LAVA sale to Bilt prices sports loyalty at $300 million
LAVA's $300 million sale to Bilt adds 56 sports franchises and real-time loyalty adapters to a housing rewards network of more than 7 million members.
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.
November 2026
PowerUp Money raises $10 million led by Flourish Ventures
PowerUp Money raised $10 million led by Flourish Ventures at a $73 million valuation, with Peak XV, Accel and Blume staying in as AI-led advice widens.
XM wins three FinanceFeeds awards for service and gold
XM won three FinanceFeeds awards for service, mobile trading and gold conditions. The citations describe a retail book that CySEC has licensed since 2010.
Project SAGE asks banks to name an owner before an agent acts
Project SAGE asks Hong Kong banks to name an owner for every agent that can act, and which material agents a supervisor should see before comments close.
nbkc asks the FDIC to assume the LSBX consumer book
nbkc bank has asked the FDIC to assume LSBX's consumer BaaS portfolio at Lincoln Savings Bank. Terms stay undisclosed, with an early 2027 close if approved.
XTB Institutional sets product-level terms on 24/7 CFDs
XTB Institutional is extending 24/7 CFDs on tokenised shares and a separate PAX Gold contract for brokers, and says each product keeps its own trading terms.
Guidewire agrees a $1.7bn cash deal for hyperexponential
Guidewire agreed to buy hyperexponential for a $1.7 billion cash base plus an earnout of up to $400 million, with closing expected by January 31, 2027.
Taxonomy KPI advice would narrow mandatory OpEx reporting
ESMA's taxonomy KPI advice would narrow mandatory OpEx to non-capitalised R&D and replace weighted group KPIs if the Commission later adopts the text.
CrissCross secures Circle Ventures capital through Stitch
CrissCross secures undisclosed Circle Ventures capital through Stitch Group, aiming to scale collections, payouts and FX across more than 30 African markets.
Inkle acquires Finally's bookkeeping division for cash
Inkle bought Finally's bookkeeping division for cash in an asset deal, price undisclosed, adding about 100 staff and a profit claim on a $1.5 million pre-seed.
Thai SEC draft lets one company seek derivatives licences
News from Thailand's SEC would let one digital-asset company apply for exchange, clearing and intermediary licences, with comments through 28 November.
FinMaq Series A raises $6.5 million for SME equipment
FinMaq Series A raises $6.5 million led by Accion, backing point-of-sale equipment finance for Colombian SMEs with a path past $200 million in disbursements.
October 2026
Kipp acquired by LTVCo-led group to recover card sales
Kipp, the issuer-merchant layer for insufficient-fund card declines, has been acquired by an LTVCo-led group, and its two co-founders remain in charge.
SEC phases a capped exemption from Treasury repo clearing
Release No. 34-106789 takes some Treasury repo out of Rule 17ad-22 under a phased cap or a $5 billion test, and widens which affiliates stay outside clearing.
PhotonPay raises $40 million Series C for card issuing
PhotonPay raises $40 million in a Series C led by Blockchain Capital, with the cash aimed at card issuing and local clearing and valuation left unstated.
OPay depositary shares miss the open after $19 pricing
OPay priced 16 million depositary shares at $19, and a later release said trading had started. Bloomberg says the NYSE feed showed a halt and zero prints.
Numeracle funding raises $28m for verified calling
Numeracle funding of $28 million from Edison Partners will push verified business identity beyond voice as carriers still mislabel banks and hospitals.
Bizcap credit facility of $175m targets North America
The Bizcap credit facility closes at $175 million for US and Canadian originations, with the lender unnamed and an Australian loan cap rising the same day.
NeoSpace Itaú stake priced at R$2.925 billion for all shares
NeoSpace Itaú stake becomes a R$2.925 billion agreement for every share, cash deferred over five years, with CADE and the Central Bank still to clear closing.
Why ASIC's REP 842 still shows an audit judgement gap
REP 842 records 42 ASIC findings where audit judgement was thin on revenue and impairment. What the surveillance changes for directors and the largest firms.
Also filing this week: Karthik Subramanian and Abdelaziz Fathi.