Fintech

• Global AI funding is surging, highlighted by semiconductor startup Etched raising $700 million to develop specialized AI inference chips, bringing its valuation to $21 billion. • The Etched funding round saw major participation from top-tier investors including Jane Street, Kleiner Perkins, Sequoia, Andreessen Horowitz, and Tiger Global. • In India, startups raised a total of $233.2 million, with investment activity primarily concentrated in the fintech sector and companies preparing for IPOs.

• Top venture capitalists have identified 10 UK fintech startups to watch, covering sectors such as AI payments, treasury, compliance, lending, and open banking. • The report highlights that UK and European fintechs currently hold the highest median pre-money valuations across all tech sectors, averaging approximately €12.4 million. • This valuation trend is most prominent in early-stage and Series A-B funding rounds, where investors are prioritizing experienced teams with proven track records.

• Indian stock indices closed lower following a period of profit-taking after a rally on Monday. • BSE, Bharti Airtel, and Nykaa all reported strong quarterly earnings for the June quarter, with BSE seeing a significant profit increase driven by revenue growth. • Market volatility persists as investors cautiously await the Reserve Bank of India's monetary policy announcement scheduled for Wednesday.

• Latin American FinTech funding experienced a significant surge in Q2 2026, growing 2.6x year-over-year as investor confidence in the region increased. • The average deal value rose to $41.8 million, signaling a shift toward larger, more substantial investments in the sector. • A standout transaction saw digital bank Plata secure $405 million in a Series C round, reaching a valuation of $5 billion.

• Guotai Haitong Securities hosted the "AI Foresight, Co-Creating the Future" forum during the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference held from July 17 to 20. • The event gathered nearly 1,000 experts and business leaders to showcase the company's "All in AI" strategy and its deployment across the securities industry chain. • Key innovations unveiled include a controllable AI-Ready financial large language model (LLM), the Lingxi 3.0 AI investment companion, and the Vintex enterprise investment platform.

• HSBC is launching its first global AI centre of excellence in Singapore, which is scheduled to open later in 2026. • The bank plans to hire over 200 specialized staff in the fields of artificial intelligence and wealth management to form the center's core team. • This initiative aims to develop advanced technology specifically for HSBC's global payments operations and wealth management services.

• A total of $1.7 billion was raised across 12 FinTech funding rounds this week, maintaining relatively stable investment levels compared to the previous week's $1.95 billion. • The week's activity was dominated by Ant International, which secured a massive $1.2 billion Series A round. • While the number of deals decreased from 19 to 12, the presence of "colossal" funding rounds prevented a significant drop in total capital deployed.