April 24, 2019 @ 5:29 pm By JD Alois  |  

FINRA, the lead regulator for broker-dealers in the US, has opened up an Office of Financial Innovation in recognition of the growing importance of Fintech. Haimera Workie, currently a Senior Director at FINRA, will become its inaugural chief. FINRA President and CEO Robert W. Cook… Read More

April 24, 2019 @ 4:48 pm By JD Alois  |  

Small businesses create the majority of jobs in the US – just like many other developed economies. With jobs comes wealth and prosperity. If this job creation engine shuts down, as we have seen in the last recession, its a disaster. According to the US… Read More

April 24, 2019 @ 3:52 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Technology giant Samsung is reportedly developing its own blockchain network and cryptocurrency token, Samsung Coin. According to CoinDesk Korea, Samsung’s blockchain task force, which is part of the company’s wireless division, is now creating a blockchain main net based on Ethereum. The source revealed to… Read More

April 24, 2019 @ 3:47 pm By JD Alois  |  

SeedInvest, an online capital formation platform that claims over 250,000 registered investors (50,000 accredited), is planning a significant expansion. SeedInvest is a full stack crowdfunding platform leveraging all three securities exemptions to raise capital online from seed stage an up. In the fall of 2018,… Read More

April 24, 2019 @ 3:28 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

UK-based challenger bank Masthaven announced on Wednesday it secured £60 million equity investment by Värde Partners, a global alternative investment firm. According to Masthaven, the investment will enable the bank to deliver against its strategic ambition to become one of the leading specialist banks in… Read More

April 24, 2019 @ 2:19 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Fintech unicorn SoFi is reportedly seeking to raise $500 million from the Qatar Investment Authority. The company, which has a valuation of $4.3 billion, has previously raised $2 billion from investors, which includes Manhattan Venture Partners, RSC Capital, SoftBank, Silver Lake Partners, and DCM Ventures. Founded… Read More

April 24, 2019 @ 2:08 pm By Cali Haan  |  

The Wall Street Journal has reported this week that, on the advice of “a Bitcoin evangelist,” Softbank founder Masayoshi Son invested big in Bitcoins at the height of the market, then lost $130 million when he sold his position as the coin began to crash…. Read More

April 24, 2019 @ 12:52 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

UK banking group NatWest announced on Wednesday the launch of its new biometric fingerprint card. NatWest reported that customers may now use their fingerprint to verify transactions above the £30 contactless limit, increasing security and making it easier for customers when paying for goods or services… Read More

April 24, 2019 @ 12:20 pm By Cali Haan  |  

New details have emerged in the case of three alleged drug dealers in Australia, two of whom were also cryptocurrency entrepreneurs. In October 2017, police arrested the first two alleged dealers and claim to have seized at the scene 33 kilograms of MDMA, cocaine, and… Read More

April 24, 2019 @ 12:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

TrustToken is all in on Stablecoins having just announced four new Stablecoins each backed by fiat currency. TrustToken is launching the following stablecoins: TrueAUD, TrueEUR, TrueCAD, and TrueHKD. As one would expect, these coins represent Australian Dollars, Euros, Canadian dollars and Hong Kong Dollars. TrueAUD… Read More

April 24, 2019 @ 11:30 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

Judo Bank (formerly Judo Capital), an SME challenger bank, announced on Wednesday it was granted a full banking license by the  Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA). According to the bank’s Chairman, Peter Hodgson, the full license means Judo will be able to significantly extend the… Read More

April 24, 2019 @ 10:34 am By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has posted the agenda for the upcoming Fintech Forum scheduled to take place on May 31st. The event, entitled the 2019  Fintech Forum, will take place at SEC headquarters in Washington, DC. It will simultaneously be live-streamed on the… Read More

April 24, 2019 @ 10:10 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

Germany-based global provider of digital payments and commerce solutions Wirecard announced on Wednesday it is to receive a €900 million investment from Softbank through convertible bonds. Wirecard reported it is planning to issue convertible bonds with a term of five years exclusively to SoftBank, convertible to… Read More

April 24, 2019 @ 9:52 am By JD Alois  |  

Bank of England Governor Mark Carney is on his way out. Originally, Carney was expected to step down in June of 2019. At the request of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Carney was asked to extend his term as the UK attempted to manage Brexit… Read More

April 24, 2019 @ 9:02 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

TrueLayer, a computer software company that enables companies to capitalize on new open banking initiatives in the UK, announced on Wednesday it has formed a new partnership with ANNA Money. According to TrueLayer, the partnership will enable ANNA to provide its customers with enhanced open… Read More

April 24, 2019 @ 7:57 am By JD Alois  |  

Gifto, a company that completed a $30 million initial coin offering (ICO) in less than a minute, has bailed on Ethereum. In a blog post, Gifto said they have “tremendous respect for the Ethereum community,” but that respect apparently does not transfer over to confidence… Read More

April 23, 2019 @ 10:31 pm By JD Alois  |  

Venture capital deals in Europe during Q1 were pretty strong, according to the most recent Dow Jones Venture Capital Report. According to the publication, VC funding “surged” in Q1 22% – the second best quarter on record. In total, €6.79 billion was raised for 743… Read More

April 23, 2019 @ 9:40 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Microsoft has found that ransomware and cryptomining hackers are finding the most success in Ethiopia, Cameroon, Tanzania and Zambia, while the UAE, South Africa and Namibia have proven themselves as the most secure nations in Africa and the Middle East when it comes to repelling cryptocurrency-motivated… Read More

April 23, 2019 @ 9:17 pm By Cali Haan  |  

An Israeli named Afik Wore has been indicted for allegedly stealing 6.2 million shekels ($1.7 million USD) worth of cryptocurrency from a friend who taught him how to trade it, News 1 reports. According to the outlet, Eliat resident Alexei Yaromenko, a cryptocurrency trader since 2013,… Read More