In today’s rapidly evolving financial landscape, staying abreast of the latest developments in fintech is not just an advantage—it’s imperative. From blockbuster profit milestones to seismic collapses, and from talent wars in U.S. banking hubs to pioneering academic–industry collaborations in Hong Kong, April 24, 2025, offers a whirlwind of insights. In this edition of Fintech Pulse, we dissect five pivotal stories, offer opinion-driven analysis, and explore the broader industry implications.

1. Revolut’s Profit Bonanza: Mainstreaming the Super-App

What happened:
British fintech unicorn Revolut announced a record pre-tax profit of £1.1 billion ($1.46 billion) for the year ending December 31, 2024—up 149% year-on-year—on revenues of £3.1 billion, a 72% increase over 2023.

Why it matters:
Revolut’s profit surge marks its transformation from a niche currency-exchange app into a full-blown digital bank aiming for global scale. Having secured a UK banking license after a protracted three-year approval process, it now seeks to expand into lending products—credit cards, personal loans, and mortgages—to capture a larger share of customers’ financial lives.

Analysis & Commentary:
In my view, Revolut’s results underscore a broader trend: “super-apps” consolidating diverse financial services under one roof. Crypto trading and wealth management now account for a significant slice of profits, but true differentiation will come from how seamlessly Revolut integrates lending. As traditional banks shutter branches, fintech challengers can accelerate customer acquisition—but must manage credit risk carefully to avoid overextension. I believe regulators will keep a close watch on how Revolut scales its loan book, especially given its 86% year-on-year increase in customer lending balances to £979 million.

Source: CNBC

2. Stenn’s Implosion: A Cautionary Tale in Trade Finance

What happened:
Trade-finance fintech Stenn Technologies, once touted as a $1 billion rising star, collapsed into administration last December, leading to the loss of most of its 200 jobs. Investigations revealed that major banks—including Citigroup and BNP Paribas—backed deals they barely vetted, missing warning signs as weekly deal summaries ballooned to nearly $1 billion in size.

Why it matters:
Stenn’s collapse highlights persistent due-diligence gaps in trade finance. As fintechs promise speed and efficiency, established banks must not sacrifice risk controls for deal flow. The fallout eroded confidence and may prompt stricter counterparty assessments industry-wide.

Analysis & Commentary:
I argue that this episode is symptomatic of a “too eager to lend” mindset. In an environment of slackening yields, large banks pursued yield-rich fintech credit lines, only to face unexpected defaults. Going forward, I expect banks to re-evaluate their fintech partnerships, incorporating more robust real-time monitoring and third-party risk assessments. Stenn’s demise should catalyze the adoption of blockchain-based trade-finance platforms that embed transparency and immutable audit trails. Until then, caution remains the watchword.

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Source: Bloomberg

3. Coinbase’s Southern Pivot: The Talent Play

What happened:
Coinbase, the largest U.S. cryptocurrency exchange, is targeting Charlotte, North Carolina, for a major talent investment—adding over 130 employees to its compliance and customer-support teams and potentially scaling to 1,000 new U.S. hires this year.

Why it matters:
Charlotte has long been a banking powerhouse, but its rising pool of tech talent makes it an attractive fintech hub. Coinbase’s move signals a shift in talent strategy: “meet talent where they are,” rather than concentrate in coastal tech camps.

Analysis & Commentary:
In my assessment, spreading operational centers beyond saturated markets is a savvy cost and culture play. By embedding in Charlotte, Coinbase gains access to experienced banking professionals and benefits from lower cost structures. However, maintaining a cohesive company culture amid geographic dispersion will be a challenge. Remote-first models must be balanced with local engagement to foster innovation. I anticipate other crypto players following suit, seeking a “hybrid hub” approach across U.S. secondary cities.

Source: Axios

4. Omnea’s eProcurement Crown: The Automation Imperative

What happened:
Procurement orchestration platform Omnea clinched the “Best Overall eProcurement Software” award at the 2025 FinTech Breakthrough Awards, recognized for its AI-driven intake, deduplication, and end-to-end automation.

Why it matters:
Procurement remains a pain point for enterprises—manual approvals, fragmented tools, and shadow processes lead to inefficiencies and maverick spending. Omnea’s win spotlights a surging wave of procurement fintech aimed at centralizing workflows, enforcing policies, and integrating with ERP ecosystems.

Analysis & Commentary:
I believe Omnea’s approach exemplifies the next frontier of “invisible finance”—embedding financial controls directly into business processes via Slack, Teams, or web portals. By surfacing policy-aligned choices and automating renewal reminders, companies can mitigate risk and free strategic buyers from administrative drudgery. Given Omnea’s backing by Spotify, Wise, and Pleo post-Series A, it’s clear that market demand for frictionless procurement tools is accelerating. Expect consolidation as ERP vendors scramble to embed or acquire these specialized platforms.

Source: FinTech Breakthrough

5. HKIAS Workshop: Bridging AI and Fintech Frontiers

What happened:
The Hong Kong Institute for Advanced Study (HKIAS) at City University of Hong Kong hosted a “Mini Workshop on AI and Fintech” featuring Professors David D. Yao, Houmin Yan, and Guangwu Liu. Key presentations covered emission-trading risk hedging, AI-driven credit-risk management for Amazon seller financing, and automated market-making research.

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Why it matters:
Academic–industry collaboration is vital for next-generation fintech innovation. By tackling real-world challenges—carbon cost integration, dynamic hedging, AI credit scoring, and automated trading—researchers and practitioners can co-develop solutions that scale globally.

Analysis & Commentary:
I contend that Hong Kong is positioning itself as a “Fintech Alpha Node” for Asia, leveraging top-tier academics to incubate disruptive ideas. The workshop’s focus on tokenized clean-energy assets and AI for credit decisions signals where investment dollars will flow: sustainable-finance fintech and machine-learning risk engines. As regulatory sandboxes in Hong Kong and beyond open, such cross-pollination workshops will be the crucible for breakthrough products.

Source: Newswise

Conclusion: Charting the Course Ahead

Today’s headlines—from Revolut’s meteoric profit to Stenn’s cautionary collapse, and from Coinbase’s talent migration to Omnea’s automation triumph, capped by HKIAS’s academic symposium—paint a vivid picture of an industry in flux. Key themes emerge:

1. Super-App Evolution: Fintechs are racing to embed a full suite of services—lending, trading, payments—blurring lines with incumbent banks.

2. Risk Control Reboot: Collapses like Stenn’s will drive banks to reinforce due diligence and embrace transparent, blockchain-backed workflows.

3. Talent Democratization: The coastal tech epicenters are ceding ground; remote and regional hubs are powering the next wave of fintech innovation.

4. Invisible Finance & Automation: Real-time, AI-driven tools are automating procurement and credit decisions, embedding controls directly into workflows.

5. Academic–Industry Fusion: Workshops bridging theory and practice are critical to solving complex challenges—from ESG-linked assets to automated trading.

As we digest these developments, one thing is clear: fintech’s pulse is strong, but its beat demands constant vigilance, adaptability, and a thirst for innovation. Join me tomorrow for another briefing—because in fintech, today’s news is tomorrow’s roadmap.

The post Fintech Pulse: Your Daily Industry Brief – April 24, 2025 (Revolut, Citigroup, BNP Paribas, Coinbase, Omnea, HKIAS) appeared first on News, Events, Advertising Options.

NEW YORK, April 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — As the global investment landscape shifts in response to AI breakthroughs, geopolitical flux, and a generational wealth transfer, one firm is emerging as a powerful force redefining what it means to lead with conviction: Beyond Alpha Ventures (BAV). Under the visionary leadership of Jacob Kobe Frankel, BAV has established itself as a multi-strategy family office and hedge fund with an eye on the future—and the world is taking notice.

Launched with a long-term thesis and institutional discipline, BAV has quietly built a portfolio that reads like a blueprint of the next decade’s technological infrastructure. The firm holds stakes in industry-defining companies such as SpaceX, Palantir, and X.AI, placing it at the core of frontier innovation—from space commercialization and AI governance to national security technology and large language model development.

“We don’t just invest in companies—we invest in the architecture of tomorrow’s society,” says Frankel. “At BAV, capital is not just fuel. It’s strategy, insight, and commitment to long-term impact.”

A Visionary at the Helm

At just 32, Jacob Kobe Frankel has emerged as one of the most compelling young voices in venture capital and asset management. Frankel combines technical fluency with macroeconomic insight, bringing a rare dual-lens perspective to capital allocation. His strategic thinking has led to early and bold moves into sectors now considered essential.

What sets Frankel apart is not just his eye for high-growth assets—but his deep belief that venture capital has a responsibility beyond returns. Under his leadership, BAV has championed an investment model that actively integrates ethical foresight, systems thinking, and technical diligence. The result: a firm with both impressive returns and a growing reputation for shaping purposeful innovation.

A Distinct Investment Strategy

BAV’s edge lies in its multi-strategy approach, balancing late-stage private equity, secondary market opportunities, and algorithmic public market strategies. The firm operates with the agility of a startup and the rigor of an institutional fund, using proprietary AI-assisted research tools to enhance due diligence, monitor portfolio performance, and uncover high-potential market inefficiencies before they become mainstream.

Frankel’s belief in precision capital is evident in the firm’s track record. By backing technologies with proven traction and transformative potential, BAV has aligned itself with ventures that are not only scalable, but foundational—positioning itself as a core player in the next wave of technological consolidation.

A Global Perspective with Long-Term Discipline

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Beyond Alpha Ventures has been featured in discussions at the Nasdaq Innovation Series, the Mastercard AI Summit, and global finance panels where Frankel has been praised for his pragmatic vision of AI’s role in society. Unlike many firms chasing hype cycles, BAV invests with a generational lens—focusing on technologies that can enhance resilience, transparency, and societal scalability.

“AI is no longer a vertical—it’s the operating system of modern civilization,” Frankel stated at a recent investor conference. “At BAV, our role is to back the builders of that system—with capital, conviction, and long-term partnership.”

Poised for a Breakout Year

As 2025 unfolds, industry insiders and LPs alike are calling Beyond Alpha Ventures one of the most promising hybrid investment vehicles on the market. With a robust pipeline, a world-class portfolio, and a CEO whose clarity and courage continue to define the firm’s trajectory, BAV is not just a hedge fund to watch—it’s a blueprint for the next era of capital innovation.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2672681/BEYOND_ALPHA_VENTURES.jpg

Contact: Abigail Lincoln, +44 7856 126 983

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/beyond-alpha-ventures-the-multi-strategy-hedge-fund-to-watch-in-2025-302437684.html

MIAMI, April 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — At PI Live US, CapyFast, the embedded payments provider for digital commerce, and Bidwise, a performance marketing platform, have announced a new strategic partnership. This collaboration aims to transform payments flow across the performance marketing — making it faster, cheaper, and more intelligent.

The agreement signed today, formalized in a Memorandum of Understanding, is expected to bring over $40 million in payment volumes to CapyFast and millions in available working capital for Bidwise. The cooperation will cover integrating real-time cross-border payment solutions along with smart liquidity services into newly developed infrastructure for Bidwise.

“The performance marketing industry is powered by results, but too often held back by legacy payment cycles,” said Oleg Chanchikov, CEO of CapyFast. “This is why CapyFast wants to remove this block. We’ve already built the infrastructure to support real-time liquidity and embedded funding. Our partnership with Bidwise will help more businesses profit from it.”

CapyFast has grown to be an important financial infrastructure provider to performance-based platforms and networks. By embedding real-time payments and revenue-based funding directly into digital platforms, CapyFast transforms how value is distributed across the industry.

“At Bidwise, we invest millions of dollars every year into media buying to fuel growth and customer acquisition for our partners,” said Simon Vielma, CEO of Bidwise. “Through this cooperation, we’ll have access to flexible financing that will help us scale faster and operate more efficiently.”

What changes with this cooperation?

• Bidwise and its partners receive real-time and cross-border payouts with dramatically reduced costs;
• Bidwise improves liquidity by accessing flexible working capital;
• Enhanced risk management with CapyFast’s proprietary scoring and payment intelligence;
• A roadmap with plan for infrastructure scale, with rollout starting in Q3 2025 and full deployment by Q1 2026.

This deal reflects a growing trend of fintech-meets-adtech, where modern financial infrastructure becomes essential to platform scalability and user trust.

Media Contacts

CapyFast PR
Email: press@capyfast.com
Web: www.capyfast.com

Bidwise Media
Milli Frigara
Email: milli@bidwise.com
Web: www.bidwise.com

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2672680/CapyFast_Logo.jpg

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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/capyfast-and-bidwise-forms-strategic-partnership-involving-over-40-million-in-payment-volumes-within-performance-marketing-industry-302437615.html