Fintech consolidation could be picking up – TechCrunch

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines. Every Monday, Grace and Alex scour the news and record notes on what’s going on to kick off the week.

This weekend was yet another that was full of news from Ukraine, which meant that the tech market was slightly quieter than usual. But not so quiet that we didn’t have lots to chat about, so here’s the latest:

• The Russian startup market isn’t huge — data here — but when we consider the number of startups in Ukraine as well, the impact of Russia’s war and the world’s sanctions will bite. Russia is also tangling with American tech giants, which isn’t going well.
• Over the weekend, the American Republican Party bashed large American tech companies. Gone are the days when the GOP was a reliable simp for corporate power. Today it’s more fashionable to pump SPACs like TMTG, or Rumble.
• Weee! raised a huge sum from the second Vision Fund, we report, and OneCard is set to raise a massive round in short order, despite how recently it announced its preceding round. (Oh, and this looks very neat.)
• And Zip is buying Sezzle, in more BNPL market consolidation. A sign of the times, we decide.

That is our show! Lots more to come this week, so get ready!