Fintech Rundown (30/03) - Visa, Mastercard, Paypal, Stripe, NYSE, Zopa

Breaking news debanking story continues. Visa, Mastercard, PayPal and Stripe received letters from a Washington antitrust regulator warning the firms not to deny customers access to services based on their political or religious views. US Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson sent the letters to the payment companies’ chief executive officers, citing reports that some customers had been blocked based on their beliefs.

Intercontinental Exchange the owner of the New York Stock Exchange, added $600 million to its investment in prediction market platform Polymarket, bringing its total commitment close to $2 billion. The ICE deal deepens Polymarket’s ties to a major global market operator as rival Kalshi raises more than $1 billion at a $22 billion valuation and generates an estimated $1.5 billion in annual revenue.

UK neobank Zopa Group is considering an acquisition to secure a foothold in the Northern European market. The company is considering the purchase of a local bank or fintech in Germany or Scandinavia. In the past year, Zopa reported a profit increase to £65m and expanded its loan book by 23% to £3.8bn. Its customer base stands at nearly 2 million.

That’s your fintech rundown. Stay tuned for more updates.