Many charities have been severely affected by the lockdown as offline fundraising activities came to a sudden halt. At the same time, the society is visibly moving towards cashless transactions: in October last year ATM withdrawals were 40% lower than the year before. Evershare connected the dots and teamed up with Moneyhub, the provider of payment API to deliver a QR code payments system for charities to make fundraising easier in the times of social distancing. Thanks to the platform, donations can be transferred directly from the donors’ banking apps to the charity. Additionally, the solution is way more cost effective than alternatives, such as Stripe, PayPal and other payments platforms.

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Another news, another partnership! It’s truly one of the hottest trends in FinTech. In this case, Monzo decided to enhance its gambling block, which was previously limited to payments made with a credit card… until now. The partnership with True Layer, an open banking integration provider, will allow Monzo to extend the feature to open baking powered transactions as well. The block, introduced in 2018, helps Monzo users overcome gambling addictions by blocking transactions with gambling providers.

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QR code enabled payments… once again! Revolut also saw a big opportunity in the black-and-white codes and decided to add this feature to its Business app. From now, businesses can accept payments from customers showing a QR code on their devices. No additional payment terminals are required. Customers, after scanning the code with their phones, will be able to make a payment using Apple Pay, Visa or Mastercard, keeping the required social distance. According to Revolut, it’s a fantastic option for small business owners, like cafes and market stalls.

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What a former NBA MVP has to do with FinTech? A lot, apparently. Russell Westbrook, nine times NBA All-Star, joins Varo Bank as an investor and advisor. The digital bank is currently on a mission to create a new impact platform for the underserved communities of color, largely ignored by the banking system in the U.S. Among the perks offered by Varo Bank are: up to two days earlier access to payroll deposits, saving account with some of the most competitive rates on the market, and a cash advance line of credit called Varo Advance…. and all this free of charge at least until March 2021.

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NALA Money, a Tanzania based startup, became an Electronic Money Directive agent and a partner of Modulr, a British Payments-as-a-Service provider. This decision is connected with NALA’s plans to launch a payments platform with a range of financial services for the East African diaspora in the UK. A beta version of the app is already available for customers sending money to Uganda and Kenya, and the partnership with Modulr will make it possible to extend operations to the rest of the region, says Benjamin Fernandes, CEO of NALA, adding: “We are excited to move forward with Modulr’s support to increase economic opportunity for Africans across the globe”.

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