Payment Expert’s Fintech Unwrapped delivers the latest and developing news that has shaped the sector over the course of the week.
This week, Revolut may once again increase its valuation after a report revealed bankers and external investors are seeking to provide capital to the UK digital bank ahead of a potential IPO.
Also this week, PayPal is supporting software providers with Rainforest, Allica Bank is the latest UK fintech to reach $1bn in valuation, and SumUp is expanding deeper into Europe by integrating SEPA.
Revolut investors already preparing to go public?
Revolut’s valuation is reportedly set to surge again in the second half of 2026 with a projection of at least $100bn.
Bloomberg revealed on 25 February the UK digital bank is in early stage talks to undergo a share sale to increase its valuation, which could be a combination of previous secondary share sales strategies.
Revolut’s valuation climbed from $45bn to $75bn in 2024 via a secondary share sale to become Europe’s most valuable fintech. The additional capital stems from investor interest amid a potential public listing.
The report revealed any potential Revolut Initial Public Offering (IPO) could be contingent on the company raising its valuation to as high as $150bn.
Revolut’s most recent funding round happened in November 2025, which was led by Coatue, Dragoneer and Greenoaks, with Nvidia’s investment arm, NVentures, also participating in the fundraiser.
PayPal and Rainforest to accelerate software payments
PayPal and embedded payments provider Rainforest are aiming to help software providers process more payment volume in a new partnership announced on 25 February.
Providers will be able to embed PayPal wallets, Venmo and PayPal Pay Later into their checkout to help process payments for merchants. The solution intends to provide a seamless experience for end customers and for merchants to be paid faster.
As PayPal revealed, software companies have typically relied on separate integrations to support multiple payment methods, slowing down the merchant onboarding process.
“Vertical software is a strategic growth area for PayPal as more commerce moves directly into software,” said Taira Hall, SVP and Head of SMB Commercial at PayPal.
“Rainforest’s deep focus on vertical software and strong execution make them the ideal partner to equip software platforms with trusted PayPal payment options in a way that’s streamlined, scalable, and purpose-built for their needs.”
Allica Bank latest UK digital bank to hit Unicorn status
UK digital bank Allica Bank has reached unicorn status with a valuation of approximately $1.2bn after raising $155m in a Series D funding round.
Allica Bank confirmed on 25 February that Ventura Capital, GLG, Sona AM and existing investors TCV and Blue Owl participated in the funding round.
Allica stated the additional capital will help to continue its lending products and invest in AI to modernise its technology stack, as well as expanding outside of the UK.
Over the past five years, Allica has secured nearly £4bn in loans and more than £5bn in deposits.
Richard Davies, CEO of Allica, said: “We’re building the category defining digital bank for established SMBs, and are excited to be taking our proprietary platform into new markets. This Series D investment is a major vote of confidence in Allica’s strategy and performance.”
SumUp integrates all SEPA payments via Form3
Form3 announced on 25 February an expansion to its partnership with SumUp which will see the latter integrate SEPA Instant, SEPA Credit Transfer and SEPA Direct Debit.
SumUp will adopt Form3’s platform to offer these SEPA payment methods to support its European markets and customers.
Through Form3’s platform, SumUp will be able to add new payment rails and expand into additional markets while maintaining compliance with regulatory requirements, such as those outlined in the Instant Payments Regulation.
Antoniya Ditsova, Product Lead – Global Bank at SumUp, said: “Our mission is to make business simple for our 4 million merchants. Expanding our partnership with Form3 helps streamline our payments infrastructure and strengthen our access to European payment schemes.
“This integration allows us to offer SEPA Instant capabilities, ensuring that our customers can move money as fast as they do business. It’s a vital component of our growth as we continue to build the world’s most complete financial toolkit for small businesses.”
Mambu supports BUUT’s young digital-native customers
Mambu is supporting the new neobank BUUT, designed to help young people manage their money better.
In collaboration with ABN AMRO, Mambu will lend its cloud-native services to meet the digital-first demands of young bank account customers.
BUUT offers financial tools via an app, such as Dutch IBAN account, savings and budgeting tools, payments, and cards. Mambu’s will assist by providing the technology for the underlying payment and savings accounts.
Hein ter Braak, Head of BUUT, said: “BUUT has the ambition to build the most financially healthy generation ever, and aims to launch on the shortest possible timepath.
“As one of our strategic vendors, Mambu has proven to be easy and fast to implement and provides BUUT with a solution capable of scaling fast, a perfect match.”
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