570. News: Fintech in flux? Google cancels Plex and Monzo withdraws US licence bid

Our expert hosts, Benjamin Ensor and Gwera Kiwana, are joined by some great guests to talk about the most notable fintech, financial services and banking news from the past week. This week's guests include: Ron Shevlin, Director of Research, Cornerstone Advisors Emily Nicolle, Fintech Correspondent, Financial News Kate Drew, Director of Research, CCG Catalyst We cover the following stories from the fintech and financial services space: Google Is Scrapping its Plan to Offer Bank Accounts to Users 3:05 Monzo withdraws US banking licence application 15:21 Alloy raises $100 million at a $1.35 billion valuation to help banks and fintechs fight fraud with its API-based platform 27:27 Starling to launch banking-as-a-service package in Europe 36:50 AI-based mortgage overpayment app Sprive launches 47:40 Fintech firm Upgrade is getting into buy now, pay later with short-term installment loans 49:00 NatWest acquires pocket money app RoosterMoney 50:14 11:FS shares a boat with James Bond 51:50 This episode is sponsored by Temenos. Temenos is the world leader in banking software, serving over 3,000 financial institutions. SCALE 2021 is Temenos' dedicated, virtual developer event, including: insights from industry leaders on current technology trends and how they impact banking; customer presentations; product demonstrations and road-map sessions and opportunities to speak with Temenos experts. Whether you're a developer, consultant or business user, discover the latest technology opportunities and how this can help you deliver bigger, better, faster. Register to attend here. (https://tem.mn/3jYLZlm) This episode is sponsored by LetsDeel. There's a better way to hire internationally, and it starts with Deel. Everything from contract creation, record keeping, payments, and full-time employment is all in one place for teams all over the world. Companies anywhere can hire compliantly everywhere thanks to Deel. It's payroll and compliance built for today's worldwide workforce. To learn more, visit letsdeel/11fs (https://www.letsdeel.com/11fs), and redeem an exclusive offer of 3 months free when you hire a contractor and 20% for your first year when you hire an employee. This episode is sponsored by Blueshift Customers expect more from their digital experience and their personal finance is no exception. Blueshift empowers fintech and financial institutions to create secure customer profiles and intentional, relevant experiences for customers. Whether in app, on site, in branch, or anywhere else, Blueshift’s SmartHub CDP helps brands like Lending Tree and ClearScore turn data into personalized experiences that increase retention, satisfaction, and revenue. Learn more about the Blueshift at blueshift.com/11fs. Fintech Insider by 11:FS is a podcast dedicated to all things fintech, banking, technology and financial services. Hosted by a rotation of 11:FS experts including David Brear, Simon Taylor, Jason Bates and Sarah Kocianski and joined by a range of brilliant guests, we cover the latest global news, bring you interviews from industry experts or take a deep dive into subject matters such as APIs, AI or digital banking. If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe and please leave a review Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/fintechinsiders where you can ask the hosts questions, alternatively email podcasts@11fs.com! Special Guests: Emily Nicolle, Kate Drew, and Ron Shevlin.