Investments news and trends

Forward Financing Secures Another $525 Million to Support Small Businesses
SMBs // July 21, 2026

Forward Financing, a provider of capital to small businesses across the United States, secured $525 million of new financing that brings the company’s total committed funding capacity to nearly $700 million. Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited...

Ant International Raises $1.2 Billion to Boost Cross-Border Payments
Investments // July 21, 2026

Global payments and FinTech firm Ant International has raised $1.2 billion in new funding. Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required. yesSubscribe to our daily newsletter, PYMNTS Today. By...

Natural Raises $30 Million to Build Payment Rails for AI Agents
Investments // July 20, 2026

Natural, a year-old company that is building a foundational payment stack for artificial intelligence agents, raised $30 million in a Series A funding round. Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content —...

VC Firm Lakestar Raises $300 Million to Fund European Tech Sovereignty
Investments // July 17, 2026

European investment firm Lakestar has closed a $300 million Resilience I Fund designed to invest in defense and dual-use technologies that enhance Europe’s resilience capabilities, the company said in a Friday (July 17) post on LinkedIn. Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock...

Interviews & Exclusives
Robinhood Pushes Brokerages to End the Waiting Game

June 29, 2026
Watch more: Michael Silver of Robinhood Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required. yesSubscribe to our daily newsletter, PYMNTS Today. By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of […]

FinTech Lenders Chase the One Thing Banks Already Have

May 29, 2026
FinTech March quarter results have pointed to borrower growth and loan demand. Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all...

Paymentology CEO Says Payments Has a New Legacy Problem

May 18, 2026
Watch more: The Digital Shift With Paymentology’s Jeff Parker Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content —...

The AI Leapfrog Coming for Insurance Underwriting

April 24, 2026
Watch more: Digital Shift With Crystal Venture Partners’ Jonathan Crystal Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content...

Quick Reads
Samsung Weighs $1 Billion Investment in AI Firm Mistral

July 22, 2026
Samsung is in talks to invest around $1 billion in French artificial intelligence startup Mistral, the Financial Times reported Wednesday (July 22). Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required. yesSubscribe to our daily newsletter, PYMNTS Today. By […]

Forward Financing Secures Another $525 Million to Support Small Businesses

July 21, 2026
Forward Financing, a provider of capital to small businesses across the United States, secured $525 million of new financing that brings the company’s total committed funding capacity to nearly $700...

Ant International Raises $1.2 Billion to Boost Cross-Border Payments

July 21, 2026
Global payments and FinTech firm Ant International has raised $1.2 billion in new funding. Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all...

Natural Raises $30 Million to Build Payment Rails for AI Agents

July 20, 2026
Natural, a year-old company that is building a foundational payment stack for artificial intelligence agents, raised $30 million in a Series A funding round. Get the Full Story Complete the...