October 20, 2021 @ 12:16 pm By JD Alois  |  

Short-seller Hindenburg Research has initiated the Hindenburg Tether Bounty Program as it seeks information “undisclosed details” on the backing of Tether (USDT). Tether is the most popular stablecoin with a market cap of around $70 billion. Tether is a dollar based stablecoin that is ostensibly… Read More

October 20, 2021 @ 11:54 am By JD Alois  |  

tZERO, a digital asset trading and support platform, has announced that it has received approval to settle and clear securities for itself as well as its broker-dealer affiliates, according to a note from the company. It will also support NMS securities, which are public securities… Read More

October 20, 2021 @ 9:57 am By JD Alois  |  

Lithuania is a European jurisdiction that wants to support innovation in financial services. As part of the European Union, the small baltic country has the opportunity to be more agile within the regulatory realm in contrast to larger EU member states. This past week, the… Read More

October 20, 2021 @ 9:05 am By JD Alois  |  

FV Bank, a challenger bank and digital asset custodian, has received a strategic investment from NGC Ventures.  The investment and partnership is expected to help drive FV Bank’s expansion throughout Asia. FV Bank said it raised USD $8 million as part of the funding round,… Read More

October 20, 2021 @ 9:00 am By JD Alois  |  

Plaid, a top open banking platform, and Currencycloud, a multi-currency transfers Fintech, have agreed to a strategic partnership, according to a release. The collaboration between the two firms is expected to deliver new joint solutions to make it easier for firms in the UK, including… Read More

October 20, 2021 @ 8:52 am By JD Alois  |  

Securitize, a digital security platform that helps companies tokenize, manage, and trade assets, has announced that it has hired former SEC Trading and Markets Director Brett Redfearn as Senior Strategic Advisor. Redfearn will serve as Chairman of the company’s Advisory Board while advising Securitize CEO… Read More

October 20, 2021 @ 6:27 am By JD Alois  |  

Property finance platform LendInvest has announced the launch of a new product range that offers reduced rates and fees for environmentally friendly properties. The move is described as the firm’s latest push to support sustainable landlords and reduce the environmental impact of the built environment…. Read More

October 19, 2021 @ 10:44 pm By JD Alois  |  

Zero Co, has broken the Australian record for the fastest online securities offering to top $3 million in funding in just 47 minutes, according to a note from the company. Zero Co, an eco startup, is raising growth capital on Birchal. Zero Co went on… Read More

October 19, 2021 @ 10:22 pm By JD Alois  |  

Plum, a fast-growing Fintech, has launched a securities offering on Crowdcube this week and the pitch has quickly topped £6.5 million backed by over 9750 individual investors. Plum is raising equity capital at a pre-money valuation of £90 million. Plum’s initial funding target was pegged… Read More

October 19, 2021 @ 9:53 pm By JD Alois  |  

The North Carolina Regulatory Sandbox Act of 2021 has been signed into law making the state one of a handful that are seeking to encourage innovation in financial services. The Mountaineer reported that the legislation received unanimous support in both the state House and Senate…. Read More

October 19, 2021 @ 3:23 pm By JD Alois  |  

Republic, a top investment crowdfunding platform that offers securities under the full stack of US exemptions, has raised $150 million in a Series B funding round. The valuation of the firm was not disclosed. Valor Equity Partners led the funding round indicating Republic was a… Read More

October 19, 2021 @ 3:03 pm By JD Alois  |  

The New York Attorney General has ramped up its regulation of crypto firms operating in the state by demanding two “unregistered crypto lending platforms” to halt operations while revealing the AG has initiated investigations regarding three more crypto service providers. The move aligns with the… Read More

October 19, 2021 @ 12:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

Buy now, pay later (BNPL) is a red hot sector of Fintech. Combine this with banking as a service (BaaS) and you see two dominant trends in the transition from legacy banks to Fintech everywhere with embedded services and on-demand finance. Research and Markets predicts… Read More

October 19, 2021 @ 10:07 am By JD Alois  |  

Following the first Bitcoin ETF to trade on an exchange, Grayscale says it has filed to migrate its Bitcoin Trust to a spot Bitcoin ETF [exchange traded fund] in partnership with NYSE Arca. Grayscale has long messaged its goal of migrating its Trust to an… Read More

October 19, 2021 @ 9:54 am By JD Alois  |  

There has been a lot of discussion about the first Bitcoin ETF to trade on a US-based exchange. ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (NYSE:BITO) commenced trading today and currently is trading slightly higher. But there has been a fair amount of criticism regarding this ETF because… Read More

October 19, 2021 @ 9:00 am By JD Alois  |  

Marqeta (NASDAQ: MQ), says it is now powering crypto products for Coinbase, Fold, Shakepay, and Bakkt, according to a release from the company/ Marqeta is a Fintech that partners with firms to issue and manage “modern cards.” Marqeta says these new products allow customers to… Read More

October 19, 2021 @ 8:47 am By JD Alois  |  

Insurtech firm BondAval has raised a $7 million seed round led by UK-based venture fund Octopus Ventures. Bondval also received the backing of Expa, along with support from existing investors Insurtech Gateway and TrueSight Ventures and several entrepreneurs, including Tom Blomfield (Monzo and GoCardless), Charlie… Read More

October 19, 2021 @ 8:15 am By JD Alois  |  

Following a Series A funding round of $20 million last year, payments Fintech Primer has closed on a Series B funding round of $50 million. According to a note from the company, Primer received a valuation of $425 million. ICONIQ Growth led the funding with… Read More

October 18, 2021 @ 10:33 pm By JD Alois  |  

Earlier today the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) published its “meme stock” report – otherwise known as the Staff Report on Equity and Options Market Structure Conditions in Early 2021. As was covered earlier, this report addresses the Gamestop/Robinhood/Reddit odyssey where retail investors created a short… Read More

October 18, 2021 @ 7:34 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued its anticipated report on market structure, including the emergence of Meme stocks – like GameStop. Some observers said there was little new in the report as it towed the line of SEC Chairman Gary Gensler’s recent proclamations…. Read More