Thomson Reuters acquires tax automation company SafeSend for $600M

Thomson Reuters has acquired tax automation company SafeSend in an all-cash transaction valued at $600 million. Founded in 2008, Ann Arbor, Michigan-based SafeSend serves a cloud-based platform designed to streamline the processing and sharing of sensitive financial documents. This includes tools

India again delays rules to break PhonePe-Google Pay duopoly

India has once again pushed back a contentious plan to limit major technology companies’ control of the nation’s digital payments system, extending a regulatory uncertainty that has weighed on the sector for years. The National Payments Corporation of India said on Tuesday it would ext

India’s mobile payments dilemma

India’s payments regulator is set to decide as early as Monday whether to curb the dominance of Walmart’s PhonePe and Google in the nation’s fast-growing mobile payments market, a move that could reshape how its billion-plus population moves money. The decision centers on UPI, or

Africa's newest fintech unicorns are winning by keeping their feet on the ground

Africa's tech ecosystem just got a boost of attention, with South Africa's TymeBank and Nigeria's Moniepoint both raising funds in recent weeks at valuations of over $1 billion and joining the coveted unicorn pantheon. But those valuations don't just reflect investor confidence. T

Uzbekistan’s mobile bank TBC bags $37M to expand with new AI and insurance products

Uzbekistan’s mobile-exclusive bank, TBC Bank Uzbekistan, has raised $37 million in a new funding round to bolster its dominating digital presence in the Central Asian nation by developing new AI and tech products and attracting more tech-savvy customers. The fresh investment, made by the ban

‘We want to pay it forward’: Funding Societies raises $25M to boost capital for SMEs in Southeast Asia

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for nearly 50% of Southeast Asia’s GDP, contributing to job creation, innovation, and overall economic expansion. Nevertheless, as in other parts of the world, SMEs in Southeast Asia face challenges when it comes to sufficient working capital.

This fintech processed $1B in payments through word-of-mouth

Welcome to technewss Fintech! This week, we're diving into: How Juicyway processed more than $1 billion in cross-border payments. CarDekho SEA's first round of external funding. A fintech using AI to match financial advisers with prospective clients. And more! P.S. We're t

YC-backed Finny is using AI to match financial advisors with prospects

Financial advisors have a big hurdle when it comes to finding new clients: Cold outreach rarely works. Often, the only way to find a good prospect is to tap your network for warm intros, or trawl platforms like LinkedIn, Pitchbook or ZoomInfo in hopes of landing a meeting, which may or may not conv

CarDekho SEA raises first-ever outside funding, co-founder says he’s interested in acquisitions

CarDekho SEA, a Singapore-based auto financing service platform, has raised $60 million in equity, valuing the company at over $300 million, from Navis Capital Partners and Dragon Fund. This is its first round of external funding, following a previous investment of $40 million from its parent compa

Google pushes back against federal supervision of its payment arm

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced Friday that it was placing Google's payment arm under federal supervision. In response, Google filed a lawsuit seeking to block the move. Such supervision would subject Google to the same inspections that the bureau conducts with major banks a

Zopa, the UK neobank, snaps up $87M at a $1B+ valuation, eschewing the IPO route

Some believe Klarna's planned IPO in 2025 could set the stage for other fintech startups to go public. But with the tech IPO market still sluggish, one of the candidates hotly tipped to follow suit has instead just announced a fundraise, and its CEO says going public is “not a priority.” Z

KPay, a financial management platform for SMEs, raises $55M Series A

Sometimes, the easiest way to find a great idea for a startup is to look beyond the current problem you’re solving for your customers. That’s exactly what worked for the founders of KPay. Davis Chan and his co-founders previously helped small and medium-sized merchants optimize their r

The race is on to make AI agents do your online shopping for you

Millions of Americans will pop open their laptops to buy gifts this holiday season, but tech companies are racing to turn the job of online shopping over to AI agents instead. Perplexity recently released an AI shopping agent for its paying customers in the United States. It’s supposed to na

HUB2 banks $8.5M to become the ‘Stripe for Francophone Africa’

A fintech from Ivory Coast — part of one of the most economically challenged and financially fragmented regions in the world — has raised funding for an ambitious goal: to become the “Stripe for Francophone Africa.” HUB2, as the startup is called, already works with some 55