Europe's New Fintech Unicorn, Revolut, Heads to America
*By Conor White*
Europe has a new unicorn.
The London-based fintech company Revolut announced last month it raised $250 million in Series C funding, bumping its valuation to $1.7 billion.
Revolut will use some of that money to jump across the pond to the United States.
"Given how aggravated people are with banking in general, we believe there's a huge market to go into the U.S. and cause serious disruption," said the Revolut chief marketing officer, Chad West. "So a huge amount of this capital will be expanding ourselves into the U.S., and building a real, innovative team out there."
In just 36 months, Revolut has raised $340 million, signed up more than 2 million customers in Europe, and has its sites set on conquering America and challenging companies like Robinhood.
"Right now Robinhood is purely on that road of wealth management and investments," West said Friday in an interview with Cheddar. "When Revolut comes to the U.S.A, there's nothing quite like us. We are the definition of a challenger bank."
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/london-based-fintech-revolut-plots-route-to-u-s).
Mo Gawdat, author of 'Scary Smart: The Future of Artificial Intelligence and How You Can Save Our World' joins Cheddar News to discuss his book that dives into the future of AI.
Mark Wagman, Managing Director at MediaLink, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss the impact of Apple's iOS security change on fellow big tech companies Facebook, Snap, and Twitter. Apple now lets iOS users opt-out of cross-app data tracking - which hurt Facebook and Snap's advertising revenue in the third quarter.
Facebook has dominated the headlines over the past week. The social media giant reported earnings on Monday, has been in the crosshairs of lawmakers and is now expected to rebrand itself as it gears up for what it calls the metaverse. Daniel Newman, Founder & Principal Analyst at Futurum Research, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell where he discusses what we should expect to see ultimately unfold.
Verizon is teaming with Amazon's Project Kuiper low-orbit satellites to help improve communications and internet connectivity. Sampath Sowmyanarayan, chief revenue officer for Verizon Business, joined Cheddar to talk about the relationship with Amazon and what customers can expect from the strategic partnership. He noted that the 5G expansion via the satellite network will benefit rural communities where internet and wireless access remains difficult.
Social media platforms TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube are facing questions in DC about consumer protections, data security, and product safety for young users. Emily Birnbaum, tech lobbying and influence reporter at Politico, joined Cheddar to provide some background into what led to the congressional hearing and the potential outcome. Birnbaum noted that social media platforms have been attempting to distance themselves from Facebook and the ongoing bad press it garnered in recent months.
Cisco's Webex Hologram is looking to transform workspaces with augmented reality technology. Jeetu Patel, EVP and general manager of security and collaboration at Cisco, joined Cheddar to provide some details about the virtual workspace and discuss the industries that might benefit most from it. "We're in the era of flexibility and choice and inclusivity, where people want to make sure that they can work on their terms so that they've got complete flexibility in how they structure the day," Patel said.
Apple could soon face a Department of Justice antitrust lawsuit after intensifying its probe into the tech giant, according to a report. The added scrutiny comes after the tech giant had already faced questioning in Washington and concluded an antitrust case brought by Epic Games.
John Nosta, WHO Technology Expert, joins Cheddar News to discuss evolving technology in the healthcare industry and the role 5G is playing in advancing healthcare delivery.