Category Archives: Deals

RemotePass lève une série B de 17,4 millions de dollars, financée par le capital-risque de la BERD, à l’heure où l’emploi mondial et la technologie financière convergent

Rentable en 2025, la plateforme mondiale de gestion des ressources humaines, de la paie et des dépenses se développe en Europe et aux États-Unis, avec de nouveaux investissements dans l’expansion commerciale, l’IA et la technologie financière intégrée.

LONDRES, 20 mai 2026 — RemotePass, la plateforme mondiale d’emploi, de paie et de dépenses, a levé 17,4 millions de dollars en financement de série B dirigé par BERD Venture Capital (BERD), avec la participation de 500 Global et d’investisseurs actuels tels que Oraseya Capital, 212 VC, Access Bridge Ventures et Khwarizmi Ventures. Cette opération intervient à un moment charnière où l’emploi mondial et la technologie financière convergent et alors que les clients recherchent de plus en plus une plateforme unique qui gère ces deux types d’activités.

L’Europe et les États-Unis sont déjà deux des marchés de RemotePass qui connaissent la croissance la plus rapide, les entreprises se tournant vers la plateforme pour embaucher, payer et soutenir les travailleurs dans des zones géographiques dans lesquelles les entreprises en place n’ont qu’une portée ou une expérience limitée. Ce nouveau capital permettra à l’entreprise d’élargir sa présence commerciale sur ces marchés, d’approfondir son investissement dans l’infrastructure financière pour les équipes distribuées et d’accélérer l’implémentation de sa feuille de route en matière d’intelligence artificielle.

RemotePass a atteint la rentabilité au début de l’année 2025, grâce à la solidité de ses fondamentaux économiques. L’entreprise a ensuite délibérément décidé de réinvestir dans l’expansion, en faisant appel à la BERD et à 500 Global en tant que partenaires stratégiques pour la phase suivante. L’entreprise s’est étendue à plus de 35 000 travailleurs dans plus de 150 pays et a facilité plus de 800 millions de dollars de salaires transfrontaliers, avec une fraction du capital levé par les leaders de la catégorie.

« Ce tour de table est un accélérateur », a déclaré Kamal Reggad, PDG et cofondateur de RemotePass. « Nous avons le produit, l’élan et maintenant les partenaires pour nous développer correctement. L’embauche n’est que le départ. Ce dont les entreprises ont besoin, c’est d’une plateforme soutenant leurs équipes de bout en bout, y compris les services financiers qui permettent au travail distribué de fonctionner. »

Fondée en 2021 par Kamal Reggad et Karim Nadi, RemotePass résout un problème que les opérateurs historiques ont largement ignoré : l’embauche, la rémunération et le soutien des travailleurs au-delà des frontières où la mise en place d’entités locales, la conformité et l’infrastructure bancaire restent véritablement problématiques. La plateforme est utilisée par des clients tels que Logitech, Tata Group, InDrive et Careem. Elle couvre l’employeur officiel (EOR), la gestion des entrepreneurs, la paie et la conformité, ainsi qu’une couche de technologie financière permettant aux travailleurs d’accéder à des comptes en USD, à des cartes mondiales et à l’assurance maladie.

Fin 2025, RemotePass a lancé SpendCards, qui intègre les cartes de dépenses de l’entreprise dans la même plateforme que celle qui paie le personnel – regroupant les salaires, les paiements des sous-traitants et les dépenses en un seul système, indépendamment de l’endroit où se trouve le travailleur ou des conditions de son emploi. La gestion des dépenses reste l’un des problèmes opérationnels les plus tenaces dans les installations transfrontalières, ce qui a obligé les équipes financières à faire appel à des fournisseurs distincts. L’entreprise a également introduit des agents d’IA qui automatisent les flux de travail dans les domaines de l’accueil, de la conformité et de l’assistance.

« RemotePass intègre de manière unique les produits financiers et de paie mondiaux dans une expérience unique basée sur l’IA. La solution réduit les frictions pour les employeurs opérant sur les marchés émergents tout en créant de réelles opportunités économiques pour des dizaines de milliers de travailleurs. L’entreprise a atteint une taille significative avec une fraction du capital que d’autres entreprises de la même catégorie ont levé, signe de la discipline dont Kamal et son équipe ont fait preuve en matière d’exécution. C’est exactement le type d’entreprise que nous avons voulu soutenir  : une équipe qui met en place une plate-forme leader sur un marché émergent, avec une profondeur de produit et une dynamique commerciale qui lui permettront d’être compétitive en Europe et aux États-Unis. Nous sommes impatients de les soutenir au cours de leur prochaine phase de croissance », a déclaré Amine Chabane, directeur du capital-risque de la BERD.

« RemotePass a construit une plateforme robuste qui fait le lien entre la gestion des effectifs et la technologie financière dans une seule pile intégrée. La profondeur du marché émergent, la couche de technologie financière intégrée et les investissements précoces dans l’IA créent des avantages structurels difficiles à reproduire. Nous avons soutenu cette équipe exceptionnelle parce qu’elle met en place une infrastructure de classe mondiale pour résoudre un problème de taille, à l’heure où de plus en plus d’entreprises déploient leur main-d’œuvre au-delà des frontières », a déclaré Amjad Ahmad, associé directeur de 500 Global.

La série B financera l’expansion en Europe et aux États-Unis, l’approfondissement de la couverture de la conformité et la poursuite des investissements dans la surface des produits financiers et les capacités d’IA qui sont devenues des caractéristiques déterminantes de la plateforme.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2983345/RemotePass_Kamal_Reggad.jpg

HashKey Capital Fund Announces $40M Strategic Investment in SignalPlus

HONG KONG, May 20, 2026 — HashKey Holdings Limited (“HashKey” or the “Company”, Stock Code: 3887.HK), a leading comprehensive digital asset company in Asia, announced today that a fund managed by HashKey Capital, its asset management arm, has completed a $40 million USD investment in SignalPlus, a crypto asset derivatives trading service platform, which includes $20 million in cash contributed by HashKey Group. 

SignalPlus is a leading institutional-grade infrastructure platform in the crypto derivatives space that focuses on option trading systems, automated market-making, and structured product solutions. Currently, the services provided by SignalPlus are deeply integrated into the mainstream crypto options markets and it holds a leading market share in Asia. HashKey Capital, the asset management arm of HashKey, was the lead investor in SignalPlus’s seed round and supported its development from an early stage. It also made additional investments in the additional investment rounds. This investment is a deep and long-term partnership between the two companies and it reflects HashKey’s confidence in SignalPlus’s technical capabilities, market position, and industry prospects.

Dr. Xiao Feng, Chairman and CEO of HashKey Group, stated: “We are very pleased to further offer a deeper capital commitment and reach this cooperation with SignalPlus. Currently, global institutional capital is accelerating its convergence into the crypto derivatives and the market’s demand for compliant, robust, and highly professional institutional-grade infrastructure is becoming increasingly apparent. In the future, HashKey and SignalPlus will jointly promote product innovation and global business expansion through well-rounded strategic cooperation.”

Leveraging this investment and strategic cooperation, HashKey and SignalPlus will combine their respective strengths in the digital asset space and derivatives trading technology to jointly expand the global institutional services market by enhancing their strategic competitiveness and influence within the global digital asset derivatives ecosystem.

About HashKey Holdings Limited

HashKey Holdings Limited (“HashKey” or the “Company”, Stock Code: 3887.HK) is a mature, comprehensive digital asset company in Asia with a global footprint, building a digital asset ecosystem by providing end-to-end financial infrastructure, technology, and investment management. The Company provides trading facilitation services, on-chain services, and asset management services through licensed digital asset platforms.

SOURCE HashKey Holdings Limited

A.R.I. Highlights OVO Financing as Drake’s Triple-Album Release Spotlights Celebrity-Led Brands

Applied Real Intelligence (A.R.I.) provided a senior secured loan to October’s Very Own (OVO) and later served as lead investor in its convertible note financing

LOS ANGELES and NEW YORK, May 20, 2026Applied Real Intelligence (“A.R.I.”), a U.S.-based investment firm led by Dr. Zack Ellison, today highlighted its financing role in October’s Very Own (“OVO”), the lifestyle brand founded by Aubrey “Drake” Graham, Oliver El-Khatib, and Noah “40” Shebib, following the May 15 release of Drake’s three-album project — Iceman, Maid of Honour, and Habibti.

A.R.I., through the A.R.I. Senior Secured Growth Credit Fund, previously provided a senior secured term loan facility to OVO. A.R.I. subsequently served as lead investor in OVO’s convertible note financing. Together, the financings reflect A.R.I.’s strategy of pairing flexible growth capital for borrowers with structured protections and equity-linked upside for investors.

A.R.I.’s Strategy: Structure Is the Asset

“The mistake many investors make is treating growth as the asset,” said Dr. Zack Ellison, Founder and Managing General Partner of A.R.I. “At A.R.I., we believe thoughtful structure is a major source of value creation. We seek to create investments where legal architecture, economic terms, collateral, and negotiated rights matter as much as the growth story itself.”

For borrowers, A.R.I.’s structured capital can facilitate growth without immediately forcing common equity dilution. For investors, these investments offer a differentiated risk-return profile built around contractual income, downside protection, and upside participation in enterprise value creation.

About October’s Very Own (“OVO”)

Founded in Toronto in 2008 as a music collective, OVO has evolved into a globally recognized consumer and lifestyle brand known for its distinctive owl logo and black-and-gold aesthetic.

OVO’s platform spans apparel, streetwear, entertainment, sports, and consumer products, supported by a global e-commerce business and flagship retail locations in Toronto, Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas, and London.

The brand is well known for its high-profile collaborations involving Nike’s Jordan Brand, Canada Goose, Timberland, the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, Fanatics, Disney, Warner Bros.’ Looney Tunes, The Simpsons, PlayStation, Chelsea Football Club, and Red Bull Racing, among many others.

Celebrity-Led Brands Are Becoming Institutional Investment Opportunities

OVO is an example of the growing institutionalization of celebrity-led consumer platforms, alongside brands such as Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS, Rihanna’s Fenty, and Hailey Bieber’s Rhode. These businesses demonstrate how cultural relevance, audience reach, and disciplined brand execution can evolve into scalable consumer ecosystems with substantial enterprise value.

Recent market activity highlights the scale of institutional and strategic interest in celebrity-led consumer brands. SKIMS announced a $225 million capital raise in November 2025 at a $5 billion valuation, led by Goldman Sachs Alternatives with participation from funds affiliated with BDT & MSD Partners.

In another high-profile transaction, e.l.f. Beauty announced an agreement to acquire Rhode for up to $1 billion, representing approximately 5x trailing revenue. Fenty has also been widely valued in the billions by multiple industry sources.

“Cultural influence can create extraordinary investment opportunities when paired with disciplined structure, enforceable rights, and rigorous risk management,” said Dr. Ellison.

About Applied Real Intelligence (A.R.I.)

Applied Real Intelligence is a Florida-based investment manager providing senior secured loans, structured equity, and flexible capital solutions to innovation-driven and category-defining companies in sectors including AI, software, technology, energy, consumer brands, sports, media, and entertainment. Learn more at www.arivc.com.

Dr. Zack Ellison, DBA, MBA, MS, CFA, CAIA, Founder & Managing General Partner of A.R.I., has over 20 years of cross-border credit and investment experience at firms such as Deutsche Bank, Scotiabank, Thomson Reuters, and Sun Life Financial. He holds BA in Economics from Swarthmore College, an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, an MS in Risk Management from NYU Stern, and a Doctorate in Business Administration from the University of Florida.

Source and Trademark Notice

Information referenced herein regarding OVO, Drake, and related matters is derived from publicly available information obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but has not been independently verified by Applied Real Intelligence (“A.R.I.”). References to OVO, Drake, and related parties are included solely for informational purposes in connection with A.R.I.’s financing activities and related market observations.

All trademarks, trade names, brands, logos, and other intellectual property referenced herein are the property of their respective owners and are used solely for identification and informational purposes. No affiliation with, endorsement by, sponsorship by, or approval from any third party referenced herein should be inferred or implied.

Nothing herein constitutes investment advice, a recommendation, an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities. Nothing herein should be construed as a statement regarding any non-public information, current financial performance, future results, or any matter not expressly stated herein.

Contact: Investor and Media Relations, Applied Real Intelligence (A.R.I.), [email protected]

SOURCE A.R.I.

BravoTran Secures Investment from Arthur Ventures

CHICAGO, May 20, 2026BravoTran, the only end-to-end AP and AR automation platform built from the ground up for freight forwarders, today announced a growth investment led by Arthur Ventures, a Minneapolis-based early-growth capital firm focused on B2B software companies.

BravoTran automates the full AP workflow for freight forwarders from invoice receipt through accrual matching, exception resolution, posting, and payment. Its AR product handles the complexity of billing large enterprise customers whose rate agreements, document requirements, and freight auditor connections go well beyond what any forwarding application can manage natively. The company now serves 340+ customer accounts in 55 countries, processing tens of thousands of invoices per day, including dozens of the top 50 global freight forwarders.

The investment will be used to scale customer support, accelerate product development, and expand BravoTran’s go-to-market team as the company enters a new phase of growth.

“The results our customers see are what drive this business,” said Tom Durrenberger, CEO of BravoTran. “Customers are averaging a 4.5 percentage point improvement in gross margin per shipment and getting invoices posted nearly ten days faster, and that’s before counting the labor savings. We’ve built the only platform that handles 100% of forwarder invoice volume, and the depth of that product is what’s generating those results. This investment lets us bring that to more forwarders faster.”

“We are excited to partner with Tom and the entire BravoTran team as they continue building an end-to-end back office platform purpose-built for freight forwarders,” said Andrew Heim, General Partner at Arthur Ventures. “Throughout our diligence, customers consistently raved about the product, the team, and the meaningful value it delivers to their AP and AR operations. The clear ROI customers achieve, combined with BravoTran’s deep domain expertise, is exactly what we look for in a partner, and we are thrilled to provide growth capital to support their continued success.”

About BravoTran

BravoTran is the only end-to-end AP and AR automation platform designed from the ground up for freight forwarders. BravoTran Payables automates AP invoice processing from receipt through payment, integrating natively with CargoWise and Magaya. BravoTran Receivables manages the full outbound billing cycle, including customer-specific invoice tailoring, direct freight auditor connections, and a customer self-service portal. The company serves 340+ customer accounts in 55 countries. More information is available at www.bravotran.com.

About Arthur Ventures

Arthur Ventures is a Minneapolis-based early-growth capital firm leading investments in B2B software companies outside Silicon Valley. The firm partners with entrepreneurs across North America to support growth through strategic guidance, capital, and a network of industry leaders. Focused on long-term partnerships, Arthur Ventures has backed more than 80 software businesses across multiple sectors. Learn more at www.arthurventures.com.

Media contact:
Dyana Flanigan
Flanigan Communications, Inc.
(312) 213-6233
[email protected]

SOURCE BravoTran

Shamrock Capital Closes Oversubscribed Fourth Content Strategy Fund with $813 Million in Commitments

Builds on More Than a Decade of Investing Across the Global Content and Media Rights Ecosystem, Including Music, Film, Television, Sports, Gaming, and the Creator Economy

LOS ANGELES, May 20, 2026 — Shamrock Capital (“Shamrock”), a Los Angeles-based investment firm specializing in media, entertainment, communications, and related sectors, today announced the final closing of Shamrock Capital Content Fund IV, L.P. (“Content IV” or “the Fund”) with $813 million of total capital commitments.* Driven by strong support from both existing and new limited partners, Content IV was oversubscribed by first close and completed fundraising in just over three months,1 significantly exceeding its $700 million target.

Content IV is the fourth content acquisition fund within Shamrock’s Content Strategy, which launched in 2015 and has grown to currently manage over $3.3 billion in AUM across equity and debt products2, representing a premium, scaled, and diversified portfolio. Consistent with its predecessor funds, Content IV will focus on acquiring premium, cash flow generating content and media rights across the evolving global entertainment landscape.

The Fund will leverage Shamrock’s deep sector expertise, longstanding industry relationships, and proprietary data and analytics capabilities to identify, acquire, and actively manage content and rights that are positioned to benefit from dynamic global consumption trends. The strategy’s current pipeline spans music, film, television, sports, video games, and creator economy opportunities, reflecting the increasing consumer engagement and monetization across these sectors globally.

Content IV will be managed by Shamrock’s dedicated Content Strategy team who have built and scaled Shamrock’s Content Strategy since its inception in 2015. The team also draws on Shamrock’s nearly 50-year history investing across the global media and entertainment landscape.

“For more than a decade, we have invested in content and media rights, and this fundraise reflects the depth of the expertise and platform we have built at Shamrock,” commented Patrick Russo, Partner and Executive Committee member at Shamrock. “Our team brings proven experience across film, television, music, gaming, sports and beyond, which allows us to underwrite complexity and structure investments with a high degree of conviction. As content becomes more global, more valuable, and more complex to finance, we believe the need for sophisticated, long-term capital partners has never been greater. We have built our strategy to meet that need for content creators and rights-holders worldwide. We are grateful to our existing and new investors for their support and energized by the compelling opportunities ahead of us across the global content ecosystem.”

“The content landscape has never been more complex or more compelling,” commented Jason Sklar, Partner and Executive Committee member at Shamrock. “We are witnessing a fundamental restructuring of how IP is created, owned, and monetized – and we believe we are uniquely positioned to see how all of these content worlds connect and converge. This fundraise is built on a simple but powerful conviction: the most valuable content assets are the ones that fans return to across generations, regardless of where or how they consume them. We are long-term investors, and the trust we have earned alongside artists, creators, and rights holders is the foundation of everything we do.”

The Fund attracted commitments from a globally diversified investor base that includes pension funds, endowments, foundations, family offices, insurance companies, and other institutional investors across the United States, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Shamrock believes the strong demand for Content IV reflects investor confidence in the firm’s differentiated investment approach and established track record of generating attractive, uncorrelated returns across market cycles.

Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal counsel to Shamrock Capital. No placement agent was used in connection with the fundraising process.

*Total commitments are inclusive of the GP commitment.

About Shamrock Capital

Shamrock Capital Advisors, LLC (“Shamrock Capital”) is a Los Angeles-based investment firm with approximately $7.4B billion of assets under management as of May 11, 2026. Shamrock Capital invests exclusively in media, entertainment, communications, and related sectors through a multi-fund strategy centered on private equity investments, as well as ownership and financing of content and media rights. The firm was originally founded in 1978 as the family investment company for the late Roy E. Disney and has since evolved into an institutionally backed firm with a leading group of investors, including endowments, foundations, and sovereign wealth and pension funds. Shamrock Capital partners with strong management teams and takes an active, collaborative approach to creating value in each investment. For more information, visit www.shamrockcap.com.

1 The fundraise rolling first-close ended January 30, 2026.
2 AUM as of May 15, 2026.

Contact Information

Investors:
Leah Hiraoka, Shamrock Capital
[email protected] 

Media:
Prosek Partners 
[email protected] 

SOURCE Shamrock Capital Advisors, LLC

Red Iron Group Invests in Engine Room to Expand Capabilities for Venture-Backed Life Science Companies

Growth investment to support continued expansion and client-centric service excellence. Engine Room will remain a founder-led independent company.

MENLO PARK, Calif. and PLEASANTON, Calif., May 20, 2026 — Red Iron Group, a Menlo Park-based private investment firm, today announced a strategic growth investment in Engine Room, a finance and accounting partner for venture-backed life science companies. The investment will support organizational growth, the enhancement of service capabilities across the client’s life cycle and the use of technology and AI to improve outcomes for clients, all with the goal of strengthening Engine Room’s ability to support companies from seed stage through IPO and beyond. Engine Room will continue to operate as an independent, founder-led firm under the Engine Room brand.

Since 2012, Engine Room has supported the growth of more than 300 venture-backed life science companies. The firm’s model combines detailed execution with CFO-caliber strategic guidance, to help management teams by building and operating high-performance outsourced finance and accounting departments with maximum efficiency.

Engine Room will remain an independent firm led by co-founders Mike Rose and Carole-Lynn Glass, who will continue as significant owners alongside Red Iron Group. The firm will maintain its brand, leadership team, and exclusive focus on the life sciences sector.

“Engine Room clients choose the firm for our tight concentration on life sciences, a focus Red Iron Group recognized from the outset. This investment will allow us to expand our team, deepen our capabilities and continue investing in systems that help our clients reach critical milestones — while preserving our proven approach and unique culture,” said Mike Rose, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Engine Room.

“Engine Room has been able to expand across market cycles for the past 15 years. As we continue scaling the business to meet client needs, we’re excited to partner with the team at Red Iron, who share our commitment to balancing growth with service excellence,” said Carole-Lynn Glass, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Engine Room.

Drug development and life science company-building cycles operate on multi-year timelines. Red Iron Group’s capital base is structured for hold periods measured in decades, not fund cycles—enabling Engine Room to invest in capabilities and client relationships without near-term exit pressure.

“Engine Room is a recognized standard-setter in life sciences finance and accounting, which is among the most demanding sectors for financial professionals,” said Ben Bisconti, Co-Chief Executive Officer of Red Iron Group. “Mike, Carole-Lynn, and the team have built a firm with deep expertise, a culture of integrity, and a singular focus on a sector where execution at the highest-level matters. We are pleased to support continued investment in the capabilities and service model the firm has built.”

Red Iron Group has invested in specialist finance and accounting firms across multiple verticals and has found that the firms delivering the most value build deep industry expertise. Engine Room has developed a combination of domain knowledge, talent, and operating discipline over more than a decade. The investment reflects Red Iron Group’s commitment to supporting specialist models in essential, mission-critical functions.

About Engine Room

Founded in 2012, with offices in the Bay Area and San Diego, Engine Room provides sophisticated, scalable finance and accounting support to venture-backed life science companies across the United States. The service integrates detailed execution — including GAAP accounting, FP&A, AP/AR, payroll, clinical trial and grant accounting, compliance and equity administration — with CFO-level strategic counsel, helping clients build financial infrastructure, strengthen controls, and achieve critical milestones from seed round through IPO and beyond.

About Red Iron Group

Red Iron Group is a private investment firm that partners with business owners and managers who are passionate about building market-leading businesses. The firm helps businesses achieve increased scale and business value through investments in organic growth initiatives and strategic acquisitions. Red Iron Group leverages its extensive Silicon Valley roots to help portfolio companies invest in and implement AI and technology enablement and adoption strategies that enhance customer relationships, drive operating efficiencies, and produce greater organic growth. Red Iron Group has established a long-term capital base focused on profitably growing lower-middle-market companies across a wide range of sectors. Learn more at https://redirongroup.com/

SOURCE Red Iron Group

RemotePass sammelt 17,4 Millionen US-Dollar in einer Serie-B-Finanzierungsrunde unter der Führung von EBRD Venture Capital ein, während sich der globale Arbeitsmarkt und die Fintech-Branche immer stärker annähern

Die globale Plattform für Personalwesen, Gehaltsabrechnung und Ausgabenmanagement, die 2025 die Gewinnzone erreichte, expandiert derzeit in Europa und den USA und investiert dabei in die geschäftliche Expansion, KI und integrierte Fintech-Lösungen. LONDON, 20. Mai 2026 –…

RemotePass Raises $17.4M Series B Led by EBRD Venture Capital as Global Employment and Fintech Converge

Profitable in 2025, the global HR, payroll, and spend platform is scaling across Europe and the US, with new investment in commercial expansion, AI, and embedded fintech.

LONDON, May 20, 2026 — RemotePass, the global employment, payroll, and spend platform, has raised $17.4 million in Series B funding led by the EBRD Venture Capital (EBRD), with participation from 500 Global and existing investors Oraseya Capital, 212 VC, Access Bridge Ventures, and Khwarizmi Ventures. The round comes at a pivotal moment when global employment and fintech are converging – and customers are increasingly looking for a single platform that handles both.

Europe and the USA are already two of RemotePass’s fastest-growing markets, with companies turning to the platform to onboard, pay, and support workers across geographies where incumbents have limited reach or experience. The new capital will expand the company’s commercial footprint across these markets, deepen its product investment in financial infrastructure for distributed teams, and accelerate its AI roadmap.

RemotePass reached profitability in early 2025, reflecting underlying unit economics. The company then made a deliberate decision to reinvest in expansion, bringing on EBRD and 500 Global as strategic partners for the next phase. The business has scaled to more than 35,000 workers across 150+ countries and facilitated over $800 million in cross-border payroll, built on a fraction of the capital raised by category leaders.

“This round is about acceleration,” said Kamal Reggad, CEO and Co-Founder of RemotePass. “We have the product, the traction, and now the partners to expand properly. Hiring is just the entry point. What companies actually need is a platform that supports their teams end-to-end, including the financial services that make distributed work function.”

Founded in 2021 by Kamal Reggad and Karim Nadi, RemotePass solves a problem incumbents have largely underserved: hiring, paying, and supporting workers across borders where local entity setup, compliance, and banking infrastructure remain genuinely hard. The platform serves customers, including Logitech, Tata Group, InDrive and Careem. It covers EOR, contractor management, payroll, and compliance, as well as a fintech layer that provides workers with access to USD accounts, global cards, and health insurance.

In late 2025, RemotePass launched SpendCards, embedding corporate expense cards into the same platform that pays the workforce – collapsing payroll, contractor payments, and spend into one system regardless of where a worker sits or how they are employed. Expense management has remained one of the most stubborn operational pain points in cross-border setups, forcing finance teams to stitch together separate vendors. The company has also rolled out AI agents that automate workflows across onboarding, compliance, and support.

“RemotePass is uniquely integrating global payroll and financial products into a single AI-enabled experience. It lowers friction for employers operating across emerging markets while creating real economic opportunity for tens of thousands of workers. The business has reached meaningful scale on a fraction of the capital others in the category have raised — a signal of how disciplined Kamal and his team have been with execution. This is exactly the kind of company we set out to back: a team building a leading platform from an emerging-market, with the product depth and commercial momentum to compete in Europe and the US. We look forward to supporting them through the next phase of growth,” said Amine Chabane, Principal, EBRD Venture Capital.

“RemotePass has built a robust platform that bridges workforce management and fintech into a single integrated stack. The emerging market depth, embedded fintech layer, and early AI investment create structural advantages that are hard to replicate. We backed this exceptional team because they are executing a world-class infrastructure to solve a substantial problem as more businesses scale their workforces across borders,” said Amjad Ahmad, Managing Partner, 500 Global.

The Series B will fund expansion across Europe and the US, deeper compliance coverage, and continued investment in the financial product surface and AI capabilities that have become defining features of the platform.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2983345/RemotePass_Kamal_Reggad.jpg

SOURCE RemotePass

Checker Raises $8M from Galaxy Ventures, Al Mada Ventures and Framework Ventures to Unify Fragmented Digital Asset Markets for Institutions

Over the last 12 months, the platform’s initial product enabling global stablecoin liquidity has scaled from $0 to $3B in total processing volume (TPV) with institutional clients including Rail, Braza Bank, and more

NEW YORK, May 19, 2026Checker, a global network that enables financial institutions to plug into stablecoins and digital asset liquidity, cross-border payments, treasury, and credit via a single API, announced today that it has raised $8M in funding from Galaxy Ventures, Al Mada Ventures, and Framework Ventures. Additional participants include strategic financial institutions, such as Bitso and Airtm in Latin America, DFS Lab in Africa, and Onigiri Capital, SNZ Capital and Velocity in Asia. Additional investors include fintech operators from Stripe, Tala, Flutterwave, Mesh, ComplyAdvantage, Superstate, and more.

While stablecoins and tokenization promise faster, cheaper, and more reliable financial infrastructure, large-scale adoption will require solutions to liquidity fragmentation, operational complexity, and compliance hurdles. To access crypto and stablecoin markets, institutions are often stuck stitching together multiple providers as a makeshift solution, resulting in systems that are difficult to scale and maintain.

Enter Checker. Through the company’s single API, financial institutions can launch and scale products spanning trading, payments, treasury, and credit across markets worldwide. The network delivers access to global liquidity, fiat on- and off-ramps, and payment rails, eliminating the need to integrate multiple providers.

“Checker’s network has been instrumental to our business. Their plug-and-play infrastructure supercharges our trading and treasury plumbing,” said Bhanu Kohli, former CEO and Cofounder of crossborder payments company Rail, which was recently acquired by Ripple.

“We have spent our careers dealing with the existing financial plumbing inside 24/7 global financial institutions. We’ve experienced how broken it is, and know how much better it can and should be” said Jack Chong, Cofounder of Checker. “This funding allows us to accelerate our mission to enable financial institutions from Brazil and Kenya, to Hong Kong and the United States, to transform how foreign exchange, payments, trading, and investment products are built. We are incredibly grateful for our customers and investors’ trust.”

Over the past year, Checker has onboarded institutional clients including Rail (acquired by Ripple), Braza Bank in Brazil, and Belo in Argentina, as it scaled to $3B in total processing volume, accounting for around 1% of annual global B2B stablecoin payments volume. Checker’s stablecoin processing volume spans 30 customers, which are regulated financial institutions across the US, Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia. The Checker network now covers 75 global currencies, powering foreign exchange, collections, payouts, virtual accounts, and trading products worldwide.

“Financial institutions globally are converging on stablecoins as core infrastructure, but fragmentation across liquidity, rails, and compliance slows adoption,” said Will Nuelle, General Partner at Galaxy Ventures. “Checker is building the connective tissue that brings market participants together into a unified platform.”

“The friction points in fiat on-ramps and off-ramps remain the hardest problem to solve. Checker addresses this with a novel orchestration layer that organizes fragmented stablecoin liquidity into a programmable, compliant network,” said Omar Laalej, General Partner at Al Mada Ventures. “With their customer bases growing rapidly across the emerging markets, especially Africa, we didn’t hesitate to back this exceptionally lean, top-tier founding team.”

With this funding, Checker plans to deepen its global payments coverage to replace traditional correspondent banking dependencies. The team also intends to build out embedded borrowing and lending capabilities that improve capital efficiency and reduce pre-funding requirements for its customers, fully utilizing the just-in-time settlement capabilities of stablecoins. Finally, the firm intends to launch AI-powered agents for treasury management, back-office operations, and predictive analytics, enabling financial institutions to hyperscale their operating efficiencies.

About Checker

Checker unifies the fragmented digital assets markets for financial institutions globally.

The network enables financial institutions to plug into stablecoins and digital asset liquidity, cross-border payments, treasury, and credit via a single API. More than 30 regulated financial institutions, from B2B payments providers, remittance companies, FX banks, to trading firms, now work with Checker to access global efficient and reliable stablecoin FX liquidity, named accounts, and payment rails without stitching together multiple providers.

Founded by operators with experience across trading, treasury, and financial infrastructure, Checker’s network coverage spans across the United States, Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Checker is also backed by leading investors and financial institutions including Galaxy Ventures, Al Mada Ventures, Framework, Bitso, Airtm.

SOURCE Checker