General News

March 12, 2021 @ 7:39 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Assetz Capital, a peer-to-peer lender that originates secured loans, asks why there are only 20% of women investing via online platforms. As mentioned in a blog post by Assetz Capital, there’s a “misconception” that investing is suitable or appropriate for only a “certain type” of… Read More

March 11, 2021 @ 10:22 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

South Africa based Fintech group Adumo has secured R225 million (appr. $14.9 million) in capital from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which is a member of the World Bank Group. The IFC Financial Institutions Growth Fund also contributed investments in order to expand access to… Read More

March 11, 2021 @ 8:15 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

US-based Fintech company Taulia, a tech partner of supply chain finance firm Greensill, revealed on Wednesday (March 10, 2021) that it had acquired over $6 billion in funding from a financing consortium that was led by JPMorgan. The consortium reportedly includes European lenders UniCredit, UBS… Read More

March 11, 2021 @ 1:40 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission has issued a warning on SPACs and “celebrity involvement.” Emanating from the SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy (OIEA)  the agency cautions investors not to invest in SPACs based solely on celebrity involvement. To quote the SEC: “Celebrities, from… Read More

March 11, 2021 @ 8:18 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

  UK banking group Standard Chartered Bank announced on Thursday it has teamed up with BlackRock’s Aladdin platform to offer integrated end-to-end office investment management solutions to mutual clients across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. According to BlackRock, Aladdin technology combines risk analytics and… Read More

March 11, 2021 @ 8:05 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

  U.S. tech platform CURO Group Holdings Corp. (NYSE: CURO) announced on Thursday it has completed the acquisition of Flexiti Financial. Inc., a Canadian point-of-sale (POS) / buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) provider. According to Curo, the transaction included cash at closing of $86 million and contingent consideration… Read More

March 11, 2021 @ 7:54 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

Payoneer Inc., the global payment and commerce-enabling platform, announced on Wednesday it has joined forces with Mastercard to launch the Payoneer Digital Purchasing Mastercard, which is a tailor-made purchase card specifically for small to mid-sized businesses, eCommerce sellers, and freelancers worldwide. Payoneer reported that through… Read More

March 10, 2021 @ 7:06 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Immigrants who might not have an established credit history may be able to take advantage of advancements in Fintech that provide tools to help these people become homeowners and gain employment as well, according to industry professionals. As first report by CQ Roll Call, new… Read More

March 10, 2021 @ 10:30 am By JD Alois  |  

Judith Hartley, CEO of British Patient Capital, has distributed feedback on the just-published British Business Bank Small Business Finance Markets Report. Hartley believes that while unicorns are an indicator of success that many firms never achieve unicorn status yet still deliver strong returns. Hartley says… Read More

March 10, 2021 @ 8:23 am By JD Alois  |  

The British Business Bank reports a surge in SME lending with 89% of businesses seeking funding in 2020 because of Covid-19. The Bank’s Small Business Finance Markets report states that 45% of SMEs surveyed applied for financing in 2020 in contrast to just 13% in… Read More

March 9, 2021 @ 6:27 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

MicroWorkers has integrated Ontology’s ONTO wallet in order to facilitate additional payment options for workers. MicroWorkers’ integration of ONTO wallet completes the latest phase in their joint venture with the Ontology development team. Through the partnership, MicroWorkers plans to continue to promote users’ access to… Read More

March 9, 2021 @ 12:19 pm By JD Alois  |  

The European Commission has shared its vision for the digital transformation of Europe by 2030. The policy initiative is an all-encompassing approach to many aspects of the economy and daily existence. The EU states that this builds on the Commission’s digital strategy of February 2020…. Read More

March 8, 2021 @ 2:24 pm By JD Alois  |  

Last week the Senate Banking Committee held a confirmation hearing for Gary Gensler, the individual selected by President Biden to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Gensler is well known to Washington, DC having previously been Chairman of the Commodities Futures Trading Commission during… Read More

March 8, 2021 @ 8:23 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

Quva, a UK-based fintech that specializes in alternative investments, announced on Monday it has launched its platform with a mission to digitally transfer the way private equity firms, venture capital funds, and angel investment networks currently manage the end-to-end investment process. Founded in 2020, Quva… Read More

March 8, 2021 @ 8:12 am By Omar Faridi  |  

A new United Kingdom Visa to attract Fintech experts might lead to undesirable results unless the government figures out how to effectively deal with some of the potential issues, according to analysts. Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, noted in Wednesday’s (March 3, 2021)… Read More

March 7, 2021 @ 7:26 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

IDnow, a provider of identity verification-as-a-service solutions, will be acquiring identity Trust Management, a global provider of digital and offline ID verification software from Germany. IDnow confirmed that it would continue to maintain identity Trust Management’s Düsseldorf location and will retain its employees as well…. Read More

March 7, 2021 @ 12:51 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The UK government, via the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), is planning to invest £153 million, in order to create new products and services that are based on recent advancements in quantum technologies. Quantum tech is expected to have a major impact on the financial… Read More

March 6, 2021 @ 7:10 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

China’s regulatory authorities have reportedly been telling local banking institutions to “trim” their loan books during 2021 to guard against potential risks resulting from bubbles in domestic capital markets. This, according to an update from Reuters which cited sources familiar with the matter (on March… Read More

March 6, 2021 @ 6:12 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The team at LendIt Fintech USA notes that if the last year has taught us anything, it’s that “innovation” in Fintech has only just started. LendIt Fintech is now challenging early-stage company founders to “”take a chance and compete in PitchIt.” PitchIt at LendIt Fintech… Read More

March 6, 2021 @ 2:50 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Rob Walker, a Senior writer at Marker on the intersections of design, consumer culture, branding and business, is asking whether Jack Dorsey is playing Jay-Z, or is the billionaire hip-hop artist and entrepreneur playing the Twitter and Square CEO? Walker, a longtime NYT contributor and… Read More