Investment Platforms and Marketplaces

October 9, 2020 @ 3:26 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

A study recently performed by the European peer to peer (P2P) lending platform Robo.cash reveals that the main factors for its success during COVID were the profits it generated in 2019 and “work with affiliated loan originators.” Robo.cash claims that “remarkably, interest rates, funding volumes… Read More

October 9, 2020 @ 2:58 pm By JD Alois  |  

ARK Investment Management LLC, an investment management firm looking to invest in the “next big thing,” now controls a 10.47% stake in LendingClub (NYSE:LC), according to a Schedule 13G filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The revelation of the significant shareholding comes during… Read More

October 9, 2020 @ 2:12 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Crypto exchange OKCoin, which claims that its trading services are regulated, has announced the launch of its business office in Singapore. The fiat-focused digital asset exchange aims to serve as the Southeast Asia hub catering to clients based in Asia and Oceania. According to a… Read More

October 9, 2020 @ 7:20 am By Omar Faridi  |  

October, a top European online lender, recently raised €258 million to lend to European SMEs. The additional financing was provided by institutional investors including Intesa Sanpaolo, CDC, FFA and six major insurance firms. The lending platforms management noted in a blog post that its lenders… Read More

October 8, 2020 @ 11:18 pm By JD Alois  |  

Tokenization platform and digital assets exchange Sports D³ reports that it has been granted an operating crypto-license by the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of Estonia. Sports D³ seeks to offer an alternative path for professional sports teams to raise capital via digital securities sold to… Read More

October 8, 2020 @ 9:02 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Indonesia based Tokopedia, an e-commerce marketplace that had announced a $1.5 billion funding round from Softbank, Alibaba, Temasek back in January 2020, has reportedly won the HR Asia Award 2020. The tech firm has been recognized as one of “The Best Companies to Work for… Read More

October 8, 2020 @ 8:20 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

U.S.-based online lending platform VIVA Finance announced on Thursday it secured $2.3 million through its latest seed funding round, which was ledgy Acumen Fund. The company’s total amount raised is now up to $3.5 million. Formed in 2019, VIVA describes itself as an online lending… Read More

October 8, 2020 @ 8:01 am By Omar Faridi  |  

SMART VALOR, a Switzerland based regulated digital asset exchange, will be running an Automated Price Reserve for the VALOR token on the Kyber Network, which provides a tool that allows traders to exchange tokens instantly without having to use exchanges. The VALOR token will be… Read More

October 7, 2020 @ 8:32 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The developers of Aave, an open-source and non-custodial decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol for earning interest on digital asset deposits while also being able to borrow assets, have announced that they’re introducing Centrifuge – which aims to bring real-world asset markets to the Aave protocol. Isa… Read More

October 7, 2020 @ 8:28 pm By JD Alois  |  

Yieldstreet, a crowdfunding platform for accredited investors, has won a significant victory in the British High Court pertaining to allegations of fraud associated with loans issued via the platform. Yieldstreet called the decision a “huge win for our investors” as it appeared to vindicate, in… Read More

October 7, 2020 @ 6:22 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Blockchain-powered apps are designed to be more open and transparent than their traditional versions. According to Coinbase, this can be beneficial because individuals and organizations are able to inspect these projects and can also confirm that everything is working as it should. However, it’s also… Read More

October 7, 2020 @ 2:37 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

  Less than two years after securing more than £1.5 million through its previous crowdfunding campaign on Seedrs, renewable investment platform Abundance has returned to the funding portal and quickly surpassed its £350,000 funding target and is now nearing £535,000.  As previously reported, Abundance launched… Read More

October 7, 2020 @ 12:14 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

  Dividend Finance Inc., a U.S.-based fintech that specializes in point-of-sale lending to solar and home improvement contractors, announced on Wednesday the launch of a new technology platform. Founded in 2013, Dividend claims it is a leading national provider of renewable energy and energy-efficient financing… Read More

October 7, 2020 @ 8:01 am By JD Alois  |  

Closing an Important Chapter LendingClub (NYSE:LC), the leading marketplace lender in the US, has filed an 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission stating it will cease offering Retail Notes as of the end of 2020. In an email distributed to LendingClub retail investors, the… Read More

October 7, 2020 @ 7:13 am By JD Alois  |  

Assetz Capital, a peer to peer lenders, says it has completed its securities offering on Seedrs that was matched by Future Fund money. In total, Assetz Capital raised £1.5 million with half of that amount coming from retail investors. The Future Fund is used for… Read More

October 6, 2020 @ 10:23 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

Small business funding platform Biz2Credit announced on Tuesday its latest Small Business Lending Index has been released and revealed small business loan approval percentages at big banks ($10 billion+ in assets) dropped slightly from 13.6% in August to 13.5% in September, indicative of the struggles… Read More

October 5, 2020 @ 10:45 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Binance, the world’s largest digital asset exchange, has confirmed that it’s been a month since it launched Binance Liquid Swap. The exchange also revealed that the platform is now hosting over $128 million worth of stablecoins, as of October 3, 2020. The Binance team further… Read More

October 5, 2020 @ 6:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

Last week, BitMEX (Bitcoin Mercantile Exchange), a top crypto/crypto-derivatives exchange that is operated by HDR Global Trading Limited, a Republic of Seychelles incorporated entity, was hit with a civil enforcement action emanating from the Commodity Futures Trading Future Commission (CFTC). Simultaneously, a criminal lawsuit by… Read More

October 5, 2020 @ 3:35 pm By JD Alois  |  

  The United Kingdom Crowdfunding Association (UKCFA), the leading industry voice in the UK for online capital formation, has commented on the merger announced today between Seedrs and Crowdcube. The two trailblazers in the Fintech sector of online capital formation have dominated the UK crowdfunding… Read More

October 5, 2020 @ 8:14 am By JD Alois  |  

Crowdcube and Seedrs, the two dominant crowdfunding platforms in the UK, have put aside any competitive friction and agreed to merge the two platforms subject to regulatory and shareholder approval. The merger will combine the two dominant private investment platforms in the UK while creating… Read More