Revolut has announced plans to enter Peru. The company has applied for a full banking license and appointed Julien Labrot as CEO of Revolut Peru to oversee local operations. The move aims to support Peru’s growing digital economy, where smartphone penetration is near 100% but a significant portion of adults remain underbanked. “Revolut’s entry into Peru is built on our belief that digital financial services should be empowering, accessible, and secure for everyone,” said Carlos Urrutia, Head of Expansion at Revolut. “By pursuing a full banking license we are not just entering a new market, we are committing to becoming…

Four European startups have been recognized among the top 50 digital health ventures of 2025. These ventures, featured in CB Insights’ annual Digital Health 50, originate from France, Sweden, Austria, and the UK, and are transforming diagnostics, clinical workflows, and preventive care. The 2025 Digital Health 50, released on October 2025, highlights private companies with strong growth potential, focusing on early-stage players with significant market traction, high-quality investors, and growing teams. These 50 companies were selected from a pool of over 12,000 companies based on CB Insights data and predictive signals, as well as its proprietary Mosaic Score, a metric…

Künstliche Intelligenz verändert Fondsstrategien, indem sie Daten schneller auswertet und Anlageentscheidungen systematisiert. Besonders bei einer Anlagelösung Fonds führt der Einsatz von Algorithmen zu neuen Modellen für Diversifikation, Risikomanagement und Kostenstrukturen. Institutionelle wie private Anleger sehen sich dadurch mit einer wachsenden Bandbreite an datengetriebenen Strategien konfrontiert, deren Funktionsweise und Grenzen verstanden werden müssen. TL;DR – Das Wichtigste in Kürze KI-Algorithmen erweitern klassische Fondsstrategien um datengetriebene Modelle, die Muster in Märkten schneller erkennen und systematisch nutzen. Eine Anlagelösung mit Fonds kann durch KI ein präziseres Risikomanagement und eine dynamischere Portfolioallokation erhalten, bleibt aber nie frei von Verlustrisiken. Im Vergleich zu traditionell gemanagten…

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) has announced the development of a platform for trading and on-chain settlement of tokenised securities, for which it will seek regulatory approval. The platform will support tokenised trading, including 24/7 operations, instant settlement, orders in dollar amounts, and stablecoin-based funding. It will integrate the NYSE’s Pillar matching engine with blockchain-based post-trade systems, capable of supporting multiple chains for settlement and custody. Subject to regulatory approval, the platform will operate a new NYSE venue allowing trading of tokenised shares fungible with traditional securities, as well as tokens issued directly as digital securities. Tokenised shareholders will…

Revolut has announced that Revolut Pay, its one-tap checkout solution, is now compatible with Google’s Agent Payments Protocol (AP2), making it one of the first EU payment methods to support agentic commerce. This move aims to enable secure, seamless payments in conversational and automated shopping environments. AP2 is an open protocol designed to facilitate agent-led payments across platforms. It allows users, merchants, and payment providers to transact securely with any payment method. Revolut contributed to AP2 by adapting the protocol for account-to-account payments. “The future of shopping isn’t a website; it’s a conversation. We aim to move beyond the click-and-pay…

The SwissFintechLadies held their “Art and Startup Night” on 18 January in Davos during the World Economic Forum (WEF). The event included the presentation of the SwissFinTechDiversity Award 2026 to Yainvest, Pregnolia, and Undae. The award recognised the contributions of women in the fintech sector. It brought together women in leadership positions, start-ups, and investors. The occasion offered opportunities for networking, featured keynote talks on Longevity Finance, and allowed start-ups to engage directly with potential investors. The Swiss Fintech Awards initiative includes the SwissFinTechDiversity Award and complements the Swiss Fintech Week, which is traditionally held in June. The award focuses…

Audi Revolut F1 Team has announced a multi-year partnership with Nexo, making the digital asset platform the team’s inaugural official digital asset partner. The agreement will see Nexo’s digital tools showcased globally as the team begins its Formula 1 campaign. The partnership will involve global activation through experiences and digital engagement, including exclusive access, co-created content, and educational initiatives for fans and Nexo clients. Stefano Battiston, Chief Commercial Officer of Audi Revolut F1 Team, said: “As we prepare to enter Formula 1, we are highly selective about the partners we bring on this journey. We are proud to welcome Nexo…

After nine years as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of SIX and member of the Executive Board, Daniel Schmucki will step down to pursue new professional opportunities outside the company. Daniel Schmucki joined SIX in 2017 and has played a key role in shaping the Group’s financial strategy and developing its financial profile. He restructured and realigned the CFO division, contributing to the ongoing development of the company. Notably, under his leadership, SIX issued the world’s first digital bond in 2021, supporting the capital market readiness of the Group. Bjørn Sibbern, Chief Executive Officer, said: “On behalf of the Board of…

Swiss insurtech Credura has introduced what it describes as the first AI-based insurance adviser for private individuals, following a successful pilot phase. The platform, operated by the FINMA-licensed company, automates the ongoing management of insurance policies and provides independent advice across insurers and products. Unlike traditional insurance advice, which is typically delivered at specific moments, Credura’s digital adviser operates on a continuous and proactive basis. It monitors market conditions, identifies potential optimisation opportunities and allows users to implement changes with only a few steps. A typical Swiss household holds multiple insurance policies with different providers, all of which require regular…

The Swiss Fintech Awards have opened applications once again for start-ups with a Swiss background in the fintech, insurtech, and blockchain sectors. The awards aim to support Swiss innovators and contribute to the development of the country’s fintech ecosystem. The awards recognise outstanding start-ups and influencers in the industry. The jury selects winners in three categories: “Early Stage Start-up of the Year”, “Growth Stage Start-up of the Year”, and “Fintech Influencer of the Year”. The jury comprises around 20 experts and investors from across the fintech sector. Eligible applicants include early and growth stage start-ups with a meaningful Swiss connection,…

Fujitsu Limited and SC Ventures have announced the launch of Qubitra Technologies. It is a joint venture aimed at advancing quantum computing applications and building a global quantum ecosystem. Previously incubated as Project Quanta in September 2025, Qubitra will operate from the UK. The company will focus on high-performance applications and a marketplace platform for quantum software and hardware providers. Vishal Shete, CEO of Qubitra, said: “Our mission at Qubitra is to turn quantum innovation into business impact by combining high-performance applications with a collaborative ecosystem that advances the industry.” Alex Manson, CEO of SC Ventures, added: “Qubitra, with access…

Alpaca, a US-based brokerage infrastructure provider, has raised US$150 million in a Series D funding round led by Drive Capital, valuing the company at US$1.15 billion and confirming its status as a unicorn. Drive Capital co-founder and partner Chris Olsen will join Alpaca’s board as part of the investment. The company also secured a US$40 million line of credit to support its balance sheet as it expands internationally. “Our mission is to open financial services to everyone on the planet,” said Yoshi Yokokawa, Co-Founder and CEO of Alpaca. “We are building the global standard for brokerage infrastructure so our partners…

Torq, a security operations company focused on AI-driven automation, has closed a US$140 million Series D funding round, bringing its valuation to US$1.2 billion and total funding to US$332 million. The funds will support the expansion of Torq’s AI SOC Platform, which combines automation and human oversight to manage security operations at scale. Ofer Smadari, CEO and co-founder of Torq, said the investment accelerates the company’s mission to transform the Security Operations Center (SOC). “Global enterprise adoption of our AI SOC Platform has validated our vision for the future of security operations. Fortune 100 customers are using our AI Agents…

At the end of December 2025, DZ BANK received MiCAR authorisation from the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) to operate its cryptocurrency platform, “meinKrypto”. The platform allows primary institutions of the cooperative financial network to offer retail customers access to crypto trading. Each Volksbank and Raiffeisenbank must now submit their own MiCAR notification for “meinKrypto” to BaFin. Once approved and implemented, customers will be able to invest in crypto assets entirely digitally. Integrated within the VR Banking App, “meinKrypto” functions as a wallet for self-directed investors and is not part of standard retail advisory services. At launch, Bitcoin (BTC),…

The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) has published a new supervisory communication outlining how it assesses the risks associated with the custody of crypto-based assets. The communication sets out the requirements institutions must meet to ensure the secure safekeeping of such assets. FINMA notes growing interest in crypto-based assets and related services within the Swiss financial market. An increasing number of customers wish to trade, invest in, and securely store cryptocurrencies. In response, FINMA-supervised institutions have expanded their offerings in these areas. In the new supervisory communication, FINMA highlights the specific risks involved in the custody of crypto-based assets…

Norway’s central bank, Norges Bank, has assessed whether introducing a central bank digital currency (CBDC) is necessary to ensure that payments in Norwegian kroner remain secure, efficient, and attractive. Governor Ida Wolden Bache said: “Norges Bank has concluded that introducing a central bank digital currency is currently not warranted. The need for such a currency may, however, change in the future. We will be ready to introduce a central bank digital currency if it becomes necessary to maintain an efficient and secure payment system.” CBDCs can take two forms. Retail CBDC would be universally accessible, similar to cash or bank…

Anthropic, a US-based AI company, has signed a term sheet for a US$10 billion funding round at a US$350 billion valuation, according to the Wall Street Journal. The financing is being led by Coatue and Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, GIC, according to a source familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity due to the confidential nature of the discussions. Former OpenAI research executives, including CEO Dario Amodei, founded Anthropic in 2021, and the company develops a family of large language models called Claude. Amazon has invested billions of dollars in Anthropic, while in November, Microsoft and Nvidia announced plans to…

Rain, a US-based infrastructure provider for stablecoin payments, has raised US$250 million in a Series C funding round led by ICONIQ. The round also included participation from Sapphire Ventures, Dragonfly, Bessemer Venture Partners, Galaxy Ventures, FirstMark, Lightspeed, Norwest, and Endeavor Catalyst. The round values Rain at US$1.95 billion and brings total funding to over US$338 million, coming just four months after its Series B and ten months after its Series A. More businesses and consumers are using stablecoins to transfer value in global payments. Rain provides infrastructure that allows enterprises to adopt on-chain payment rails while maintaining familiar user experiences.…

Artificial intelligence (AI) agents are a fast-growing sector, propelled by rapid advances in large language models (LLMs), declining compute costs, and improved integration with enterprise software. Since 2023, more than 500 startups have been founded across over 20 categories, according to CB Insights. Booming funding activity has further helped propelled this market. In 2024, AI agent startups raised US$3.8 billion, nearly tripling 2023’s total. Top AI Agent Trends in 2026 Every major tech player is now deploying agents or agent tooling. Microsoft, for example, integrates AI agents broadly through Copilot across Microsoft 365. Google DeepMind has introduced several agent initiatives…

Danske Bank has appointed Dr Fiona Browne as its first Head of AI, with responsibility for the strategic development and use of AI across the bank. Browne joins from fintech firm 9fin and has more than 18 years of experience in artificial intelligence and machine learning across industry and academia. She previously served as Chief Technology Officer at Datactics, where she led the delivery of AI-driven solutions for banking and government clients. In her new role, Browne will lead a newly established AI centre of excellence in Belfast. She will work alongside Lyndsay Shields, Danske Bank’s Head of Data &…