Hello Fintech Friends,

Today’s newsletter is brought to you by our friends at Method.

No more jobs data; what could go wrong?

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)

Small changes to your application flow can drive big results. Top lenders are using Method to boost approvals, reduce defaults, and increase loan size—starting with real-time liability data and embedded repayment flows.

👉 Learn how leading lenders are modernizing their funnel.

Want to sponsor a newsletter? See our sponsorship information here.

📖 Reads of the Week

It’s time for the banking industry to look to a future beyond SWIFT

The groundwork for a system of international payments that bypasses the sclerotic SWIFT network has been created. Now the banking industry needs to get behind the switch to blockchain-based payments.

American BankerKirill Gertman

Paying the SOC2 Screenshot Tax

Why your startup is taking screenshots for auditors instead of shipping code.

Margins by Ranjan Roy and Can DurukCan Duruk

☯️ Exits

💻 IPOs & SPACs

• BitGo filed for a U.S. IPO, joining a wave of crypto firms going public. The crypto custody unicorn is valued at $1.75 billion and has raised ~$170 million.

🤝 M&A - Fintech

• Global neobank Revolut is considering acquiring a US bank in order to obtain a license in the country.
• SS&C Technologies entered into a roughly £766 million (≈ US $1.03 billion) deal to acquire Calastone, a global funds‑network platform serving over 4,500 institutions across 57 markets, aiming to build a unified, automated fund operations platform.
• Trovata acquired Atom, an enterprise treasury-management system, and raised $9 million in additional investment from PNC Bank and State Street to bolster its cash and liquidity platform.
• Worldline entered into exclusive negotiations with Magellan Partners to sell its Mobility & e‑Transactional Services (MeTS) and selected financial‑services assets (≈ €450 million turnover in 2024) as part of a pivot after its payments‑unit stock decline.
• GTCR agreed to acquire FMG Suite, a leading advisor marketing and communication automation platform serving 50,000+ financial professionals and 3,500+ insurance agencies, from Aurora Capital Partners (deal expected to close in Q3).
• Thoma Bravo invested and reached agreement to purchase a stake in Trading Technologies (TT), a capital‑markets technology provider, partnering with prior owner 7RIDGE to support global expansion (valuation estimated over US $1 billion; closing expected in Q4 2025).
• Payroc signed a definitive agreement to acquire BlueSnap, a payment orchestration and AR‑automation platform, enhancing its global and enterprise payment capabilities; the transaction is expected to close in Q3 2025, subject to approvals.
• Euronext submitted a voluntary all‑share exchange offer to acquire Hellenic Exchanges – Athens Stock Exchange (ATHEX), valued at €425.9 million (€7.14 per share).
• Wipfli LLP is nearing an agreement to sell roughly 40% of its firm to New Mountain Capital, valuing Wipfli at over US $1 billion. The Milwaukee‑based accounting firm plans to use the capital to expand regionally and via acquisitions.

🏦 M&A - Banks and Financial Institutions

• Brookfield and Birch Hill Equity Partners acquired First National Financial Corp. for C$2.9 billion (~US$2.1B), expanding their presence in the Canadian mortgage market.
• iA Financial Corporation announced the acquisition of RF Capital Group Inc. for about $597 million, gaining over $40 billion in client assets under administration.
• Close Brothers agreed to sell its market-making arm, Winterflood Securities, to Marex Group for £103.9 million (~US$140M), refocusing on its core lending business.
• International Personal Finance (IPF) is nearing a $655 million takeover by U.S.-based BasePoint Capital, with a 25% premium offer expected to be endorsed by the IPF board.
• Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) is in talks to acquire energy analytics firm Enverus for at least $6 billion, strengthening its position in data services.
• The U.S. Department of Justice dropped its antitrust case against American Express GBT’s $570 million acquisition of CWT, clearing the way for the merger.
• BTG Pactual acquired HSBC’s Uruguay operations for $175 million, marking its expansion into Spanish-speaking Latin America.

Small changes to your application flow can drive big results. Top lenders are using Method to boost approvals, reduce defaults, and increase loan size—starting with real-time liability data and embedded repayment flows.

👉 Learn how leading lenders are modernizing their funnel.

Want to sponsor a newsletter? See our sponsorship information here.

🌎 Fintech Around the World

U.S. targets Brazil’s payments platform Pix in trade spat

Europe must provide more support for stablecoins or face subservience to the US dollar

The digital euro is the digital expression of cash. | Christine Lagarde

The digital euro is the digital expression of cash. With payment preferences changing and new technologies arising, we are seeking to make cash available in digital form, to complement banknotes and coins. Read more about the digital euro https://lnkd.in/eG-JTF6S | 281 comments on LinkedIn

LinkedInSteven J. A.

📚 Deeper Reads & Features

Robinhood CEO Says It’s a ‘Tragedy’ Retail Can’t Tap Private Markets

There is a data deal to be done by banking incumbents and upstarts

JP Morgan Repeats History And Breaks From The Pack On Data Access

Banks Hate ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’—and May Penalize Its Users

Not every firm has the brand power to launch a stablecoin

Why Every Lender Should Be Using Cash Flow Underwriting Today

Stripe buys three firms in nine months to build AI-powered payments

A Lonely Cheetah Cub at an Australian Zoo Now Has an Unlikely ‘Best Friend’—a Puppy