NEW: I rooted through Alameda's haphazard venture portfolio spreadsheets so you don't have to.
Turns out $1.3bn, a quarter of the cash it invested, went to European startups.
The 16 comps are an eclectic bunch. Take a trip down the rabbit hole here 👇
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Amy O'Brien
@Amy_EOBrien
LondonJoined August 2018
Amy O'Brien’s Tweets
Have you already checked out the revamped version of Sifted newsletter?
It covers MUCH MORE fresh news, and, to my joy, lots of policy topics 😍 — today looks into UK crypto regulation.
link.sifted.eu/view/629f522a4
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yeye fintech is banking in nicer packaging but this pitch has got to be a new low.
so ... saving ?
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NEW: Following the BoE's hike to the UK base rate (4%) today, 's UK retail bank Chase is lifting the rate on its linked savings account to 3% AER.
That's double the 1.5% rate it offered when it launched in March 2022.
As far as I'm aware rn this is highest on mkt. 👀
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Excl: Italo startup alert 🇮🇹🚨
Superlayer has raised $1.3m from big name investors (incl , , , ) for its sales pipeline management software, at a time when European tech companies are desperate to bring in more cash.
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BREAKING: UK startup organisation has reached the end of the road, after the UK government pulled a lifeline £12m contract.
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NEW: Fintech's been one of the hardest-hit sectors by layoffs in the last nine months.
But what of voluntary departures? Turns out Europe's 10 highest-valued fintechs had quite a few execs quit, too.
The biggest moves you should have on your radar:
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NEW: Lil Monday eve spot ... Monzo grew its revenue 250% in the year to December 2022, according to an investor update seen by 👀
That's a huge uptick from its last financial update in July.
It's also penned in profitability this year.
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4) No updates on the investigations into Sorare by gambling watchdogs in the UK and France yet.
Julia gave impression that things are going more smoothly in France on this front, where he expects an update on pro-web3 gaming legislation this year.
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3) As part of the deal, the Premier League has been granted equity warrants that would allow it to buy a stake in Sorare in the future.
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2) After the diabolical year crypto just had, Julia was keen to emphasise the startup may move away from crypto as its in-game currency soon.
That's despite the fact it's run on the blockchain.
Julia says users cba with its volatility. 👀
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NEW: Fantasy football startup Sorare has copped the biggest deal of them all: Premier League.
I spoke to CEO Nicholas Julia last week. Key takeaways? 🧵
1) Sorare plans to charge commission on secondary marketplace for football player cards soon
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Gazing at the word refinement and wondering how many tech CEOs have used ChatGPT for their layoff commiserations.
When my friends ask me what interviewing tech founders is like ... 👀
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A prolonged recession could be the furnace that forges the next great tech companies — but what will they look like?
I asked some of Europe's top fintech investors what they want entrepreneurs to pitch.
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Going through fundraising while pregnant? I'm in awe of the women that have pulled it off.
Read article about six women that did and how some VCs responded to it.
#femalefounders
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A world leader has the intelligence and self-reflection to resign after an incredible tenure and this is the headline you choose ?!?!
#bbc #jacindaardern
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With a recession looming, I'm not surprised that loan refinancing startup Anyfin grew its customers by 50% in 2022.
The fintech enables consumers to refinance their existing (unsecured) loans, offering lower interest rates (by around 50%, it says).
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Given the sweeping layoffs across the fintech sector lately, I'm hearing q a bit about people moving back to the big banks and corporates for more security.
I'm looking for some data on this. Has anyone been tracking talent flows? Get in touch: amyobrien@sifted.eu ✉️
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😵💫 With thanks to the epic AI Lords at for the SBF representation.
Boy did we have some fun behind the scenes on this one ...
Here's my favourite runner up.
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😬 My favourite research discovery? One of the portfolio companies has an exec simply titled: Head of Taking Risk.
Says it all really ...
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🪙The majority of the companies operate in the troubled crypto space, which means recovering value from the portfolio for FTX creditors may be challenging.
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🧵 Btw in regional context, that $1.3bn is no trivial amount. If that were one VC fund, it would be one of Europe’s largest ...
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Halloween 2023 sorted.
Quote Tweet
Miss El Salvador wears #Bitcoin outfit to Miss Universe 2023 
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NEW: Checkout.com quietly filed its accounts for Checkout Ltd, its UK entity, over the weekend.
And from pre-tax losses to a revenue growth slowdown, there's some interesting stuff in there.
I break down all we know below 👇
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NEW: Some recently listed European tech companies value fell up to 98% in 2022.
Not the best rallying call for an IPO rn. So startups looking for an exit must find other means — namely being bought by another co.
Who could be the acquirers in 2023?
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Tell me it's first day back at school without saying it's first day back.
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NEW: And now HNY fintech world 💸
What does 2023 have in store for the sector?
Spoiler alert round 2: Legacy banks will have more $ to acquire fintechs; fintech to fintech M&A will take off; Insurtech, CFO tools and climate fintech hype, and more ...
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HNY tech people. Here's 's predictions for European startups in 2023.
Spoiler alert: ChatGPT will threaten job security; 'coalitions' of different investors will back climate tech; and (my gloomy take) — a big wave of downrounds and M&A.
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& 2 bonus NOTs cos it’s Xmas:
1) The fact that just can’t get its act together and will miss its deadline for filing annual accounts for the second time this week …
2) Any fintech that claims they’re ‘democratising’ finance to me ever again.
🎄💫
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Happy Boxing Boxing Day. 🥊
If you’re supposed to be working, or _worse_ being sociable, and fancy a four min distraction: I present to you what was hot and not in European fintech this year …
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Not a good look for TikTok as it tries to convince the world it doesn't use data inappropriately
TikTok admits tracking FT journalist in leaks investigation ft.com/content/e873b9
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CEO Giorgio Tinacci told me he was already plotting this extension already July.
Worth noting: Casavo is already a regulated mortgage broker in Italy.
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Italian proptech Casavo has nabbed a €10m top up to its €100m equity Series D from , which will now be one of its banking partners.
It's another little sign that Italian corps are beginning to take tech more seriously, to end the year. 👀
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Note: A third of the cos on this list are crypto, which isn’t showing any signs of making a quick recovery after FTX saga ...
Payments accounts for another third of this list ... but how will the deepening recession weigh on transaction volumes next year?
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NEW: When we sat down to map this year’s fastest-growing fintechs, we had a look at last year’s list.
Unsurprisingly, 60% of the companies on that list failed to make it this year — and several have made big layoffs.
How will this year's cohort fare?
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Good news for Italy's burgeoning fintech scene 🙏
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ICYMI: #Governomeloni doesn't want to rock the boat or have a bust up w/Brussels, @LucreziaReichli tells me, as Meloni scraps plan to let Italy's merchants refuse digital payments for purchases under Euro60 ft.com/content/ae534f
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Keeping things spicy as we end the year ...
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Someone gave @Siftedeu's @Amy_EOBrien this quote for her weekly fintech newsletter.
I can see why they wanted to remain anonymous. It's arguably the worst fintech hot take of the year 
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