510. News: Starling becomes a unicorn and So-Fi really want a licence

Our expert hosts, Simon Taylor and Adam Davies, 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: Alex Frean - Head of Corporate Affairs, Starling Bank Alan Ainsworth, Head of Policy for Open Banking We cover the following stories from the fintech and financial services space: Starling eyes M&A as it is valued at £1.1bn in £272m funding round OBIE and UK Finance set out the future model for Open Banking Passion Capital invites the general public to join venture fund SoFi to buy community lender to accelerate bank charter application Africa’s Flutterwave banks $170 million in fresh capital And finally - the Winklevoss twins' crypto company to sponsor Oxford and Cambridge boat race *This episode is sponsored by Banking Circle! * A fully licensed bank focused on payments, Banking Circle gives Financial Institutions and large corporates direct access to clearing in multiple countries, enabling them to deliver global payments faster and more cost-effectively for their customers. Bypass legacy systems, enable global banking services for your customers and grow your business. Find out more at BankingCircle.com (https://www.bankingcircle.com/?utm_source=11FS&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=generic) 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: Alan Ainsworth and Alexandra Frean.