Today in the Connected Economy: Revolut Rolls Into New Countries

Today in the connected economy, financial super app Revolut expands into a host of new countries, while Experian and Black Opal team up to help immigrants gain better credit. Plus, Vivid Seats debuts a ticketing program for Capital One customers, and Upgrade marks its 100th partnership with a credit union (CU).

Super App Revolut Expands Globally

Revolut, a financial super app company with more than 18 million customers around the planet, has expanded its services to more countries. The expansion lets customers from the United Kingdom, the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Japan, Singapore and Australia move cash to accounts in Colombia, Nepal, Peru, Bolivia, Guatemala, Egypt and Costa Rica, supporting seven local currencies. The new remittance offer makes it possible for users to transfer money to these countries within minutes.

Experian Partners With Black Opal to Bring Credit Options to US Immigrants

Experian and Black Opal have joined forces to boost consumer credit access to immigrants in the U.S., a collaboration that will integrate Black Opal’s credit decisioning process with Experian’s PowerCurve and CrossCore platforms. Using Experian’s functions, Block Opal will be able to make real-time credit decisions while also employing the platform’s tools for better identity verification and fraud prevention.

Vivid Seats Launches Ticket Program for Capital One Customers

Vivid Seats has debuted a ticketing platform for Capital One cardholders that lets customers redeem rewards for tickets to over 500,000 events. Dubbed Capital One Entertainment, the expanded 4-year-old partnership with Capital One Financial pledges to unlock “exclusive access to unforgettable experiences across sports, music, dining and more” for Capital One’s rewards cardholders. Aside from tickets, cardholders can buy premium ticket packages, events and onsite perks, such as premier seats, access passes, event merchandise and take-home gifts.

Upgrade Teams With Northwoods Credit Union for 100th CU Partnership

Upgrade has added Northwoods Credit Union as its partner, marking the FinTech’s 100th collaboration with a CU. Upgrade’s partnerships with CUs allow the CUs to purchase loans and card receivables through Upgrade and sign up new members using Upgrade’s online and mobile platform. “We are thrilled to count so many loyal and valuable partners,” Upgrade Co-Founder Adelina Grozdanova said. “We started working with credit unions shortly after our launch in 2017 and look forward to continuing to deepen our relationships in the space.”

Finicity, Fiserv Ink Secure Data Access Agreement

Mastercard-owned open banking technology platform Finicity has formed a data access agreement with payments and financial services company Fiserv that lets Fiserv’s financial institution (FI) clients enable consumers to securely share their account information. The data sharing comes via apps using Finicity’s open banking platform, offering access to a range of financial services and overall better financial literacy. The partnership allows Fincity to access tokenized consumer data through the AllData Connect from Fiserv’s portal. That in turn lets consumers consent to share their financial info with third-party apps.

Nigeria-Based Andela Launches Platform to Power Customized Work

Global remote talent network Andela has debuted a platform designed to create a personalized hiring experience for candidates and recruiters. The Nigerian company, which initially focused on engineering aspirants from more than 100 countries, has expanded to include product managers, designers and data workers. The launch follows a $200 million Series E funding round that valued the company at $1.5 billion.