Welcome to this edition of our newsletter — a curated space dedicated to the ideas, founders, and capital flows shaping the future of money.
We begin with a compelling Q&A with Omer Rimoch of Advance, exploring how insurance intermediaries can finally turn idle premium float into strategic yield while streamlining operations.
Samarth Shekhar’s sharp Deal Highlights section shines a light on the most promising companies raising capital this week — each one addressing real friction points with elegant, scalable solutions.
Frank Schwab delivers his signature forward-thinking analysis in Beyond the Hype, examining the shift toward Autonomous Economic Agents and the rise of the “Sovereign Machine.”
Finally, we celebrate the inspiring journeys of the startups that secured fresh funding — bold teams turning ambitious ideas into infrastructure that powers the next chapter of global finance.
These stories remind us why we do this work: because the future belongs to those who build with clarity, resilience, and a deep understanding of where value truly flows. We invite you to dive in, reflect, and draw inspiration for your own journey ahead.
A Q&A with Omer Rimoch from Advance on Turning Insurance Premiums Into Yield
In the fast-evolving world of fintech, where innovation meets the intricacies of insurance finance, few stories capture the entrepreneurial spirit quite like that of Omer Rimoch and Gal Dreiman, co-founders of Advance. Omer, serial entrepreneur and former co-founder of PayEm (acquired after rapid scaling), and Gal, seasoned software engineer and AI specialist, have built a platform purpose-built for insurance intermediaries.
Just days ago (February 5, 2026), Advance closed its $8.55M seed round —completing an offering that already saw $7.3M in late 2025— led by nvp Capital with participation from Crystal Ventures, Vesey Ventures, Mensch Capital and strategic angels including Assaf Wand (ex-CEO & founder of Hippo Insurance). The capital will accelerate the rollout of their banking infrastructure that turns idle premium float into yield while automating reconciliation and remittances.
In this exclusive Q&A, Omer and Gal share how they’re solving one of insurance’s most persistent pain points and the macro trends that make this moment perfect for their solution.
1- Tell us about yourself / your co-founder(s)
Advance was founded by Omer Rimoch (former co-founder of PayEm) and Gal Dreiman (experience software engineer and entrepreneur). Together they bring deep experience and expertise in algorithmic development, machine learning, and artificial intelligence.
Read more from the interview: Transforming Insurance Payments Into Strategic Value
Deal Highlights
Super-interesting that Eunice gained early traction as a “system of record” for complex investment decision-making workflows in the digital asset space, and is using that expertise to expand into the broader alts space. Great founder-market fit, given ex-VC investor understands IC workflows, and the value of AI as assistant. Moonfire Ventures, as one of the first data-driven VCs, is a great signal as well.
Due dilligence startup Eunice raises $8 million…Eunice was founded on a simple premise: as alternative assets grow in scale and complexity, the standards for documenting and defending investment decisions must evolve with them. The company builds due diligence infrastructure that standardises how complex investment decisions are assessed, documented and defended across regulated markets… due diligence remains fragmented and manual, with lean teams expected to evaluate increasingly complex opportunities while demonstrating how decisions are reached. Eunice replaces those ad hoc workflows with auditable frameworks and embedded human oversight – not to remove professional judgement, but to make it defensible.
Thinking of Kulipa as the “bridge” between onchain and real-world (card) payments. With stablecoins increasingly used for remittances and treasury, they are in an interesting space- though with adjacent or competitive moves from Stripe, Visa etc. as well as newer players like Rain or BVNK. Watch this space!
Kulipa raises $6.2m for stablecoin-native card issuing infrastructure platform…Stablecoins have soared in popularity over the last year and now settle more than $300 billion daily. But, this still represents only a small share of global payment flows, says Kulipa, in part because the infrastructure connecting onchain settlement with regulated card networks remains fragmented and capital-intensive, often relying on prefunded structures and regionally limited licenses. To address this gap, the startup has built a stablecoin-native issuing infrastructure designed for capital efficiency, seamless compliance, and global scale. The platform enables partners to launch payment programmes funded directly from stablecoin balances, supporting both rapid pre-funded deployments and deeper wallet-native integrations.
There are incumbent players for business remittance e.g. Wise, as well as newer stablecoin plays like Bridge / Stripe, BVNK, Circle etc. However, global cross-border payment flows are a massive market. I like their beachhead segment e.g. content creators esp. in emerging markets, where payouts are expensive and slow for small businesses if adding up FX, fees, SWIFT delays etc.
Former Stripe and Coinbase employees raise $8 million for Latitude, a startup whose core product is stablecoin-based ‘Global Payouts’…Latitude’s main product is what it calls Global Payouts, which allows U.S. businesses to make payments to individuals in over 50 countries. When an American firm sends U.S. dollars through Latitude, the startup’s network converts that money into stablecoins and then converts them back into the local currency of the destination. One of Latitude’s clients is Zencastr, a content creator company that has podcasters around the world. Through Latitude’s network, this company can pay its content creators in India and in other countries.
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.
Beyond the Hype: Building the “Sovereign Machine”
by Frank Schwab
We’ve spent the last decade connecting devices to the internet. We called it IoT. But let’s be honest: IoT was mostly about machines sending data to a central server so a human could make a decision.
That era is ending. We are now entering the era of Autonomous Economic Agents. In this new paradigm, the machine doesn’t just “report”—it acts and transacts.
The Evolution of the Machine
⚒️ Phase 1 (Tools): Controlled by humans.
⚙️ Phase 2 (Automation): Programmed if/then logic.
🛰️ Phase 3 (Autonomy): AI + Robotics + Crypto.
VENTURE FINANCING
Due dilligence startup Eunice raises $8 million
Eunice, the London-based company building institutional-grade due diligence infrastructure for regulated markets, raised $8 million in seed and pre-seed funding led by Moonfire Ventures and Speedinvest, with participation from Openspace Ventures.
The round includes founders of Anchorage, ComplyAdvantage and so on.
Eunice was founded on a simple premise: as alternative assets grow in scale and complexity, the standards for documenting and defending investment decisions must evolve with them. The company builds due diligence infrastructure that standardises how complex investment decisions are assessed, documented and defended across regulated markets.
Digital assets provided an early environment where that need was particularly acute. As exchanges and custodians faced increasing regulatory scrutiny, Eunice deployed AI agents delivering structured, audit-ready, asset-level assessments. The company now works with firms including Coinbase, Crypto.com, Copper and Zodia Custody. It has contributed to digital asset disclosure template development through the UK Financial Conduct Authority’s Regulatory Sandbox.
https://www.finextra.com/pressarticle/109327/due-dilligence-startup-eunice-raises-8-million
Frontlands Raises $55M in Preparation for Launch of First Credit Card Backed by Natural Resource Rights
Asset-backed credit card provides millions of natural resource rights owners access to cash without selling their rights.
DALLAS, TX — March 30, 2026 — Frontlands, a fintech company, helps owners of natural resource rights (like oil, gas, solar, wind, and water) access the value of those rights without selling them.
Today, the company announces it has secured a $50 million credit facility, on top of a previously raised $5.5 million in equity. This funding will support a summer launch of the first credit card backed by natural resource rights.
The financing includes $5.5 million in equity funding from venture investors, including Cambrian, FiatVentures, Wischoff Ventures, and Lime Rock Partners—along with a $50 million credit facility from StarMesa Capital to support Frontlands’ expanding portfolio of asset-backed credit products.
https://www.frontlands.com/media/r1?utm_campaign=tether-pushes-for-500b-twif-4-4
Kulipa raises $6.2m for stablecoin-native card issuing infrastructure platform
Kulipa, a Paris-based stablecoin-native card issuing infrastructure platform, has raised $6.2 million in seed funding.
The round was co-led by Flourish Ventures and 1kx, with participation from White Star Capital and Fabric Ventures.
Stablecoins have soared in popularity over the last year and now settle more than $300 billion daily. But, this still represents only a small share of global payment flows, says Kulipa, in part because the infrastructure connecting onchain settlement with regulated card networks remains fragmented and capital-intensive, often relying on prefunded structures and regionally limited licenses.
To address this gap, the startup has built a stablecoin-native issuing infrastructure designed for capital efficiency, seamless compliance, and global scale. The platform enables partners to launch payment programmes funded directly from stablecoin balances, supporting both rapid pre-funded deployments and deeper wallet-native integrations.
Former Stripe and Coinbase employees raise $8 million for Latitude, a startup whose core product is stablecoin-based ‘Global Payouts’
When a business sends money internationally, the process can be slow and expensive. This is the gap that Latitude aims to fill by helping firms make fast and affordable international payments by using stablecoin rails while abstracting away the complexity.
On Tuesday, Latitude announced that it raised $8 million in a round led by NEA with participation from Lightspeed Faction, Coinbase, Paxos, and Solana Foundation, among others. Cyril Mathew, the startup’s CEO, did not disclose the company’s valuation in an interview with Fortune.
“We really want to make global payments simple for everybody and enable small businesses to reach everyone in the world,” said Vivek Morzaria, who started Latitude along with co-founders Brian Wrightson, and Mathew.
Stablecoin payments firm TransFi raises $19 million for global expansion
Quick Take
- TransFi said it raised $19.2 million, comprising $14.2 million in Series A equity and a $5 million liquidity facility.
- The company plans to use the funds to expand across Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa.
Stablecoin payments infrastructure firm TransFi has raised $19.2 million in fresh funding to expand its stablecoin-powered cross-border payments platform targeting emerging markets.
In a statement released Tuesday, the company said it secured $14.2 million in Series A equity and a $5 million committed liquidity facility in a funding round led by Turing Financial Group.
https://www.theblock.co/post/394045/transfi-raises-19-million
Former a16z crypto investor raises $10 million to launch stablecoin clearinghouse Better Money
In the last two years, stablecoins have become one of the hottest fields in crypto—so hot that one venture capitalist at a16z crypto decided to leave and launch his own stablecoin startup. The former investor, Sam Broner, announced on Tuesday that he and a college friend raised $10 million for what they call The Better Money Company, which aims to create a stablecoin clearinghouse, or locale that lets customers cheaply exchange different dollar-backed tokens.
Broner’s former employer, a16z crypto, led the seed round, with participation from BoxGroup and Sunflower Capital, along with notable angel investors like the Circle cofounder Sean Neville and Charlie Songhurst, a former Microsoft executive. Broner and his cofounder Adam Zuckerman declined to say at what valuation they raised their capital.
https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/crypto/articles/exclusive-former-a16z-crypto-investor
Valinor Raises $25 Million to Reshape Credit for the Digital Era
NEW YORK, March 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Valinor Digital (“Valinor”), a modern credit institution, today announced it has closed a $25 million seed round led by Castle Island Ventures with investor participation across credit, fintech, and crypto and continued support from its initial backers, Paul Prager and Nazar Khan of TeraWulf.
Valinor is purpose-built to power a new era for credit markets, which it terms Open Credit: a blockchain-enabled infrastructure upgrade that expands the capital markets and improves outcomes for borrowers and lenders. Reduced friction and cost enable Valinor to offer financing solutions across a wider range of asset classes, borrowers, and geographies.
https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/crypto/articles/valinor-raises-25-million-reshape-185900649
Onchain investment fintech Midas raises $50 million
Midas, a platform for composable onchain investment products, has raised $50 million in Series A funding led by RRE and Creandum, with participation from Framework Ventures, HV Capital, Ledger Cathay, Franklin Templeton, Coinbase Ventures, M1 Capital, Anchorage Digital, FJ Labs, North Island Ventures, No Limit Holdings and GSR.
The Series A brings Midas’s total funding to $58.75M, following an $8.75M seed round in 2024. Midas allows strategy managers to turn institutional-grade strategies into regulatory-compliant tokens that offer investors full transparency, instant liquidity, and native composability across DeFi protocols such as Morpho and Pendle.
The capital will fund the development and launch of MSL (Midas Staked Liquidity) as part of an Open liquidity Architecture that powers instant redemptions across all onchain investment products.
https://www.finextra.com/pressarticle/109357/onchain-investment-fintech-midas-raises-50-million
Cross River Receives $50M to Fuel Expansion Across AI, Crypto, and Embedded Finance
Funding will bolster new product launches, deepen partnerships, and expand the bank’s international footprint
FORT LEE, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–CRB Group, Inc., the parent company of Cross River Bank (“Cross River”), a technology infrastructure provider that offers embedded financial solutions, today announced a $50 million common equity capital raise. The investment comes from certain existing Cross River investors, accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Investment Management, Inc. (“T. Rowe Price”), reinforcing the organization’s vision for modern financial services.
“We’re proud to announce that T. Rowe Price deepened its investment in Cross River,” said Gilles Gade, Chairman, Founder, and CEO of Cross River. “We thank T. Rowe Price for their support of Cross River’s strategy of embedded finance 2.0, the bundling of crypto, lending, payments, and cards on one platform with a sophisticated AI layer to deliver innovative solutions with exceptional compliance and risk management.”
Announcing OpenFX’s $94M Series A
I believe there are two ways to touch 8 billion lives: get 8 billion individual customers, or get a thousand financial institutions that each serve millions. We chose the latter path. Two years in, $45 billion a year later – it’s working.
Today, we’re announcing $94M in Series A funding led by Accel, Atomico, Lightspeed Faction, M13, Northzone, and Pantera – with support from existing investors Flybridge, and Hash3.
This is a massive round for a company that’s about 2 years old, indicative of the trust that our investors have in our vision. To understand where that trust came from, you need to understand where we came from, and what we’re working so hard to build.
https://www.openfx.com/blog/announcing-openfx-s-94m-series-a
Nyse parent invests $600m in Polymarket
Nyse owner Intercontinental Exchange is doubling down on its bet on the growing popularity of prediction markets by investing $600 million in Polymarket.
The cash investment comes after the exchange operator pumped $1 billion into Polymarket last October. ICE also plans to buy up to $40 million in additional shares from existing holders.
Prediction markets have seen their popularity soar in recent months to become a major trading segment. Polymarket rival Kalshi recently raised more than $1 billion at a $22 billion valuation.
However, the sector is also facing growing scrutiny over concerns about market manipulation and insider trading.
https://www.finextra.com/newsarticle/47508/nyse-parent-invests-600m-in-polymarket
Crypto investment specialist Keyrock hits $1.1bn valuation
Keyrock, an investment group built for digital assets, has joined the unicorn club after securing Series C funding led by SC Ventures with support from Ripple.
The size of the raise was not disclosed but Keyrock says the Series C values the Brussels-based company at $1.1 billion.
Founded in 2017, Keyrock provides financial expertise structured for digital asset markets, offering a bridge for traditional financial firms looking to succeed in the tokenised economy. It provides market making, asset management, OTC, and options trading services and is active across 85 centralised and decentralised venues worldwide.
The funding will be used to strengthen Keyrock’s balance sheet, while the firm is also on the hunt for acquisitions.
https://www.finextra.com/newsarticle/47522/crypto-investment-specialist-keyrock-hits-11bn-valuation
AccessPay secures majority investment from Accel-KKR
AccessPay, a leading bank integration and payment automation provider, has secured a majority investment from Accel-KKR, a prominent global private equity firm specialising in enterprise technology and software companies.
The investment is expected to enable AccessPay to fuel the next phase of growth and further its ambition to become a world-class SaaS business driving innovation in the office of the CFO. The investment also opens the door for AccessPay to pursue growth via strategic acquisitions.
The office of the CFO faces an increasingly testing operating environment. Alongside cost pressures, increased cyber threats, and a volatile geopolitical climate, AI is fundamentally rewiring finance operating practices. A global McKinsey survey of CFOs from late 2025 reported that 44% of survey respondents had identified five or more AI use cases.1
https://www.finextra.com/pressarticle/109322/accesspay-secures-majority-investment-from-accel-kkr
M&A
Sokin Adds Stablecoin Technology, Acquires Genpaid
Sokin, a business payments and finance platform, has added stablecoin capability. There are no private keys, no contract addresses or native blockchain fees to worry about. A company’s stablecoin wallet sits alongside its traditional currency accounts in the same dashboard, with the same approvals, compliance, reporting, and reconciliation tools.
The launch represents the first of a phased rollout through 2026. From today, select Sokin clients can open accounts, send and receive, and convert between traditional currencies and stablecoins. Subsequent phases will add stablecoin swap, embedded payment acceptance for merchants, stablecoin yield and expanded API infrastructure for third-party platforms.
https://www.crowdfundinsider.com/2026/03/267711-sokin-adds-stablecoin-technology-acquires-genpaid/
FUNDS
ElevenLabs, UiPath backer Credo Ventures closes $88M fund to back CEE pre-seeds
Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) has no shortage of strong engineering talent. What it has lacked, historically, is early-stage capital willing to take bold risks before traction shows up.
Credo Ventures is stepping in again to address that gap. The Prague-based VC firm has raised $88 million for its fifth fund, dubbed Credo Stage V, to back startups at the earliest stages across the region.
The fund is supported by a mix of international and regional investors. Backers include Adams Street Partners, RSJ, Sequoia Capital, Marktlink Capital, Isomer Capital, Emergence Ventures, Aspire11, Willgrow, and Spheres.
With the new fund, the firm plans to invest in pre-seed rounds, often before a product exists or revenue begins.
Air Street becomes one of the largest solo VCs in Europe with $232M fund
London’s Air Street Capital has raised a $232 million Fund III with eyes set on backing early-stage AI companies across Europe and North America, the firm announced Monday.
Check sizes will range from $500,000 to $15 million, with select growth investments reaching up to $25 million. Led by Nathan Benaich, this raise makes Air Street one of Europe’s largest solo VC funds. It’s already backed notable AI unicorns like Black Forest Labs and ElevenLabs, and has seen exits from companies like Adept (sold to Amazon) and Graphcore (sold to SoftBank).
The firm now has $400 million in assets under management, the FT reported. Its Fund II was $121 million, up from the $17 million raised for Fund I back in 2020.
futurepresent emerges from stealth with $300M fund to back AI across infrastructure and industry
After more than a year of operating quietly, a German-US venture firm, futurepresent, has emerged from stealth with a $300 million debut fund. It has already backed 14 companies, combining early-stage bets with selective, high-conviction growth investments.
Fewer layers, closer relationships with founders, and faster decisions
futurepresent is intentionally structured as a four-partner team. The partners are Thomas Lueke, formerly of Cherry Ventures; Johnson Yang, formerly of General Catalyst; Jan Rettel, a former public tech hedge fund manager; and David Meiborg, formerly of First Momentum Ventures.
The partners bring over a decade of experience across multi-stage and specialist venture firms. Now stepping in as both operators and investors, they’re applying that experience to build something more focused and founder-aligned.
As we close this week’s briefing, it is clear that the innovations we’ve highlighted—from AI-driven due diligence to global stablecoin payouts—share a common thread: the courage to simplify the complex. The significant capital flowing into these projects is a testament to a market that values resilience and forward-thinking architecture.
We hope these stories serve as more than just news; may they act as a catalyst for your own projects and a reminder that the future of finance is being written by those who dare to bridge the gap between “what is” and “what could be.” Thank you for being part of our community. We look forward to continuing this journey of discovery with you next week.