LONDON, UK. April 9th, 2025 – First AML, a leading provider of an all-in-one anti-money laundering (AML) platform, has announced a strategic partnership with Know Your Customer, a global leader in business verification solutions. The collaboration brings together two best-in-class technologies to further enhance Know Your Business (KYB), KYC and AML processes for financial institutions and other regulated businesses worldwide.

Through this partnership, First AML has embedded Know Your Customer’s capabilities directly into its platform, Source, giving customers access to real-time company registry data from over 140 jurisdictions. This means seamless corporate structure verification, instant access to official company documents and automatic unwrapping of complex beneficial ownership information – all without users needing to leave Source or adopt additional tools.

“This partnership enhances what our customers already experience through Source,” said Bion Behdin, CRO and Co-Founder of First AML. “By embedding Know Your Customer’s registry technology, we’ve strengthened our ability to automate KYB at scale, without adding complexity. It removes manual, fragmented steps from business verification, making onboarding faster, insights deeper and compliance more robust for firms operating across borders.”

The integration supports businesses facing the increasing demands of cross-border compliance and regulatory scrutiny. With this enhanced capability built into the platform, compliance teams can manage international entity verification more easily, apply consistent standards and spend less time manually sourcing corporate data.

“We are excited to work closely with First AML to provide financial and regulated businesses with a comprehensive business verification solution,” said Claus Christensen, CEO and Co-Founder of Know Your Customer. “Our robust expertise and expansive access to company registries worldwide, coupled with First AML’s innovative technology, will empower financial organisations to establish tailored business compliance rules that align seamlessly with their risk appetite and operational requirements.”

The combined solution is particularly suited to financial services, legal and professional services firms operating across multiple jurisdictions. By streamlining onboarding and monitoring workflows, the integration helps businesses move faster while maintaining full compliance with evolving regulatory standards.

With global financial crime becoming more sophisticated and regulations tightening, this partnership is a timely step forward in equipping compliance teams with tools that are both powerful and practical.

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LONDON, UK. March 25th, 2025 – Collidr Technologies Ltd, a technology firm which has provided portfolio solutions to advisory firms for almost 10 years, has launched the latest addition to its AI portfolio assistant technology – Noxai Premium. 

Revealed off the back of its successful free version of Noxai, these enhanced features include smart content generation with AI-driven portfolio performance commentary, portfolio attribution analysis, portfolio and fund stress testing, and fund health check dashboards.

All of these features are available to advisers at a fee that can go as low as £90 a month/user. With the free version of Noxai, up to three users can create 100 different portfolios, selecting from more than 100,000 funds and ETFs. Noxai Premium extends this to an unlimited number of users, up to 300 portfolios, and unlimited custom benchmarks. 

In addition to these Premium features, the free subscription version of Noxai will soon include fund peer group screening tools (for all 50+ IA sectors) and portfolio comparison analysis tools to enable advisers to quickly create and compare an investor’s existing portfolio(s) against the firm’s current portfolios being managed.

Commenting on the new features, Collidr’s CEO, Symon Stickney, said: “We developed Noxai to offer intelligence-led technology that makes it easy and cost-effective for adviser firms to build, manage and track all their portfolios under one roof, as well as offering added-value interactive analytics and tailored client reports. 

“Noxai gives adviser firms the means to improve their in-house portfolio management capabilities, and deliver an enhanced client experience at little or no cost, while giving firms back invaluable time and resources that can be better spent on growing their business.”

 

To find out more about Collidr’s Noxai Premium service, visit www.collidr.com/noxai.

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PARIS, FRANCE. February 19th, 2025 – Citalid, Europe’s leader in cyber risk quantification, is revolutionising reinsurance modeling by equipping reinsurers with a new cutting-edge risk accumulation solutions service. Citalid aims to close a critical gap in cyber risk assessment and strengthen financial resilience across the insurance ecosystem. 

Traditional U.S.-centric models fail to capture Europe’s cyber threat landscape. Citalid changes the game with real-time intelligence, attacker profiling, and advanced risk propagation analytics – offering reinsurers a precise, actionable view of systemic risks. 

Recognized as a leader in the industry, Citalid is trusted by over 100 global clients, including 35% of France’s CAC 40 companies. The company has been named in Gartner’s Hype Cycle for Cyber Risk Quantification and Forrester’s Cyber Risk Quantification Landscape.  

“Since our founding in 2017, our mission has been to unlock confidence in cyber risk modeling and empower the entire ecosystem,” said Maxime Cartan, Co-Founder & CEO at Citalid.

“Addressing reinsurers marks the completion of this vision – closing the loop and ensuring trust and control across every step of the value chain, from CISOs to insurers and reinsurers.” 

Citalid’s models don’t just assess impact – they predict how cyber threats spread across supply chains, networks, and entire business ecosystems. By integrating epidemiological modeling, Citalid provides reinsurers with realistic simulations of catastrophic cyber events, developed in partnership with the Louis Bachelier research institute. 

Citalid’s cyber risk platform sets new benchmarks in severity and frequency modeling. Now, with an expanded focus on accumulation risk, Citalid is empowering reinsurers with the insights they need to maintain financial stability. 

“We’re seeing strong traction from reinsurance players and are very excited to have signed our first reinsurance client just a few weeks ago,” added Maxime Cartan. 

“This milestone validates the demand for a fresh, intelligence-driven approach to cyber risk accumulation and reinforces our commitment to advancing the industry.” 

Citalid introduces a European-led, globally relevant solution—integrating regional threat intelligence, regulatory landscapes, and market-specific dynamics and leads the next era of cyber risk management, ensuring reinsurers can mitigate systemic risks with confidence. 

For more information, visit citalid.com.

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A Unique Opportunity to Identify Hidden Vulnerabilities and Benchmark Defences This February

MIDHURST, UK. 12th February, 2025 – In response to the growing wave of cyberattacks targeting businesses across industries, FoxTech is launching a £150,000 initiative to offer free cybersecurity services to mid-sized businesses this February. The initiative allows organisations to allocate the funds across a range of critical cybersecurity needs, including internal and external penetration tests, application penetration tests, cloud security reviews, and more.

Anthony Green, CTO of cybersecurity consultants FoxTech, works to prevent cyber-attacks, and helps companies who have experienced a security breach: 

“With cyber threats becoming more sophisticated and persistent, it’s important to continuously review and strengthen cybersecurity defences.  By offering this initiative, we aim to provide businesses with a fresh perspective, helping them identify and address vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. The flexibility to target specific areas – whether it’s cloud security, applications, or infrastructure – ensures the support is as impactful as possible.”

Participants in the initiative will receive:

Cyberattacks are one of the most significant risks faced by businesses of all sizes and sectors. Industries such as financial services, healthcare, and legal are under constant pressure to protect sensitive data and meet regulatory standards.

According to recent studies, mid-sized organisations are particularly vulnerable, often being targeted due to limited resources or reliance on outdated defences.

“In today’s world, no business can afford to leave its cybersecurity to chance,” added Green. “Even if you’re confident in your current setup, a fresh set of eyes can uncover what others miss. Whether it’s securing your cloud, testing applications, or reviewing defences, this initiative offers peace of mind and a chance to stay one step ahead of cybercriminals.”

The £150,000 allocation will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Businesses across all sectors are encouraged to secure their complimentary cybersecurity service before the allocation is reached or by the 29th February deadline.  Details on how can be found here www.foxtrot-technologies.com/free-pentesting 

LONDON, UK. 3rd December, 2024 – Kenja Consulting, a boutique investment consultancy, today announced the launch of a groundbreaking series of events designed to strengthen fintech relationships between the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. The initiative aims to facilitate investment opportunities and foster collaboration between these two major financial hubs.

The event series, titled Fintech Futures: UAE-UK Connection, will commence in Dubai in May next year and alternate between the UAE and UK throughout 2025-2026. The program includes exclusive networking sessions, startup showcases and strategic roundtables focused on connecting investors with promising fintech ventures.

The inaugural event will coincide with the Dubai FinTech Summit in May 2025, leveraging the presence of global fintech leaders and investors already gathering in the region. Subsequent events will align with major fintech conferences in both countries, including the FTT Fintech Festival in London (November 2025) and Abu Dhabi Finance Week (November 2025).

Key features of the series include curated matchmaking sessions between investors and pre-vetted fintech startups; expert panels focusing on cross-border investment opportunities; regulatory workshops addressing compliance requirements in both markets; and exclusive networking events for qualified investors and founders. 
With Dubai and Abu Dhabi emerging as major fintech hubs alongside London’s established position in the global financial technology landscape, the initiative responds to the growing interest in cross-border fintech investments between the UAE and the UK.

Through Fintech Futures: UAE-UK Connection, Kenja Consulting hopes to facilitate successful partnerships and investments among attendees, to be showcased at the series’ closing event, a major summit in Dubai during February 2025.

For more information about the event series and participation criteria, interested parties can contact Kenja Consulting directly.

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CARDIFF, UK. November 20th, 2024 – Hope Macy, an FCA-regulated Payments Institution and Credit Reference Agency firm known for its consumer duty compliant app, Family Connect, which protects people from financial harm has completed a strategic acquisition of Slick Solutions. This acquisition aims to transform the financial lives of low-income and vulnerable consumers by providing better  access to credit through the Slick loan origination platform.

Hope Macy’s advanced consumer technology, currently used by the largest retail banks, is now integrated into Slick Solutions’ full-service loan platform—trusted by over twenty major institutions, including responsible lenders, credit unions, and retail banks. The integration of Hope Macy’s technology enables these institutions to make faster, more accurate, and data-driven decisions while prioritising consumer welfare at the start of any lending process. Lenders can significantly increase compliance with consumer duty, reduce costs, and unlock new revenue opportunities. 

Using advanced machine learning, Hope Macy’s APIs are able to predict the likelihood of a consumer defaulting on a loan, and even when the default may occur, without the need for traditional credit scores that can discriminate against consumers with poor or no credit history.

The entire loan process—from application to payment and collections—is now enhanced with Hope Macy’s regulated APIs. As a result, consumers are better protected from financial harm, gain improved and more affordable access to finance and banking, and can obtain credit at reduced cost and risk. Lenders are empowered to provide better consumer information, enabling smarter financial decisions and ensuring safe lending to vulnerable consumers. Lenders also benefit from APIs designed specifically for identifying the unique risks that are presented by low-income and vulnerable groups.

Slick Solutions transforms loan processing with expanded services, a focus on FCA consumer duty obligations, automated credit agreement reviews, and streamlined capital provision to financial institutions. And now, Slick provides lenders a one-stop shop for loan origination and all the essential API services needed to assess and manage a loan application. This acquisition provides lenders with a more inclusive and forward-thinking solution. Additionally, an advanced payment gateway solution offers greater control over payment transactions, delivering a streamlined and cost-effective alternative to traditional payment systems.

The rapid growth in the number of low-income and vulnerable consumers means there is a great and urgent need for the solutions provided by the combined firms. 

Sam Manning, CEO of Hope Macy, said: “This acquisition is transformative. We wanted to protect consumers from financial harm, and the starting point is the credit process. By placing ourselves right at the start, we can assist lenders in making better decisions and advancing FCA consumer duty. Building on our experience in the vulnerable consumer sector, we offer lenders one of the largest credit platforms with consumer duty at its core, ensuring that consumers achieve good financial outcomes.”

Luke Scowen, CEO of Slick Solutions, added: “This is a game-changing moment for the credit industry. By merging our powerful technologies and regulatory permissions, we’re setting a new benchmark for efficiency, speed, and cost savings across the board. We put the duty to protect consumers at the start of the credit journey and offer our lenders high-quality loan management services. This way, both consumers and our business clients benefit.”

Obrenza was advised by Commercial firm Square One Law, an ethical B Corp with offices in Newcastle, Leeds and Darlington.

Ashraf Ali, Corporate Partner at Square One Law said: “We were delighted to advise Obrenza on this strategic acquisition and enjoyed working alongside their team to bring together two leading ethical consumer finance technology businesses. This merger marks a significant step forward, with Slick Solutions’ loan origination platform perfectly complementary to the Obrenza existing technology offering. The result will empower financial institutions to provide even greater support to low-income and vulnerable consumers. It has been a pleasure to work with the team and be able to contribute to a transaction that aligns so closely with our own values of integrity and client-first commitment.”

Ashraf was joined by colleagues Vanessa Middleton, Helen Brain, Emily Warman and Dominika Cudak in supporting the deal.

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LANCASTER, UK. 29th October, 2024 – VibePay has officially launched its newest feature, “Message All,” enhancing its suite of fee-free messaging and payment tools designed to help creators, entrepreneurs, and sellers build stronger connections with their audiences. Building on VibePay’s existing messaging functionality, “Message All” enables users to create a single message and send it instantly to everyone they’ve transacted with—at no extra cost. This powerful addition is ideal for sharing updates, exclusive offers, or real-time announcements with no fees attached.

The feature debuted yesterday and has already received overwhelmingly positive feedback from the VibePay community. In a world where social media algorithms often limit visibility, “Message All” offers creators and sellers a direct, cost-free communication channel to reach everyone who has supported them, driving engagement without the added expense.

With the online economy growing rapidly, creators, freelancers, and small businesses rely on authentic, affordable customer relationships to drive growth. VibePay’s “Message All” feature empowers users to engage their entire audience in real time, fostering connections without reliance on costly or algorithm-dependent platforms.

“Message All” builds on VibePay’s already fee-free messaging and payment capabilities. Previously, users could send messages to contacts individually; now, they can reach everyone they’ve transacted with at once—all without any fees. It’s ideal for sharing product launches, announcing live events, and keeping loyal customers updated on new offers.

“With ‘Message All,’ I can reach everyone who’s supported my work, without any extra costs or fees. It’s a game-changer for my business!” — [Waves38, Creator, and VibePay user]

“The ability to communicate freely with my entire audience helps me build loyalty and grow without worrying about extra fees.” — [Hannah, Entrepreneur and Small Business Owner]

Since its release, “Message All” has sparked enthusiastic feedback from the VibePay community. Many users have shared their experiences, highlighting how the fee-free feature has simplified their outreach and deepened their connection with their audience.

“Message All” marks just the beginning of VibePay’s plans to make engagement and community-building accessible and affordable. Future updates will incorporate even more functionality, including embedded payment links, media options, and customization features, ensuring that VibePay remains the go-to platform for creators and businesses aiming to thrive in the digital space without unnecessary costs.

BELFAST, UK. 25th October, 2024 – Causeway Securities, an independent provider of structured products, has announced today a strategic partnership with WestBridge, a prominent private equity firm focused on investing in lower mid-market UK buyouts and companies. This collaboration marks a significant milestone for Causeway Securities as it seeks to accelerate its growth and expand its international footprint.

Conor O’Donnell, CEO of Causeway Securities, says “We are delighted to join forces with WestBridge. We have been immensely impressed with the team from WestBridge and feel there is a strong cultural alignment between our businesses. We also believe that this is an indication of further institutional endorsement of the ever-growing structured products market.

WestBridge’s expertise and support will be instrumental in taking our business to the next level. By leveraging their Value Creation Model, we can enhance our operations, expand our product offerings, and pursue strategic growth opportunities.”

James MacLeay, investment director at WestBridge, commented on the investment: “Causeway Securities has a strong track record of success in the structured products market. We are confident in their ability to capitalize on the growing demand for their products and services. Our investment aligns with our focus on supporting businesses with high growth potential.”

The partnership between WestBridge and Causeway Securities marks a significant milestone for both companies. By combining WestBridge’s financial resources with Causeway Securities’ industry expertise, the partnership is poised to drive growth and innovation in the structured products market.

Causeway Securities Ltd was advised by Matt McCullough and David McCloy of Beltrae Partners Ltd.

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AYLSHAM, UK. October 10th, 2024 – Sekura.id, the global leader in mobile identity services, is proud to announce a strategic partnership with Netnumber, amplifying combined capabilities in digital identity and authentication. This collaboration seamlessly integrates Sekura.id’s SAFr Auth, SIM Swap protection, and KYC Match services with Netnumber’s cutting-edge Number Intelligence as a Service (NIaaS), delivering unparalleled value to clients and partners across the globe.

By uniting Sekura.id’s expertise in mobile identity verification and fraud prevention with netnumber’s robust number intelligence services, the partnership offers a comprehensive and cohesive solution to help businesses secure digital ecosystems while providing their customers with an awesome UX. Together, the services offer not only enhanced protection but also streamlined processes, giving organisations more confidence in user verification at every stage of the customer journey.

What this Partnership Delivers:

“Today marks a transformative step in mobile identity,” notes Mark Harvey, CEO of Sekura.id. “Formalising our partnership with Netnumber and integrating our cutting-edge services enables us to bring together the best of both companies’ expertise, giving businesses unique, unprecedented confidence in their user verification processes. Together with netnumber, we are raising the bar for what’s possible in real-time, mobile-led identity solutions.”

Steve Legge, CEO and President of Netnumber, commented: “While highly valuable, expanding digital identity footprints are complex to securely manage when tailoring experiences, supplementing identification and more. Our broad range of global phone number data services enables us to pinpoint in-depth, real-time information about a phone number to support many ecosystems, but importantly, these capabilities are also vital for creating more complete, high-value digital identity practices. Phone numbers are present at almost every single point of engagement with an end user and are also in demand for a real-time response. Our existing services already help enhance customer experiences, streamline operations and reduce costs, so this is a natural but indispensable next step.”

More than the sum of its parts, together, Sekura.id and Netnumber are delivering solutions that exceed the capabilities of each service on its own. For example, combining SAFr Auth and SIM Swap protection with NIaaS creates a stronger shield against fraud while simplifying the user verification process for enterprises. 

This is not just about plugging gaps in security; it’s about rethinking how identity is managed, offering a future-focused solution ready to adapt to evolving threats.

To learn more, visit www.sekura.id and www.netnumber.com