with <a href="https://sp-edge.com/companies/1643">American Express </a>(Amex) to enable FinTechs to issue credit cards through Cross River Bank, on the Amex network, while also providing select Amex benefits to the FinTechs.Funding and financials The company <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/9458">raised USD 620 million in funding </a>co-led by Eldridge and a16z, at a valuation of over USD 3 billion, to invest in product developments, recruitment, international expansion, and boosting strategic partnerships.

Cross River Bank

Synctera was co-founded in 2020 by Peter Hazlehurst, the former head of Uber Money, who previously led the development of Google Wallet. The company offers an API-based infrastructure platform for community and regional banks to find and partner with FinTechs. This enables FinTechs to leverage the former’s licenses to embed FDIC-insured mobile checking, debit cards, savings accounts, and payment innovations, among other features. The API platform offered to the banks will then be sold to the FinTechs to code on. Although the end customers interact with the FinTechs, they legally belong to the bank.<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/8117">Synctera mainly charges the banks </a>based on the interchange fees they earn (half of the interchange fees, as of January 2022) from the services provided. It does not charge them an initial amount to use the platform. Moreover, the platform also embeds fraud-as-a-service and charges FinTechs on a per transaction basis (4 cents per transaction) should they choose to use it. It subsequently shares that revenue 50/50 with the banks.The company launched the “t-minus10” project in January 2022, which offers a live sandbox for FinTechs to build apps, test, and go to market, enhancing their access to banking partners. It subsequently launched a “Smart Charge Card” (APIs to build, launch, and issue charge cards) and “White-label Banking App” (a codebase for developers to build embedded banking products or neobank apps) infrastructure in October 2022.Key customers and partnershipsIn February 2022, Lineage Bank (a community bank in Tennessee) and GoGetr (FinTech aiming to promote health and wealth management) became the first companies to launch a banking solution using the Synctera platform. As of March 2023, the platform was working with around 50 fintechs, of which 14 were live (including Wayapay and Float). Synctera reportedly had over 20 implementations set for launch in the following two months.Synctera announced a new card issuing and management infrastructure offering (Card-as-a-Service), in July 2021, which it developed in partnership with Mastercard and leading card issuing infrastructure disruptor, <a href="https://sp-edge.com/companies/64287">Marqeta</a>.Funding and financialsIn March 2024, Synctera raised USD 18.6 million in <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/27244">Series A1 extension</a> co-led by Lightspeed and Fin Capital. The company earmarked the funds to support business growth by facilitating more complex use cases across the US and international markets. The company also <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/16980?industryIds=53">raised USD 15 million</a> in funding led by NAventures in March 2023, to invest in expanding the platform’s use cases and broadening its geographic footprint beyond the US (including expanding to Canada). Meanwhile, Synctera has also partnered with the National Bank of Canada to enable companies to launch FinTech apps and embedded banking products in Canada.

Synctera

Based in the UK, Weavr, formerly known as Open Payments Cloud, was spun out of payment provider Ixaris in 2019. Weavr offers the infrastructure for enterprises to embed banking services across various industries, including education, fitness, logistics, etc. Weavr’s “Meta” platform combines multiple banking and payments partners in one platform through application programming interfaces (APIs). Using the APIs, enterprises can embed virtual banking services such as card payments, fund transfers, and international banking accounts.Weavr expanded its operations to Singapore in November 2022, as part of its global expansion plans.Key customers and partnershipsAs of July 2021, Weavr’s customers included Finway, Thanks Ben, and MySkillCamp, among others.In October 2019, Weavr partnered with payment service providers Global Processing Services (GPS), Paynetics, and iDenfy to enable developers to create and run sophisticated and streamlined payment experiences for their European customers through Weavr.Funding and financialsWeavr <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/8647?industryIds=53">raised USD 40 million </a>in Series A funding in February 2022, led by Tiger Global, less than a year after <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/4166">raising GBP 4 million (USD 5.5 million) </a>in seed funding in July. The funds were earmarked for business development and recruitment to support Weavr’s expansion to the US market, while also supporting its continued expansion in the UK and Europe.

Weavr

MX offers an open finance portal, data connectivity application programming interface (API), and MX platform API for banks, credit unions, and other financial service providers. The company’s solutions allow its clients to utilize financial data to reduce fraud, approve loans faster, and improve their customer experiences. In addition to APIs and connections, MX also offers a range of capabilities, including data aggregation, analytics, financial feed insights, wealth and investment services, and verification services. MX looks to enable banks and financial institutions to launch next-generation services and apps that automate and personalize financial experiences. As of January 2021, the company noted that it worked with more than 2,000 banks, credit unions, and FinTech companies, and its platform reached over 200 million end-users. Moreover, it also powered 43 of the top 50 digital banks as of the same period. In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/8753?industryIds=53">February 2022, MX partnered </a>with <a href="https://sp-edge.com/companies/361160">Rize </a>, to enable users to access Rize’s banking infrastructure to build, launch, and scale financial products through a single API, thereby reducing the development time and cost. In January 2021, MX raised USD 300 million in a Series C funding round led by TPG Capital, at a valuation of USD 1.9 billion. The newly raised funds are to be invested in improving MX’s capabilities, expanding its global presence, and increasing its workforce. In January 2021, MX noted that its headcount tripled over the past two years, reaching 550 staff members. The company appointed Shane Evans as interim chief executive officer (CEO) in January 2022, to prepare the company for an IPO or sale (at a valuation of over USD 5 billion) and oversee its growth.

Bankable is a banking-as-a-service (BaaS) infrastructure provider allowing financial institutions and corporations to utilize its API to integrate banking services. It provides a platform for its enterprise customers to offer modular banking services, including ledger management (process data from multiple banks to support cash management for global corporate affairs), digital banking, payment cards, and e-wallets. The company expanded its platform by <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/19662">acquiring Arex Markets </a>in June 2023, to embed working capital solutions (such as flexible invoice financing, corporate credit cards, lodged cars, and revolving credit). The company has a global presence, with operations spanning from the US to the Middle East as of January 2021. Bankable noted that the expansion of its global footprint also helps its European and US FinTech clients expand their operations internationally. Key customers and partnerships In January 2020, the company partnered with the diversified FinTech infrastructure provider <a href="https://sp-edge.com/companies/85350">Plaid </a>, which enabled Bankable’s customers to use Plaid’s tech to connect to more than 15,000 banks in the US and Europe. Funding and financialsIn April 2019, <a href="https://sp-edge.com/companies/13061">Visa </a>invested an undisclosed sum in Bankable and entered a partnership with the startup. Through the partnership, Visa members obtained access to Bankable’s platform, while Bankable used VisaNet (Visa’s electronic global payments network) to extend its international payment and banking solutions.

Bankable

Platforms that allow FinTechs to integrate banking services such as opening and maintaining accounts, facilitating card payments, etc.


Platforms that enable FinTechs to integrate a range of payment-related services such as one-time payments, subscriptions, and receipt management for domestic and cross-border transactions.


Companies that enable organizations to embed anti-money laundering (AML), identity verification, and know-your-customer (KYC) solutions.


Platforms that allow FinTechs to integrate lending services,  by typically applying AI/ML technology to a spending analysis to analyze creditworthiness.

Companies providing APIs and integrations for FinTechs to access securities markets, facilitate transactions and clearing, and provide insights to help end-users manage their finances.

May specialize in promoting inclusiveness in financial services, primarily in the investment and lending spaces

AI/ML can improve the quality of their offerings, such as using AI/ML to reduce biases

Used for payment completions, accessing banking and transaction data, and providing financial insights, among others

BankiFi

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