Sohoula announced that it has received initial approval to launch its new reloadable prepaid card, in a move that reflects the confidence of regulatory authorities in Sohoula and the strength of its financial ecosystem. This step comes as part of a strategic partnership with Banque Misr, Visa, and Modupay as a specialized technical payment partner, to provide safer, smoother, and more flexible payment solutions. The card is designed to serve Sohoula’s existing customers as well as individuals in urban areas across Egypt.

FinScan, the anti-money laundering (AML) compliance solution of Innovative Systems, Inc., is proud to announce a series of successes it has achieved over the last 12 months. Together, these accomplishments demonstrate FinScan’s accelerating momentum driven by continuous product innovation, deep customer trust, and expanding adoption and performance improvements across financial services and banking sectors.

Sphinx, the company building browser-native compliance agents for financial institutions, today announced it has raised a $7.1 million seed round led by Cherry Ventures, with participation from Y Combinator, Rebel Fund, Deel Ventures, and Singularity Capital. The funding will be used to scale Sphinx’s agentic compliance workforce as banks and fintechs increasingly rely on it for core AML, KYC, and KYB operations.

London-based fintech Sikoia has announced a new partnership with Bath Building Society to support the automation of mortgage document handling, income verification, and affordability checks using Sikoia’s AI-powered platform, working alongside Bath’s cloud-based mortgage origination technology provided by One Mortgage System (OMS).

Bitget, the world’s largest Universal Exchange (UEX), has officially opened its TradFi trading suite to all users, following a private beta that drew overwhelming interest and delivered standout trading activity across gold, forex, and global macro assets.

Interactive Brokers (Nasdaq: IBKR), an automated global electronic broker, today announced that its clients outperformed the S&P 500 Index in 2025, reflecting the benefits of cost efficiency, execution quality, and broad access to global markets.

Bank One (https://BankOne.mu) has earned three international awards, affirming its strength across key banking segments. The bank has been named Best SME Bank in Mauritius and Best Private Bank in Mauritius by Global Finance magazine, and Best Custodian Bank in the Indian Ocean by CFI . co.

Connecting Excellence Group PLC, the Bitcoin-powered international executive recruitment group, today announces the launch of its 2026 Bitcoin-denominated convertible bond programme ("XCE BTC Bond") as a key post-IPO capital-raising tool. This innovative structure, which is the first of its kind to incorporate a BTC price differentiator has been designed by the XCE team, including Richard Byworth and Vijay Selvam. The programme supports the Company's mission to connect human capital to digital capital, driving operational growth in recruitment while compounding Bitcoin ("BTC") per share for long-term shareholder value.

INFINOX, the multi-regulated global brokerage firm, today announced the launch of its new loyalty programme, designed to significantly enhance the trading experience for clients around the world. The initiative enables traders to earn and redeem rewards while advancing through a structured tier system, reinforcing the firm’s commitment to client value and engagement.

ICICI Bank today announced the launch of the Capital Gains Account Scheme (CGAS), enabling customers to deposit un-invested long term capital gains or sale proceeds from the sale of specified capital assets*. This facility allows them to avail tax exemptions* for up to three years while earning interest on deposited funds.

Bitget, the world’s largest Universal Exchange (UEX), has released new insights highlighting how tokenized real-world assets are moving from niche experimentation into a scalable trading category, with centralized exchanges increasingly acting as the access layer between crypto markets and traditional finance.

The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) and African Export – Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the establishment of a pan African Gold Bank. This strategic initiative aims to formalise gold value chains, strengthen Central Bank reserves and reduce Africa’s reliance on foreign refining and trading hubs.

Bitcoin’s journey through 2025 proved to be a period of heightened volatility, ultimately ending the year broadly where it began. The cryptocurrency reached a new all-time high of approximately USD 126,000 in early October, supported by growing optimism around regulation and strong inflows into newly launched spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). However, these gains were reversed in the fourth quarter as over-leveraged positions were unwound and risk-off sentiment took hold, pushing Bitcoin down from its October peak to lows below USD 86,000 by late November.

Bitget and UNICEF have joined forces to empower young girls in Cambodia prepare to thrive in a digital economy through an unexpected entry point: video game development. Developed by the UNICEF Office of Innovation, the Game Changers Coalition, an initiative designed with and for girls, youth across the country are gaining hands-on experience in coding, storytelling, design and financial literacy concepts, skills critical for success in Southeast Asia’s rapidly evolving tech landscape.

Heirs Energies Limited (https://HeirsEnergies.com/), Nigeria’s leading indigenous integrated energy company, has executed a USD 750 million financing with the African Export–Import Bank (Afreximbank).