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3 February 2025 Tietoevry and UPM have announced the renewal of their strategic partnership, focusing on the development of next-generation application services powered by data and AI. The agreement, which spans an initial five years with a one-year extension option, aims to enhance UPM’s operational continuity and foster innovation through advanced technological solutions. The primary goal of this collaboration is to support UPM’s efficiency and productivity by leveraging Tietoevry’s specialized IT services, with an emphasis on AI and automation to drive cost savings and improve performance. Tietoevry will provide a range of services, including application management and development, automation, AI enhancements, and DevOps support. The company will also deliver TIPS Industry Solutions and Services, a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) designed for UPM’s various business sectors. In return, UPM will focus on utilizing AI and automation to enhance service quality and user experiences. The partnership will integrate business applications from leading technology providers such as Microsoft, Oracle, Salesforce, and SAP, alongside Tietoevry’s industry-specific MES solutions. The services will be delivered through a collaborative, one-team approach across multiple parties, ensuring seamless integration within UPM’s wide-ranging business operations. Key statements from the collaboration highlight the alignment of both companies’ strategic goals. “Tietoevry provides us with a dedicated, experienced team, and their investment in developing an end-to-end, multi-party service delivery model has been invaluable. We’re excited to explore new AI and automation solutions together to drive efficiency,” said Turkka Keskinen, CIO at UPM. “We’re delighted that our services align with UPM’s high standards, and we look forward to continuing our partnership. The potential of AI, data, and automation excites us, and we’re committed to fully realizing these benefits for UPM,” said Harri Kulmala, Head of Market Finland at Tietoevry Tech Services. “We are thrilled to deepen our collaboration with UPM, helping them navigate their digital transformation. Our AI-powered MES solution for the forest industry provides complete transparency throughout the value chain, fostering innovation while supporting our customers’ growth,” added Jyri Jokinurmi, Global Director, Business Development, Pulp, Paper, Board & Nonwoven at Tietoevry Industry.

3 February 2025 ExtractAlpha has strengthened its data-driven offerings by acquiring ESG Analytics, a move designed to enhance clients’ ability to leverage advanced ESG insights for more informed decision-making. ESG Analytics, recognized for its real-time, actionable insights into environmental, social, and governance metrics, plays a key role in managing ESG risks and seizing opportunities in responsible investing. The acquisition is expected to provide deeper and more immediate analysis of sustainability factors, helping investors optimize returns while staying aligned with sustainability objectives. ESG Analytics utilizes machine learning and alternative data to deliver a comprehensive view of a company’s ESG performance. This strategic acquisition further expands ExtractAlpha’s portfolio, solidifying its position as a leader in alternative data solutions and ensuring clients have access to cutting-edge tools for sustainable investing. ESG Analytics, known for its innovative use of advanced technologies, will now complement ExtractAlpha’s expertise in offering essential ESG insights to investors. The acquisition also marks an important milestone for ExtractAlpha with the appointment of Qayyum “Q” Rajan as Head of ExtractAlpha Labs. Rajan will oversee the development of innovative, data-driven solutions and extend the company’s quantitative investing tools into new market segments. Vinesh Jha, CEO of ExtractAlpha, expressed excitement about the acquisition: “We’re thrilled to welcome ESG Analytics and Q’s expertise to the ExtractAlpha team. This acquisition enhances our alternative data capabilities, ensuring our clients have access to the most advanced ESG insights for responsible investing.” Qayyum Rajan shared his enthusiasm, stating, “Joining forces with ExtractAlpha is a fantastic opportunity to expand our reach and capabilities. Together, we’ll create innovative solutions that enable investors to integrate alternative data trading signals in ways that drive meaningful impact.” This strategic acquisition underscores ExtractAlpha’s ongoing commitment to innovation and its focus on providing unparalleled tools for alpha generation and sustainable investing.

3 February 2025 Infinox Capital Limited has been hit with a £99,200 fine by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for failing to submit 46,053 required transaction reports. This marks the FCA’s first penalty for non-compliance with the UK Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation (MiFIR) transaction reporting obligations. The failure occurred between October 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023, when Infinox did not report transactions for single-stock contracts for difference (CFD) trades conducted via a corporate brokerage account, a key component of its business. The oversight was discovered during a third-party review, yet Infinox did not proactively notify the FCA. Instead, the breach was uncovered independently by the FCA, revealing gaps in Infinox’s systems and controls related to managing high-risk investment products. Steve Smart, the FCA’s joint executive director of enforcement and market oversight, emphasized the significance of accurate and timely transaction reporting. “As a data-driven regulator, it is crucial that firms submit accurate and timely transaction reports and immediately inform us of any failures. Infinox’s failure to do so allowed the potential for market abuse to go undetected, undermining market integrity,” he said. The FCA continues to vigilantly monitor market data to detect misconduct and uphold market integrity.

3 February 2025 Wisetack, a FinTech company specializing in pay-over-time financing solutions, has secured $25 million in growth capital from Trinity Capital, an alternative asset manager focused on private credit investments. The funding will support Wisetack’s continued expansion, enabling the company to scale its operations and fuel further growth. Wisetack offers consumer financing solutions for home services, allowing customers to pay for essential services such as HVAC, plumbing, and pest control through flexible installment plans. The platform seamlessly integrates into the software tools used by home service providers, simplifying the process for businesses to offer financing options to their customers. Ryan Thompson, managing director of tech lending at Trinity Capital, praised Wisetack’s strong market position and growth potential. “Wisetack has demonstrated impressive growth, a stellar customer experience, and a solid foothold in a large market. Their seamless integration process and user-friendly software empower businesses nationwide to offer financing for essential services. We are excited to support Wisetack’s continued expansion as they provide more flexibility to businesses and customers alike.” Bobby Tzekin, founder and CEO of Wisetack, shared his enthusiasm about the partnership. “We are thrilled to work with Trinity Capital, a leader in providing growth capital to fast-growing, category-defining companies. Their support will accelerate our innovation and growth in the vast home services market.” Founded in 2018 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wisetack has garnered investment from several notable backers, including Insight Partners, Greylock, Quadrille Capital, and Bain Capital Ventures.

3 February 2025 Jump, an AI-driven solution provider for financial advisors and services firms, has raised $20 million in a Series A funding round. Battery Ventures led the round, with additional participation from Citi Ventures, Sorenson Capital, and Pelion Ventures Partners. Founded by FinTech entrepreneurs, Jump focuses on improving productivity for advisory firms, including independent broker-dealers (IBDs), registered investment advisors (RIAs), and solo practitioners. With a total of $24.6 million raised to date, this new funding will fuel the company’s growth and innovation. The capital will be used to further Jump’s goal of enhancing advisor workflows by automating tasks like meeting preparation, notetaking, compliance documentation, CRM updates, and financial planning data management. The company plans to accelerate product development, expand its AI-powered solutions, and scale its sales and support teams to meet growing demand. Jump has quickly gained traction within the financial services industry, partnering with notable IBDs and RIAs, including LPL Financial, Sanctuary Wealth, Integrated Partners, and Mission Wealth. Since emerging from closed beta in January 2024, the company has experienced a monthly growth rate of over 35%. Dharmesh Thakker, general partner at Battery Ventures, commented, “We’re excited to partner with Jump and lead this Series A round. The company’s strong product, rapid growth, and positive customer feedback show it’s well-positioned to be a leader in the AI-driven wealth industry. Jump is quickly becoming the go-to choice for financial advisors and enterprise leaders looking to integrate AI in a practical and secure way.” According to a recent survey, Jump’s AI solutions save financial advisors an average of one hour per workday, with some users experiencing even higher efficiency gains. The platform integrates with popular tools like Zoom, Teams, Salesforce, Wealthbox, and Redtail, while also providing enterprise-level compliance controls. Jump CEO and co-founder Parker Ence stated, “Our mission to empower advisors and clients in the AI era is gaining momentum. We’re thrilled to see Jump becoming the standard tool for saving time and boosting client engagement. We’re deeply grateful to our customers and partners who have supported us along the way and helped drive our growth through word-of-mouth.”

3 February 2025 Pipe, a FinTech company specializing in embedded financial solutions for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), has unveiled a significant expansion of its Pipe Partner Portal, introducing a suite of new developer tools designed to streamline integration. The updates are aimed at simplifying the process for developers to embed Pipe’s capital services within payment and software platforms. By prioritizing a “tech-first” approach, Pipe ensures smooth integration for its partners while speeding up capital access for SMBs. Pipe’s infrastructure enables payment processors and vertical software companies to offer capital solutions without the need for developing complex in-house systems. With its software development kits (SDKs) and APIs, partners can easily integrate Pipe’s capital services into their platforms, enhancing the merchant experience and unlocking new revenue opportunities. Businesses can also bypass traditional financing obstacles by utilizing their secure transaction data from partner platforms. The newly enhanced developer tools provide multiple integration options, including a Pipe-hosted version that can be deployed within a week, an Embedded UI that takes one to two weeks, and a Full API integration that offers complete control over the user journey within four weeks. A major update includes the upgraded Pipe Partner Portal, featuring a dashboard and resource center where partners can track merchant activity, revenue sharing, and manage embedded relationships. Deepak Colluru, director of product management at GoCardless, praised the smooth integration process with Pipe’s technology. “Integrating with Pipe’s Embedded UI was incredibly straightforward. The self-service Partner Portal and comprehensive documentation allowed us to move quickly, while Pipe’s responsive tech team provided valuable guidance when needed. The Pipe team’s dedication to our success was evident throughout the entire process.” Key technical enhancements in this update include real-time feedback via webhooks, improved security with advanced API key management, and a robust sandbox for testing integration scenarios. Nate Wiger, Pipe’s chief technology officer, highlighted the company’s commitment to the developer community: “As a software company focused on improving financial access, we understand the importance of close collaboration with developers. By expanding our Partner Portal with additional tools and resources, we aim to make it easier for our partners to embed Pipe’s solutions, from the initial implementation to post-launch support.”

3 February 2025 Semeris, an AI-driven legal document analysis firm serving financial institutions, has raised $4.3 million in funding. The round was led by Puma Growth Partners, known for supporting small and medium-sized businesses with growth capital, along with contributions from independent investors. The new funding will enable Semeris to expand its platform and strengthen its sales team to meet the rising demand for AI-powered legal solutions within structured finance. Founded in 2020 by Peter Jasko, former head of JPMorgan’s European CLO team, and Sam Daroczy, co-founder and ex-CEO of Verba Technologies, Semeris is set to transform the way legal document analysis is conducted. Semeris offers AI tools that streamline the legal review process, significantly reducing the time and cost of analyzing complex financial documents. Its platform replaces manual review methods with AI-enhanced systems, delivering faster, more accurate results while ensuring compliance with industry regulations. The company’s library includes over 5,000 structured finance transactions across various asset classes, including Collateralized Loan Obligations (CLOs), Asset-Backed Securities (ABS), and Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS). The raised capital will allow Semeris to expand its offerings beyond CLOs and ABS/MBS to include additional asset classes such as leveraged loans and private credit agreements. The company is focused on enhancing its AI solutions to further optimize legal workflows, improving accuracy and reducing turnaround times for deal analysis. Peter Jasko, CEO of Semeris, commented, “We’re excited to partner with Puma Growth Partners and independent investors to drive the next phase of Semeris’ growth. This investment will help us broaden our reach into new asset classes and document types, offering structured finance professionals AI-powered tools that significantly reduce processing times and tackle challenges that were previously out of reach. With Puma’s support, we’re advancing our mission to revolutionize legal documentation and create smarter, more efficient finance workflows.” Henri Songeur, investment director at Puma Growth Partners, added, “We’re thrilled to support an experienced management team that deeply understands their customers’ needs when reviewing complex financial documents. Their expertise in leading investment desks at major financial institutions has enabled them to develop an innovative AI-driven solution. The product’s value is further validated by its impressive client base, which includes leading global financial institutions. We are excited to help Semeris scale its business, expand into new asset classes, and deliver additional products and services to its growing customer base.”

3 February 2025 Enable Banking, a leading provider of open banking infrastructure, has partnered with Qred Bank, a specialist in flexible and fast financing solutions for entrepreneurs. Founded in 2015, Qred operates across Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Brazil, serving over 50,000 businesses. The company offers business loans ranging from €5,000 to €500,000, enabling entrepreneurs to grow their businesses without the restrictions of traditional banking. Qred’s unique model also allows businesses to repay loans early, paying only for the period they need financing. Enable Banking provides a next-generation open banking infrastructure that connects to over 2,500 European banks in 28 countries through a single PSD2-compliant API. The company offers seamless and secure connectivity to both business and consumer accounts, supporting account-to-account payments and access to financial data. As a licensed Account Information Service Provider (AISP), Enable Banking helps businesses utilize transactional data to develop innovative financial services while ensuring compliance and security. This new partnership integrates Enable Banking’s open banking connectivity with Qred’s credit decision and risk assessment platforms, enabling real-time financial data analysis to streamline the credit approval process and enhance the customer experience. Additionally, by incorporating Enable Banking’s account-to-account payment infrastructure, Qred can simplify payment management for its customers, automating manual tasks and boosting operational efficiency. Sarah Häger, CCO of Enable Banking, commented, “We are excited to collaborate with Qred. This partnership showcases the transformative power of open banking in enhancing business processes and driving innovation. Our seamless collaboration has been a fantastic experience, and we are proud to support Qred as they continue empowering entrepreneurs with flexible financing options.” Emil Sunvisson, CEO of Qred, added, “Partnering with Enable Banking is a major milestone for Qred. Their open banking technology strengthens our risk analysis, streamlines operations, and enhances growth. This partnership enables us to offer a smooth customer experience while staying true to our mission of supporting entrepreneurs. Together, we’re helping small businesses thrive and create new job opportunities.”