Azimo

LIVE FROM MONEY 2020 EUROPE, COPENHAGEN: Participants in a session on P2P payments, including Azimo, TransferTo and Bitgold, were questioned on how they would cope if Facebook became a competitor.

UK firm WorldRemit raised $45 million as it looked to consolidate its position in the competitive market for mobile phone-based remittance payments. A year ago, the firm raised $100 million and said the funds were earmarked for expansion.

Romania became the first country in Europe to enable the receipt of international remittance payments direct to a mobile phone, as UK firms Azimo and WorldRemit separately struck partnership deals with Vodafone Romania.

Tandem Bank aims to offer a package of current account, credit card, savings and loans to UK consumers through a mobile-first service before the end of 2016, following its licence award.

Fast-growing UK mobile remittance firm Xendpay turned down a takeover offer from Facebook in 2014, choosing to preserve its independence, founder and CEO Rajesh Agrawal told Mobile World Live. “It was very early at this stage.

Azimo, the UK mobile remittance firm with links to Facebook, raised $20 million for expansion into mainland Europe. The firm, which is reported as now having a $100 million valuation, is looking to the larger countries on the continent.

Mobile remittance firm WorldRemit raised $100 million in a Series B funding round led by Technology Crossover Ventures (TCV), with participation from existing investor Accel Partners.