Hello Fintech Friends,
This week, Anchorage Digital scooped up enterprise payouts platform Routable, while Shares completed its acquisition of banking-as-a-service provider Treezor from Société Générale. Alto agreed to buy self-directed IRA custodian Forge Trust from a Charles Schwab subsidiary.
Among banks and financial institutions, BPCE acquired a 7% stake in Spain’s Banco Sabadell, worth approximately €1.2 billion. In the U.S., Third Coast Bancshares struck a $239.6 million deal for Great Plains Bancshares, and TowneBank agreed to buy blueharbor bank for approximately $154 million.
And in a late funding update, Ramp reportedly raised about $1.85 billion at a $60 billion pre-money valuation. Dragoneer Investment Group and Thrive Capital led the round, with Founders Fund making a large contribution, the report said.
This week’s deep reads cover Revolut’s ambitions beyond banking, Rain’s application for a U.S. trust bank charter, Singapore’s proposed independent reviews of financial-sector AI, and Iridium Credit’s work to help lenders spot fraudulent invoices. Also, a ranking of the Middle East’s top 50 fintechs highlights the dominance of payments, with Tabby, Fawry and MNT-Halan taking the top spots.
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Reads of the Week
Exits
IPOs & SPACs - Fintech
OPay, a SoftBank-backed payments fintech focused on Nigeria, filed for a U.S. IPO, disclosing that first-half revenue more than doubled to $467.1 million.
Bradbury Capital, a Malaysian digital payments provider, completed its SPAC merger with Technology & Telecommunication Acquisition Corp. alongside a $5 million private placement.
First Digital, the group behind stablecoin FDUSD, agreed to go public through a SPAC merger with CSLM Digital Asset Acquisition Corp. III at a $250 million pre-money equity valuation.
Revolut said it would favor a primary U.S. listing if it pursues an IPO, according to CEO Nik Storonsky.
M&A - Fintech
Anchorage Digital acquired Routable, an enterprise payouts platform serving businesses across more than 220 countries.
Shares completed its acquisition of banking-as-a-service provider Treezor from Société Générale.
Alto agreed to acquire self-directed IRA custodian Forge Trust from Forge Global, a Charles Schwab subsidiary.
NEOPAY agreed to acquire a 65% controlling stake in noon payments, which serves merchants across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Personio acquired German spend-management fintech Circula, adding expense management and corporate cards to its HR and payroll platform.
Basware completed its acquisition of payment fraud prevention platform Trustpair.
BlueMatrix agreed to acquire Aiera, a platform for delivering financial research and content through AI tools.
PLACE agreed to acquire Ardley, an AI-powered mortgage technology provider that helps lenders retain borrowers and generate new loans.
AvaTrade agreed to acquire the majority of FXCM Group’s online forex and CFD trading business.
Trade Nation agreed to acquire the UK client book of Stratos Markets, which operates as FXCM and Tradu.
CapitalSage Vantage completed its acquisition of Canadian payments infrastructure startup Chimoney.
Anyflo acquired the team and technology of Native, a Bitcoin lending platform built on Sui, to develop its enterprise stablecoin payments service.
Kredete acquired an unnamed South African company holding a Crypto Asset Service Provider licence to expand its cross-border payments operations.
SRS Acquiom agreed to acquire Pantarai, a provider of loan technology and closing services for syndicated loans and private credit.
Sage acquired WholeHelp, whose AI Studio platform helps businesses build applications and automate workflows within Sage software.
Sage acquired Moovin’Cloud’s French cloud migration and hosting business for Sage accounting and business software.
Acuity Analytics announced its acquisition of Continuus, a U.S. data consultancy serving asset managers and other financial institutions.
Deadline Extended: One More Week to Nominate Your 2026 Changemakers
Due to the flood of submissions over the past few days (and more than a few requests for extra time), we’re keeping the nomination window open for one final week.
You now have until Friday, October 16 to put forward the builders, platforms, and investors who drove lasting, positive change in fintech this year..
We’re recognizing honorees across five distinct categories: Big Companies, Startups, Founders, VCs & Investors, and Social Good / Nonprofits.
Winners will be announced live at our year-end Fintech Formal on Dec. 11 in New York.
M&A - Banks and Financial Institutions
BPCE acquired a 7% stake in Spain’s Banco Sabadell, worth approximately €1.2 billion.
Third Coast Bancshares agreed to acquire Great Plains Bancshares, parent of Great Plains National Bank, for approximately $239.6 million in stock.
TowneBank agreed to acquire North Carolina’s blueharbor bank for approximately $154 million.
Byline Bancorp agreed to acquire Illinois State Bancorp, parent of First Nations Bank and Bank of Bourbonnais, for approximately $87.9 million in cash and stock.
Arbor Bancorp, parent of Bank of Ann Arbor, agreed to acquire Huron Valley Bancorp for approximately $52.1 million in cash.
Pinnacle Bancorp agreed to acquire Southern Bancshares, parent of Texas-based SouthStar Bank, which has $1.35 billion in assets.
Unio Financial Services agreed to acquire Ireland’s Trust Matters Financial Planning, subject to regulatory approval.
Western Union’s planned acquisition of Intermex faces a new 30-day waiting period after the companies had to resubmit paperwork to U.S. antitrust regulators.
