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Paddle bolsters leadership team with new CPO, CFO and VP of People ahead of the next stage of global expansion

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3 years ago

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New CPO Stuart Bailey is former CPO of Silverbird and CurrencycloudCFO Philip Watson previously worked as Senior Vice-President, FP&A at ZoomInfoColine Marchal joins as VP of People from European insure-tech InsifyThe senior hires arrive as Paddle reaches the milestone of $1 billion annual run rate in payments, having launched its new Billing product and inaugural AI Launchpad in 2023

LONDON and NEW YORK, Feb. 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ —  Paddle, the payments infrastructure provider for software companies, today announces it has appointed Stuart Bailey as its new Chief Product Officer, Philip Watson as Chief Financial Officer, and Coline Marchal as VP of People.

The senior appointments follow a landmark year in which Paddle launched Billing, the complete billing solution for SaaS; conducted its inaugural AI Launchpad, a 6-week programme to help ambitious AI founders accelerate growth; and celebrated the milestone of $1 billion in annual run rate in the payments that it manages for its growing customer base.

Incoming CPO Stuart Bailey is an experienced product leader in the fintech sector, adept at building and growing high-performing product teams in startups, scale-ups and large corporations. Stuart was previously CPO at Silverbird, a digital payments platform for international trade, and Currencycloud, the cloud-based platform for B2B cross-border payments that was sold to Visa in 2021. Stuart will be responsible for Paddle’s strategic product direction, ensuring Paddle continues to create products that deliver value to the thousands of software sellers using its platform.

New CFO Philip Watson brings over 12 years of experience in the enterprise software sector. Prior to Paddle, Philip worked at the private equity firm Hg Capital, where he was the Portfolio Finance & Operations Director, leading the Portfolio Finance team in operationalizing value creation for Hg’s portfolio companies. Before his time in private equity, Philip spent over 7 years at ZoomInfo, where he founded the FP&A, sales commissions, and financial technology teams and helped to grow the business to over $1.2b ARR. As CFO of Paddle, Philip will be responsible for managing the financial functions of the company as it moves into the next stages of its growth journey.

Paddle has also appointed Coline Marchal as VP of People. Coline was previously VP of People at European insure-tech Insify and Senior Director of HR, EMEA, at cloud-based reporting compliance platform Workiva. Coline brings nearly 15 years of experience in the HR function to the role, and thrives in fast-paced scale-up environments. She has been integral in the ground-up building of HR teams and speciality HR projects spanning mergers & acquisitions and company transformations. She will be responsible for expanding Paddle’s people operations and strategy in line with Paddle’s digital-first approach that empowers Paddle team members to work from anywhere, with trust and autonomy.

Jimmy Fitzgerald, CEO of Paddle, said: “Although 2023 was a challenging year for software in many ways, it was an incredibly positive one for Paddle. In August we launched one of the most significant products in our history with Paddle Billing, which paves the way for us helping tens of thousands of new software companies over the next decade. We also launched our inaugural “AI Launchpad” – a 6-week program designed to accelerate growth for SaaS founders – and saw customer wins in the games sector, a new market where we see big opportunities to support global games developers.

“We’re excited to build on this in 2024 and to continue helping our thousands of fast-growing software customers grow and thrive. I’m a strong believer in the idea that people are a fundamental part of a company’s success, and that selecting a strong team is critical. I’m therefore delighted to bring onboard Stuart as CPO and Philip as CFO with their strong track records helping ambitious businesses such as ours master their product and financial functions, as well as Coline, who will be integral in helping us to continue scaling our people and talent management strategy.”

Paddle is used by over 3,500 software companies in more than 200 markets worldwide to manage the likes of their checkout, payments, subscriptions and taxes. These new hires follow Jimmy Fitzgerald transitioning from Chief Operating Officer to CEO, former CEO and co-founder Christian Owens taking on a new role as Paddle’s Executive Chairman, and Rob Fletcher moving from Chief Customer Officer to President and Chief Operating Officer.

About Paddle

Paddle, the payments infrastructure provider for software companies, powers hyper-scale growth across acquisition, renewals and expansion. With Paddle, companies are finally able to transform their payments infrastructure into a strategic growth lever to respond faster and more precisely to every growth opportunity. Paddle has 300 employees serving over 3,500 software sellers in 245 countries and territories globally. Backed by investors including KKR, FTV Capital, Kindred, Notion, and 83North, Paddle aims to define the next wave of B2B SaaS leaders. Visit www.paddle.com or www.twitter.com/PaddleHQ for more information

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/paddle-bolsters-leadership-team-with-new-cpo-cfo-and-vp-of-people-ahead-of-the-next-stage-of-global-expansion-302074605.html

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De¹ Introduces Tokenized Asset World on BNB Chain, Developing Financial Intelligence Across the Full RWA Financial Landscape

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October 19, 2026

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NEW YORK, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — De¹ is launching Tokenized Asset World on BNB Chain, the first domain-specific world under its Financial World Model (FWM). It introduces specialized financial intelligence designed to understand the full onchain RWA landscape, from trading and collateral to borrowing, credit, liquidation and agent activity, and apply that knowledge to real financial decisions.

Traditional finance moves assets through separate networks of brokers, custodians, clearing systems and lenders. Each institution sees a different part of the lifecycle, while transfers, reconciliation and collateral requirements add friction to capital deployment. Bringing assets onchain makes financial activity more programmable, but it does not automatically connect the knowledge held across trading, financing and risk systems.

De¹ is establishing Tokenized Asset World on BNB Chain, where that real-assets financial ecosystem already unfolds in live markets. PancakeSwap, ListaDAO, Venus, Binance Agent OS and BNB Agent SDK span public trading, collateralized lending, structured credit and authorized agent activity. These activities produce distinct signals: executed prices, liabilities, vault constraints, liquidations and the outcomes of agent actions.

Tokenized Asset World brings fragmented financial knowledge into a coherent, learnable model of the full RWA landscape. The domain model is designed to understand the relationships and consequences across financial operations, with verified execution outcomes continuously refining De¹’s understanding of onchain financial physics. This introduces a new layer of intelligence to BNB Chain, enabling a more complete understanding of the tokenized-asset stack across trading, collateral, credit, vaults and agent activity.

AI agents can tap into this intelligence to operate across tokenized-asset markets with a more comprehensive view of liquidity, borrowing conditions, collateral exposure and liquidation risk as a whole. This deeper market understanding could raise more sophisticated strategies, execution and risk decisions. Each agent interaction, in turn, generates new evidence for the model, creating a continuous feedback loop between financial intelligence and live market execution while strengthening De¹’s broader Financial World Model.

About De¹

De¹ is the intelligent infrastructure platform at the intersection of DeFi and AI, building the Financial World Model grounded in live execution and real market feedback. It serves developers, traders, institutions, and AI agents through intelligent execution, unified liquidity, reinforcement learning optimization, and a continuously evolving data flywheel.

Contact: Marketing, pr@de1.ai

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/de-introduces-tokenized-asset-world-on-bnb-chain-developing-financial-intelligence-across-the-full-rwa-financial-landscape-302912966.html

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Plata reaches $1 Billion ARR Milestone, becoming the fastest digital bank ever

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37 minutes ago

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October 19, 2026

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The Mexico based digital bank shatters traditional digital banking scaling timelines, reaching a $1 Billion Annual Recurring Revenue  in less than 3.5 years from launch

MEXICO CITY, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Plata, the world’s fastest growing digital financial institution, today announced that in September 2026 it has crossed $1 billion in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR), reaching the milestone in less than 3.5 years from launch in April 2023 and less than a year after receiving its full banking license. Plata´s growth makes it the fastest digital bank in history to reach this benchmark, and puts it on par with some of the world’s fastest growing leading AI companies, underlining Plata’s own AI and tech capabilities.

Plata reaches this goal after having reached more than 4 million customers in Mexico and having launched operations in Colombia at the beginning of September. In Mexico, Plata is now the fourth credit card issuer in the country by number of customers, and the only digital bank with a full product suite including credit, debit, investments, and small business banking. Plata’s growth is also nearing profitability, which is expected to be reached for its Mexico business within the next 6 months.

Plata changed the rules by building a universal financial platform powered by its own technology from day one. By setting up its core banking system, the company proved that regulated financial institutions can scale at AI-like speed without undermining operating performance.

“By building our own technology from scratch, we proved that a bank can move at AI company speed without compromising anything. Now we are ready to accelerate our innovation, make finance effortless and accessible for everyone.” Neri Tollardo, CEO of Plata.

As digital adoption accelerates across Latin America, Plata´s performance sets a new benchmark for financial infrastructure scaling, financial adoption, and operational efficiency in emerging markets.

About Plata

Plata is the fastest-growing financial institution in Latin America and the largest private digital bank by customer volume. In less than three years, we reached a valuation of $3.1 billion with 4 million active credit card customers and crossed $1 billion in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR). Backed by $1.5 billion in equity investment, 1.5 in financing, and a workforce that includes 800 in-house developers, in Banco Plata we have built our own technological ecosystem, which includes a core banking system, CRM, and an app focused on simplifying the financial experience.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/plata-reaches-1-billion-arr-milestone-becoming-the-fastest-digital-bank-ever-302912970.html

SOURCE Plata

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Trends International Announces Kenneth Smith as President and Chief Executive Officer

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37 minutes ago

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October 19, 2026

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Experienced executive to lead company’s next phase of retail, digital commerce and strategic growth

INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Trends International, LLC, a leading publisher and manufacturer of licensed posters, calendars, stickers, wall art and social stationery products, today announced that Kenneth Smith has been appointed President and Chief Executive Officer, effective May 2026.

Smith will spearhead the company’s overall strategic direction and growth initiatives across its retail, wholesale, e-commerce, licensing and direct-to-consumer businesses. In his role, Smith will oversee Trends International and its portfolio of digital businesses, including Art.com and AllPosters.com.

Smith’s appointment comes as Trends International enters a new phase of expansion focused on broadening its retail presence, accelerating e-commerce, strengthening strategic customer relationships, developing new products and licenses, and pursuing partnerships and business opportunities.

“I am honored to lead Trends International and build on the strong foundation established by the company, its founders and its talented employees,” said Kenneth Smith, “We have an exceptional portfolio of brands, licenses, products and customer relationships, and we see significant opportunities to grow the business. Our focus will be on strengthening our retail partnerships, accelerating our digital businesses, developing innovative products and creating new strategic opportunities that deliver value for our customers, consumers, licensors and partners.”

Expanding Retail and Digital Footprint
Under Smith’s leadership, Trends International will continue to invest in its core retail business while broadening its digital commerce capabilities.

The company is focused on deepening relationships with major retailers, expanding distribution, improving merchandising, and developing new product platforms designed to create incremental sales opportunities.

Trends will also continue to build Trends Digital, bringing together the company’s e-commerce capabilities and creating a platform for future digital growth and potential e-commerce acquisitions.

The company’s digital portfolio includes Art.com and AllPosters.com, providing consumers with access to millions of images, posters, prints, wall art, and complementary décor.

“Trends has a tremendous opportunity to build upon its heritage while positioning the company for the future,” Smith said. “We are focused on growth, but equally important is how we achieve that growth — through strong customer partnerships, disciplined execution, innovation and a culture that empowers our people to succeed.”

Strategic Priorities
Smith’s leadership agenda includes several key areas of focus:

Retail growth — Expand relationships and sales with major national retailers and specialty channels.Product innovation — Develop new product formats, displays and seasonal programs that create incremental retail opportunities.Digital commerce — Accelerate the growth of Trends Digital, Art.com and AllPosters.com.Strategic partnerships — Forge new licensing, brand and business partnerships that expand the company’s market opportunity.Operational excellence — Improve organizational alignment, processes, technology, and execution across the company’s businesses.Talent and culture — Build a high-performing organization focused on accountability, innovation, customer service and sustainable growth.

“Kenneth brings a strong combination of leadership, customer focus and business development experience to Trends International,” said Phil St. Jean, Founder and Co-Executive Chairman of Trends International. “His vision for the company and his commitment to our customers, employees and partners make him the right leader for this next chapter. We are excited about what the future holds for Trends International and its businesses.”

About Kenneth Smith
Kenneth Smith is an experienced business executive with a background in sales leadership, strategic account development, business development, customer relationships, and organizational transformation. Throughout his career, Smith has focused on developing strategic growth initiatives, building high-performing teams, and creating long-term partnerships with major customers and business partners.

As president and chief executive officer of Trends International, Smith is responsible for the company’s overall strategy, growth, organizational leadership and business performance.

About Trends International
Trends International, LLC is a leading publisher and manufacturer of licensed posters, calendars, stickers, wall art and social stationery products. Established in 1987, Trends built its business around strong partnerships between licensors, retailers and licensees. Today, the company delivers a broad portfolio of licensed and proprietary products distributed through major retail, specialty, and digital channels.

Art.com, acquired by Trends International in 2023, is a leading online specialty retailer of high-quality wall art and complementary décor. The business offers millions of images and products through its digital commerce platform and interactive visualization tools.

AllPosters.com, part of the Trends International family of businesses, offers consumers a broad selection of posters, prints and wall décor.

For more information about Trends International, Art.com, AllPosters.com or Kenneth Smith, contact:

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SOURCE Trends International

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