Equals signs long-term CNN International media deal

Equals has agreed a long-term media partnership with CNN International across television, digital and social channels in the UK and Europe.

The payments company said the deal is its first brand campaign at this scale and follows a recent rebrand. It also comes after another year of double-digit growth, with more than £58 billion in transaction processing volume reported for 2025/26.

The partnership centres on content for CNN's business audience, focused on payments technology and embedded finance. Equals said it will draw on executive interviews, market research and coverage filmed around the Money 20/20 industry gathering, where the company unveiled its new brand.

CNN's commercial content unit, Create, worked with Equals on a branded content series that will run across CNN's television, digital and social platforms in the UK and Europe, while also reaching the broadcaster's wider international business audience.

The agreement extends an existing relationship between the two groups. Equals already holds exclusive sponsorship of CNN's Business Evolved digital series and television sponsorship of Marketplace Europe.

For Equals, the partnership is part of a push to raise its profile beyond its existing business payments customer base. The company provides infrastructure that allows businesses to collect, manage, convert and send funds directly, or build those functions into their own platforms through embedded financial products such as accounts, cards, payments and foreign exchange.

According to the company, thousands of businesses use the platform and it supports money movement in more than 140 currencies. That puts Equals in a competitive market where providers are trying to win corporate clients with payment tools that can be integrated into software and online services.

Research focus

Part of the content will draw on research carried out by Equals with Visa Consulting & Analytics on trends in embedded finance and payments. Equals said this will give CNN proprietary data and insight for the campaign.

Embedded finance has become a growing area of competition in payments as software companies and marketplaces look to offer financial products within their own customer journeys, rather than sending users to separate banking or payment providers. The trend has drawn in established financial groups as well as specialist fintech firms seeking to serve business customers with cross-border and multi-currency needs.

Equals has positioned itself around that shift, arguing that businesses increasingly want payment services built into the systems they already use. Its services span accounts, card issuing, payments and foreign exchange, with a focus on firms operating across multiple markets and currencies.

Brand push

The campaign also comes at a notable moment for the company's corporate identity. Equals recently rebranded and has begun presenting itself more clearly as a platform business for embedded finance and business-to-business payments, rather than solely as a specialist in foreign exchange and international transfers.

Media partnerships of this kind have become a common way for fintech and financial services groups to reach senior decision-makers through branded, editorial-style content. For CNN International, the deal adds another financial services client to its international commercial portfolio, which spans sponsorship, advertising sales and commercial content.

Justin Hannemann outlined the company's aims for the campaign.

"Money movement is critical in today's interconnected world, and we wanted a strategic partnership that could bring our story to business leaders shaping the future of finance. Working with CNN gives us a platform to showcase the latest insights and research shaping our industry, and we're excited to build on our initial launch," said Justin Hannemann, SVP Marketing, Equals.

CNN International said the agreement will help Equals target finance executives and other senior business figures through its cross-platform audience.

"With a vast and influential business audience across CNN's multiple platforms, Equals is able to effectively reach finance leaders and key decision makers through this strategic campaign. We're happy to be partnering with them on this initiative and producing a suite of engaging branded content that highlights the far-reaching benefits of its embedded finance proposition in a lively and easily accessible way," said Cathy Ibal, SVP, Head of International Ad Sales, CNN International Commercial.