January 15, 2019 @ 8:50 pm By JD Alois  |  

ZhongAn Online P&C Insurance Co., Ltd. (HKEX stock code: 6060), the first internet-based insurer in China, has partnered with Grab Holdings – an “online to offline” mobile platform serving Southeast Asia. The two firms have formed a joint venture to create and launch a “digital… Read More

January 15, 2019 @ 4:28 pm By Cali Haan  |  

“The business environment is increasingly harsh, but we can still produce a profit.” Two large Japanese IT companies, DMM and GMO, recently closed or considerably shrank their cryptomining operations citing millions in 2018 losses. That hasn’t stopped the Japanese firm Ginco Mongol, whose CEO furnished the… Read More

January 15, 2019 @ 3:55 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Ledger, a crypto wallet and secure custody platform for digital assets, announced last week the launch of its new Nano X Hardware Wallet. According to Ledger, the Ledger Nano X improves on the Ledger Nano S with enhanced state-of-the-art security and improved user experience and design…. Read More

January 15, 2019 @ 3:08 pm By JD Alois  |  

A few days ago the St. Louis Federal Reserve entered the debate regarding crypto and specifically, the price of Bitcoin. In brief, the Fed is not very impressed. “Whither Bitcoin” asserts that the future price path is more likely to remain bounded between these two… Read More

January 15, 2019 @ 2:41 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

UK based peer-to-peer lender RateSetter announced on Tuesday it has surpassed £3 billion in online lending. RateSetter reported that the milestone follows a successful year, with the lender originating more than £700 million of new lending and active loans under management grew to £820 million…. Read More

January 15, 2019 @ 2:14 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

UK-based marketplace lending platform LendInvest announced last week it has formed a new partnership with mortgage technology expert, Mortgage Brain, to bring its Buy-to-Let product to a wider audience of intermediaries as it seeks to continue to expand its distribution panel.  According to LendInvest, Mortgage Brain’s first… Read More

January 15, 2019 @ 12:18 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Bitmex, a Hong Kong-based Bitcoin derivatives exchange popular for allowing 100X leveraged bets, has deactivated the trading accounts of clients from the US and the Canadian province of Quebec, The South China Morning Post (SCMP) reports. The move has likely been made in response to increased regulatory pressure… Read More

January 15, 2019 @ 12:04 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Appian (NASDAQ: APPN), a firm that provides a software development platform that combines intelligent automation and enterprise low-code development to rapidly deliver powerful business applications announces that UnionBank of the Philippines used the Appian Platform to launch its first fully digital branch. The branch, which… Read More

January 15, 2019 @ 12:04 pm By JD Alois  |  

Even while much of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is on furlough due to the US government shutdown, today the SEC announced charges against nine defendants for participating a hack into the SEC’s EDGAR system – the database that hosts all mandated securities filings…. Read More

January 15, 2019 @ 10:57 am By Cali Haan  |  

A man who spent $2570 USD in Bitcoin buying a Glock 9 mm gun, a silencer and 150 rounds of ammunition on the Dark Net has been sentenced to five years in prison by a judge in Scotland, Bloomberg reports. David Mitchell, 48, whom the… Read More

January 15, 2019 @ 10:35 am By JD Alois  |  

Brokerage TD Ameritrade has partnered up with Apple (NASDAQ:APPL) to provide a streamlined money transfer. As of today, individual investors may instantly transfer funds to their brokerage account via Apple Pay and Apple Business Chat using iMessages. In a release, TD Ameritrade explained that historically… Read More

January 15, 2019 @ 10:34 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

Australian digital bank Xinja has not only launched its second equity crowdfunding round on Equitise, but it also has already secured its initial $500,000 funding target. The launch of the latest funding round comes just one year after Xinja became the first retail equity crowdfunding offer in Australia… Read More

January 15, 2019 @ 9:51 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

Visa announced on Tuesday the launch of its new global initiative, She’s Next, Empowered by Visa, to champion women-owned small businesses everywhere. Through the initiative, women small business owners are able to build, sustain, and advance their businesses. According to Visa, She’s Next, will be supported… Read More

January 15, 2019 @ 9:06 am By Erin Hobey  |  

Airtm, which operates a blockchain and bank-connected digital wallet and the P2P exchange platform AirPlatform, aims to provide globally-connected financial services to consumers and businesses in the developing world. The platform is now focusing its efforts on Venezuela, specifically in the new Airdrop Venezuela campaign. “Over the… Read More

January 15, 2019 @ 8:25 am By JD Alois  |  

The definition of traditional banking continues to crumble as SoFi continues to extend invitations to their new bank-like service. Finally, I have received an email saying the wait is over. SoFi, a Fintech that started out as a student loan provider, has since morphed and… Read More

January 15, 2019 @ 8:17 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

Blockchain fintech company, Blackmoon, announced on Tuesday it has formed a strategic partnership with Jarvis International Ltd. (Jarvis), an information technology and services company, to create a set of branded Exchange Traded Indexes (ETx). This news comes just one day after Blackmoon announced its collaboration… Read More

January 15, 2019 @ 7:48 am By JD Alois  |  

Liquidity is a frequently discussed topic regarding both un-listed early stage firms and other traditionally illiquid assets. Property Partner, a real estate crowdfunding platform, appears to have provided an effective solution for individuals investing in property assets on their platform. Property Partner is reporting that as… Read More

January 15, 2019 @ 3:20 am By Erin Hobey  |  

The German IoT platform Ameria successfully closed its €5.5M Companisto Series C/Growth Capital campaign at midnight, raising  the full €5,500,000 from 770 investors. Funding will be utilized to further develop the company’s existing CX Ecosystem and ensure innovation leadership. Investors include CEMA AG CEO Thomas Steckenborn, Carlos Dennis and Süddeutsche Privatkapital AG… Read More

January 14, 2019 @ 10:49 pm By Cali Haan  |  

“We had welcomed this.” Locals in Rockdale, Texas, a small town east of Austin that recently lost two of its largest employers and 30% of the local tax base, are disappointed to learn that Bitmain, the world’s largest manufacturer of cryptocurrency mining equipment and operator… Read More