BlackFin Tech Weekly — September 1st, 2025
Every Week, we publish a short digest which sums up last week’s Fintech activity.
Hello FinTech Friends,
Welcome to another week of fintech insights. Let’s explore the news and trends shaping the industry!
Over the last week, there were two fintech deals in Europe, raising a total of €36 million, including one deal in Germany, and one in Estonia.
Congratulations to the two largest rounds announced last week:
M0, a Swiss-based company that builds the “base layer” for launching stablecoins, has raised €34 million in a Series B round led by Polychain Capital, Ribbit Capital and Endeavor.
Creem, the Estonia-based company that manages your customers’ data and payment solutions for your business, especially assisting with your compliance and tax-related tasks, secured €1.8 million in Pre-Seed funding from Practica Capital with the participation of Antler and angel investors.
M0, based in Switzerland, provides infrastructure to help businesses easily create and launch interoperable stablecoins. The company has raised €34 million in Series B funding, with Polychain Capital, Ribbit Capital and Endeavor. This new capital will be used to scale its platform and strengthen partnerships across the digital asset ecosystem.
Creem, headquartered in Estonia, helps businesses manage customer data, payment solutions, and compliance-related tasks, including tax obligations. The startup has secured €1.8 million in Pre-Seed funding led by Practica Capital with the participation of Antler and angel investors. The funds will support product development and expansion across Europe.
In addition to this week’s fundraising activity, here is the European M&A activity for the week:
Swedbank, a major Nordic retail and corporate bank, has announced the €235 million acquisition of Entercard, a Sweden-based provider of credit cards and consumer loans serving 1.5 million customers across Scandinavia. The deal, currently pending, reinforces Swedbank’s consumer finance business and expands its footprint in unsecured lending in Northern Europe.
PEAC Solutions, a US-based provider of asset-based financing and leasing solutions (part of BlackRock), has agreed to acquire Topi, a German hardware leasing platform for iPhones, computers, and other electronic devices. The pending transaction will enhance PEAC Solutions’ digital leasing offering and broaden its customer base among SMEs seeking flexible equipment financing.
Carlyle, the global private equity firm, has announced the acquisition of Intelliflo, a UK-based cloud SaaS platform that helps financial advisors manage clients, compliance, and portfolios. The deal, still pending, supports Carlyle’s strategy to expand in financial technology and strengthen its presence in advisor-focused wealth management solutions across Europe.
And finally, we bring you four news stories that caught our eye last week:
Revolut is weighing an entry into U.S. banking by either acquiring an American lender or applying for its own license, according to reports. The U.K. fintech has hired advisers as it prepares to launch savings products for U.S. customers, marking a push to expand beyond partnerships with local banks. A similar plan was reported last month, though the company has declined to comment. Regulators in Washington are seen as more open to fintech growth, spurring Revolut and rivals to seek larger roles in the market. At home, the group is still finalizing its U.K. banking license after a three-year process, with restrictions remaining in place. CEO Nik Storonsky has admitted the firm’s rapid expansion made licensing harder, while authorities recently dismissed speculation of tensions over the delayed approval.
Klarna, the Swedish payments group, is reviving its U.S. IPO plans with a target valuation of $13–14bn, well below the $50bn it sought in 2021. The relaunch follows a pause earlier this year after tariffs unsettled markets, and the company is now looking to raise close to $1bn. Shares could be priced at $34–36, according to people familiar with the matter. The decision comes as equity markets recover and recent listings such as Figma and Circle fuel investor demand for new tech flotations. Klarna, known for pioneering “buy now, pay later,” reported second-quarter revenue of $823mn and adjusted profit of $29mn, while its active customer base grew 31% to 111mn. The group last raised capital in 2021 at a significantly higher valuation, underscoring the reset in market expectations.
N26, Germany’s most valuable fintech, is set for a leadership shake-up as ex-Bundesbank executive Andreas Dombret is nominated to chair its supervisory board. The move follows tensions between investors and founders, with current chair Marcus Mosen shifting to co-CEO alongside Maximilian Tayenthal. Regulators have flagged governance and compliance issues at N26, adding to pressure for change. Talks are ongoing for co-founder Valentin Stalf to join the supervisory board after giving up veto rights, while Tayenthal is expected to leave management by year-end. Founded in 2013 and valued at €7.7bn in 2021, N26 has faced scrutiny from BaFin over money laundering controls. Dombret’s appointment is expected to be approved swiftly given his regulatory experience.
Citi Wealth has rolled out two artificial intelligence tools aimed at speeding client communications and easing adviser workloads. Advisor Insights, a dashboard that delivers market updates and portfolio alerts, is in pilot mode with U.S. clients before expanding globally in 2026. AskWealth, a generative AI assistant, is already live across the division, providing instant responses to staff queries and client service teams. The launch follows earlier testing in Asia and builds on Citi’s broader AI investments in fraud detection, risk management and customer service. Executives say the systems will cut research time and improve the personal service clients expect while reinforcing the bank’s AI-driven growth strategy. Rivals including Morgan Stanley, UBS and Goldman Sachs have also deployed similar tools, highlighting the growing role of AI in wealth management.
Have a great start into the week!
Sources of the fundraising reports