Hello Fintech Friends,

Who is the #1 fintech speaker you'd want to see at South by Southwest London next June?

Let us know! TWIF is partnering with SXSW as the official curator of the Fintech Track in at SXSWL.

SXSW London x This Week in Fintech | SXSW London

We’re happy to share that This Week in Fintech will be co-curator of our Fintech & Digital Commerce festival track at SXSW London 2026. This track will be diving into what happens when AI agents manage our wealth, the collision of crypto and culture, the future of digital identity, and much more. This Week in Fintech will be sharing their deep industry expertise to craft a truly future-facing track full of innovative speakers and themes. Stay tuned for speaker announcements soon! #SXSWLondon

LinkedInSXSW London

And if you work at a stablecoin provider, whether you focus on on/off-ramp, orchestration, issuance, auth, or any other part of the stack: Let us know who tops your customer wishlist.

We'll make sure they come out to Stablecon 2026.

Please find another week of fintech exits and deep reads below.

Have feedback for us? Let us know. Find me at @nikmilanovic, @twifintech, and @ndm

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News coverage written and provided by Rachel Chang.

Reads of the Week

Paul S. Atkins, Chairman of the U.S. SEC, delivered opening remarks at the Crypto Task Force Roundtable on Financial Surveillance and Privacy on December 15, 2025. His speech focused on the tension between financial privacy and surveillance in the digital age.

SEC.gov | Remarks at the Crypto Task Force Roundtable on Financial Surveillance and Privacy

Chairman Paul S. Atkins December 15, 2025

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

SEC.gov | Privacy in the House: Remarks at the Privacy and Financial Surveillance Roundtable

Privacy in the House: Remarks at the Privacy and Financial Surveillance Roundtable Commissioner Hester M. Peirce December 15, 2025

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

Exits

M&A - Fintech

• Monzo acquired Habito, a UK digital mortgage broker, as part of its expanded banking and lending services push in Europe, while also securing a full European banking license.
• BlackLine acquired WiseLayer to advance its AI-driven finance and accounting platform.
• Nexo acquired Buenbit, a LATAM crypto platform, to support it expansion across the region.
• Tyro acquired Thriday, an Aussie SME financial management platform, for an undisclosed amount, to expand its payments and business finance stack in Australia.
• itsme, a Belgium bank-backed digital ID operator, acquired iDIN, an online Dutch identification service.
• Stripe acqui-hired the team behind Valora, a crypto payments app, to further expand into blockchain tech and stablecoins.

M&A - Banks and Financial Institutions

• Mizuho Securities, a Japanese investment bank, agreed to acquire a majority stake in Indian investment bank Avendus from KKR for $523 million.
• PNC secured regulatory approval to acquire FirstBank for $4.1 billion.
• Starling Bank explored plans to buy another UK lender, allowing the digital bank to put its £12bn worth of customer deposits to more profitable use. 

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