Business & Technology
Business networking opportunity launched in Henley area
Henley Business Buzz hosted its first event at Henley Rugby Club, drawing more than 30 businesses and decision-makers from the local area.
The group is part of the wider Business Buzz network, offering informal, no-membership, pay-as-you-go networking that focuses on building professional relationships in a relaxed setting.
Orinta Gaucyte, host of Henley Business Buzz, said: “It was fantastic to see so many local businesses come together for our first Henley Buzz.
“There’s something really special about building a supportive community where people feel comfortable, included and able to make genuine connections.
“A huge thank you to everyone who came along and helped make the launch such a success.”
The launch was attended by Business Buzz co-founders Katrina Sargent and Simon George, who officially opened the event.
The Henley meetings are supported by sponsors Logic Financial Services and Logic Mortgages.
Lee Humphrey, of Logic Financial Services, said: “It’s brilliant to see an event like Business Buzz arrive in Henley.
“Creating opportunities for local businesses to connect in a relaxed and approachable way is incredibly valuable for the town, and we’re proud to support something that brings the business community closer together.”
Henley Business Buzz will take place on the fourth Thursday of each month, with the next event scheduled for Thursday, April 23.
All businesses, entrepreneurs, and professionals in the area are welcome to attend.
Business & Technology
IDnow & Trustfull partner on continuous fraud checks
IDnow and Trustfull have partnered to deliver fraud prevention by linking identity verification with ongoing risk checks across customer interactions.
The partnership is intended to address fraud both at account creation and after onboarding.
Beyond onboarding
Many businesses still rely on one-off know-your-customer checks when a user first signs up. IDnow and Trustfull argue this leaves gaps, as fraud risks can emerge later during authentication, account use and other interactions.
Under the arrangement, IDnow will combine its identity verification services with Trustfull’s digital and behavioural intelligence tools. The goal is to give organisations a broader view of customers over time, rather than a single snapshot at onboarding.
Trustfull’s data includes signals from email, phone, device, IP and browser activity. These inputs can help firms identify signs of disposable credentials, device spoofing and proxy use.
The combined approach can also be used to spot synthetic identity fraud during onboarding and monitor for behavioural anomalies or account takeover attempts later in the customer relationship.
Risk signals
The partnership centres on IDnow’s Trust Platform, described as a unified access point for identity verification methods and fraud signals. It is designed to correlate identity, behavioural, device, and digital data in real time, enabling businesses to make risk-based decisions at different stages of the customer journey.
IDnow says the model is intended to move customers away from static KYC checks and towards continuous risk management. The platform is also built to support compliance work linked to rules and frameworks, including eIDAS 2.0, AMLR and PSD3.
Market pressure
The tie-up comes as fraud teams face pressure to respond to attacks that are faster and more complex than traditional onboarding checks were designed to handle. Financial services groups, telecoms providers, travel businesses and gaming companies are among the sectors that must balance fraud controls with the need to avoid disrupting legitimate users.
Simon Peralta outlined IDnow’s view of the challenge and the role of partners in addressing it.
“The threat landscape has never been more complex, and fraud can occur at any stage of the customer journey. By bringing together high-quality signals from partners like Trustfull within a single platform, we give our customers a single source of truth for risk decisions, without the complexity of managing multiple vendor relationships,” said Simon Peralta, VP of Global Partners & International Sales, IDnow.
Company profiles
IDnow describes itself as a European provider of digital identity and fraud prevention products, with operations in Germany, the United Kingdom, Romania and France. Its clients span financial services, telecommunications, travel and mobility, gaming and other industries.
Trustfull focuses on fraud detection using digital signals and specialised risk models. Its clients and partners include Decathlon, Nexi, ING, Santander, Elavon, Scalapay, Cofidis and Sofinco.
For Trustfull, the agreement reflects a broader shift in the fraud market towards combining identity checks with signals gathered throughout the customer lifecycle.
“Our partnership with IDnow reflects a growing industry need for multi-layered fraud prevention, where identity verification is combined with broader digital intelligence to deliver stronger protection for businesses. We are pleased to join forces with such a leading player in the digital identity space and look forward to building powerful solutions together,” said Alex Tonello, SVP Global Partnerships, Trustfull.
Business & Technology
Yoto uses Oracle NetSuite to support global growth
Yoto is using Oracle NetSuite to run its operations, with the children’s audio platform saying the system supports its expansion across several international markets.
The London-founded business adopted NetSuite after rapid growth made it harder to manage operations across disconnected systems. As annual transactions rose into the millions, it wanted a single platform for financial and operational data.
Founded in 2017 by Ben Drury and Filip Denker, Yoto built its business around audio products for children designed to reduce screen time. After launching its first device, the Yoto Player, through Kickstarter in 2019, it expanded into the UK, US, Canada, Australia and France.
Yoto said it passed £100 million in annual revenue in 2025. As the business grew, separate software tools limited visibility across finance, inventory and wider operations.
Unified systems
NetSuite now brings together several previously separate systems into a single suite covering finance, inventory, and planning. According to Yoto, the software has helped automate parts of its global financial processes, improve forecasting, and strengthen supply chain and stock management.
Yoto said its financial management tools have shortened reporting and financial close work, increasing team productivity. It also said inventory management functions have improved product availability by enabling more accurate, responsive stock planning across countries and sales channels.
The deployment also includes NetSuite AI Connector Service, which Yoto said links the ERP platform to a third-party large language model provider. The setup allows the company to define what the AI can access and do through role-based permissions.
Ben Averis, Chief Financial Officer at Yoto, outlined the reason for the move. “As a fast-growing global business, we needed systems that could keep pace with our growth and support increasingly complex operations,” he said. “We chose NetSuite because it is a system capable of scaling and supporting the ambitions we have as a company. NetSuite has helped us operate more efficiently, plan more effectively, and make faster, more confident decisions by giving us a single source of truth for all financial and operational data,” said Averis.
Growth pressure
The changes come as consumer brands face growing demands on inventory planning and reporting as they expand across markets and sales channels. For businesses with physical products, the need to track stock accurately while maintaining financial control has become more pressing as international operations widen.
Yoto’s model combines hardware and audio content for children, placing it in a category that has grown as parents seek alternatives to screen-based entertainment. Expansion into multiple English-speaking markets and France has added complexity to supply chains, local sales activity and financial reporting from a central platform.
Oracle NetSuite said Yoto’s adoption reflects the pressure on growing consumer businesses to replace fragmented software systems with a single operational platform. In its view, this can help companies standardise workflows and improve oversight as they scale.
Nicky Tozer, Senior Vice President for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Oracle NetSuite, said Yoto had used the software to simplify and automate key parts of the business. “Yoto is pioneering a fast-growing category that is resonating with parents and children alike,” said Tozer. “With NetSuite, Yoto has replaced disconnected software systems with a single unified suite, automated critical workflows with embedded AI, and built a scalable foundation to support continued growth and meet rising customer demand,” added Tozer.
Business & Technology
Hyperlayer adds Chan & O’Callaghan after GBP £30m raise
Hyperlayer has appointed Louise Chan and Barry O’Callaghan to its board of directors following the London fintech’s GBP £30 million fundraise in the third quarter of 2025.
Chan already serves on the executive team as Chief Operating Officer, while O’Callaghan joins the board with a background in investment and corporate leadership. The appointments add two senior figures as Hyperlayer looks to expand internationally.
Founded in London, Hyperlayer sells technology to banks launching new financial products while maintaining links to existing core systems. Its platform is designed to help lenders move faster in areas such as digital financial services.
Chan joined Hyperlayer in 2023 and has more than 25 years of experience across banking and payments.
Before becoming Chief Operating Officer at Hyperlayer, she held the same role at Ebury, where she oversaw product, data and operations during the company’s international expansion. Earlier, she was Managing Director for Innovation Capability Development at HSBC and also held senior roles in banking and consultancy.
Capital markets
O’Callaghan is Chairman of private investment firm AKLO Capital. He previously served as Chief Executive Officer of education company Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and earlier built digital publisher Riverdeep through a series of acquisitions.
Earlier in his career, he held investment banking roles at Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse, focusing on mergers and acquisitions and capital markets. That experience brings board-level expertise in fundraising, expansion and dealmaking as Hyperlayer builds on its latest investment round.
The board changes were announced by Rob Rooney, Hyperlayer’s co-founder and former Chief Executive Officer of Morgan Stanley International. He has led the company as it pursues further growth with banks across multiple markets.
Board changes
The addition of an internal operating executive and an investor with capital markets experience points to a blend of execution and financial oversight at the board level. It also formalises Chan’s leadership role while giving O’Callaghan a direct governance position.
O’Callaghan was already involved with the business as an investor. His appointment shifts that relationship from shareholder backing to a formal board seat as the company enters its next phase.
For fintech companies selling to large banks, board composition can carry weight because customers and investors often look for experience in regulation, operations and institutional relationships. Hyperlayer’s choice of directors reflects that emphasis, with Chan bringing operational banking expertise and O’Callaghan contributing experience in investing and large-scale corporate management.
Hyperlayer has tied the appointments to its recent funding and international plans. It is one of several UK fintechs seeking to win business from incumbent banks under pressure to improve digital services without replacing core systems outright.
Market pressure
Competition in that market has intensified as banks weigh how to use newer forms of automation and software in customer-facing products. Providers that can demonstrate an understanding of both bank infrastructure and governance requirements have tried to stand out as spending by financial institutions remains selective.
“Louise has been instrumental in building our global operating capability, driving our HyperJar B2C business and leading Tier 1 bank client relationships. Barry adds deep experience in capital markets and scaling global businesses, and we’re delighted to see him move from investor to this hands-on leadership role. As we expand internationally and work with larger institutions, their perspective at board level will be critical to our next stage of growth,” said Rob Rooney, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Hyperlayer.
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