Bloomberg Banco Santander SA, Spain’s biggest lender, bought minority stakes in three financial-technology firms as Chairman Ana Botin makes machine learning a hallmark of her growth plan. Santander InnoVentures is investing in Pixoneye and Curve, both based in the U.K., and Gridspace, located in the U.S., according to a statement. Terms weren’t disclosed. The acquisitions bring the number of fintech …

Bloomberg Barclays Plc is in talks with Irish regulators to expand operations in Dublin as it activates plans to preserve access to European Union markets, as Brexit negotiations drag on with no financial-services deal in sight. CEOr Jes Staley and Helen Keelan, chairman of Barclays Bank Ireland, met country’s PM Leo Varadkar in Dublin. Barclays said that while it ‘remains …

Bloomberg As Sweden weighs the pros and cons of joining Europe’s banking union, the Nordic country says Italy’s decision to involve taxpayers isn’t encouraging. After months of deliberations, Italy said in June it will tap state coffers to pay for the wind-down of Banca Popolare di Vicenza SpA and Veneto Banca SpA. Italy is also using a provision in Europe’s …