Stripe-backed Tempo blockchain raises $500 million Series A at $5 billion valuation (4 minute read)
Tempo, a payments-focused blockchain incubated by Stripe and Paradigm, raised $500 million in a Series A led by Thrive Capital and Greenoaks that valued the company at $5 billion. Investors include Sequoia, Ribbit Capital, and SV Angel. Tempo is an Ethereum-compatible Layer 1 optimized for high-throughput payments and is already working with OpenAI, Visa, Shopify, and Deutsche Bank. The raise marks another step in Stripe's crypto expansion, following its acquisitions of Bridge and Privy and its integration with Coinbase's Base network. |
Revolut nears close of $3 billion fundraising at $75 billion valuation (5 minute read)
Revolut and its investors are finalizing a $3 billion fundraising round that values the London-based fintech at $75 billion, cementing its position as Europe's most valuable startup. The oversubscribed round, managed internally without bankers, combines fresh capital with secondary share sales from employees and early backers. Revolut, which now adds 1 million users every 17 days, plans to invest $13 billion to reach 100 million customers and expand into 30 new markets. The company is also pursuing a full UK banking license to accelerate global growth. |
Stripe adds stablecoin support for subscription payments (5 minute read)
Stripe is rolling out stablecoin-powered subscription payments, letting businesses accept recurring transactions in USDC through the Base and Polygon blockchains. The feature, currently in private preview for US firms, allows users to pre-authorize future payments via smart contracts, solving one of crypto's long-standing hurdles. With support for 400+ wallets and integration into Stripe's full billing suite, the move could help global SaaS and AI companies cut cross-border costs and speed up settlements. |
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A window into modern loan origination (10 minute read)
Home-improvement sellers now close deals by triggering instant point-of-sale financing that's underwritten in minutes by a bank-led, software-driven assembly line. Behind the scenes, facilitators connect specialty banks and private credit via forward-flow agreements. Merchants subsidize rates with a take-rate. Underwriting hinges on credit-file checks and primary-residence status, and terms range from 12-month deferred-interest promos to long fixed plans enforced via judgments that become liens rather than true collateral. The setup scales mid-ticket consumer finance without bloating bank balance sheets, shifting risk to credit funds, and tightening quickly if defaults rise. |
Prediction Markets - The Truth Seeking API (15 minute read)
Prediction markets and events contracts are here to stay, and will come to define the future of markets and investment. However, they're also at the epicenter of a troubling trend towards consumer gambling addiction and harm. Yet the value of the information, and to the consumer of contributing information, has never been more needed. This information utility is the durable value of prediction markets. This information is also accurate. In the post-truth, AI-generated slop era, truth-seeking markets tell us things the AI can't. Over time, that will come to define the next era of finance and society. |
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Airwallex expands US footprint with OpenPay acquisition (4 minute read)
Airwallex is deepening its presence in the US following the acquisition of California-based billing startup OpenPay, which provides software for recurring billing and payment orchestration. The deal, whose terms were undisclosed, will help Airwallex build what it calls "the first truly global billing platform" by integrating OpenPay's tools into its payments, card issuing, and expense management suite. OpenPay's co-founder and CEO, Lance Co Ting Keh, has joined Airwallex as general manager, as the company positions itself against rivals like Stripe and Recurly. |
MrBeast files trademark to launch his own bank, "MrBeast Financial" (1 minute read)
MrBeast has filed a trademark for a new venture called MrBeast Financial, signaling his intent to enter the banking space. The filing was submitted on an intent-to-use basis, which legally confirms plans to bring the project to life. If launched, the creator-led bank could challenge how younger audiences think about saving, spending, and financial trust. |
Financial data network Plaid launches a consumer credit score (5 minute read)
LendScore is a new credit-rating system from Plaid that uses real-time cash-flow data to help lenders better evaluate subprime and near-prime borrowers. Unlike traditional scores that rely on historical credit behavior, LendScore updates dynamically based on income and spending, offering a 1–99 rating scale. While Plaid says the tool is meant to complement FICO, its vast data network gives it a unique edge and potentially sets the stage for a long-awaited shake-up in the credit scoring industry. |
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Stripe's Bridge applies for national trust charter under new stablecoin framework (3 minute read)
Bridge, the stablecoin infrastructure firm Stripe acquired earlier this year, has applied to the OCC for a national bank trust charter, joining Circle, Coinbase, Paxos, and Ripple under the new Genius Act. The charter would allow Bridge to issue and manage stablecoins and reserves within a federal framework, though not lend or take insured deposits. Co-founder Zach Abrams said the move aims to "tokenize trillions of dollars." The OCC has yet to approve any trust charters this year despite growing crypto industry pressure. |
Basis Theory raises $33 million Series B to power agentic commerce (4 minute read)
Basis Theory, an independent payments infrastructure company, raised a $33 million Series B led by Costanoa, with participation from Stage 2 Capital, Moneta VC, and existing investors like Bessemer Venture Partners. The funding will expand its enterprise-grade payment vault and support its leadership in "agentic commerce," enabling AI agents to safely authorize and manage transactions. Founded by fintech veterans from Yodlee, Dwolla, and Klarna, Basis Theory offers a PCI-compliant, processor-agnostic vault that lets merchants securely control and program their payment data. |
Mexico's Plata raises $250 million at $3.1 billion valuation (4 minute read)
Mexican fintech Plata raised $250 million in new equity funding, valuing the company at $3.1 billion as it prepares to launch full banking operations. Investors include Kora, Moore Strategic Ventures, and TelevisaUnivision. Plata received approval for a banking license in late 2024 and is finalizing audits to expand beyond credit cards into payroll and debit products. Founded in 2023, Plata now counts over two million users and 3,000 employees, joining Revolut and Nubank among fintechs transitioning into fully licensed banks in Mexico. |
Michael Saylor and Mike Krieger headline Money20/20 as fintech's biggest show returns to Las Vegas (6 minute read)
Money20/20, fintech's largest US conference, is back in Las Vegas in two weeks with its most ambitious lineup yet, featuring over 10,000 attendees, 350 speakers, and the debut of the Money Awards, celebrating global fintech innovation. Michael Saylor will lead a keynote on Bitcoin and digital assets, while Mike Krieger, now Chief Product Officer at Anthropic, will explore how AI is transforming finance. |
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