August 27, 2019 @ 7:51 pm By JD Alois  |  

Paragon, a Cannabis-focused company that completed an initial coin offering (ICO) that was determined to be an offering of unregistered securities by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), has begun accepting applications for investor refunds. According to a recent update on the Paragon site, the… Read More

August 27, 2019 @ 6:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

Assurely is a unique Insurtech platform that is first targeting online capital formation platforms to provide a new level of confidence for the issuance of securities be they traditional or digital. The company was co-founded by two established entrepreneurs, CEO David Carpentier and Chief Insurance… Read More

August 27, 2019 @ 10:18 am By JD Alois  |  

The UK has maintained a leadership role in the global Fintech realm for years. Boosted by a supportive government, a regulatory regime that encourages innovation and competition and a robust startup ecosystem, the UK has led the rest of the world when it comes to… Read More

August 27, 2019 @ 10:00 am By JD Alois  |  

TokenSoft, a security token issuance and management platform for digital securities, is now accepting stablecoins approved by regulators like the New York Departments of Financial Services (NYDFS). These include the Gemini Dollar (GUSD), USD Coin (USDC) and Paxos Standard (PAX). Investors may now participate in… Read More

August 27, 2019 @ 9:00 am By JD Alois  |  

Kadena, both a public and permissioned blockchain platform, says it is now available for free on the Microsoft Azure Marketplace. Previously, Kadena released a “free community edition” of their permissioned blockchain on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Marketplace. Kadena has claimed in the past that no… Read More

August 27, 2019 @ 7:56 am By JD Alois  |  

Raisin, a Fintech that provides an online marketplace for savers seeking better returns, has acquired fairr a retirement savings Fintech. Both companies are headquartered in Germany. The acquisition by Raisin comes following a recent funding round of €25 million from Goldman Sachs. The terms of… Read More

August 26, 2019 @ 5:17 pm By JD Alois  |  

Digital asset ecosystem company Circle is planning a $100 million venture fund. The company will apparently leverage the SeedInvest investment crowdfunding platform which Circle acquired last year. According to a job posting on LinkedIn, Circle is seeking a General Manager to work with SeedInvest senior… Read More

August 26, 2019 @ 2:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

In a report from last week, Fintech Unison was highlighted as considering an exit from the tech startup epicenter of San Francisco. According to SF Business Times, Texas, Idaho, and other states are looking to lure companies away from the Bay Area as the cost… Read More

August 26, 2019 @ 9:45 am By JD Alois  |  

The Swiss Financial Markets Authority (FINMA) has approved SEBA Crypto AG for a banking and securities license. SEBA joins Sygnum in becoming the first digital asset platforms to receive such a license. As with Sygnum, the license is provisional and will become finalized once SEBA… Read More

August 26, 2019 @ 9:30 am By JD Alois  |  

The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) has published guidance as to the application of regulatory requirements for payments on the blockchain for financial services providers under FINMA supervision. Specifically, the guidance addresses anti-money laundering (AML) and know your customer (KYC) rules. In a release,… Read More

August 26, 2019 @ 8:52 am By JD Alois  |  

Digital asset platform Sygnum has received a banking and securities dealer license from the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA). The Zurich, Switzerland based Fintech reports this is the first time a digital asset specialist has received the license from FINMA – joining SEBA who… Read More

August 26, 2019 @ 8:20 am By JD Alois  |  

ZhongAn Online (6060:HK), a Honk Kong-listed Insurtech, has reported a profit for the first 6 months of 2019 – the first time in the company’s history, according to a company release. As of 30 June 2019, ZhongAn Online said it provided services to 348 million… Read More

August 25, 2019 @ 7:30 pm By JD Alois  |  

OpenFinanance, a registered Alternative Trading System (ATS) for digital assets, recently opened up trading for tokenized hedge fund Protos (PRTS). The company states this is the first-ever tokenized hedge fund to trade on an ATS. The security is available for accredited US investors as well… Read More

August 25, 2019 @ 11:39 am By JD Alois  |  

Congresswoman Maxine Waters, the Chairwoman of the influential House Financial Services Committee, has issued a statement on her Bipartisan trip to Switzerland to learn more about Facebook’s plan to launch a stablecoin dubbed Libra. Facebook has incorporated Libra in the crypto-friendly jurisdiction of Switzerland like… Read More

August 24, 2019 @ 11:11 am By JD Alois  |  

“Be the bank,” is what SMBX tells its users, encouraging investors to provide access to debt capital for small businesses that typically struggle to get a loan from old finance. SMBX, a blockchain-powered platform that recently received FINRA approval to operate as a Reg CF… Read More

August 23, 2019 @ 10:33 am By JD Alois  |  

Beginning September 14, 2019, European Union rules regarding “Strong Customer Authentication” (SCA), part of PSD2, kick in. These rules, which also impact the UK, involve the way in which banks or payment services providers verify their customers’ identity and validate specific payment instructions. Mandated API… Read More

August 23, 2019 @ 6:59 am By JD Alois  |  

Digital bank Revolut has added to its executive team with several new hires harkening from traditional finance. According to Revolut, the Fintech bank has hired Philip Doyle as Director of Financial Crime Risk, Wolfgang Bardorf as Treasurer and Stefan Wille as Deputy Chief Financial Officer…. Read More

August 22, 2019 @ 8:15 pm By JD Alois  |  

Former Overstock (NASDAQ:OSTK) CEO Patrick Byrne was visiting with the studios of Fox News today following his abrupt resignation earlier today from the company he founded. Byrne is widely recognized as a pioneer in the blockchain sector having launched several companies, including tZero, targeting the… Read More

August 22, 2019 @ 4:41 pm By JD Alois  |  

Real estate investment platform Groundfloor has announced a new feature that the “wealthtech” company is claiming is an industry first. Groundfloor is now providing non-accredited investors access to fractionalized real estate loans so investors may better manage risk – something previously only available to accredited… Read More

August 22, 2019 @ 1:17 pm By JD Alois  |  

In a “Dear Shareholders” letter, Overstock (NASDAQ:OSTK) CEO and blockchain visionary Patrick Byrne submitted his resignation as both CEO and board member effective immediately. In afternoon trading, shares in Overstock are up by around 7%. The move by Byrne came following the fallout from comments… Read More