French quantum computing startup Pasqal has officially commenced trading on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol PSQL, signifying a significant milestone in its journey to commercialize neutral-atom quantum technology.

The listing is a testament to the company’s successful transition from research to developing practical solutions and expanding its global footprint in the burgeoning field of quantum computing.

Supported by investments from Wa’ed Ventures, which backed Pasqal in 2023, the listing is positioned to reinforce the startup’s ambitions to lead innovation in quantum computers and simulators.

These are powered by neutral atoms technology, along with the requisite hardware and software that make these advanced capabilities accessible to a broader range of users.

This technological leap is pivotal as quantum computing holds the potential to revolutionize numerous industries by offering unprecedented computational power.

Saudi Arabia has emerged as a key player in Pasqal’s strategic expansion.

The establishment of the company’s regional headquarters in the Kingdom underscores the region’s growing influence in the tech sector.

With the collaboration of Aramco, Pasqal has already deployed what is described as the Middle East’s first commercial quantum computer.

This system provides quantum computing as a service, highlighting the region’s commitment to integrating cutting-edge technology into its economic framework.

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Pasqal envisions its Nasdaq listing as a springboard, offering a necessary platform and capital to accelerate its ongoing projects and further its vision of making quantum computing more ubiquitous.

By leveraging the financial and symbolic boost of going public, the company is well-positioned to push forward its mission to advance accessibility and implementation of quantum technology on a global scale.

The strides made by Pasqal reflect broader trends in the tech industry where innovation hubs, such as Saudi Arabia, are increasingly investing in future-defining technologies.

As Pasqal moves forward, its developments in quantum computing will likely continue to shape the landscape, offering practical solutions that transform theoretical possibilities into real-world applications.

Newcastle-based fintech startup Noggin HQ has raised £2.3 million = $3.13M  in an oversubscribed seed round and secured credit referencing authorisation from the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Blackfinch Ventures led the funding, with existing investors Oxford Capital and Bethnal Green Ventures also participating. The round attracted several sector-focused angel investors, including Alastair Douglas, former CEO of TotallyMoney.

The financing follows Noggin HQ’s earlier £710,000 pre-seed round. The company will use the fresh capital to move beyond its successful pilot programmes, scale operations and introduce its open banking-powered credit assessment technology to lenders across the UK.

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Challenging the Traditional Credit Model

Credit referencing in the UK has long been dominated by three established providers. Noggin HQ is entering that concentrated market with a model that evaluates consumers through their current cashflow rather than relying solely on conventional credit histories.

Its FCA approval makes the company one of only a small number of new credit reference agencies authorised in the UK during the past decade. Obtaining that regulatory status removes a major barrier to commercial adoption and allows Noggin HQ to provide credit information directly to lenders.

The startup is targeting a problem that affects consumers whose finances do not fit neatly into traditional scoring frameworks. An estimated 3.2 million UK adults were declined credit in the two years leading up to May 2024, according to figures provided in the announcement.

People with limited credit histories, irregular earnings or recent arrival in the country can struggle to access financial products even when they have sufficient income and consistently meet their financial obligations.

Using Open Banking to Assess Cashflow

Noggin HQ uses permissioned transaction data obtained through open banking to analyse consumers’ income and expenditure patterns in real time. The platform aims to give lenders a more current view of an applicant’s financial position and ability to manage repayments.

Traditional credit scores generally depend on historical borrowing records and repayment behaviour. Noggin HQ’s approach supplements that information with cashflow data, potentially allowing lenders to assess applicants whose conventional credit files provide an incomplete picture.

The company says this more detailed analysis can support nuanced lending decisions while helping financial institutions reach customers underserved by existing credit infrastructure.

A Business Built From Personal Experience

Childhood friends Evangeline Atkinson and Laura Mills founded Noggin HQ after encountering shortcomings in the credit assessment system themselves. Both had full-time jobs and regularly paid their bills, yet were declined for credit.

That experience prompted them to build an alternative designed around contemporary financial behaviour rather than legacy indicators alone.

Atkinson said consumers’ finances have become more complex, while much of the UK’s credit referencing infrastructure still reflects an older and less flexible economy. With FCA authorisation secured, the company now intends to help lenders conduct credit checks that better account for how people earn, spend and manage money today.

From Pilot Programmes to Market Adoption

The combination of regulatory approval and new funding gives Noggin HQ the resources to pursue wider commercial adoption. However, breaking into a market controlled by established credit bureaus will require the startup to demonstrate that its cashflow-based assessments can improve lending decisions at scale.

Its immediate opportunity lies in helping lenders evaluate applicants who may appear risky or invisible under conventional models. If its technology gains traction, Noggin HQ could give financial institutions another way to expand access to credit without relying entirely on static historical records.

Amsterdam-based AI-native financial services startup Neno has raised €6.6 million in Seed funding to develop its technology, expand its accounting and tax operations, and prepare for wider European growth.

New York-based early-stage venture fund AlleyCorp led the round, with participation from Motive Partners, Firstminute Capital and angel investors who hold executive positions at Hugging Face, Mollie, Juni, Deel, Miro, Coinbase, PayPal and Navro.

Launched in the first quarter of 2026, Neno has grown to almost 200 customers by combining accounting, tax and financial administration with automation and contextual financial insights through one platform.

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Bringing Fragmented Financial Workflows Together

Neno targets a European market in which more than half of the region’s 26 million SMEs outsource their accounting, payroll and tax obligations to professional providers. The company values the underlying industry at approximately €200 billion annually.

Businesses often manage these functions through disconnected banking, accounting, tax and payroll systems, limiting their ability to access timely financial context. At the same time, a shortage of accounting professionals is placing additional pressure on conventional service models.

Neno addresses that fragmentation through an AI-native workspace centred on a real-time agentic general ledger, or AGL. The system consolidates information from business bank accounts, corporate cards, bill payments and receivables into a unified record.

This gives Neno’s accountants a contextual view of customer finances while supporting the automation of processes such as reconciliation and VAT preparation.

Automation Without Replacing Accountants

Neno says its technology can complete certain financial processes up to five times faster than traditional methods. Customers save an average of eight hours of administrative work each month and approximately 20% on annual accounting fees, according to the company.

Founder and CEO Nick Knuppe said business owners no longer need to coordinate separately with banks, bookkeepers and tax advisers. Neno instead provides a managed service in which reconciliation, compliance and reporting take place automatically in the background, leaving customers primarily responsible for reviewing completed work.

The company is positioning AI as a tool for expanding accountants’ capacity rather than replacing them.

Knuppe said a Neno accountant can manage hundreds of customers instead of the roughly 30 typically served under the traditional model, without reducing the quality of financial advice. Automation handles administrative tasks while accountants retain oversight and focus on work requiring professional judgement.

Neno Labs and European Expansion

The new funding will support the launch of Neno Labs, an internal research and development unit focused on Ambient AI.

Neno will also increase the capacity of its accounting, tax services and go-to-market teams. These investments will prepare the company to enter additional European markets in 2027.

By combining professional accounting services with an AI-native infrastructure, Neno is seeking to build a unified financial administration model for SMEs while giving accountants the tools to support substantially larger customer portfolios.