March 1, 2021 @ 12:23 pm By JD Alois  |  

Kevin O’Leary, aka Mr. Wonderful, has become a crypto fan. During a discussion on CNBC today,  O’Leary said he was allocating a portion of his portfolio, reported to be around 3%, into Bitcoin. In the past, O’Leary has been less than complimentary of crypto in… Read More

March 1, 2021 @ 12:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

This past week the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) issued a consultation paper addressing standards for the previously approved pan-European crowdfunding regulation. As covered in the past, the European Union has passed legislation to enable online securities offerings across its member nations. After many… Read More

March 1, 2021 @ 10:07 am By JD Alois  |  

At the end of 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a statement on the custody of digital assets by “special purpose broker-dealers.” At that time, the SEC said that they were seeking to “encourage innovation around the application of Securities Exchange Act Rule… Read More

March 1, 2021 @ 9:03 am By JD Alois  |  

Daniel S. Loeb, the CEO of Third Point, is pondering the possibilities of crypto, according to several tweets this morning. Third Point holds over $14 billion in assets and reports an “event-driven, value-oriented investment style.” Third Points says it “seeks to identify situations where we… Read More

February 28, 2021 @ 6:20 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Investor Advisory Committee has scheduled a meeting for March 11, 2021. Included on the agenda is a panel discussion on the hot Special Acquisition Company (SPAC) market. According to the agenda, the panel will be moderated by Christopher Mirabile,… Read More

February 27, 2021 @ 4:13 pm By JD Alois  |  

Property finance platform LendInvest has announced Strategic Partners for 2021 with 35 broker firms joining the program.  LendInvest explains that they recognize key broker firms as those that submit a high level of consistent business to LendInvest. Strategic Partners may access dedicated staff to service… Read More

February 26, 2021 @ 5:38 pm By JD Alois  |  

PDAX, a licensed crypto exchange operating in the Philippines, suffered an outage earlier this month. There have been multiple reports that traders were able to purchase Bitcoin at a steep discount during a time when BTC was trading at new all-time highs. A statement from… Read More

February 26, 2021 @ 1:22 pm By JD Alois  |  

The US House Committee on Financial Services will revisit the GameStop/Reddit/Robinhood fiasco once again in mid-March. The Committee distributed an email last night indicating that a virtual hearing will take place on March 17th, at 12 noon, entitled, “Game Stopped? Who Wins and Loses When… Read More

February 26, 2021 @ 11:28 am By JD Alois  |  

TD Bank will shutter 82 branches as it seeks to reduce physical locations and cut costs as the transition to digital banking forges ahead. Yesterday, TD announced financial results for the first quarter ended January 31, 2021. TD reported earnings of CDN $3.3 billion, up… Read More

February 26, 2021 @ 9:34 am By JD Alois  |  

The long-anticipated report on the UK Fintech ecosystem and recommendations as to how to keep the robust market growing in a post-Brexit world has been published today. The Kalifa Review of Fintech seeks to provide a roadmap for the UK to maintain its prominence in… Read More

February 25, 2021 @ 10:50 pm By JD Alois  |  

Crowdo has announced the launch of a new platform in Indonesia that is described as the first “SME digitalization platform powered by Neobank technology.” According to Crowdo, the platform seeks to help businesses digitalize their operations that improve supply chain operations with financial and banking… Read More

February 25, 2021 @ 10:14 pm By JD Alois  |  

The US Department of Treasury has issued a statement on the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) second plenary meeting during the German Presidency of the global regulatory agency. According to Treasury, FATF advanced its work on several issues, including finalizing a non-public report on terrorist… Read More

February 25, 2021 @ 8:04 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Association of International Certified Professional Accountants and CPA.com have selected five early-stage ventures to participate in an accelerator. The program was launched in 2017 in recognition of the ongoing digital transformation taking place in financial services. Erik Asgeirsson, president and CEO of CPA.com, says the… Read More

February 25, 2021 @ 12:47 pm By JD Alois  |  

Skymind has announced its first cohort of investments from its $800 million AI fund. Skymind has invested in six startups that are leveraging AI to improve the performance of different industries and sectors across the globe. Skymind is an open-source enterprise deep-learning software company and… Read More

February 25, 2021 @ 12:34 pm By JD Alois  |  

Payments Fintech Nuapay is expanding its platform across Germany and Italy leveraging open banking. According to a statement by the company, Nuapay has connected with 308 banks in Italy and 435 banks in Germany, covering approximately 98% of Italian payers and 70% of German payers…. Read More

February 25, 2021 @ 11:12 am By JD Alois  |  

  According to multiple reports, Khurram Shroff, chairman of the IBC Group in Dubai, has pledged 100,000 Bitcoin for the Miami 2.0 Blockchain Strategy Foundation. At its current price point, 100,000 BTC is worth a whopping $5 billion. And if some prognosticators get it right,… Read More

February 25, 2021 @ 9:07 am By JD Alois  |  

As anticipated, Coinbase has publicly filed an S-1 outlining its plans to complete an initial public offering (IPO) on the NASDAQ. Accrording to the filing, Coinbase intends to raise up to $1 billion and  trade under the ticker symbol of “COIN.” The filing shares that… Read More

February 25, 2021 @ 8:37 am By JD Alois  |  

Thrillz, a platform that operates a personalized message service in partnership with celebrities, influencers, sports figures, impersonators, and more, is looking to raise growth capital on Seedrs. Are you interested in a birthday wish from Katie Price or a personalized message from Tara Reid? Well,… Read More

February 25, 2021 @ 6:32 am By JD Alois  |  

OakNorth Bank has completed a £4.4 million Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) loan to complete the development of Beulah Vista Caring Home in London. OakNorth Bank says that the number of care home beds per 100 people over the age of 85 has fallen… Read More

February 24, 2021 @ 10:22 pm By JD Alois  |  

PT Amartha Mikro Fintek a peer-to-peer lender that provides access to capital to micro and small entrepreneurs (MSEs). Founded in 2010, Amartha pivoted into a peer-to-peer lending platform in 2016 and is now one of the biggest P2P lenders in Indonesia. According to Amartha, the… Read More