December 19, 2016 @ 4:06 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

With its equity crowdfunding campaign set to close on Invesdor later this week, Allas Sea Pool Spa has officially secured more than €800,000 from over 525 investors. The Helsinki-based resort opened late summer 2016 and is described as a social experience that is combined with both wellness and… Read More

December 19, 2016 @ 2:29 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Last week, crowdfunding giant Kickstarter announced its engineering team has begun to open source its Android and iOS apps. The platform revealed that it is currently focused on writing well-tested code built with parts that can be easily understood on their own and it has adopted… Read More

December 19, 2016 @ 1:24 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

On Monday, UK-based equity crowdfunding platform Crowdcube announced it received two awards during the 2016 AltFi Annual Awards. The event celebrated achievements within the alternative finance industry and had 28 categories, including 13 new ones. Crowdcube revealed it was named “Crowdfunding Platform of the Year,” which… Read More

December 19, 2016 @ 11:49 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

FIS (NYSE: FIS), a financial services technology, announced last week it has teamed up with PayPal (NASDAQ: PYPL) to help increase customer engagement and drive incremental digital spend with FIS’ banking partners. According to the companies, the partnership will make it easy for consumers who bank… Read More

December 19, 2016 @ 11:23 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

On Monday, Nigeria-based fintech startup, Paystack, announced it raised $1.3 million during its seed funding round. Those who participated in the round included Tencent, Comcast Ventures, and Singularity Investments. The company, which was founded by Shola Akinlade and Ezra Olubi, is a Y Combinator-backed startup,… Read More

December 19, 2016 @ 10:08 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

Yirendai (NYSE: YRD) announced on Monday it appointed Chaomei Chen as an independent director. Chen has reportedly been part of the Chinese marketplace lender’s Advisory Committee since January 2016 and been providing strategic advice and insight to the senior management team on a range of issues such… Read More

December 19, 2016 @ 7:25 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

On Monday, RateSetter announced it appointed Michael Hoare as its new Head of Risk Analytics and Retail Credit. Hoare notably joins from PayPal UK, where he was Chief Credit Risk Officer. Prior to PayPal UK, Hoare also worked at Capital One, where he held various positions… Read More

December 18, 2016 @ 12:40 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Growth Street announced last week it would now accept individual retail investors on its peer to peer lending platform. They may do this now as they are an FCA registered Appointed Representative pursuant to a partnership with another firm.  Growth Street, which was founded in 2013 by Sherwin-Smith… Read More

December 17, 2016 @ 2:59 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Earlier this week, fintech firm Even Financial announced it increased loan originations by 205% quarter over quarter since the beginning of 2016 and surpassed $1.5 billion in loan requests. The company has experienced solid growth since it was founded in 2014. Even Financial is aiming… Read More

December 17, 2016 @ 9:45 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

On Friday, UK-based Crowdcube unveiled its latest infographic that shared details about its equity crowdfunding platform’s key highlights over the past five years. Crowdcube describes itself as a leading equity crowdfunding platform for both entrepreneurs of start-ups and growing businesses to connect with potential investors…. Read More

December 16, 2016 @ 5:11 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

On Thursday, marketplace lending platform Prosper announced the winners of the 2016 #MyProsperStory Contest, which was dedicated to individuals who have utilized their platform to regain control of their personal finances. As previously reported, participants of the contest simply emailed a photo with a brief explanation as… Read More

December 16, 2016 @ 4:53 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Less than a week after LendingTree launched its $50,000 small business grant contest; Bizfi announced it has teamed up with the online lender for the contest. According to Bizfi, LendingTree is one of the 45 funding partners of its marketplace for small business finance. LendingTree stated… Read More

December 16, 2016 @ 4:01 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Digital money transfer service WorldRemit announced on Friday it has launched new cash pick up services in Ethiopia and Uganda. This news comes after the company revealed it was now offering its service in Russia.  With the WorldRemit app or website, people in more than 50 countries… Read More

December 16, 2016 @ 3:52 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Last week, Crowdcube success Monzo announced the launch of Monzo.Me on iOS. The company stated that the new app will help users collect money from others with a worry-free process. Sharing details, the Monzo team stated: “Collecting money from other people has always been a pain. Whether… Read More

December 16, 2016 @ 10:12 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

NextGen Crowdfunding announced on Friday investor commitments into Title III equity crowdfunding campaigns have surpassed $15 million. The company is currently tracking Title III offerings through its NextGen Dashboard, which displays the progress of investor commitments since the new SEC crowdfunding regulations took effect last May. The new… Read More

December 16, 2016 @ 9:51 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

Maven Capital Partners,  a UK-based venture capital trusts (VCT) and private equity firm, announced on Friday the Maven Income and Growth VCT 6 has launched a new VCT Offer, which is limited to £6m in new subscriptions.  Maven VCTs have reportedly launched a series of successful VCT fundraisings in… Read More

December 16, 2016 @ 9:22 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

On Thursday, small business financing marketplace Nav announced Bank of America has officially joined its platform. The lender revealed it now has the most business financing options available in one location, streamlining access to over 100 business credit cards and business loan products. According to… Read More

December 15, 2016 @ 4:08 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

RealtyShares announced on Thursday its community of investors raised $2.25 million to recapitalize and fund the renovation of Avesta Communities’ Bridgewater complex, a 344-unit apartment community located in Orlando, Fla. According to RealtyShares, Avesta Communities recently acquired the property below its appraised value and planned to perform… Read More

December 15, 2016 @ 3:28 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Just one month after launching its very own equity crowdfunding platform, Indiegogo announced the campaigns using the new funding outlet have successfully secured more than $575,0000 in equity funds. As previously reported, Indiegogo launched the new equity portal with MicroVentures, which allows anyone to invest in… Read More

December 15, 2016 @ 2:54 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Small business lender, Merchant Money Company (MMC), announced on Wednesday it appointed Lynn Fernandez as its new Chief Credit Officer. Fernandez reportedly joins MMC from VEDC, where she was Vice President of Lending for more than five years. She was responsible for leading the firm from a… Read More