Cleavr raises €8 million seed for invoice collection
Paris fintech Cleavr raised an €8 million seed, led by Varsity, to automate invoice collection. The cash-flow gains it cites are still company figures.
Rick Steves
Senior Reporter, Regulation and Fintech
Rick Steves has seen business and economics through many lenses. He joined the financial services industry in 2009, and has been a financial journalist since 2011. He holds a degree in Business Administration and has experience producing real-time news, from both buy-side and sell-side, as well as for retail traders, brokers and service providers. Steves' work has appeared in a variety of online publications including FX Street, NewsBTC, FinanceFeeds, and The Industry Spread. Rick has great interest in the dynamics of the trading industry. The never-ending clash between technology, economics, regulation, and more importantly, the people.
October 2026
Homeward raises $120m Series D and $330m debt line
Homeward raised $120 million in Series D equity and $330 million of asset-backed debt. Most of the money funds houses, not software around the cash offer.
Rundschreiben 14/2026 narrows BaFin's CRR ancillary test
Rundschreiben 14/2026 adopts the EBA ancillary-services guidelines and narrows BaFin's dependence test on banking activity under CRR Article 4(1)(18).
Spiko raises $90 million Series B for tokenised cash
Spiko raised $90 million in a Series B to scale tokenised cash funds from London and Paris. Bloomberg, not the company, put the valuation at $800 million.
Constructor launches Agentic Checkout with Link by Stripe
Constructor launched Agentic Checkout with Stripe so shoppers can pay with Link inside the agent. No retailer is named as live, and no volume is given.
Valon raises $150 million at a $2.3 billion valuation
Valon raised $150 million at a $2.3 billion valuation in its Series D wire. A Dealroom blurb still says $1.49 billion. Contracted loans are not live loans.
Regulation CTX would route a leverage offer onto a DCM
The CFTC’s Regulation CTX notice would treat a retail leverage offer as the trade. What crypto asset market designation would require, next to the UK and MiCA.
Walapay raises $4.6 million seed led by Generative Ventures
Walapay raised a $4.6 million seed led by Generative Ventures for licences and bank partners. The firm says annualised volume is already $2.5 billion.
Rule 501 notices test knowledge against the wealth gate
Five Rule 501(a)(10) notices would add a FINRA exam, CPAs, CFAs, CFPs and two FINRA licenses. The printed CFP notice sets comments due December 4, 2026.
Trustly receives binding equity letters over $40 million
Trustly has irrevocable equity letters of more than $40 million from Nordic Capital and Alfvén & Didrikson. The raise is due to conclude in November 2026.
Apple Pay launches in India on Axis Bank credit cards
Apple Pay opened in India on September 30, 2026, for Axis Bank Visa and Mastercard credit cards only. Finextra says RuPay and UPI were not part of the launch.
Cash FX Group complaint maps the unregistered forex pool
Release 9304-26 and the September 24, 2026 complaint allege Cash FX Group took over $950 million in an unregistered forex pool. No penalty has been ordered.
NG.Cash raises $15 million for credit and crypto in Brazil
NG.Cash raised $15 million led by Blockchain Capital. Finextra's October 2 report calls the São Paulo app a Brazilian Cash App; licences are the story.
Wero joins Bancomat and Bizum in a Madrid payments hub
Wero takes an equal stake in a Madrid payments hub with Bancomat and Bizum. Person-to-person transfers come first, and each scheme keeps its own bank app.
Monarch acquires HMBradley team, not the bank brand
Monarch's first deal takes the HMBradley team, now MBI, into Monarch Labs. The October 1 release keeps the app brand and leaves the old bank name behind.
Stripe agrees to acquire embedded-finance firm Parafin
Stripe agreed to acquire embedded-finance firm Parafin, the credit layer inside DoorDash, Gusto and Jobber. Terms are undisclosed and the deal has not closed.
Release 9306-26 extends UK swaps no-action to 2027
CFTC release 9306-26 extends Brexit no-action for UK swap dealers and 25 trading venues through December 31, 2027. Letter 26-28 is not a Commission order.
SkipCash raised $4 million Series A for Gulf tap-to-phone
SkipCash raised $4 million in February 2026 for Gulf tap-to-phone. The round is real, but merchant counts have split and a later bank stake is undisclosed.
Payments Association acquires its European sister body
The Payments Association acquired its Luxembourg sister after a unanimous vote. The combined count is more than 350 organisations. No price was disclosed.
Zilch reportedly sounds out banks for a 2027 London IPO
Zilch reportedly sounds out banks for a 2027 London IPO after its operating loss fell to £5.147 million. The company has not confirmed the proposed float.
Also filing this week: Karthik Subramanian and Abdelaziz Fathi.