Welcome to this week's edition of The Fintech Files. I'm Yolanda Bobeldijk, FN's fintech correspondent, keeping you up-to-date with the latest developments in financial technology and innovation.

A Wall of Money
With the festive season approaching, The Fintech Files brings some glad tidings: new venture capital funding that is reserved for UK fintech has reached just short of $100m this year, according to data provider Preqin. That is a massive increase on last year and the one prior when there was no specific fintech VC funding going into the UK sector at all. (There may have been some generic VC funding in 2015, but nothing specifically targeted). For Europe as a whole, this year’s freshly raised capital figure is even higher; a whopping $2.1bn compared to $570m in 2016 and the meagre $150m in 2015.