Amsterdam FinTechs Advance AI and Crypto Solutions
Hey Digital Banking Fanatic!
While I’ve been traveling, currently in Dubai, I’ve kept a close watch on news from back home. Two familiar names, Backbase and bunq, have made big moves. Both are part of the city’s entrepreneurial fabric I know well, and their latest steps show just how fast digital banking services are diving deeper into AI and digital assets.
Backbase unveiled its AI-powered Banking Platform, a development that builds on the foundation of last year’s Intelligence Fabric. With a clear focus on unifying sales and service functions, the platform integrates modular AI agents into everyday banking workflows.
“Banks do not need more pilots - they need outcomes,” said Backbase CEO Jouk Pleiter. The goal is to embed intelligence directly into operations, helping banks streamline decisions and enhance customer engagement with less friction.
Meanwhile, bunq, just two weeks after celebrating 17 million users and marking its 2nd consecutive year of profitability, shared several announcements at Update 28 at the DeLaMar Theatre in Amsterdam. Among them was the launch of bunq Crypto, allowing users in six European countries to invest in 300+ cryptocurrencies.
bunq's Founder & CEO Ali Niknam noted, “Our users across the world have long waited for a simple, safe and straightforward way to invest in digital assets.” Alongside bunq Crypto, new features like bunq Deals and Pocket Money extend the platform’s daily usefulness for expats, parents, and entrepreneurs.
For a closer look at bunq’s Update 28, take a look at the article I prepared.
Speaking of bold moves in banking — Jason Mikula, though based in the Netherlands like me, is one of the sharpest voices in digital banking — especially when it comes to the U.S. market. This week, he made a bold move by filing a lawsuit against the Federal Reserve Board.
In this LinkedIn post, he explains exactly why he took this step. Whether you agree or not, it's a conversation worth following — and Jason is definitely someone to keep an eye on.
If you don't know Jason yet, don't just take my word for it — check out this episode where he shines like the true rockstar of digital banking he is:
Read all the other Digital Banking industry news below 👇 and I'll be back with more tomorrow!
Cheers,
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DIGITAL BANKING NEWS
🇳🇱 Backbase launches world’s first AI-powered Banking Platform, putting banks back in Growth Mode. By integrating Backbase’s AI experts directly into their teams, banks can rapidly co-create high-impact use cases and turn innovation into execution with speed and confidence.
🌍 Dutch neobank bunq launched a crypto trading service for over 300 cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. The service is available to Bunq users in the Netherlands, France, Spain, Ireland, Italy, and Belgium. It’s offered via Kraken.
🇬🇧 LHV Bank sees 30% loan book growth in Q1. The bank’s loan book grew by over 30% compared to the end of 2024, reaching £0.4bn, while deposits rose to £0.7bn. The growth follows a £10m capital injection into the bank in March, supporting its plans for further expansion in the UK market.
🇮🇪 Revolut launches business instant-access savings account. The digital bank said its business savings account offers “Ireland’s best instant-access rate” when compared to legacy banks and other FinTechs. Meanwhile, Revolut set to offer mobile plans in Germany and the UK. The FinTech said it wants to disrupt the established market to improve customer experience, it will launch monthly mobile phone plans, hoping to disrupt the established telecoms market in the EU.
🇨🇴 Regulation and lack of liquidity, challenges for medium-sized banks in Colombia. The report states that although banks have shown resilience in the face of contractionary monetary cycles, evolving funding conditions and new regulatory requirements could limit their competitiveness compared to larger banks and emerging FinTech companies.
🇦🇪 ADIB taps QUALCO to enhance sharia-compliant Supply Chain Finance platform. The new system aims to automate key processes, improve transaction transparency, and streamline operational workflows for both suppliers and buyers. It supports various Islamic financing structures, ensuring flexibility while adhering to Sharia principles.
🇲🇽 Uala users can now withdraw money at Oxxo shops throughout Mexico. The new partnership allows customers of this financial platform to withdraw up to 3,000 pesos per transaction, although they must pay a fixed fee of 20 pesos per withdrawal.
🇺🇸 Santander seeks to be ‘relevant’ in the US as it mulls sale in Europe. The behaviour of Santander’s auto financing business customers in the US was “really good” in the first three months of the year, and the lender isn’t seeing credit quality deterioration. The bank feels comfortable with the guidance for its US business.
🇺🇸 Green Dot provides embedded banking services to Crypto.com. Green Dot is enabling Crypto.com customers to utilize cryptocurrencies more easily and affordably. It also enables partners to offer their customers the ability to move funds digitally between bank accounts.
🇬🇧 Allica Bank launches long-term sub-hire product and celebrates record-breaking month in asset finance. The innovative product means hire companies can hire the equipment to their customers for up to 36 months and opt for a fixed-rate hire purchase agreement of up to 72 months.
🇫🇷 Lydia, the French mobile payment app, has launched a new online banking service called Sumeria, offering a remunerated current account with interest rates of up to 4% annually. This move marks Lydia's transition from a peer-to-peer payment platform to a full-fledged neobank.
🌎 BofA hires from Citi, Deutsche Bank, and Santander for Latin America. Giovanni Fernandes, a former managing director at Santander covering utilities, oil and gas, and infrastructure concessions. Martin Cameo from Deutsche Bank, who’ll be a managing director for Latin America structured finance. And, Arturo Grisi, a Citigroup Senior Director covering power and infrastructure.
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