June 5, 2020 @ 9:51 am By JD Alois  |  

The Future Fund, a UK government initiative to support startups and early-stage ventures – many of which are not profitable, reported 464 applications for the program as of May 31st. As part of a weekly update, HM Treasury quantified the number of applicants – a… Read More

June 5, 2020 @ 8:25 am By JD Alois  |  

Cloud9 Technologies has closed on a $17.5 million Series B funding round led by global bank UBS, with participation from existing investors including JPMorgan and Barclays. Cloud9 has developed a product that uses the “voice communication talk path” for the “trading floor of the future.”… Read More

June 4, 2020 @ 6:44 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) inviting public comment on its regulations regarding digital banking activities. The OCC is part of the US Department of Treasury and is the main banking regulator in… Read More

June 4, 2020 @ 6:12 pm By JD Alois  |  

  Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Labor (DLO) issued an Information Letter under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) pertaining to private equity investments as a component of a professionally managed funds offered as an investment option for participants in defined contribution plans. Effectively,… Read More

June 4, 2020 @ 4:15 pm By JD Alois  |  

SeedInvest, a top US-based investment crowdfunding platform, is reporting solid performance during a difficult period when much of the country has been shuttered due to the Coronavirus pandemic. In a blog post, SeedInvest said the second quarter of 2020 will be its best ever. According… Read More

June 4, 2020 @ 3:51 pm By JD Alois  |  

OnDeck (NYSE:ONDK), an online lender supporting SMEs, is planning to start originating loans at some point in June. This is according to a recent 8-K filed by the company. Last month, it was reported that OnDeck had hit the pause button on lending as it… Read More

June 4, 2020 @ 11:00 am By JD Alois  |  

  The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) is an enormous operation providing the vast majority of clearing and settlement services for securities in the US. To put this in perspective, DTCC processed $2.15 quadrillion (a quadrillion is a thousand trillion) in securities during 2019…. Read More

June 4, 2020 @ 9:00 am By JD Alois  |  

Paxful, a peer-to-peer Bitcoin marketplace, has recently entered India – a country that has recently seen a change in rules that have enabled crypto exchanges to operate thus opening the door to a huge market. Paxful states that an in-house survey about the future potential… Read More

June 4, 2020 @ 8:46 am By JD Alois  |  

ANote Music, a marketplace for investing in music royalties, is planning to launch on July 28, 2020, according to a company release. Based in Luxembourg, ANote Music plans to allow users to invest in music, own rights from content creators, and earn returns through the… Read More

June 3, 2020 @ 2:18 pm By JD Alois  |  

QuantmRE, a real estate finance platform that originates and funds Home Equity Agreements, is raising growth capital on Republic. According to the offering page, QuantmRE is seeking up to $1.07 million under Reg CF for a Crowd SAFE at an $8 million valuation cap with… Read More

June 3, 2020 @ 1:20 pm By JD Alois  |  

Crowdcube, a top European investment crowdfunding platform based in the UK, is reporting that even during the COVID-19 crisis investment metrics remain strong. In a blog post today, Crowdcube stated: “May [2020] saw an increase in investment activity at Crowdcube, with it reaching a lockdown… Read More

June 3, 2020 @ 12:57 pm By JD Alois  |  

  Invesdor, an equity crowdfunding platform that merged with an Austrian debt-funding platform Finnest in 2019, has completed its first equity round in the DACH region (Germany-Austria-Switzerland). Biogena Group GmbH raised almost €2 million, according to reports by Invesdor. Biogena, founded by CEO Albert Schmidbauer,… Read More

June 3, 2020 @ 11:49 am By JD Alois  |  

Security token trading platform Openfinance Network may be in the midst of an executive transition. While the company has not issued any public statements, LinkedIn profiles of founder and co-CEO Juan Hernandez and co-CEO James Stonebridge have recently changed. Stonebridge’s LinkedIn profile has been updated… Read More

June 3, 2020 @ 10:53 am By JD Alois  |  

The British Business Bank has approved new lenders for several COVID-19 support schemes. According to a release, JCB Finance will join the other 18 Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) lenders who have been accredited since the program opened last month. Last Friday, Metro Bank was… Read More

June 3, 2020 @ 9:22 am By JD Alois  |  

Factorin, a trade finance platform using blockchain, reports that it has “transformed” the trade finance market in Russia in one year since launch. According to a company release, Factorin has garnered relationships with 30 different banking entities, processed 246,000 invoices with transactional turnover exceeding $500… Read More

June 2, 2020 @ 12:37 pm By JD Alois  |  

The cryptocurrency sector of finance has long been a hotbed for fraud, scams, hacks, and crimes. The relative anonymity (or perceived anonymity) along with the ability to seamlessly transfer value in seconds has been catnip for crooks. Industry participants have struggled in the ongoing cat… Read More

June 2, 2020 @ 11:55 am By JD Alois  |  

HM Treasury has published an update on the various COVID-19 support schemes for UK businesses. Published today, UK lenders have now approved over £31.3 billion in loans for more than 745,000 businesses. The three programs include; The Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS), the Coronavirus Business… Read More

June 2, 2020 @ 11:19 am By JD Alois  |  

Alibaba (NYSE:BABA), one of the largest tech firms in the world, has announced a new shipping service that includes a trade financing option. The financing is provided in partnership with MTS a Fintech that offers “credit as a service.” Alibaba Freight seeks to engage with… Read More

June 2, 2020 @ 10:31 am By JD Alois  |  

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has recently created a section of its website outlining the support programs for domestic Fintechs. Singapore has long advocated on behalf of innovation in financial services and MAS has a long history of public-private partnerships in support of the… Read More

June 2, 2020 @ 10:00 am By JD Alois  |  

Fireblocks, an enterprise-grade digital asset platform, has announced the launch of the “Asset Transfer Network” for institutions. Fireblocks states that over 55 institutions and 26 digital asset exchanges are already active on the Network. Fireblocks, which supports 200+ tokens, enables the safe transfer of assets… Read More