Socure, a provider of identity verification and risk intelligence infrastructure, has appointed Chung-Man Tam as its chief product officer (CPO) and Pablo Abreu as its first chief AI and innovation officer, as the company looks to strengthen its executive bench at a time of rapidly escalating AI-driven fraud. The dual appointments come as Socure reports an 8,000% surge in AI-powered...

The City of London Corporation is inviting technology companies to contribute to the development of a digital verification framework designed to combat financial fraud and strengthen consumer protections across the UK. The proposed Digital Verification Orchestrator (DVO) is envisaged as a voluntary system that would connect identity providers with financial services firms requiring identity checks. Under the model, individuals would...

Morningstar and its subsidiary PitchBook have announced a new integration with AI search platform Perplexity, bringing both companies' research and data into Perplexity's AI-powered environment. The partnership is built on Model Context Protocol (MCP) integrations, enabling eligible users to draw on Morningstar and PitchBook intelligence directly within Perplexity and Perplexity Computer. The setup allows users to conduct multi-step research tasks...

Gallagher, a global insurance brokerage and risk management firm, has launched Gallagher Blueprint, an AI-driven framework designed to help clients improve their risk profiles and build more cost-effective insurance programmes. The new solution combines advanced analytics with Gallagher’s proprietary data and sector expertise to deliver a structured, tailored approach to insurance planning, according to InsurTech Insights. The initiative is aimed at...

Inherent risk assessment sits at the heart of every financial crime risk framework. It answers the most fundamental question any organisation must ask: how exposed are we before any controls are applied? According to Arctic Intelligence, without a firm grasp of inherent risk, firms cannot gauge the strength of their controls, determine residual risk, or make informed decisions about where...

A question that compliance professionals rarely ask aloud — but probably should — is how many of their high-risk clients are actually high risk. According to Muinmos, in many institutions, a substantial slice of the client book ends up in that category not because of any demonstrated behaviour, but because of assumptions embedded in frameworks designed for a different era...

K2 Insurance Services, a leading insurance solutions provider, has announced the acquisition of Oculus Underwriters, a specialist in bespoke property insurance solutions for the small to medium-sized commercial market. Following the acquisition, Oculus Underwriters will operate under Vikco Insurance Services, a premier brand within the K2 portfolio, according to FF News. The partnership is aimed at enhancing K2’s capabilities and market...

Managing advertising spend is a critical operational discipline for modern marketing agencies. Firms often oversee multiple client accounts across platforms such as Google Ads, Meta (Facebook) Ads, LinkedIn, TikTok, and programmatic networks, frequently handling hundreds of thousands or even millions of pounds in monthly paid media budgets. Without the proper payment infrastructure and credit card controls, agencies face risks...

Markel, the insurance operations of Markel Group Inc., has appointed Raphael Da Costa to lead its U.S. cyber and technology errors & omissions (E&O) portfolio. In his new role, Da Costa will oversee underwriting strategy, portfolio management, and product development for Markel’s U.S. cyber and tech E&O lines. He will collaborate closely with underwriting, claims, and actuarial teams to drive disciplined...

Key LatAm FinTech investment stats in Q1 2026: LatAm FinTech funding surged by 64% YoY in Q1 Brazil firms raked in 40% of the top 10 deals as the country dominated the LatAm FinTech marketplace Pomelo, a payments infrastructure provider enabling embedded finance firms and FinTechs to launch card and virtual account programmes across LatAm, raised $55m in a...