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Money20/20 Europe Unveils Six Incredible Fintech Startups And Industry Disruptors 

AMSTERDAM, NL – June 6, 2024 – Money20/20, the world’s leading fintech show and the place where money does business, has unveiled six startups that are poised to transform the world of money. The selected startups are FlexvelopBrite PaymentsKore LabsNomyxVelexa, and NALA. The emerging startups were unveiled during Money20/20 Europe’s Startup Media Session on June 5th at the RAI in Amsterdam.

Money20/20 Europe brings together the most influential figures in the fintech and financial services landscape, unlocking growth opportunities for these startups to transform into industry heavy hitters.

“Startups have always been at the heart of Money20/20. It has been a real pleasure seeing the early-stage startups begin on our stages before maturing into some of the biggest players in the industry. As the world of money comes together for Money20/20 Europe, we are delighted to showcase startups that we believe will change the future of money, covering the entire gamut of the ecosystem from regulations to infrastructure. It’s a core mission for Money20/20 to identify, support, and elevate startups and we couldn’t be more proud to provide a platform for these handpicked businesses as they continue their growth journey,” said Scarlett Sieber, Chief Strategy and Growth Officer at Money20/20.

The six startups are:

Flexvelop is a German flexible financing solution for business equipment, enabling companies to lease technology and purchase it at a reduced price. Thanks to this flexible leasing, rental, and credit model, businesses can trial different equipment to see what best suits their needs, better react to market shifts, and find more cost-effective solutions tailored to them.

“For Flexvelop, this is the perfect exclusive opportunity to announce our upcoming move towards internationalization across Europe and to promote “Flexing” as a pioneering financing solution beyond the German borders. We are very grateful to the Money20/20 team for this valuable opportunity,“ said Dr. Hans-Christian Stockfisch

Brite Payments is a Swedish instant payments startup offering smarter, faster, and more financially sustainable ways for payments and payouts thanks to open banking.  Their technology allows funds to be transferred immediately and seamlessly with bank-grade security, minimizing risk for merchants and creating a hassle-free payment experience for consumers.

It is truly an honor to be chosen by Money20/20 Europe, which has established itself at the center of the European fintech ecosystem, to share our vision for payments and highlight the enormous potential of our out-of-the-box instant payments solution. The regulatory and macroeconomic environment in 2024 is a major catalyst for the growth of Pay by Bank payments. Boosted by fresh funding in 2023, we have now made that crucial step from start-up to scale-up, placing us at the forefront of the movement,” said Lena Hackelöer, Founder & CEO, Brite Payments.

Kore Labs is a UK-based, award-winning RegTech startup digitizing financial product management to reduce regulatory risks, costs, and time to market for financial products.  Kore serves a wide range of financial institutions, including major European banks, investment managers, and insurance companies.

“Kore Labs is excited to be named by Money 20/20 as one of Europe’s most promising startups. Our flagship product, KorePRM, continues to be a category-defining product management and governance platform for the financial services industry, already adopted by leading global firms. Kore Labs is disrupting the industry from within, by pioneering a new family of technologies specifically designed to make financial product management more transparent, efficient, and equitable. Kore Labs brings clarity, peace of mind and the power to make fully informed decisions for professionals in this industry – for the ultimate benefit of consumers,” said Sabrina Del Prete, founder and CEO of Kore Labs.

Nomyx is an American Web3 and AI tokenization startup enabling companies to transform traditional assets into digital tokens in a seamless, secure, and transparent manner. Businesses can tokenize a wide range of assets with Nomyx, such as traditional financial assets, real estate properties, art pieces, company shares, intellectual property rights, and collectibles. Nomyx unlocks liquidity for businesses and provides them with increased flexibility with portfolio management.

“We look forward to engaging with the global fintech community and showcasing the innovative solutions NOMYX brings to the table. This platform offers an unparalleled opportunity to share our vision for NOMYX and demonstrate how we are revolutionizing the management of digital assets,” said Ubair Javaid, CEO of Nomyx.

Velexa is a London-based white-label API-based investing platform offering global market access across all major asset classes and currencies. Velexa is the only multi-asset platform that offers a cutting-edge B2B2C WealthTech technology that empowers banks, brokers, wealth managers, and other institutions to embed investing services in their portfolios, delivering a unified personal finance experience for their end users, ultimately making finance less intimidating. In this way, Velexa aims to revolutionize financial literacy and wealth management across Europe.

“Thank you Money20/20 for selecting us alongside these five stellar startups and for supporting us in making our vision a reality. Wealthtech has the power and therefore the responsibility to enhance financial literacy and accessibility. We’re not just helping Europeans manage their finances; we’re empowering them to embark on a transformative wealth journey. Our partnerships with established banks and neobanks allow us to combine innovation with trust, creating a powerful force for financial initiation, ” said Tamara Kostova founder and CEO of Velexa.

NALA is an international money transfer app enabling individuals (nala.com) and businesses (rafiki.com) in the EU, US, and the UK to send money to 11 countries in Africa. Payments to Africa are significantly more expensive than payments to any other continent; NALA was built to reduce those fees through fast, reliable, and affordable cross-border payments. NALA has grown 29x in the past 20 months. Earlier this year, NALA turned profitable and achieved 10X revenue growth in the past 12 months. Their team grew from 7 to nearly 100 in this same time period.

“It’s a great opportunity to share the incredible growth story of Africa, the fastest-growing payment region in the world. Africa’s population is set to grow from 1.2 billion to 2.5 billion, and with 1 in 6 people on the planet projected to be African by 2050, this makes the continent the world’s largest global workforce. Yet, the payments infrastructure in Africa is only 1% built and the opportunity to build the technological infrastructure for Africa’s economic revolution remains largely untapped. This limits global companies like Uber, Netflix and Amazon from operating in the region. At NALA, we’ve made it our mission to build payments for the Next Billion and we’re excited to supercharge this journey with Money20/20.” said Benjamin Fernandes, Founder and CEO of NALA.

Money20/20’s Startup Media Session was designed as part of its goal to support startups sitting at the intersection of finance and technology. Last year’s winners included Net Purpose, Clima Cash, Eljun, GoKind, KYP, Zing, and Conduit, among others. To learn more about this year’s featured startups, please visit: https://www.money2020.com/

About Money20/20

Launched by industry insiders in 2012, Money20/20 has rapidly become the heartbeat of the global fintech ecosystem. Over the last decade, the most innovative, fast-moving ideas and companies have driven their growth on our platform. Mastercard, Wise, J.P. Morgan, SHIELD, Convera, Stripe, Google, VISA, Adyen, and more make transformational deals and raise their global profile with us. Money20/20 attracts leaders from the world’s greatest banks, payments companies, VC firms, regulators and media platforms: convening to cut industry-shaping deals, build world-changing partnerships and unlock future-defining opportunities in Amsterdam (4-6 June 2024), Las Vegas (27-30 October 2024) and in Bangkok (22-24 April 2025).

Money20/20 also recently launched Twentyfold, a Digital Intelligence product containing the deepest and widest repository of fintech startup data in the world. Money20/20 is where the world’s fintech leaders convene to grow their businesses. Money20/20 is part of Ascential plc. Follow Money20/20 on X and LinkedIn for show developments and updates. We’re Where Money Does Business.

Follow Money20/20 on Twitter for show developments and updates.

You can also find us on LinkedIn at Money20/20.

Contact:
Tina Loncaric
Global Head of PR
Money20/20
[email protected]
M: +1 469 288 5556

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Balancing AI Hype and Hope: Industry Leaders Unveil Growth Playbook at AI Apex Asia Capital Connect Forum

2024-09-27T15:37:40Z

Singapore, Sept. 27, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The AI Apex Asia Capital Connect Forum recently concluded, offering critical insights into navigating the fine line between AI hype and genuine opportunities. With global AI investments projected to reach $200 billion by 2025, industry leaders convened to discuss strategies for sustainable growth and realistic expectations in this rapidly evolving sector.

The forum featured two pivotal panel discussions: "Accelerating AI Growth: Founders and Investors Reveal Their Playbook" and "Decoding AI: From Hype to Hope," bringing together a diverse group of experts to share their perspectives on balancing optimism with pragmatism in AI development and investment.

Separating Hype from Hope: The Rise of Agentic AI

Alex Ren, Founding Partner of Fellows Fund, highlighted a paradigm shift that moves beyond the hype of generative AI: "We're witnessing a transition from generative AI to what we call 'Agentic AI.' This technology enables autonomous decision-making and task execution, opening up incredible opportunities for startups to create transformative enterprise solutions."

Alex further elaborated on the concept of 'vertical AGI' as a more realistic and immediately impactful approach: "We're pursuing companies achieving AGI-like capabilities in specific domains such as customer support, search, marketing, or accounting. That's where we see the next wave of innovation, rather than chasing the hype of universal AGI."

Grounding AI in Practical Implementation

Jianfeng Lu, Founder & Chairman of Wiz.AI, emphasized the importance of focusing on real-world applications over grandiose claims: "The first priority should be the user scenario and customer use case. What kind of data can we accumulate to build effective AI models?"

This sentiment was echoed by Shou Dong, CEO of ADVANCE.AI, who stated, "As an AI-powered fintech, we view large language models as tools to enhance efficiency and reduce costs. We're exploring applications in customer service, collections, and even telemarketing, always with a focus on measurable improvements in performance and efficiency."

Realistic Investment Strategies in an Evolving Landscape

Matthew Ma, Managing Director of Gaorong Capital, addressed the changing requirements for AI startup founders in light of more tempered market expectations: "Today's founders need to be well-rounded - they must understand technology deeply, have strong business acumen, and possess excellent fundraising capabilities. The days of securing funding based on hype alone are behind us."

Matthew also noted a shift towards more grounded valuation metrics: "For deep tech companies, valuations are now driven by the rarity of talent and technology rather than hype. Investors are looking for clear paths to commercialization and sustainable business models."


Balancing Innovation with Regulation

Helena Ma, Advisor at Milken Institute & AI Apex Foundation, highlighted the importance of regulatory frameworks in creating a sustainable AI ecosystem: "Stringent regulatory frameworks can foster a more mature and secure AI ecosystem." This perspective underscores the need for responsible AI development that can withstand scrutiny and deliver long-term value.

Identifying Real Opportunities in Emerging Markets

Shou Dong pointed out untapped potential that goes beyond the hype in Southeast Asia: "There's still enormous opportunity in sectors like SME financing. With over 60 million small businesses across Indonesia and the Philippines alone, there's a massive market for AI-driven financial services tailored to this underserved segment."

A Roadmap for AI's Future

Weiru Chen, Professor of Strategy at CEIBS, outlined three key milestones for AI's future that balance ambition with achievability:

1. Enhancing human productivity

2. Catalyzing new, high-growth business lines

3. Generating unprecedented value through disruptive innovations

Leo Jiang, Founder of AI Business Asia, emphasized the importance of grounding AI development in tangible outcomes: "The key takeaway for founders is to address clear market needs with demonstrable potential for unicorn-level growth, regardless of whether you're leveraging AI, blockchain, or any other technology. It's about solving real problems, not chasing buzzwords."

As the AI landscape continues to evolve, the AI Apex Asia Capital Connect Forum serves as a crucial platform for innovators, investors, and industry leaders to exchange ideas and shape a future where AI lives up to its promise without falling victim to unrealistic hype. By focusing on practical applications, long-term value creation, and ethical considerations, stakeholders can better position themselves to capitalize on the AI revolution while navigating its complex challenges and opportunities.

About AI Apex Asia

AI Apex Asia is a leading artificial intelligence community dedicated to advancing AI technologies and applications across Asian markets. With a focus on innovation, regional expertise, and responsible AI development, AI Apex Asia is committed to driving the adoption of AI solutions that address unique challenges and opportunities in diverse Asian industries.


CONTACT: Joy Li, Partnership Manager, AI Apex Foundation Ltd 
[email protected]

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