Latest news with #WorldRemit
Finextra
12-05-2025
- Business
- Finextra
Moneybox appoints Melissa Birge independent non-exec director
Moneybox, the award-winning wealth management platform, is pleased to announce the appointment of Melissa Birge as an Independent Non-Executive Director to its Board. 0 This content is provided by an external author without editing by Finextra. It expresses the views and opinions of the author. Melissa joined in April 2025 and will also chair a newly established Board Audit Committee, strengthening the company's financial oversight and risk management as it matures and scales. Melissa brings a wealth of experience from executive and non-executive roles across high-growth, consumer-facing, and digital-first businesses. She currently serves as an Independent Non-Executive Director and Audit Committee Chair at WorldRemit, and has held a range of senior executive roles including at KAYAK, where as CFO she led the company through its IPO and subsequent $2.1bn acquisition by The Priceline Group. She joins the Board alongside fellow Non-Executive Directors Alokik Advani, Jeremy Marsden, and Ben Marrel, and will work closely with Moneybox Co-founder and Board Chair Ben Stanway. Her appointment reflects Moneybox's commitment to building a high-performing Board to guide the company through its next phase of growth. Melissa Birge commented: 'I always look for a great team first, and the team at Moneybox is top notch. Throughout my career, I've worked with consumer brands—mostly internet-based—and I was drawn to Moneybox because it has a strong brand, a product customers genuinely love, and a clear focus on sustainable growth. I'm excited to support the team as they continue to build and scale.' Melissa joins Moneybox at a pivotal moment in its growth journey. Since launching in 2016, the platform has evolved into a category-defining business, integrating saving, investing, pensions, and home-buying services to help over 1 million customers build wealth with confidence, throughout life. Moneybox has consistently ranked among the UK's fastest-growing technology companies in recent years and was named a Which? Best Buy Savings Provider in 2024. The company reported its first full year of profitability in 2023 and continues to see strong momentum with total assets under administration now exceeding £15 billion. Ben Stanway, Co-founder and Moneybox Chair, said:'Melissa's track record of supporting fast-growing consumer businesses through periods of transformation and scale will be invaluable as we move into our next phase. Her experience in governance, and sustainable growth will play a key role in our continued success. We're delighted to welcome her to the Board.'
The Independent
09-04-2025
- The Independent
‘Scammers posed as Qatar Airways customer service to try and plunder my savings'
Karen Welsh, a health executive from Lancashire, needed to fly to Brisbane, Australia, to visit an unwell family member. But scammers who contacted her through social media almost succeeded in stealing her savings and wrecking her trip. Ms Welsh found suitable flights from Manchester via Doha to the Queensland capital on Qatar Airways. As an NHS worker, she is entitled to a discount. But, she says: 'Once I clicked 'pay now' the website just whirled and wouldn't progress to asking for payment details.' She contacted Qatar Airways support via direct message on X (formerly Twitter), to no avail. 'I spent six days going back and forth with no real help or outcome.' Ms Welsh then posted a public message on X asking for support. 'I then received a direct message from an account called ASK Service Team with the same logo as Qatar. I was told that they had escalated the matter to their WhatsApp customer relations team and I was going to receive a message from them.' She then received a call from a WhatsApp number in Kenya that called itself 'Call Centre, Customer Support'. At this point the scam began. 'The gentleman said that he had been given a brief summary of my concerns and that to help me book flights, I needed to download the WorldRemit payment app, as Qatar was having issues with their payment platform,' Ms Welsh says. 'At this point, I was a little suspicious – as I always am – but Googled WorldRemit and found it was a legitimate secure payment platform. I went onto the app and added my email address. 'The man on the phone gave me a password and told me not to create an account, but to put my email into the log-on link. He then asked me to input the password he gave me and then to send the authorisation link that I would get to my phone, to him. "It was at this point I stopped and realised I should never be asked to do that. I asked the man to send me an email to confirm this is what I should do, from the official Qatar email address. He obviously never did.' The scam involves the villains taking control of the WorldRemit account, which is tied to a UK account, and emptying it of cash. Ms Welsh now says: 'Honestly, I am shocked that I went as far as I did, but I can fully understand how people keep going – if you are frustrated with the lack of service from an airline, you are naturally happy and cooperative when someone seems to be taking an interest. 'When I look back through everything, I notice things like the Service Team Twitter message came from an account with one follower.' Ms Welsh wants her experience to be shared, in the hope of preventing others falling victim to the scam. 'I was so close to being scammed out of money, which means I would have been unable to visit my uncle, who's seriously unwell. He's 87, and it's likely to be my last time that I'm going to visit him. 'If they had scammed me for money, I possibly wouldn't have been able to go on that trip, which would have been devastating for me, but also devastating for my auntie and uncle over there. 'Not only would they have stolen money from me, they'll have stolen the ability for me to see my uncle again for potentially the last time. 'You can never get something like that, that back, can you?' Ms Welsh has now booked with Emirates for the trip to Brisbane. With her WhatsApp number now known to the criminal world, she is now being called several times each day by other scammers based in Egypt and Pakistan.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UK payments firm Zepz rakes in $165m
UK-based remittance company Zepz has secured a $165m growth financing package, which includes a $110m revolving credit facility led by HSBC Innovation Banking. This package also includes a $55m term facility underwritten solely by HSBC Private Credit. The move is subject to financial covenants, such as maintaining minimum EBITDA and an adjusted quick ratio, according to UKTN. An "accordion" feature within the facility allows Zepz, subject to lender approval, to request an increase of the revolving commitment by up to an additional $60m. The new financial arrangement replaces a previous revolving credit facility expired on 29 November 2024. In 2023, the facility's interest rate was a substantial 14.73%, according to WorldRemit's accounts. Zepz CFO Barrie Morris said: 'By lowering borrowing costs, this facility improves our financial flexibility and ensures we can continue delivering high-quality, cost-effective services. 'The additional capital allows us to strengthen our operations, supporting our long-term growth and commitment to our customers.' Zepz operates two remittance brands, WorldRemit and Sendwave. In June last year, Zepz raised $267m in a Series F round, led by venture capital firm Accel, with TCV and Leapfrog also participating. The shares from this round carry a 14.5% annual dividend, accruing daily and compounding semi-annually. In February this year, Zepz made headlines for reportedly laying off dozens of IT workers and closing business units in Poland and Kenya, affecting roughly 200 staff members. This equates to approximately 20% of its global headcount of 1,000 as of January. Zepz confirmed the headcount reduction to CNBC, stating that the decision was made to 'sustainably support the next phase of long-term strategic goals and continued growth.' "UK payments firm Zepz rakes in $165m" was originally created and published by Electronic Payments International, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
