EMEA Daily: Latest Acquisitions Cement Huspy’s Position in UAE Mortgage Sector; Square Carves Out Piece of UK BNPL Space With Clearpay

Today in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Emirati PropTech company Huspy announced two new acquisitions and Square launched the ClearPay buy now, pay later (BNPL) solution for U.K. merchants.

Latest Acquisitions Cement Huspy’s Position in UAE Mortgage Sector 

United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based PropTech platform Huspy has closed acquisition deals for mortgage brokers Just Mortgages and Finance Lab, as the startup strives to improve the home-buying ecosystem in the region and cement its position as a leader in the mortgage business. 

The two purchases were announced in a blog post on Huspy’s website today and follow on from the acquisition of Dubai-based mortgage and property consultant Home Matters in January this year.

Kenyan Agricultural Supply Chain Startup iProcure Closes $10.2M Series B

Kenyan AgriTech startup iProcure has closed a $10.2 million Series B round led by Investisseurs & Partenaires, with the funding coming from a mixture of debt and equity.

The round also saw participation from Novastar Ventures, British International Investment and Ceniarth, according to a Disrupt Africa report published on Monday (Aug. 22).

The company plans to use the new funds to support the expansion of its agricultural supply chain platform into Uganda and Tanzania. It also intends to launch a lending product for agro-retailers to purchase supplies on credit, per the report.

Square Carves Out Piece of UK BNPL Space With Clearpay

Square has launched its first integration with buy now, pay later (BNPL) provider Clearpay in the U.K., the payments company announced today.

According to a news release, the move offers BNPL functionality to online and eCommerce merchants and marks the U.K. as the first market where the company has launched BNPL across all platforms at once.

Square acquired Afterpay — as Clearpay is known outside of Europe and the U.K. — in January of this year. The company says its integration with Clearpay lets Square sellers in the U.K. offer a BNPL solution that allows customers to pay in four interest-free installments over six weeks while allowing merchants to get paid right away.

Shoplazza, Klarna Team to Speed Merchant Globalization

Swedish buy now, pay later (BNPL) firm Klarna has teamed up with the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) eCommerce platform Shoplazza to offer BNPL payment options to more than 360,000 Shoplazza merchants.

According to a statement released today, the partnership gives international customers a greater diversity of payment options and provides better conversion rates for merchants 

Muse Finance Raises $20M

Muse Finance, a London-based digital finance provider for small, medium, and growing businesses announced today that it has raised a $20 million debt facility ahead of its upcoming Series A round, which is planned for early 2023.

The latest announcement, which was reported by Tech Funding News, means that Muse has raised a total of $96 million to date.

The company will use the new funds to accelerate expansion and support its customers in the UK.  

 

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