Nearly 1bn women globally don't have access to formal financial services - even a basic bank account. Traditionally, lenders

Curve, the so-called “over-the-top” banking platform that lets you consolidate all of your bank cards into a single Curve card and app, is launching a new feature to make it possible to send money to friends and contacts.Dubbed “Curve Send,” the feature lets you send money from any of your bank accounts (via the debit cards you have linked to Curve) to any other account in over 25 different currencies.

The fintech startup Petal, in conjunction with WebBank, is offering a credit card to the estimated 65 million people in the US who have insufficient credit history to qualify for a traditional credit card. Instead of relying on credit scores, Petal uses cashflow underwriting based on machine learning. It considers how much money consumers make, the bills they pay on a monthly basis, and trends in volatility in their income and expenses. www.americanbanker.com/news/petal-webbank-launch-card-for-credit-invisibles

Flamingo's virtual assistant platform called Rosie, is a way for financial institutions to assist and retain customers or potential customers as they consider which complex financial products are right for them. It's an artificial intelligence engine that guides customers through their financial services product purchase, onboarding or enquiries. http://www.afr.com/technology/amp-trials-fintech-flamingos-virtual-chatbot-rosie-20170123-gtwyi4#ixzz4vMgRwJR3?

Australia will be the first market for a fintech app which allows you to buy insurance for individual items of value, such as cameras, laptops, bikes, or instruments, turning it on or off as you please. The US startup Trove's decision to launch this new on-demand app in Australia first is due to support it has received from Suncorp as well as Australia's regulatory environment and the high penetration of smart phones.

RateSetter connects investors who want a better rate on their money with borrowers who want a simple, competitive personal loan. It was the first company and FinTech to be licensed by ASIC to provide peer-to-peer lending to retail investors and SMSFs in Australia. www.ratesetter.com.au