JD Alois

The CFPB Should Be Investigating Banks that Debanked Individuals and Firms

Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) testified before the Senate Banking Committee. Chairman Rohit Chopra outlined his accomplishments while at the agency in his opening statement, mentioning that they are working on addressing the challenges of debanking. Blocking people from the banking system has emerged… Read More

Nigerian Scam Pilfers $2.9 Million from Investors, SEC and DOJ Charge Three for Operating Bogus Websites

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed charges against three Nigerian nationals for scamming investors out of $2.9 million. According to the SEC, the trio impersonated legitimate investment advisors and conning around 28 investors. At the same time, the United States Attorney’s Office for… Read More

Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance Publishes Report on Wholesale Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs)

The Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) has published a report on central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), more specifically, wholesale central bank Digital Currencies (wCBDCs), which may limit these digital assets to institutional use. While CBDCs continue to be debated and some jurisdictions are actively experimenting… Read More

Payments: Blink Targets Late Payments for Contractors

Blink Payment says it is targeting late payments for construction contractors by partnering with Business Pilot. The company points to data that indicates that 74% of construction contractors are affected by late payments. The Fintech said it is integrating with the fitting industry enterprise resource… Read More

LendingClub Founding CEO and Current Upgrade CEO Renaud Laplanche Comments on 10 Year Anniversary of Iconic Fintech IPO

LendingClub (NYSE:LC) became a public firm in an IPO held on December 11, 2014 – ten years ago today. At that time, the transition of the high-profile Fintech from a private firm to a publicly traded company was heralded as a coming-of-age moment for the… Read More

Financial Technology Association Publishes Fintech Roadmap for Incoming Adminstration

Expectations are high that the Trump Administration will support financial innovation and entrepreneurship. Many Fintechs are elated with his election, as it contrasts to the difficult environment during the Biden Administration. The Financial Technology Association (FTA) has published a “Fintech Policy Roadmap” that the administration… Read More

Commissioners Comment on Enabling Smaller Investor Access to Alternative Assets

The SEC Investor Advisory Committee met today, and one of the topics reviewed was access to alternative assets. More specifically, the fast-growing private securities markets. Private securities in both debt and equity markets have boomed in recent years. Meanwhile, public securities have diminished due to… Read More

Agentic AI in Financial Services Could Revolutionize the Financial Industry: Report

The team at the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF), along with the WEF [World Economic Forum] and Max Planck Institute, have published a report on Artificial Intelligence (AI), claiming that Agentic AI is poised to revolutionize financial services. Agentic AI is tech that can… Read More

UK Crowdfunding Association Believes Excessive Regulation is Crushing the Industry

The UKCFA (UK Crowdfunding Association) recently sent a letter to Tulip Siddiq, the Economic Secretary to the Treasury and City Minister, slamming the government for excessive regulations which are crippling the securities crowdfunding industry. It has been widely reported that Bruce Davis, Chair of the UKCFA,… Read More

SyndicateRoom Announces Carbon13 SEIS Fund VII

SyndicateRoom, an online investment platform that aims to generate solid returns by investing in private securities, has announced its Carbon13 SEIS Fund VII. Now available, the targeted fund seeks to  invest in pre-seed companies that businesses that focus on “Earth’s vital life support systems.” Each… Read More

Here Are Draft Recommendations by the SEC Investor Advisory Committee Regarding “Finfluencers”

In a meeting today, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Investor Advisory Committee (IAC) published draft recommendations regarding the rise of “Finluencers”—individuals who may promote securities offerings on social media. While the IAC may submit recommendations to the Commission, there is no requirement for the SEC… Read More

Regulatory Clarity fo EU MiCA Rules a Concern

Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulations or MiCA are rules that seek to provide regulatory clarity for firms engaged in the digital asset markets. This includes non-security crypto assets as well as stablecoins. Digital securities are regulated under different rules. In a corporate statement, payments firm Clear… Read More

SumUp to Offer Cash Advance Product, Available in Several European Countries

SumUp says it now offers a cash advance product for several European markets, including Germany, France, Ireland, and the Netherlands. The product was first introduced in the UK in 2020. The service allows merchants to tap into funding of up to £20,000. Typically, the funds… Read More

Fintech NAO Raises €3.4 Million in Seed Funding, Aims to Become Top Alt Investment Platform

NAO, a Berlin-based Fintech, has raised €3.4 million in Seed funding, according to a company statement. The round was said to be led by a family office of a Swiss private investor. The Wealthtech says it is on a mission to become the top investing… Read More

The Payments Association: It’s About Time the US Leads World on Crypto

The change in the US administration is expected to usher in a new era of digital asset innovation. During the Biden Administration, there was open hostility toward crypto that went beyond the pursuit of fraud and scams. Many firms sought to be regulated but were… Read More

House Select Committee on China Targets Webull and Affiliation with Chinese Communist Party

Webull has garnered some unwanted attention from the US House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, according to a report. Webull is regulated in the US as a broker-dealer. Webull is controlled by China-based holding company Hunan Fumi Information Technology, and its US operations are headquartered in… Read More

Nordic Fintech SaveLend Reports Yields for Savings Products

SaveLend Group, an online lender, is reporting that its current savings products are generating average accumulated net return before tax of 6.93% for Balanced and 7.51% for Yield. SaveLend launched these products in May 2023, seeking to improve the customer experience by offering more savings… Read More

Coinshares Says its Bitcoin ETP is Largest in Europe

CoinShares (Nasdaq Stockholm: CS) (OTCQX: CNSRF) is reporting that its CoinShares Physical Bitcoin ETP (ticker: BITC; ISIN: GB00BLD4ZL17) is now the top European Bitcoin physical exchange-traded product (ETP) by assets under management (AUM). Morningstar shows that BITC currently holds almost $1.5 billion in Bitcoin. CoinShares… Read More

Israel: $8.1 Billion for Startups, M&As Set Record – Report

According to a report from Israel, startups in the country generated $8.1 billion in funding during 2024. At the same time, mergers and acquisitions set a new record at $10.5 billion in deals. The report was published during the annual “2024-2025 Trends and Forecasts” conference,… Read More

Zilch Shares Black Friday Shopping Data

Payments Fintech Zilch has distributed information on Black Friday shopping activity. Zilch, based in the UK, is “direct-to-consumer, ad-subsidised payments network (ASPN).” Black Friday is one of the largest consumer purchasing dates of the year. Zilch reports that Black Friday saw its sales more than… Read More

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