The fintech landscape continues its frenetic pace of innovation and fundraising, as startups and established players alike vie to reshape payments, lending, and investing. Today’s briefing spotlights five standout stories from June 18–19, 2025, each underscoring distinct trends—from no‑code cross‑border rails and B2B procurement automation to embedded card processing, government‑guaranteed lending platforms, and spending‑based investing. In this op‑ed style digest, we not only summarize the key facts but also provide perspective on what these developments mean for the broader industry—and for you, the fintech stakeholder.
1. Tensec Raises $12 Million Seed to Disrupt Cross‑Border Trade
Key News
Tensec, a San Francisco‑based no‑code fintech, closed a $12 million seed round led by Costanoa Ventures, joined by Quiet Capital, WillowTree, Cambrian VC, Ignia, Montage, Renegade, and Endeavor Scale‑Up Ventures. The startup’s AI‑driven platform embeds FX and transaction banking directly into SMB trade workflows, linking local real‑time rails and stablecoin networks to eliminate SWIFT delays and compress cross‑border settlement times. Its first live customer—an Mexico‑based “shelter” firm—now moves ~$700 million in annual trade volume through Tensec, which already supports ~$10 billion in cumulative customer volume and aims to expand into APAC and Europe in the next 12 months, targeting $30 billion annualized when fully live.
Source: Axios Pro
Analysis & Commentary
The infusion of venture capital into Tensec underscores investor confidence in fintech’s ability to overhaul legacy trade finance. By layering no‑code FX rails atop existing logistics platforms, Tensec addresses the longstanding pain point of fragmented SMB access to treasury services. Its use of stablecoins for real‑time rails is emblematic of a broader “crypto infrastructure meets traditional trade” playbook—a theme we expect to repeat as enterprises seek programmable liquidity solutions. The projected move into APAC and Europe will test Tensec’s ability to forge local sponsor‑bank partnerships, but success there could catalyze $100 billion+ of on‑chain trade volume by 2027.
2. Delfio Secures €1.5 Million Pre‑Seed to Automate Wholesale Procurement
Key News
Amsterdam’s Delfio has raised €1.5 million from Peak to launch a collective purchasing and automation platform for the fragmented consumer electronics wholesale market. Co‑founders Roy Erdmann and Keihan Popal leverage years of trading experience to aggregate demand, negotiate volume discounts across 35,000 suppliers (including Apple, Samsung, JBL), and manage logistics, QC, and payments via a single interface. With hubs in the US, Dubai, Hong Kong, and Amsterdam, Delfio promises 48‑hour supplier payouts and aims to tap into the €837.4 billion global electronics procurement sector.
Source: EU‑Startups
Analysis & Commentary
Delfio’s model heralds the rise of vertical‑specific SaaS‑enabled marketplaces, merging data analytics with financial orchestration. By consolidating tenders and automating the gray‑market procurement hurdles (currency volatility, warranty checks, compliance), Delfio turns procurement into a plug‑and‑play service. The strategic choice of electronics—a high‑volume, thin‑margin segment—signals confidence in margin capture via platform fees and FX spreads. Watch for complementary financing offerings (e.g., supply‑chain loans), which could unlock further growth and position Delfio as a one‑stop shop for B2B commerce.
3. Lunar Partners with Pismo & Wise to Broaden Payments Suite
Key News
Nordic challenger bank Lunar inked deals with Brazil’s Pismo for Visa card processing and Wise Platform for cross‑border transfers. By early 2026, Lunar will process Visa payments via Pismo’s cloud‑native stack—acquired by Visa for $1 billion in 2024—and integrate Wise’s rails to enable 40‑currency transfers to 160+ countries, first in Denmark, then rolling out to Sweden and Norway. This marks the first Danish use of both platforms, building on Lunar’s existing BaaS offering (Moonrise).
Source: FinTech Futures
Analysis & Commentary
Lunar’s dual partnerships exemplify embedded finance’s next phase: plug‑and‑play banking primitives that let challengers focus on UX and customer acquisition. Leaning on Pismo for card-issuing and Wise for FX avoids the capital‑intensive path of building in‑house rails, enabling lunar to iterate rapidly on product features—like instant global transfers within the app. The move signals competitive pressure on incumbents, who must either open their APIs or risk losing market share. Expect more regional banks to codify similar alliances as they chase frictionless omnichannel payments.
4. Community Bankshares’ Phoenix Lender Services Democratizes SBA & USDA Lending
Key News
Georgia’s Community Bankshares, via its new Phoenix Lender Services unit, facilitated $70 million in government‑guaranteed SBA and USDA loans across 14 states in Q1 2025—$23 million of SBA 7(a) and $46.7 million of USDA B&I. Leveraging a proprietary fintech stack, Phoenix delivers end‑to‑end origination, underwriting, closing, servicing, and secondary‑market sales, enabling any lender to tap into refundable Sick Leave & Family Leave (SLFL) tax credits via Lendesca‑powered “refund anticipation loans” up to $32,220 per self‑employed borrower. Community Bank & Trust’s unguaranteed holdings boosted Q4 noninterest income by 485% and net income tripled to $1.5 million.
Source: The Financial Brand
Analysis & Commentary
Phoenix Lender Services exemplifies fintech’s growing role in decoupling product innovation from legacy banking structures. By packaging SBA/USDA lending as a service, Community Bankshares transforms a “sleepy local bank” into a national, tech‑powered lender. The SLFL credit loans illustrate clever monetization of expiring tax incentives—a reminder that fintechs will continue to mine regulatory tailwinds for new product hooks. As more banks face margin pressure, outsourced SBA/USDA offerings like Phoenix could become a standard profit center, reducing the 18–24 month ramp to profitability.
5. Grifin Raises $11 Million Series A to Gamify Long‑Term Investing
Key News
Tampa’s Grifin, founded by Bo Starr and Aaron Froug, closed an $11 million Series A to expand its “spending‑to‑investing” app that rounds up everyday purchases into fractional stock investments. Targeting Gen Z and millennials, Grifin combines gamification, social sharing, and educational content to nurture long‑term investment habits. The round—details undisclosed—comes amid a broader “neo‑savings” boom redefining how consumers perceive micro‑investing.
Source: Tampa Bay Business Journal
Analysis & Commentary
Grifin’s latest capital raise spotlights the continued allure of gamified finance for younger demographics—especially as crypto FOMO cools. By normalizing investing through “round‑up” mechanics and social proof loops, Grifin lowers behavioral barriers to entry. The key test now is monetization: subscription tiers, partner‑deals, or premium educational tracks. With $11 million in the bank, Grifin must balance growth spend with clear path to non‑exchange revenue. Still, its model foreshadows the next wave of personal finance apps that blend mental‑accounting nudges with brokerage.
SEO & Industry Takeaways
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Embedded Finance Is Table Stakes
Partners like Pismo and Wise are no longer niche; they’re essential building blocks for any digital bank seeking rapid scale. -
Vertical SaaS Meets Finance
Startups such as Delfio demonstrate how industry‑specific automation paired with fintech overlays can unlock massive addressable markets. -
Fintech as a Service for Banks
Phoenix Lender Services highlights the growing trend of fintechs offering turnkey solutions to legacy institutions, compressing time‑to‑market. -
Crypto Rails in Trade Finance
Tensec’s stablecoin integrations illustrate the gradual mainstreaming of blockchain for real‑world commercial use cases. -
Behavioral Finance for Gen Z
Grifin’s success shows that gamified, social‑driven investing tools retain resonance, even as the crypto bubble cools.
As these developments illustrate, the fintech pulse continues to beat strongly across payments, lending, procurement, and investing. Whether you’re an incumbent bank seeking to modernize legacy processes, an entrepreneur eyeing your next vertical, or an investor hunting the next breakout star, today’s news underscores one truth: agile, platform‑based approaches—backed by strategic partnerships—will define fintech’s next frontier.
