Berlin-based tech subscription scale-up Grover announces that it has closed a new asset-backed financing deal, topping up an existing facility with Varengold Bank to a total of €250 million. The additional funding will fuel the next growth phase for the Circular Economy pioneer. The new asset-backed funding deal is an increase of an existing €55-million debt facility with Varengold Bank to a total of €250 million, via a supporting debt investor. The transaction brings Grover’s total funding volume to roughly €300 million. The fresh capital reinforces Grover’s position as the European market leader in Consumer Electronics rentals and as a…

For the first time, orders for medical products were successfully processed via Blockchain. The Cantonal Hospital Winterthur, the Cantonal Hospital Baden, the University Children’s Hospital Zurich and the Spitalregion Fürstenland Toggenburg together with the two medical device suppliers Anandic System Medical AG and ITRIS Medical AG carried out these orders on a trial basis. The Zurich startup company Xatena AG provided the necessary infrastructure. The path of a medical product becomes traceable Today, the traceability of medical devices is hardly efficient and can hardly be guaranteed trustworthy for all parties. Various implant and counterfeit scandals have revealed that the risk…

Thomas Zangerl, at present COO of Netcetera, has been appointed CEO of the Swiss software company AdNovum. As of April 2020, he will take over executive management from Marcel Nickler, who is currently managing the company on an interim basis as Delegate of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors of the Swiss software company AdNovum has appointed Thomas Zangerl, at present Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Netcetera, as the new CEO. Thomas Zangerl will take over executive management from Marcel Nickler, who is currently managing the company on an interim basis as Delegate of the Board of Directors.…

Der Verwaltungsrat der Glarner Kantonalbank (GLKB) ernennt Michaela Ernst zur neuen Bereichsleiterin der GLKB Kreditfabrik und zum Mitglied der Geschäftsleitung. Michaela Ernst tritt die Nachfolge von Marcel Stauch an. Sie übernimmt ihre neue Funktion per 1. August 2020. Mit Michaela Ernst gewinnt die Glarner Kantonalbank eine umsetzungsstarke Führungspersönlichkeit mit mehr als 20 Jahren Erfahrung in der Finanzbranche und in der IT. Sie übernimmt die Leitung der GLKB Kreditfabrik und wird Mitglied der fünfköpfigen Geschäftsleitung. Die GLKB Kreditfabrik betreibt die Business-to-Business Aktivitäten der Bank, welche die Softwareentwicklung sowie die Hypothekenverwaltung für die GLKB und für die zahlreichen Kreditfabrikkunden verantwortet. Die 51-jährige…

Twint reported that they have reached 2 million users in Switzerland. Twint also hopes to hit the 100 million transactions mark in 2020. The foundation has been built on the variety of potential uses, including at supermarket cash registers, for public transport, when online shopping, at parking meters, in farm shops and when donating. Users are more and more frequently leaving their purses and wallets at home in favour of Twint. Twint also offers customers new potential ways of using the app, including the payment of invoices via QR code. Unlike making payments with cards or other mobile payment systems…

Sonect has achieved yet another milestone. A new partnership with Migros Bank means around 800,000 clients can now withdraw cash straight from their bank accounts using Sonect. This new partnership represents a significant step for Sonect in the domestic market, paving the way for further expansion in Switzerland to complement the company’s growth on the international stage. It has also seen Migros Bank add a further 2,300 locations to its cash withdrawal network, taking the total to over 4,000. Using an app, Migros Bank clients can now withdraw cash at the cash register, including in stores that are not part…

F10 – Swiss FinTech Incubator and Accelerator wants to bridge the gap between the Swiss and Asian ecosystem. There are several reasons for the decision to extend innovation outside Europe and make it more global. Switzerland and Singapore have a lot in common and despite their small size and markets, they also have important finance and fintech hubs, as stated by F10. Furthermore, the two countries have enjoyed “excellent relations” when it comes to business, according to the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, and today, Singapore is Switzerland’s most important trading partner in Southeast Asia. Moreover, a lot of…

The Swiss pavilion at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas opened its doors for the second time. From 7 to 10 January 2020 Switzerland is showcasing more than 30 start-ups at the world’s largest trade fair for consumer electronics. Organisers Presence Switzerland and Switzerland Global Enterprise (S-GE), together with partners Innosuisse, the swissnex network and digitalswitzerland, are using the pavilion as part of their SwissTech campaign to position Switzerland as a leading innovation and technology hub and an attractive business location. The SwissTech campaign is a public-private partnership under the leadership of Presence Switzerland. The campaign aims to…

AlgoTrader AG, a Swiss platform services provider for fully-integrated and automated quantitative trading and trade execution, for both traditional and digital assets, has completed a new round of financing from institutional growth investors. This series A round totaling CHF 3.7 million was led by an undisclosed global Tier 1 bank and was joined by investiere, BlockChain Valley Ventures and the seed-round investor NeueCapital. Founded by Andy Flury, AlgoTrader consists of two business lines; one for for traditional finance and the other for crypto finance. AlgoTrader is well known for its leading quantitative strategy design, testing, automation and trade execution platform…

BBVA has joined El Celler de Can Roca in launching the sale of a selection of products on Amazon. As part of the bank’s commitment to digital transformation, BBVA has kicked off its experience on the ecommerce platform with a collection of products from the Michelin three-star restaurant’s recycling project; and Rocambolesc, chocolates and sweets crafted by Jordi Roca,the confectioner of the family. Roca Recicla is the restaurant’s response to the challenge of reducing the waste generated by its business. Roca Recicla’s mission is to transform waste from a variety of materials, giving them a second life. Thus, glass bottles become drinking…

Ripple announced a $200 million in Series C funding—an investment that marks a record year for the business and further proves the value of blockchain technology in improving global payments and the broader utility of the digital asset XRP and the XRP Ledger. The Series C was led by Tetragon with participation from SBI Holdings and Route 66 Ventures. These notable investors not only underscore Ripple’s long-term potential, but as partners, they offer invaluable industry insight and expertise to help Ripple’s business grow on a global scale. “We are in a strong financial position to execute against our vision. As…

Boerse Stuttgart Group and SBI Group will establish a partnership in Europe and Asia, including Japan, in the digital asset business. Both partners will collaborate in order to create a truly global end-to-end ecosystem for digital assets, utilizing blockchain technology. In order to reinforce the partnership, SBI Holdings, Inc. will invest in Boerse Stuttgart Digital Exchange GmbH and plans to invest in Boerse Stuttgart Digital Ventures GmbH. Both subsidiaries of Boerse Stuttgart Group conduct digital asset-related businesses in Germany and Europe. Boerse Stuttgart Digital Exchange GmbH is a joint venture of Boerse Stuttgart GmbH, Axel Springer SE and finanzen.net GmbH. It is…

The Riksbank has implemented a public procurement of a technology supplier to the e-krona pilot project and intends to sign an agreement with consulting company Accenture. The primary objective of the e-krona pilot project is to broaden the bank’s understanding of the technological possibilities for the e-krona. The assignment entails producing a solution as to how an e-krona could function in a test environment. During the first year of the e-krona pilot project, a technical platform will be developed with a user interface that enables, for instance, payment with the e-krona from a mobile phone, a card and a watch.…

Generali Switzerland has successfully promoted topics such as open innovation and corp-ups (cooperation between corporations and start-ups) through its Innovation Garage. In future, the Innovation Garage will operate on the market as an independent company, HITS. The fundamental transformation brought about by digitalization and the changing needs of customers calls for innovative solutions in the insurance industry too. With its Innovation Garage, Generali Switzerland has taken a closer look at the topics of open innovation, co-creation, sustainability and corp-ups. “With the launch of HITS, Generali Switzerland is aiming to shift the focus to corp-ups and scale-up the integration of knowledge,”…

The Swiss Fintech Accelerator F10 launched its Pre-Seed Fund, expanding its line of products and services for its early stage Startups participating in the P2 «Prototype to Product» program. With more than 350 applications dropping in from around the world for each six-month batch, the selected entrepreneurs who successfully graduate the program will receive a CHF 200,000 investment from the F10 Pre-Seed Fund. Venture capital is a trend-setting success factor for Startups. In the early development phase, they urgently need enough financial resources to be able to move forward quickly and focus on their core business. F10 has been offering…

Swiss Bankers startet den neuen Geldtransferservice «Send» auf Basis der «Mastercard Send»-Plattform. In Zusammenarbeit mit Mastercard bietet der Schweizer Herausgeber von Prepaid-Karten ab sofort Konsumenten die Möglichkeit, Geld per App sicher in 18 Länder zu versenden. Gelder können auf Bankkonten, digitalen Geldbörsen, qualifizierten Mastercard-Karten und später auch an Cash-Pick-up-Stellen empfangen werden. «‹Send› steht für einen innovativen Weg des Peer-to-Peer-Geldtransfers», betont Hans-Jörg Widiger, CEO von Swiss Bankers. «In Kooperation mit Mastercard stellen wir unseren Karteninhabern eine Reihe von Geldtransfer-Optionen gebündelt in einem Service zur Verfügung. Damit ist es erstmalig möglich, Geld von der Schweiz aus an qualifizierte Mastercard-Karten im Ausland zu…

The Swiss health technology and insurtech company dacadoo completed its C-round capital increase to secure funding for its global growth strategy. Over the past few years, the company has now raised total funding of 70 million Swiss Francs. dacadoo develops technology solutions for digital health engagement and health risk quantification, and the company partners with insurers as well as corporate health service providers to bring its technologies to market globally. Its comprehensive digital Health Engagement Platform motivates users to achieve and maintain healthy lifestyle habits. The digital user journey is optimized to engage clients of Health Insurers, Life Insurers and…

Eine neue Daten-Analyse von Kryptoszene.de zeigt: Das Interesse an Bitcoin ist in Nigeria besonders gros. An zweiter Stelle befindet sich Südafrika, gefolgt von Österreich, der Schweiz und Ghana. Damit befinden sich drei afrikanische und zwei europäische Staaten in der Top-Fünf. Deutschland rangiert an siebter Stelle ebenfalls weit vorn. Zur Auswertung wurden die Daten von Google Trends herangezogen. Die Analyse offenbart, dass es um die Stabilität zahlreicher Staaten, mit einem ausserordentlich grosen Interesse an Bitcoin, schlecht bestellt ist. Nigeria – das Land mit höchsten Google Trends Score für Bitcoin – gehört nach dem „Fragilestatesindex“ vom US-amerikanischen Think Tank Fund for Peace…

While trading on Boerse Stuttgart Digital Exchange (BSDEX) was initially launched for selected users in September, the trading venue is now open to all investors based in Germany. On the country’s first regulated trading venue for digital assets, users can trade the Bitcoin-Euro pair, with further digital assets to be made available. To connect directly to BSDEX, users must hold a German bank account and be at least eighteen years old, resident in Germany and a national of a country in the European Economic Area (EEA). BSDEX meets the regulatory requirements in accordance with section 2, paragraph 12 of the German Banking Act…

Trust Square, the Swiss Blockchain working space, currently at Bahnhofstrasse, is announcing the move to its new location at Zurich’s Paradeplatz at the beginning of 2020. By moving into the building on Poststrasse, Trust Square is laying the foundation for the further development of its successful concept. With the new location on Poststrasse, Zurich’s Trust Square hub has secured a permanent home in a prime location after the lease for the interim use of the Bahnhofstrasse property will expire as planned at the end of 2019. The new premises offer more than two hundred workstations, an event venue with capacity…