June 25, 2021 @ 12:16 pm By JD Alois  |  

Earlier this month, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) shared its regulatory agenda for the next couple of years. The list is quite long and includes many areas of the securities industry. At the top of the list, was the exempt offering ecosystem with the… Read More

June 25, 2021 @ 10:51 am By JD Alois  |  

A plenary of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), under the German Presidency of Dr. Marcus Pleyer took place this past week. The meeting provided several updates on key regulatory items including standards set for “Virtual Asset Service Providers” or VASPs. According to a statement… Read More

June 25, 2021 @ 7:59 am By JD Alois  |  

Gotrade, a trading app, has raised $7 million in a seed funding round led by LocalGlobe with participation from Social Leverage, Y Combinator, Picus Capital, and Raptor Group as well as angels associated with GoCardless (Matt Robinson), Skyscanner (Carlos Gonzalez-Cadenas), Deutsche Bank (Frank Strauss), and… Read More

June 24, 2021 @ 4:35 pm By JD Alois  |  

The True Lender Rule, regulation that impacts Fintech lenders, received some much-needed clarification last year from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Now there has been a change of administration, the arcane rule may reverse the progress made from the prior administration. Today,… Read More

June 24, 2021 @ 2:49 pm By JD Alois  |  

Sorbet has announced a $21 million seed round – said to be the largest seed round ever for a Fintech in Israel. Sorbet said that funding of $6 million was announced in April and the round was subsequently extended garnering the additional $15 million. Simultaneously,… Read More

June 24, 2021 @ 2:12 pm By JD Alois  |  

Wirex, a digital payments platform, says it will pay people up to 16% on their crypto and fiat funds. Wirex made the claim in a release announcing the launch of its new service “X-Accounts” created in partnership with Fireblocks. While the 16% promotion is pretty… Read More

June 24, 2021 @ 11:39 am By JD Alois  |  

Wahed Inc., an Islamic Fintech firm, has announced the appointment of Umer Suleman as General Manager of UK operations. According to a note from the company, his responsibilities will include overseeing Wahed Invest’s growth strategy and solidifying the firm’s position as a top provider of… Read More

June 24, 2021 @ 11:30 am By JD Alois  |  

Lessen, a marketplace that connects property owners to a network of vetted professionals for renovation, maintenance, and other services, has announced that it has closed a $35 million Series A funding round. According to Lessen, the funding is being led by Fifth Wall, a VC… Read More

June 24, 2021 @ 10:11 am By JD Alois  |  

Digital Assets AG, a Swiss-based blockchain firm supporting the issuance of tokenized financial instruments, says its tokenized stock infrastructure will move to the Solana blockchain. Simultaneously, the company said it will launch the first free-floating security tokens allowing the compliant transfer of tokenized stocks on… Read More

June 24, 2021 @ 9:34 am By JD Alois  |  

marketplace Rarible has raised $14.2 million in Series A funding led by led by Venrock and CoinFund, with participation from 01 Advisors. The funding will be used to add to its team while building a “community-owned” NFT marketplace. Rarible said the platform will be built… Read More

June 24, 2021 @ 8:15 am By JD Alois  |  

Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), one of the world’s leading VCs, has revealed a $2.2 billion crypto fund – the largest of its kind ever. The VC said they believe the next wave of computational innovation will be driven by crypto and they are “radically optimistic about… Read More

June 24, 2021 @ 4:00 am By JD Alois  |  

EUROCROWD, the leading European advocate for online capital formation, has published a report entitled Scaling Up Partnerships: A Blueprint For the Implementation Of Match-Funding Schemes Between Public Authorities and Crowdfunding Platforms. The report explains how to manage the use of European Structural and Investment Funds in… Read More

June 23, 2021 @ 4:33 pm By JD Alois  |  

Founder of McAfee Antivirus and staunch crypto-advocate John McAfee was found dead in his prison cell in Barcelona, Spain earlier today according to a report in El Pais. McAfee had been arrested on charges of tax evasion along with conspiracy to commit commodities and securities… Read More

June 23, 2021 @ 12:07 pm By JD Alois  |  

Cross River Bank has acquired PeerIQ, the leading data and analytics provider for the online lending industry. According to a release, Synthetic P2P Holdings Corporation (dba PeerIQ) was acquired during Q1 of 2021 for an undisclosed amount. Cross River Bank has emerged as the top… Read More

June 23, 2021 @ 11:17 am By JD Alois  |  

Canada has long held a fragmented approach to online capital formation where securities crowdfunding is regulated at the provincial level. Obviously, this creates unnecessary friction to an emerging sector of Fintech that facilitates capital formation for early-stage ventures. Today, the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) has… Read More

June 23, 2021 @ 11:09 am By JD Alois  |  

Solfácil, a solar Fintech based in Brazil, has raised a $30 million Series B funding round led by top Fintech VC QED Investors. According to a note from Solfácil, the round is the largest venture capital injection in the distributed solar sector in Brazil.  Existing… Read More

June 22, 2021 @ 11:51 pm By JD Alois  |  

Rsquare Technologies, a Bahrain-based Regtech, has won the Central Bank of Bahrain’s SuperNova 2021 ‘Regtech Innovation Challenge’. The Bahrain SuperNova Challenge was launched by the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) with the aim to further Bahrain’s Fintech industry’s development. Rsquare Technologies is a resident of one… Read More

June 22, 2021 @ 8:03 pm By JD Alois  |  

Sotheby’s, the top global auction house, says it will accept cryptocurrency, specifically Bitcoin or Ether, as payment for an enormous diamond. The 101.38-carat pear-shaped D colour flawless diamond, said to be one of the largest of its kind to go to auction, will go under… Read More

June 22, 2021 @ 4:14 pm By JD Alois  |  

Brian  Korn has been a regular suspect on the Fintech trail for years. From the early days of online lending and securities crowdfunding, to the more recent rise of digital assets, Korn has provided counsel to emerging firms seeking to benefit from the Fintech revolution…. Read More

June 22, 2021 @ 11:06 am By JD Alois  |  

The Financial Technology Association (FTA) announces the formation of an advisory board. The new board will help guide the nascent group’s mission to proactively guide regulation and policy in the booming Fintech sector. Founded in March, the FTA has moved quickly to boost its ranks… Read More