Sunlight Financial to go public via merger with Apollo-affiliated SPAC

Sunlight Financial to go public via merger with Apollo-affiliated SPAC

We are almost into February and the growth of the SPAC (special purpose acquisition company) route to taking fintech companies public shows no sign of abating.

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LendingClub gets green light to acquire Radius Bank

LendingClub gets green light to acquire Radius Bank

LendingClub, the publicly-traded digital-lending marketplace, got the green light from regulators to complete the acquisition of Radius Bank, after getting preliminary approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency in December.

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Rent-A-Center to acquire Acima Holdings in $1.65B deal

Rent-A-Center to acquire Acima Holdings in $1.65B deal

Rent-A-Center, a retailer that offers home furnishings, appliances, and electronics, on a lease-to-own basis, is planning to acquire digital lease-to-own provider Acima Holdings in a $1.65B cash and stock transaction.

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‘Buy now, pay later,’ solution for health care PrimaHealth Credit launches

‘Buy now, pay later,’ solution for health care PrimaHealth Credit launches

PrimaHealth Credit, a Newport Beach, Calif.-based lender, is taking the popular point-of-sale shopping model for retail and applying it to elective medical procedures.

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Point-of-sale lender Affirm files to go public

Point-of-sale lender Affirm files to go public

Affirm, an 8-year-old ‘buy now, pay later’ firm founded by PayPal co-founder Max Levchin, filed to go public amid doubling year-over-year revenue in the third quarter and narrowing losses.

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Payability partners with marketplace Newegg on working capital offering

Payability partners with marketplace Newegg on working capital offering

New York City-based fintech Payability is adding electronics marketplace Newegg to its list of e-commerce partners through an offering called Newegg Capital.

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Twitter to invest $100M in fund that offers loans to the underserved

Twitter to invest $100M in fund that offers loans to the underserved

Twitter and the Opportunity Finance Network announced the creation of the Finance Justice Fund, which aims to bring $1B in capital from corporate and philanthropic donors to underserved individuals and communities.

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Pablo Escobar’s brother is suing Klarna in the US, with hopes to scuttle its expansion

Pablo Escobar’s brother is suing Klarna in the US, with hopes to scuttle its expansion

Sifted reports that a company run by the brother of deceased Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar is suing point-of-sale lender Klarna for millions.

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NerdWallet acquires Fundera, and Square reportedly in talks to buy Credit Karma’s tax-prep business

NerdWallet acquires Fundera, and Square reportedly in talks to buy Credit Karma’s tax-prep business

Financial product marketplace NerdWallet acquired Fundera, a platform that allows small business owners to compare loan offerings.

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UK government probes point-of-sale lender Klarna for data misuse

UK government probes point-of-sale lender Klarna for data misuse

Point-of-sale lender Klarna, a global company worth $10.6B, is in hot water with a U.K. privacy watchdog over unsolicited emails it sent to some consumers encouraging them to use the point-of-sale loan offering despite never having used it.

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Macy’s invests in point-of-sale lender Klarna, announces five-year partnership

Macy’s invests in point-of-sale lender Klarna, announces five-year partnership

Retailer Macy’s is putting a lot of eggs in its “buy now, pay later,” basket, with an undisclosed investment in point-of-sale lender Klarna and a five-year partnership that will allow Macy’s customers to pay for goods in interest-free installments.

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Venmo launches credit card with 3% cash back rewards

Venmo launches credit card with 3% cash back rewards

PayPal-owned peer-to-peer payments app Venmo launched a credit card issued by Synchrony Bank, powered by the Visa network.

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Finicity launches new underwriting tools to help FIs reach new customers

Finicity launches new underwriting tools to help FIs reach new customers

Data aggregator Finicity, which Mastercard agreed to acquire in June in a deal valued at nearly $1B, launched a new product suite called Finicity Lend, which is designed to help lenders reach more consumers through a closer line of sight on transactions.

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German fintech Monedo files for bankruptcy amid pandemic pressure

German fintech Monedo files for bankruptcy amid pandemic pressure

Germany-based Monedo, a lending startup that was once valued at €230M ($273M), has filed for bankruptcy.

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