Image via PYMNTS
Starling: Geographic Expansion
Starling Bank is considering entering the US banking market, either through acquiring a licensed American lender or applying for a banking license. CFO Declan Ferguson stated the bank is 'probably more inclined towards acquisition.' This follows the bank's recovery from FCA regulatory restrictions and return to growth in UK operations.
Source: PYMNTS
The leadership read
Market entry of this kind typically deepens demand for fintech leadership bench strength in the region over the following 12–18 months.
Market context: the MitchelLake Talent Market Index reads 114.6 — Hot (+16.3 vs prior month); EMEA signal share is easing (-3.5pts).
Market entry — the MitchelLake playbook
When a company expands into a new market, the first leadership hires decide whether it lands. A selection of market entries we've run:
All market-entry case studies →MitchelLake in this thematic
From the MitchelLake archive
More signals across Fintech
Geographic Expansion · EMEA
Revolut →Featured as a European tech leader serving 70M+ customers across 40 countries in Balderton Capital's 'Built in Europe' campaign.
“Travelling across Europe and meeting founders every day, what we feel is excitement and energy, not just from the big names who have already proven that their ideas work, but also from founders with huge ambition who are just getting started. For too long, the narrative around European tech has been stuck on all the things that need to change. Built In Europe aims to shift the conversation from potential to proof.”
Strategic Hiring · EMEA
Finova →Finova appointed three senior directors (R&D, DevOps, Technical Delivery) to Manchester hub and partnered with Makers Academy for early-career talent. Manchester recruitment 80% complete, signaling major expansion phase for AI-driven platform development.
Capital Raising · EMEA
Paymentology →Paymentology raised $175 million in May 2026, co-led by Apis Partners and Aspirity Partners. The London-based issuer-processor is expanding its payments infrastructure capabilities
“It's not just trust to our customers – we're very much B2B – but it's that trust needs to carry through all the way to our customers' customers.”
Ma Activity · EMEA
Nuvei →Nuvei is reported to be pursuing a merger with Payoneer to strengthen position in stablecoin processing and SMB merchant reach.
Product Launch · EMEA
Feedzai →Feedzai launched Feedzai IQ Score, an AI-native fraud risk scoring solution delivered via API on AWS Marketplace, enabling banks of all sizes to access anonymized network-derived fraud intelligence without historical data requirements
Capital Raising · EMEA
Satispay →Italian fintech unicorn Satispay raising €120 million to launch stock and ETF trading, pension products, and expanded welfare services. Valuation remains above €1 billion. Backed by returning investors Addition, Greyhound Capital, and Lightrock.
“Italy holds one of the largest private financial wealth reserves in the world. Wealth that too often lies idle, fails to grow, and builds no future. We believe that investing should be within everyone's reach, with the same ease with which people manage money in their daily lives today”