The Ultimate Guide to Fintech
A curated Kiwi edition of TechDay news, analysis, interviews, reviews, job moves, and related resources for Fintech.
What to know about Fintech
Fintech, short for financial technology, represents a dynamic sector where innovation meets finance to revolutionize how individuals and businesses manage money. This tag aggregates stories that cover the broad spectrum of fintech developments ranging from payment solutions and banking technology to AI-driven financial services and cybersecurity.
Readers exploring this tag will find insights on groundbreaking startups expanding across regions, significant funding rounds propelling growth, the rise of embedded finance, and the ongoing challenges of regulatory compliance and cybersecurity in financial services. The stories also spotlight the evolving influence of women leaders and inclusivity efforts within the fintech landscape.
Whether it's about the latest in digital payments, collaboration between traditional banks and fintech firms, advances in AI for financial operations, or regional fintech ecosystems gaining momentum, this collection offers valuable knowledge for anyone interested in the current and future impact of technology on finance.
Kiwi Fintech News
Regional stories with direct local relevance
Westpac NZ automates loan income checks with Akahu
Applicants for Westpac NZ personal loans can now get faster approvals, as the bank's online system automatically sorts income and expense data.
Xero survey: AI reshapes NZ accounting firms, not jobs
Most New Zealand accounting firms expect AI to reshape workloads and lift advisory services, with 94% saying it will not cut jobs next year.
Xero wins Canstar small business award for eighth year
Customer backing for Xero's software stayed strong as it secured Canstar's 2026 small business accounting award in New Zealand for an eighth year.
Revolut appoints first New Zealand chief executive
The move signals a deeper push in New Zealand, where Revolut plans to invest NZD $120 million and add 90 jobs by 2027.
Feijoa users add NZD $4.5m to KiwiSaver through round-ups
Round-up saving has pushed more than 7,000 users towards retirement balances, with self-employed New Zealanders making up about a third of Feijoa's base.
Hatch warns customers of DriveWealth data exposure
Customer contact details and portfolio data were exposed in a breach at Hatch's US broker partner, though no holdings or transactions were affected.
Analyst Insights
Research and market analysis connected to Fintech
Broadridge holds third in IDC FinTech Rankings again
MongoDB launches Atlas Agent Engine for production AI
Plumery launches rescue plan for digital banking exits
CFOs urged to take disciplined approach to AI spend
Google named Gartner leader in enterprise AI assistants
Featured News
Celonis banking head: Banks want proof before scaling agents
Celonis argues frontier AI models are too generic for regulated banking, urging firms to weigh cost, risk and process gains before scaling deployments.
SAS Innovate: New era of scams requires novel solutions
Australians are losing billions as AI-driven fraud pushes banks, telcos and platforms to share scam data faster and stop payments earlier.
Expert Columns
B2B E-commerce Is Going Digital. Are APAC Businesses Ready?
An open letter to the next gen of accountants and bookkeepers
From wallets to accounts: The quiet convergence of crypto and everyday finance
The KYC blind spot hiding in your email validation stack
6 Industries that need address verification
The importance of data enrichment in financial services
Fragmented payment systems are costing your business
Why Customer Due Diligence (CDD) Starts With Clean Data
4 practical tips for maintaining data quality
How poor watchlist data undermines sanctions screening accuracy
Interviews
Interviews and video coverage from the network
Recent Fintech News
Western Union taps Noah for stablecoin remittance service
Remittances could arrive faster and cheaper as Western Union rolls out a stablecoin option for customers in more than 200 countries and territories.
Mangopay expands local payouts to five more currencies
Platforms can now avoid foreign exchange costs as the payment firm adds domestic rails for Australian, Hong Kong, Singaporean, Mexican and Turkish payouts.
Hyperlayer raises USD $26 million in Flintlock-led round
The banking software group is now valued at USD $260 million after the latest follow-on financing, bringing its total funding to nearly USD $66 million.
Hyperlayer raises USD $25.8 million in Series A2 round
Fresh capital will help Hyperlayer hire and expand across three regions as banks seek to modernise legacy systems without costly core replacements.
Guardsquare opens first Asia-Pacific office in Singapore
Its Asia-Pacific revenue has been rising 50% a year as the mobile security group opens a Singapore hub for sales, support and engineering.
Hyperlayer raises GBP £19.5m in Flintlock-led round
Banks will use the new funding to modernise digital services without replacing core systems, as Hyperlayer is valued at GBP £195 million.
Samsung deepens Checkout.com payments partnership worldwide
The deal gives merchants access to Samsung Pay via Checkout.com, while helping Samsung lift authorisation rates across more markets.
Visa moves stablecoin prefunding into commercial use
Businesses can now use USDC to prefund cross-border payouts through Visa Direct, as the scheme moves from trials into live commercial use.
Mastercard & BVNK launch stablecoin money platform
Businesses handling cross-border payments will be able to move between fiat and stablecoins through one integration, cutting the need for multiple providers.
Marqeta & Coinbase expand stablecoin-backed card tie-up
Businesses could soon offer around-the-clock spending from stablecoin balances as the expanded link targets card programmes beyond crypto firms.
Attekus adds Fat Zebra payments for councils & venues
Users of Attekus software can now pay for bookings in one checkout, helping councils and venues cut friction for more than 140 organisations.
Women fintech CMOs eye bigger teams as AI reshapes work
Most fintech marketing chiefs expect AI to reshape roles rather than cut jobs, with 56% planning to hire and 75% to lift budgets in 2027.
Bybit expands into stocks, payments and AI finance tools
The crypto exchange is now vying with brokers and fintechs as it adds access to more than 1,000 US stocks, ETFs and payment tools.
Webexpenses merges with Zudello to widen finance tools
Customers will keep existing brands and contracts as the merged group adds broader automation across finance teams in the UK, APAC and North America.
Banks overrate fraud readiness as data gaps persist
Operational gaps are undermining banks' fraud defences, with only 41% fully connecting key data despite strong plans to increase AI spending.
NBB teams up with TerraPay to widen cross-border payouts
The deal gives Bahraini customers faster access to more payout routes abroad, while letting NBB expand without building separate market links.
FIS launches AI suite for CFO cash flow forecasting
Finance teams can now spot liquidity pressure earlier, as the new suite pulls together data from multiple systems and forecasts cash across time horizons.
Juspay revenue rises 30% to USD $75 million in FY26
Core India operations stayed profitable as the payments firm expanded overseas and pushed into AI, even after a USD $10 million net loss.
Oobit launches AI payments for stablecoin purchases
Users in more than 75 countries can now approve AI-made purchases without handing assistants ongoing access to funds or card details.
Qippay secures NZ$5 million investment from All Roads
The Auckland fintech plans to double staff as the NZ$5 million funding commitment backs expansion in New Zealand's open banking market.
Job Moves
Revolut appoints first New Zealand chief executive
iGoDirect names Greg Duncan to lead New Zealand push
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Tax Traders appoints Chloe Kyrke-Smith as Head of Product
Payments NZ appoints Michael Ahie as Chair of Board
Airwallex names Sir Bill English chair of New Zealand board
moomoo boosts New Zealand push with hires, premium tier
Locate Technologies appoints Janine Grainger as Bitcoin drive begins
Di Papadopoulos appointed as CEO of Booster from 2025
Ecosystm expands Auckland team with two new appointments
