March 16, 2023 @ 8:36 am By JD Alois  |  

Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) has taken “decisive action” to buttress its balance sheet by tapping into a CHF 50 billion ($54 billion) loan from the Swiss National Bank. (SNB) In recent days, shares of Credit Suisse had been hammered by speculation that the bank was in… Read More

March 15, 2023 @ 7:30 pm By JD Alois  |  

Brex, a neobank providing various services for businesses to manage  their finances, has taken some heat today as Kenneth Ballenegger hammered the platform on Twitter for announcing a “massive devaluation with zero notice period of their rewards points.” Ballenegger, formerly of Republic/AngelList, is a VC… Read More

March 15, 2023 @ 3:47 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) and the Swiss National Bank (SNB) have issued a joint statement on “market uncertainty.” The statement follows the rapid decline in the share value of Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS). The global bank is viewed as the worst home in… Read More

March 15, 2023 @ 12:53 pm By JD Alois  |  

CrowdProperty has returned to Seedrs to raise another funding round. CrowdProperty is a profitable Proptech that matches investors to borrowers. According to the offering page, CrowdProperty is seeking a minimum raise of £400,009 at a pre-money valuation of £41.9 million. This represents an equity interest… Read More

March 15, 2023 @ 12:36 pm By JD Alois  |  

Bitfinex Derivatives has announced a range of perpetual contracts for some global commodity indices. Bitfinex noted that the contracts are only available for certain accounts in certain jurisdictions. The platform said the commodity contracts will allow Bitfinex Derivatives customers to trade products usually available on… Read More

March 15, 2023 @ 12:06 pm By JD Alois  |  

Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt delivered the Spring Statement today, making several big announcements, including a huge change in retirement planning. Hunt said that the Conservative government’s approach to the economy is “on the right track” while noting they “remain vigilant” and will take… Read More

March 15, 2023 @ 9:16 am By JD Alois  |  

Accelerated Payments, an invoice financing provider, has announced the appointment of C Ray Hines as Vice President of Business Development. Hines is expected to help increase the Fintech’s market share in North America – more specifically, the midwest. The company said the new hire is… Read More

March 14, 2023 @ 5:55 pm By JD Alois  |  

Prior to the US government’s decision to backstop all deposits, under the management of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), bank accounts were ONLY insured up to$250,000. While this amount has not been much of a problem in the past, last week, the world changed,… Read More

March 14, 2023 @ 5:01 pm By JD Alois  |  

Tasneem Dohadwala, Founding Partner of VC Excelstar Ventures, has shared her thoughts on the demise of several banks and the federal government’s decision to guarantee all deposits. Some observers have criticized the “government bailout” while others have noted that if the Feds had not taken… Read More

March 14, 2023 @ 11:41 am By JD Alois  |  

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have launched investigations into Silicon Valley Bank’s (SVB) failure. Last Friday, federal regulators took over the bank as customers rushed to pull money out of the bank due to concerns about its… Read More

March 14, 2023 @ 11:08 am By JD Alois  |  

Moody’s Investors Service has downgraded the entire US banking sector following the events in the past week. Moody’s said it has changed its outlook from stable to negative. This is a reflection of the events impacting Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), Signature Bank (SBNY), and Silvergate… Read More

March 14, 2023 @ 10:08 am By JD Alois  |  

Last month, CI hosted a webinar to review the securities crowdfunding market of 2022 as well as expectations for 2023. While the consensus of the group was that online capital formation softened in the waning months of 2022, panelists participating in the webinar were more… Read More

March 14, 2023 @ 9:41 am By JD Alois  |  

Meta’s (NASDAQ:META) commerce and Fintech lead Stephane Kasriel tweeted yesterday that the social platform is exiting the non fungible token (NFT) market, at least for now. Kasriel said they are refocusing efforts on supporting creators, people and businesses. This includes “messaging and monetization opps for… Read More

March 14, 2023 @ 8:39 am By JD Alois  |  

Moody’s Investors Service have downgraded or withdrawn its ratings from seven different banks. The decision follows the collapse of multiple banks. Last week, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Silvergate Bank were taken over by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). On Sunday, Signature Bank in… Read More

March 13, 2023 @ 7:47 pm By JD Alois  |  

Perhaps a bit late, Fitch Ratings has downgraded and withdrawn Signature Bank’s (SBNY) ratings. Signature Bank was shuttered this past weekend by the New York Department of Financial Services. Signature, active in the crypto sector, suffered a similar shortcoming to Silicon Valley Bank as it… Read More

March 13, 2023 @ 4:10 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Federal Reserve Board has announced that Vice Chair for Supervision Michael S. Barr will be leading a review of the supervision and regulation of Silicon Valley Bank, in light of its failure. The Fed said the review would be publicly released by May 1,… Read More

March 13, 2023 @ 3:57 pm By JD Alois  |  

Circle’s dollar-based stablecoin USDC lost its dollar peg last week after the firm revealed that $3.3 billion in reserves were locked up at Silicon Valley Bank (NASDAQ:SIVB). At one point, USDC dropped by around 12% as holders ran for the exits. After the US government… Read More

March 13, 2023 @ 3:31 pm By JD Alois  |  

Everyone is now speculating as to whether or not the Fed will raise rates by 25 bps later this month or not at all. Most observers currently believe 50 bps is off the table following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (NASDAQ:SIVB). The Fed’s aggressive… Read More

March 13, 2023 @ 11:54 am By JD Alois  |  

Earlier today, HSBC announced that it had acquired Silicon Valley Bank UK for £1 in a transaction approved by UK banking regulators. SVB has been a top banking firm for venture-backed firms around the world, and its UK operation is perhaps the most prominent. As… Read More

March 13, 2023 @ 11:23 am By JD Alois  |  

Following the announcement last night by federal regulators that all deposits at Silicon Valley Bank (NASDAQ:SIVB) would be guaranteed, Circle CEO issued a statement on the company’s dollar-based stablecoin, USDC, as any risk was eliminated from Circle’s relationship with SVB. As was reported last week,… Read More