Qonto Expands Into Credit as SMEs Struggle with Cash Flow Gaps

Hey Digital Banking Fanatic!

Qonto just rolled out two new products aimed straight at a common SME pain point: cash flow gaps.

A credit card and an overdraft, built directly into its business banking stack. The data explains the move. Half of Qonto’s customers face short-term cash gaps. Most expect to need financing in the next year. Nearly half asked for a credit card.

The new credit card lets businesses switch between debit and credit on the same card, with up to 30 days of flexibility and limits reaching €15,000.

This is another step in Qonto’s push toward becoming a full credit institution, after filing for a license in France last year. More services, stickiness, and control over SME finances...

Meanwhile, Nu Goes Global Through Formula 1 🏁

Nu has signed a multi-year global partnership with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team ahead of the 2026 season.

The deal boosts Nu’s visibility well beyond LatAm, tapping into Formula 1’s 800+ million global fan base while reinforcing its core markets in Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia.

Two very different moves. One focused on product depth. The other on-brand scale. Both show how digital banks are maturing on multiple fronts.

If you’re tracking how Digital Banking players are expanding beyond their original lanes, keep scrolling 👇

Cheers,

Marcel

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NEWS

🌍 Qonto launches solutions for SME cash flow gaps. Credit Card is Qonto’s first credit card, allowing customers to switch between credit and debit on the same card. This offers control over how users pay for each transaction. The solution is now available to eligible customers in France, Germany, Spain, and the Netherlands, offering customers a monthly credit limit of up to EUR 15,000.

🌎 Nu and Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team announce multi-year global partnership. The collaboration delivers immediate value in Nu’s core markets, Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia, while expanding the brand’s reach across Latin America and the United States. The multi-year partnership will deliver a range of dynamic on-track and off-track branding and activations designed to create memorable experiences for fans.

🇯🇵 Revolut in Japan launches Joint Account Service. The feature allows friends and families share expenses using dedicated cards, real-time notifications, and multi-currency support, including yen. The free service expands the local offering of Revolut, which serves around 70 million users worldwide.

🇪🇸 Revolut hires Santiago Pérez Olano as its new CEO for Spain. Pérez Olano brings experience from leading Remitly’s European operations, as well as prior roles at Expedia and the investment bank Fredericks Michael & Co., combining financial expertise with digital growth experience.

🇨🇱 Credicorp’s Tenpo wins Chile Neobank license. Tenpo’s CMF authorization formally moves Credicorp from testing digital banking concepts in Chile to operating a licensed bank that can offer checking accounts, consumer loans, and term deposits.

🇺🇸 Brazilian FinTech Inter gets green light to begin banking in the US. The company said its U.S. branch will allow Inter to, among other things, offer regulated credit and banking products aimed at U.S. and non-U.S. residents and support international businesses operating in the U.S. with compliant, technology-driven financial services.

🌍 Fimple has raised USD 10 million in a follow-on investment round to accelerate its international expansion, with a strategic focus on the MENA region and the GCC markets. It will also strengthen our capital structure and support our continued growth across international markets.

🇬🇧 London FinTech Guavapay founder quits ahead of Mastercard court battle. Orkhan Nasibov, who launched the company in 2017, has stepped back from his role at the helm of the company due to “fatigue and health-related reasons,” a spokesperson said.

🇦🇪 Saudi Sudanese Bank taps Network International to power digital payment processing. Through the partnership, Network International says it will provide the bank with a full suite of end-to-end digital payment processing services, including Mastercard Sponsorship, prepaid issuing, and a range of value-added services designed to support the bank's digital ambitions.

🇿🇦 South African banking giant buying international company for R13.9 billion. Nedbank has proposed acquiring a 66% stake in NCBA Group to expand its footprint in East Africa. The deal, structured as a mix of cash and Nedbank shares, would combine NCBA’s regional reach with Nedbank’s capital and cross-border expertise.

🇧🇷 Brazil’s Banco Master fallout mounts as FinTech gets liquidated. The Central Bank of Brazil has liquidated Will Financeira SA Crédito, citing insolvency and its ties to the failed Banco Master SA. The move highlights the broader fallout from Banco Master’s collapse, which was liquidated in November, while Will Bank had initially been kept outside the process.

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