This week’s edition brings together the founders shaping the quiet but consequential infrastructure behind financial trust. From Vigilant AI, embedding compliant AI “teammates” directly into the workflows of regulated industries, to FALKIN, tackling payment scams where it matters most — inside the banking apps people already rely on — and Adclear, streamlining the compliance burden for fintechs whose product updates move faster than regulation ever will.
Alongside them, we sit down with OneAM co-founders Ksusha McCormick and Charlotte Ng, whose institutional-grade analytics are redefining how SMBs access the working capital they’ve long been denied.
Taken together, these stories reveal a sector not just innovating at the edges, but rebuilding the core machinery of financial confidence.
A Q&A with OneAM’s Ksusha McCormick on reinventing SMB working capital
Pictured: Charlotte Ng (left) and Ksusha McCormick (right)
In a landscape where small and midsize businesses move faster than the financial infrastructure meant to support them, OneAM is betting on a smarter, more transparent approach to working capital. Co-founders Ksusha McCormick and Charlotte Ng bring a unlikely blend of quantitative finance, payments innovation, and product strategy — a combination that feels tailor-made for this moment.
In this week’s Q&A, they unpack how cleaner data, modern underwriting, and shifting institutional appetite are finally creating the conditions to reinvent a space that has resisted change for decades.
1- Tell us a bit about yourself, and how you got the idea for your company.
I’ve spent most of my career in fixed income pricing and risk — from trading FX and interest rate derivatives at Morgan Stanley to portfolio management at a hedge fund, to later leading a fixed income pricing and risk analytics provider called Decameron Technologies. Across much of it, the throughline has been the same: making use of heterogeneous data and identifying models that make risk easier to understand, price, and manage.
When I met Charlotte, everything clicked. She approached financial risk from the perspective of using technology to improve access to fairly priced financial products — and possessed deep experience in new product development that leveraged the two-sided payment network, operational rails, and trusted infrastructure of Mastercard. As we compared notes, it became clear that the lessons we learned on our respective paths could be applicable to building a radically better solution for the working capital problem faced by small and midsize businesses.
Read more from the interview here: Inside the next wave of receivables finance
This week’s deal highlights include:
With all those AI teammates and agents afoot, Vigialant AI takes charge enabling compliance for regulated industries.
Vigilant AI.ai, a Derby-based RegTech firm developing “AI teammates” for regulated enterprises, has raised £585k in pre-seed funding to advance its compliance-driven automation platform. The company’s platform embeds generative AI directly into the workflows of regulated organisations, allowing them to deploy “AI teammates” that operate within real-time compliance guardrails. Each AI-powered interaction generates an immutable audit trail, ensuring all actions align with internal policies and regulatory standards. Designed for ease of integration, Vigilant AI.ai connects seamlessly with workplace tools such as Slack, empowering domain experts—not just IT teams—to build and govern their own AI teammates.
We have been tracking the payment scam space, and agree that the solution should be embedded into digital banking apps – power to FALKIN and similar solutions.
London-based FinTech FALKIN, which helps banks prevent scams before payments occur, has raised $2m in pre-seed funding to strengthen its AI-powered digital safety tools… FALKIN uses AI to detect manipulation and deception across messages, payment requests, and online listings. Its safety layer is embedded directly into digital banking platforms, ensuring customers are protected within the apps they already trust.
Adclear is helping FinTechs (who are unlikely to have the resources to do this manually) and financial institutions keep their product documentation and marketing content compliant.
Fintech compliance platform Adclear raises £2.1m. The startup’s product is used by fintechs including Plum, Yonder and PensionBee. Launched in 2024, Adclear has developed an AI-powered platform that automates compliance checks required of finance companies regarding their marketing content and product updates. Banks, fintechs, trading platforms and crypto organisations use the platform to ensure that any customer-facing communications are compliant with current financial regulation.
Read on for more on the founders and investors in the news last week. If you are building or backing “what’s next in finance” and want to spread the word with our network of 20K+, reach out to Samarth Shekhar or Frank Schwab.
FUNDING ROUNDS
RegTech firm Vigilant AI.ai bags £585k pre-seed from Haatch
Vigilant AI.ai, a Derby-based RegTech firm developing “AI teammates” for regulated enterprises, has raised £585k in pre-seed funding to advance its compliance-driven automation platform.
The investment round was led by Haatch and included participation from three Haatch-managed sources: Haatch itself, the East Midlands Combined County Authority, and the British Business Bank, claims Tech EU.
The company’s platform embeds generative AI directly into the workflows of regulated organisations, allowing them to deploy “AI teammates” that operate within real-time compliance guardrails. Each AI-powered interaction generates an immutable audit trail, ensuring all actions align with internal policies and regulatory standards. Designed for ease of integration, Vigilant AI.ai connects seamlessly with workplace tools such as Slack, empowering domain experts—not just IT teams—to build and govern their own AI teammates.
https://fintech.global/2025/11/11/regtech-firm-vigilant-ai-ai-bags-585k-pre-seed-from-haatch/
Atrya Secures $1.75M Pre-Seed Funding
Atrya has successfully secured $1,750,000 in a recent funding round, the company announced today. This capital infusion marks a significant milestone for the firm as it continues to develop its innovative payment solutions built on e-money tokens. Atrya specializes in revolutionizing payments through the use of e-money tokens (EMTs) under MiCAR regulations. Its core platform aims to facilitate global money movement at reduced costs, enabling instant reception, conversion, and transfer of funds. This approach is designed to make cross-border payments seamless, faster, and more affordable, addressing long-standing inefficiencies in traditional financial systems. In addition to its global payment capabilities, Atrya provides APIs that equip AI agents with programmable, compliant wallets. This functionality allows AI agents to hold balances, make transactions, and purchase products or services autonomously, unlocking a new layer of commerce.
https://www.leadsontrees.com/news/atrya-secures-175m-pre-seed-funding
FALKIN raises $2m to boost AI-powered scam defence
London-based FinTech FALKIN, which helps banks prevent scams before payments occur, has raised $2m in pre-seed funding to strengthen its AI-powered digital safety tools.
The round was led by TriplePoint Ventures, with participation from Notion Capital, BackFuture Ventures, Aviva/Founders Factory, Haatch, Found Capital, and Founders Capital. Individual investors include Pierre Decote, group chief risk officer at Revolut, and Ben Enckevort, CTO and co-founder of Metomic.
FALKIN uses AI to detect manipulation and deception across messages, payment requests, and online listings. Its safety layer is embedded directly into digital banking platforms, ensuring customers are protected within the apps they already trust.
https://fintech.global/2025/11/11/falkin-raises-2m-to-boost-ai-powered-scam-defence/
Fintech compliance platform Adclear raises £2.1m
The startup’s product is used by fintechs including Plum, Yonder and PensionBee
Adclear, a London-based fintech compliance platform used by the likes of Plum and PensionBee, has raised a £2.1m seed round.
Launched in 2024, Adclear has developed an AI-powered platform that automates compliance checks required of finance companies regarding their marketing content and product updates.
Banks, fintechs, trading platforms and crypto organisations use the platform to ensure that any customer-facing communications are compliant with current financial regulation.
“In the world of AI-powered marketing, teams are able to create, personalise and disseminate more content, more quickly than ever before,” said co-founder and chief executive officer Doni Hoti.
https://www.uktech.news/fintech/fintech-compliance-platform-adclear-raises-2-1m-20251113
BITE Data secures $3m to expand AI trade compliance tools
BITE Data, a Leesburg, VA-based AI-native SaaS start-up, has raised $3m to develop AI-powered tools for global trade compliance teams.
The funding includes a $2.5m Series Seed round led by Las Olas Venture Capital (LOVC), with support from New Dominion Angels, Blue Impact Venture Capital, Techstars and Refashiond Ventures.
The investment will help the company expand its engineering and sales teams as it builds automation tools to modernise outdated compliance processes.
Founded in 2023 by Thariq Kara and Anne Riitho, both former US customs and trade enforcement experts, BITE Data focuses on automating global trade compliance workflows for importers and exporters.
Its AI-driven platform aims to enhance accuracy and accountability across cross-border operations, addressing increasing global trade complexity amid rising tariffs and sanctions.
https://fintech.global/2025/11/12/bite-data-secures-3m-to-expand-ai-trade-compliance-tools/
Greenshoe raises $3m to launch AI SEC reporting platform
Greenshoe, a RegTech company specialising in AI-driven automation for U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disclosures, has secured new backing to advance its platform for public company reporting.
The company has raised $3m in a seed round led by AIX Ventures, with participation from Hearst Level Up Ventures, Blueprint FTC, Service Provider Capital, and several strategic angels.
Greenshoe builds an AI-native system designed to modernise the way public firms prepare and manage SEC filings. The platform replaces time-consuming manual work with automated drafting, validation, and real-time compliance checks, using regulatory precedent, peer data, and live company information to produce consistent and accurate disclosures.
https://fintech.global/2025/11/14/greenshoe-raises-3m-to-launch-ai-sec-reporting-platform/
Fintech Startup Zynk Bags $5 Mn To Scale Cross Border Payments
SUMMARY
Zynk has raised $5 Mn in its seed funding round led by Hivemind Capital, with participation from Alliance DAO, Coinbase Ventures, and others
The fintech startup enables instant cross-border settlement with quick liquidity for payment companies
Fresh funds will be deployed to expand corridor coverage, strengthen compliance capabilities, and build global payment partnerships
Fintech startup Zynk has bagged $5 Mn (about INR 44 Cr) in its seed funding round led by Web3 and blockchain focussed investment firm Hivemind Capital. The round also saw participation from investors like Coinbase Ventures, Transpose Platform VC, Polymorphic Capital, Tykhe Ventures, among others.
https://inc42.com/buzz/fintech-startup-zynk-bags-5-mn-to-scale-cross-border-payments/
Exclusive: District Cover Raises $6M To Help Urban Businesses Access Insurance
District Cover, a tech-enabled commercial insurance agency, has raised $6 million in funding, the company tells This Week in Fintech exclusively.
Founded in 2022, Nashville, Tenn.-based District Cover says it aims to improve insurance access and literacy for small businesses located in urban cores, particularly those in high-crime and economically distressed areas, using granular data analytics and a “flexible” underwriting model.
IA Capital led District Cover’s fundraise, which also included participation from existing backers Mosaic and Impact America Fund. Previous investors Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Amwins, Liquid2 and Vantage Risk also wrote checks into the round as well.
Laka secures £6.5m from HSBC to boost European growth
Laka, the award-winning insurer for cyclists and green mobility users, has landed a 6.5m Venture Debt Facility from HSBC Innovation Banking, bringing the total Series B funding to £14.1m.
The new funding, which follows a a £7.6m Series B equity round earlier this year, will accelerate Laka’s European expansion and mergers and acquisitions strategy, consolidating its presence in a fragmented mobility insurance market.
It aims to capitalise on Europe’s rapidly growing micromobility sector, projected to expand from around $60bn in 2022 to $140bn by 2030, according to McKinsey.
The firm provides insurance solutions for e-bikes, e-scooters, and sustainable mobility, operating across nine EU markets and the UK.
https://fintech.global/2025/11/14/laka-secures-6-5m-from-hsbc-to-boost-european-growth/
Fintech Startup Upward Raises $8 Million, Partners With Mastercard
Upward, a Seattle-based fintech startup providing banking-as-a-service infrastructure to underserved business segments, has raised an $8 million seed+ round co-led by Dundee Venture Capital and Breakwater Ventures. The round brings its total funding to $12 million.
Upward is part of the rapidly growing embedded finance space—a market Boston Consulting Group estimates to be worth $185 billion—that enables companies outside of traditional finance to offer products like banking, cards, and payments directly within their own platforms.
The startup joins a list of competitors—such as Unit, Synctera, Bond, Column, and Rize—but sets itself apart by focusing on creators, gig workers, immigrants, and small business operators often excluded by mainstream financial systems.
Self lands $9m seed to boost proof-of-humanity tech
Self, a provider of zero-knowledge identity and proof-of-humanity infrastructure, has completed a $9m seed raise earlier this year as it steps up efforts to build a privacy-preserving identity layer for the internet.
The seed funding came from Greenfield Capital, Startup Capital Ventures x SBI Fund (SoftBank), Spearhead VC, Verda Ventures, Fireweed Ventures and a group of well-known angel investors.
These include Casey Neistat and several leaders in the Web3 sector such as Sreeram Kannan of EigenLayer, Sandeep Nailwal of Polygon, Julien Bouteloup of Curve, Jill Carlson of Espresso, and Hart Lambur of Across Protocol.
Self’s technology enables users to verify that they are real, unique individuals and to confirm specific attributes like age or residency without revealing sensitive data.
https://fintech.global/2025/11/14/self-lands-9m-seed-to-boost-proof-of-humanity-tech/
AI InsurTech Fintary secures $10m Series A funding
Fintary, an AI-powered revenue growth platform that helps insurance organisations streamline commission and financial operations, has raised $10m in a Series A funding round.
The round was led by Infinity Ventures, with participation from Sierra Ventures and other existing investors.
This latest investment brings Fintary’s total funding to $12.8m and will support the company’s mission to modernise financial operations across the insurance industry.
Founded by co-founder and CEO Qiyun Cai, Fintary is an InsurTech firm that automates complex commission processes for insurance agencies. Traditionally, insurance companies have struggled with time-consuming and error-prone manual systems to manage hierarchies, overrides, and bonuses. Agencies reportedly spend between 15 to 40 hours a week on commission processing, reconciliation, and reporting — time that could instead be dedicated to driving business growth.
https://fintech.global/2025/11/10/ai-insurtech-fintary-secures-10m-series-a-funding/
A16z Crypto Leads $10M Funding Round for Web3 Security Startup Seismic
The fundraising also attracted participation from Polychain, Amber Group, TrueBridge, dao5, and LayerZero, according to Fortune.
Quick take:
- The latest funding brings the total raised to $17 million, according to Lyron Co Ting Keh, Seismic founder and CEO.
- The announcement comes at a time when blockchain users are becoming more conscious about the safety of their data, according to a recent report by a16z crypto.
- Seismic plans to use the fresh capital to expand its offerings, like on-and-off ramping from fiat into crypto and card programs.
Seismic, a Web3 security startup, has raised $10 million in a funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz crypto investment arm, a16z crypto. The fundraising also attracted participation from Polychain, Amber Group, TrueBridge, dao5, and LayerZero, the founder and CEO, Lyron Co Ting Keh, told Fortune on Wednesday.
https://www.nftgators.com/a16z-crypto-leads-10m-funding-round-for-web3-security-startup-seismic/
AI insurance platform Anzen bags $16m Series A
Anzen, the AI-powered platform redefining how commercial insurance is distributed, has announced a $16m Series A funding round, bringing its total capital raised to $26m.
The tranche was led by Madrona, with participation from Sandbox Industries, SNR, Andreessen Horowitz, and other leading investors, according to Insurance Edge.
Anzen intends to use the new funding to expand its AI-powered workflows, strengthen carrier and AMS integrations, and grow its team to support its rapidly expanding agent base.
The Series A will also accelerate product development, including deeper carrier integrations, new commercial property and auto support, and the public launch of Anzen Pro—a unified workspace enabling agencies to submit, quote, bind, renew, and manage their entire book of business.
https://fintech.global/2025/11/14/ai-insurance-platform-anzen-bags-16m-series-a/
DealMaker secures $20m to transform capital raising
DealMaker, North America’s largest retail capital-raising platform, has raised $20m in equity and debt financing led by new investor Information Venture Partners, with participation from existing backer CIBC Innovation Banking.
The funding marks a significant milestone for the company as it looks to expand its technology capabilities and solidify its position in the $2.4tn retail capital markets.
The fresh funding aims to accelerate DealMaker’s next wave of growth and product innovation. The company plans to scale its U.S. footprint. The capital raise follows a series of key milestones, including the acquisition of Rally On Media, the launch of DealMaker Sports, and the opening of its new headquarters in New York City.
https://fintech.global/2025/11/10/dealmaker-secures-20m-to-transform-capital-raising/
Kapitale secures $25m to boost US small business lending
Kapitale has secured a $25m credit facility from a fund managed by Pier Asset Management, a private credit investment firm focused on specialty finance.
The new facility strengthens Kapitale’s balance sheet and brings its total funding capacity to more than $50m. It positions the company to meet surging demand for same-day working capital solutions at a time when traditional bank lending has become increasingly constrained.
Founded to provide quick and accessible financial solutions, Kapitale offers flexible funding ranging from $5,000 to $100,000, with same-day approvals, no collateral requirements, and multilingual support in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. The company leverages proprietary underwriting technology and disciplined risk management to deliver fair and transparent financing options for entrepreneurs nationwide.
https://fintech.global/2025/11/10/kapitale-secures-25m-to-boost-us-small-business-lending/
Lighthouse Canton secures $40m to boost global growth
Lighthouse Canton, headquartered in Singapore and managing over $5bn in assets, has secured a $40m strategic funding round led by Peak XV Partners.
The round also saw participation from Nextinfinity, the investment holding company of Shyam Maheshwari, Founding Partner of SSG Capital (later Ares SSG). Qatar Insurance Company (QIC), an early backer of Lighthouse Canton, reaffirmed its support in this latest round.
The capital raise represents Lighthouse Canton’s first external funding round and will fuel the company’s next stage of expansion. The funds will be used to strengthen its technology infrastructure, hire senior-level talent, broaden its product offerings, and explore growth opportunities across high-potential international markets.
https://fintech.global/2025/11/11/lighthouse-canton-secures-40m-to-boost-global-growth/
Cybersecurity firm Tenzai bags $75m in record seed round
Tenzai has emerged from stealth with a $75m seed round — one of the largest ever recorded in the cybersecurity sector.
The record-breaking round was co-led by Greylock Partners, Battery Ventures, and Lux Capital, with participation from Swish Ventures and several angel investors. The fresh capital reflects strong investor confidence in Tenzai’s approach to securing AI-generated code in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Founded by cybersecurity veterans Pavel Gurvich, Ariel Zeitlin, Ofri Ziv, Itamar Tal, and Aner Mazur, Tenzai specialises in autonomous penetration testing powered by AI. The company’s platform enables continuous and scalable testing, designed to identify vulnerabilities in code written and deployed by AI systems. With more than 30% of newly written code now generated by AI, Tenzai aims to deliver real-time assurance that keeps pace with the speed of modern software development.
https://fintech.global/2025/11/12/cybersecurity-firm-tenzai-bags-75m-in-record-seed-round/
Cloud and AI protector Sweet Security bags $75m Series B
Sweet Security has raised $75m in a Series B funding round led by Evolution Equity Partners, with additional backing from Munich Re Ventures, Glilot Capital Partners, and Key1 Capital.
The latest investment brings the company’s total funding to $120m.
The fresh capital will support Sweet Security’s rapid global expansion and continued product innovation as demand rises among enterprises seeking real-time protection for cloud and AI environments. The company also unveiled new AI security capabilities designed to protect models, agents, and the entire AI lifecycle, reinforcing its position in the growing runtime CNAPP and AI security sectors.
https://fintech.global/2025/11/13/cloud-and-ai-protector-sweet-security-bags-75m-series-b/
Avalara secures $500m BlackRock investment
Avalara, a leader in agentic tax and compliance automation, has secured a $500m equity investment led by BlackRock’s Private Financing Solutions.
Vista Equity Partners, Avalara’s majority shareholder, will maintain its stake. Proceeds from the sale will be used to buy shares from existing investors.
For over 20 years, Avalara has built one of the largest tax content libraries in the industry, serving 43,000+ businesses and government entities in more than 75 countries. Its solutions automate everything from tax calculations and filings to certificate management.
The firm’s Agentic Tax and Compliance™ platform integrates AI agents that perform compliance tasks while keeping humans in control through embedded review checkpoints. The platform runs on a resilient multi-cloud system powered by enterprise LLMs, MCP servers, and intelligent AI agents.
https://fintech.global/2025/11/12/avalara-secures-500m-blackrock-investment/
FNZ raises $650m from existing shareholders for growth initiatives
The capital will strengthen FNZ’s credit profile and support investment in technology, talent and product development.
UK-based wealthtech FNZ has secured $650 million in fresh funding from existing institutional shareholders to support its long-term strategic objectives.
The investment round was led by CPP Investments, La Caisse, Generation Investment Management, and Motive Partners, with participation from several of FNZ’s major clients, including Aberdeen Group, Aviva, FirstCape, Ninety One, and Nucleus Financial.
The capital injection has been earmarked to bolster FNZ’s credit ratings and enable the firm to “deliver on its strategy to drive sustainable growth by investing in its technology, people and products”, according to a company statement.
https://www.fintechfutures.com/venture-capital-funding/fnz-raises-650m-from-existing-shareholders
VENTURE FUNDS
GFTN Capital and SBI launched a $200M global fintech innovation fund, targeting growth-stage fintech companies in AI, tokenization, digital assets and cybersecurity.
GFTN Capital, the venture arm of the Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN), has partnered with Japan’s SBI Holdings and its Singapore-based subsidiary SBI Ven Capital to launch a $200-million fund to invest in growth-stage fintech ventures.
The fund will target global companies adopting technologies in artificial intelligence, digital assets, cybersecurity, and tokenisation, according to a company release.
Headquartered in Singapore, GFTN Capital is part of GFTN’s global network connecting innovators, entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers across more than 130 countries. The firm said the new fund will give investors early access to emerging fintech companies while providing portfolio firms with strategic support and access to industry stakeholders.
https://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/gftn-capital-sbi-fintech-fund-463137
Viola Credit Launches Dedicated €300M Growth Lending Fund to Support European Technology Companies
The new fund reflects Viola Credit’s commitment to supporting high-growth tech companies across Europe with flexible, non-dilutive financing.
LONDON, Nov. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Viola Credit, a global alternative credit asset manager with $4 billion in assets under management to date, has announced the launch of a new Growth Lending fund dedicated exclusively to the European technology market. The fund, targeted at €300 million, has completed its first close with commitments from a mix of new and existing limited partners led by the British Business Bank and European Investment Fund (EIF).
As the financial stack becomes more automated, more data-rich, and more intertwined with AI, the companies in this edition point to a shared trajectory: trust is no longer a compliance box — it’s a product advantage. Whether safeguarding payments, clarifying regulation, or unlocking fairer capital access, these founders are designing the rails for a system that works smarter and serves better.
If you’re building the next layer of this ecosystem, or backing those who are, we’d love to help you tell that story.