December 27, 2021 @ 5:38 pm By JD Alois  |  

  The United States tax system is about as convoluted as it comes. There are federal taxes, state taxes, local taxes, sales taxes, property taxes, etc. Periodically, someone comes along and makes an attempt to simplify the system but entrenched interests, and loopy politicians, make… Read More

December 27, 2021 @ 4:33 pm By JD Alois  |  

Almond Finance, a blockchain-based funds transfer service, has raised $2 million in a seed round led by Morningside Group. Almond Finance, based in both Boston and Singapore, is targeting the B2B sector to connect financial institutions globally. Almond states that it offers a suite of… Read More

December 27, 2021 @ 3:06 pm By JD Alois  |  

Crypto proponent Senator Cynthia Lummis is planning “comprehensive” legislation for digital assets early next year. According to a report in Bloomberg, Senator Lummis, who has frequently voiced her support of digital asset innovation, will propose a bill that will clarify the regulatory status of the… Read More

December 27, 2021 @ 12:22 pm By JD Alois  |  

Avolta Partners has distributed a note highlighting the gangbuster year for the French startup ecosystem. Avolta is a French boutique investment bank that is participating in this sector that says it is one the most active M&A firms in Europe in the tech industry, including… Read More

December 24, 2021 @ 11:23 am By JD Alois  |  

By now everyone is aware there is a significant migration taking place. High tax, less business-friendly states are losing out to low tax, business welcoming states and the transition is ongoing. While there are multiple states benefiting from individuals and firms exiting California, New York,… Read More

December 23, 2021 @ 5:53 pm By JD Alois  |  

Talk to the hand. Marc Andreessen has blocked Jack Dorsey on Twitter, perhaps a first for Dorsey who shared the screenshot on the social network he founded.   I’m officially banned from web3 pic.twitter.com/RrEIAuqE6f — jack⚡️ (@jack) December 22, 2021 The virtual joust came about… Read More

December 23, 2021 @ 3:43 pm By JD Alois  |  

Liquid Meta, a DeFi firm, has listed its shares on the NEO Exchange under ticker LIQD. Liquid Meta’s market cap is currently around CDN 46 million. NEO Exchange is a tier 1 stock exchange operating in Canada. Its mission is to serve the innovation sector… Read More

December 23, 2021 @ 12:06 pm By JD Alois  |  

Earlier this month, the US Senate Banking Committee held a hearing on stablecoins that involved advocates and those who believe they are bad. The short hearing saw witnesses grilled with the Democrats generally dismissive and the Republicans in support of digital assets tied to fiat… Read More

December 22, 2021 @ 11:11 pm By JD Alois  |  

Announced last month, Oportun (Nasdaq: OPRT) reports that it has completed the acquisition of neobank platform Digit. Digit will operate as a business unit within Oportun and continue to be led by Digit founder and CEO, Ethan Bloch. All of Digit’s 100+ employees are said… Read More

December 22, 2021 @ 4:46 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has chimed in on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) inquiry into big tech and payments. In a letter dated December 21, 2021, Lina Khan, Chair of the FTC said that big tech providing financial services “demand close scrutiny.” In… Read More

December 22, 2021 @ 2:32 pm By JD Alois  |  

Oppenheimer is out with its 2022 picks and Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN) has made the list. The analyst providing the coverage has set a $444 price target for the crypto exchange, a significant increase over its current per-share price that hovers around $252/share. Coinbase became a public… Read More

December 22, 2021 @ 10:26 am By JD Alois  |  

“Cryptocurrency is the Emperor’s New Clothes.” Dr. Dan Geller, a behavioral economist who frequently chats about financial services at his firm Analyticom, is out with a note today hammering cryptocurrency while predicting its demise. According to Geller, crypto has been created for control and not… Read More

December 22, 2021 @ 9:35 am By JD Alois  |  

DeFi incubator Dispersion Holdings plc (AQSE: DEFI) has submitted an application for the listing of its ordinary shares on the Canadian Neo Exchange. Dispersion Holdings currently has a market cap of around £26 million. NEO Exchange is an early stage Fintech that aims to “re-focus… Read More

December 21, 2021 @ 4:53 pm By JD Alois  |  

Digital asset exchange BitMEX has announced its native token, BMEX. The tokens commence its airdrop on 1 February 2022 with the token becoming tradeable on BitMEX upon the launch of its Spot exchange in early Q2 2022. BitMEX is a crypto derivatives – futures marketplace… Read More

December 21, 2021 @ 3:43 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has halted the lending at LendUp Loans, according to a statement by the regulator. Currently, its website states that the company has made a business decision to cease lending and is no longer servicing loans. According to the CFPB,… Read More

December 21, 2021 @ 11:21 am By JD Alois  |  

Securitize, a top digital security platform and trading venue, has listed COSIMO X – a tokenized VC Fund. The security is offered by COSIMO Ventures, a VC firm that is enabling access to blockchain and crypto projects with the fund. Rob Frasca, Managing Partner of… Read More

December 21, 2021 @ 11:02 am By JD Alois  |  

Earlier this week, the Securities and Exchange Commission hit JPMorgan (NYSE:JPM) with a $125 million penalty. JP Morgan Securities, a subsidiary of JP Morgan, was fined for “widespread and longstanding failures by the firm and its employees to maintain and preserve written communications,” said the… Read More

December 21, 2021 @ 10:48 am By JD Alois  |  

PlainID has announced a $75 million  Series C funding round led by Insight Partners. Additional investors included Itai Tsiddon, Viola Ventures and all other existing investors, according to the company. PlainID offers its “Policy-Based Access Control” (PBAC) to enable firmst to control who can access… Read More

December 21, 2021 @ 9:07 am By JD Alois  |  

Rnwl, an Insurtech startup, has closed its funding round on Seedrs. According to the offering page, Rnwl raised £492,225 from 534 investors in 34 days. Rnwl was offering equity at a pre-money valuation of £6 million. The security was EIS qualified and approved for the… Read More

December 20, 2021 @ 10:39 pm By JD Alois  |  

CHAI, a digital wallet and payment service provider including credit cards, e-wallets, and wire transfers, has raised $45 million in a Series B+ funding round led by SoftBank Ventures Asia (SBVA) and B Capital. Other investors participating in the round include KT Investment, Conductive Ventures,… Read More