Financial technology, or fintech, is the buzzword on everyone’s lips that has continued to inspire conversation and innovation. But fintech is more than just a buzzword; fintech companies are driving real change for consumers and businesses alike. The unbundling of financial services allows fintech start-ups and scaleups to provide more efficient and streamlined offerings, hence disrupting traditional banking, payment and lending services.

The AIC's December edition of Compass looks at the election result, how the UK is the one to watch in 2020 and which investment company sectors were the stars of 2019.

THE VAST majority of peer-to-peer lending platform executives feel optimistic about the new rules that came into effect this month and their ability to comply with them, an exclusive Peer2Peer Finance News survey has revealed.

Foresight Group, a leading infrastructure and private equity investment manager, continues its growth trajectory in renewable energy infrastructure, 

HealthTech startup PinPoint Data Science has successfully raised over £1m as part of an early stage funding round, with support from Angel Investment Network (AIN), the world’s largest angel investment platform. 

The PinPoint Test uses AI/Machine Learning to rapidly ‘rule out’ cancer from a simple blood sample, and may be used for all cancer types. AIN was the only external organisation PinPoint accepted investment from in a round that lasted just six weeks.

Kindred, a new platform that digitises word-of-mouth recommendations on social media, has raised £2.25 million in seed capital investment and has a £35 million valuation pre-revenue. 

Funding from national SPRINT programme provides access to Earth Observation data analysis expertise from University of Leicester

Geospatial Insight, one of Europe's leading providers of geospatial intelligence, has completed a major project with the University of Leicester to develop new methodologies for detecting methane gas emissions and further reduce physical, financial or environmental risk for global businesses. The project, funded by the national SPRINT business support programme, has enabled Geospatial Insight to work with experts from the University of Leicester on Earth Observation (EO) data analysis of high resolution satellite imagery.

Waracle, one of the UK's largest mobile apps and digital products developers, has received a £4.8m investment from BGF, the UK and Ireland's most active investor in growing businesses, to support its long-term growth plans.

A survey by Intertrust reveals that 69% of CFOs and COOs expect levels of dry powder to increase next year with 31% predicting it will become slightly harder to raise capital in 2020.

According to the AIC's 2019 sector round-up, Technology & Media was the top-performing investment company sector over the year to 30 November, data from the Association of Investment Companies (AIC) can reveal. The sector produced an impressive return of 34%over the year so far, compared to the average investment company return of 14% over the same period.

Peregrine Ventures, a leading Israeli med-tech venture capital fund, just closed its fourth fund, Peregrine 4, raising $115 million. Their partners include some of the leading institutional and private equity investors from Israel, the United States, Europe and Australia. 

Foresight Group and Williams Advanced Engineering has made a £1.6 million investment into Oxford University spin-out Mixergy Limited, which is set to revolutionise the global hot water tank market and reduce the cost of energy for consumers.

Mixergy was founded in 2014 by Peter Armstrong, CEO, and Ren Kang, Head of R&D, following the completion of their PhD research at Oxford University where the duo originally developed the idea during their doctoral research.  The team has since grown to 17 staff and built strong relationships with British Gas, a major installer of tanks.