General News

July 19, 2019 @ 6:21 am By JD Alois  |  

The UK  Department for International Trade (DIT) is in the process of doing a survey on Fintech. The survey appears to be designed to enable DIT to better understand how the government may more effectively support UK Fintech development asking specifically “what support can DIT… Read More

July 19, 2019 @ 2:36 am By Cali Haan  |  

Speaking from outside G7 meetings being held in Chantilly, France, on Thursday, US Secretary of the Treasury, Steve Mnuchin, elaborated on his government’s recently expressed sentiments towards Facebook’s Libra and cryptocurrencies in general. “Anybody in the US that touches a Bitcoin is responsible for (enforcing)… Read More

July 18, 2019 @ 12:02 pm By JD Alois  |  

Global law firm Linklaters has announced the appointment of Joshua Ashley Klayman as US Head of Fintech and Head of Blockchain and Digital Assets. Klayman will be operating out of the New York office of the 175-year-old, UK based law firm. Klayman is well known… Read More

July 18, 2019 @ 11:13 am By JD Alois  |  

Brexit be damned. At least, so it seems. The UK is rocking early-stage equity investments, according to Beahursts 6 month report. While the political class agonizes over what may happen when the European divorce is final, investors continue to shoulder risk in the UK market… Read More

July 18, 2019 @ 8:33 am By JD Alois  |  

Alternative finance surpassed € 1 billion in 2018 in the Netherlands as sector growth continues, according to a report from Stichting MKB Financiering. Ronald Kleverlaan, a representative from Stichting and note alternative finance expert, commented on the report: “The Dutch Alternative Finance market has reached… Read More

July 17, 2019 @ 6:00 am By JD Alois  |  

AlphaSense, an artificial intelligence (AI) platform, has secured $50 million in a Series B funding round led by Innovation Endeavors. AlphaSense already claims over 1000 corporate clients that use its market intelligence service. Other investors in the funding round include Soros Fund Management LLC, through… Read More

July 16, 2019 @ 11:24 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan Chase, one of the world’s largest banks, told analysts in a conference call this week not to “spend too much time” considering Libra, Facebook’s proposed global currency system, CNBC reports. “To put it in perspective, we’ve been talking about… Read More

July 16, 2019 @ 8:00 am By JD Alois  |  

Backed by JP Morgan and Sequoia, Near has just raised $100 million in new financing from PE firm Greater Pacific Capital. Near is a company that uses AI to make “real-world data actionable.” The company claims to have the “largest data set of people’s behavior… Read More

July 15, 2019 @ 1:55 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

MetLife announced on Monday the second class of nine companies selected to participate in the MetLife Digital Accelerator powered by Techstars. According to MetLife, the accelerator connects startups with MetLife leaders and Techstars mentors for an intensive 13-week program focused on fast-tracking technologies with the… Read More

July 15, 2019 @ 1:34 pm By JD Alois  |  

Dr. Heath P. Tarbert was sworn in today as the 14th Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) replacing J. Christopher Giancarlo. Tarbert was nominated by President Trump for a term expiring on April 13, 2024. Tarbert picks up the baton from Giancarlo, a… Read More

July 11, 2019 @ 2:19 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Mastercard announced on Thursday it is expanding its partnership with cloud-based platform Zoho to bring small business owners around the world products and services to make running their enterprise easier, more efficient and more profitable. “Every business is on a quest to increase efficiency and… Read More

July 11, 2019 @ 8:21 am By JD Alois  |  

The Greater London Investment Fund (GLIF) has announced its new board of directors. The GLIF was launched at City Hall the Mayor of London in May. The GLIF has been developed specifically to target businesses which have had difficulties in securing crucial investment. The fund… Read More

July 10, 2019 @ 12:59 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Techstars and Hillstone Partners, a boutique capital consultancy firm specializing in startup business, announced on Wednesday the launch of the Techstars Korea Accelerator in partnership with Hillstone Partners. According to the duo, this new three-month mentorship-driven accelerator program, Techstars’ first in Korea, will source 10… Read More

July 10, 2019 @ 9:44 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

Silicon Valley Bank and First Data (NYSE: FDC) announced on Wednesday they have selected five startups to participate in Class 9 of Commerce.Innovated., which is described as an accelerator program designed to help commerce, payments, and fintech companies grow their businesses. Commerce.Innovated. was launched in 2014, and… Read More

July 9, 2019 @ 3:54 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

The European Crowdfunding Network (ECN) recently announced it has welcomed its new non-executive Board for the period 2019-2021. The organization revealed that after the 4th ECN CrowdCamp: Exploring Blockchain for Alternative Finance, the ECN General Assembly of members convened in Berlin to explore strategic options for… Read More

July 9, 2019 @ 2:25 pm By JD Alois  |  

Crypto advocate and iconoclast John McAfee is offering his knowledge and skill set to the country of Cuba if the country decides to pursue its own cryptocurrency. As was reported this past week, Cuba is apparently reviewing a bespoke crypto. According to Cuban Economy Minister… Read More

July 8, 2019 @ 11:39 am By JD Alois  |  

In a paper entitled “Fintech: the Experience So Far,” the International Monetary Fund (IMF) stated that, while there are regional differences, “countries were broadly embracing the opportunities of Fintech to boost economic growth and inclusion.” The pursuit of Fintech innovation is being balanced with the… Read More

July 5, 2019 @ 9:09 am By JD Alois  |  

PayU, Naspers’ payments firm, is expanding into Southeast Asia through the acquisition of a majority stake in Red Dot Payment (RDP), a Singapore-based online payment Fintech. RDP currently serves more than 500 merchants in 22 countries. RDP supports global and local alternate payment methods such… Read More

July 3, 2019 @ 5:16 am By Cali Haan  |  

A judge in the state of New York has sentenced Blake Kantor (also known as “Bill Gordon”), 44, to 86 months’ (~7 years’) imprisonment and three years’ supervised release for defrauding 700 people in a binary options and cryptocurrency scheme. Kantor pleaded guilty to charges… Read More

June 28, 2019 @ 8:39 am By Cali Haan  |  

Etienne Goosse, director general of the European Payments Council (EPC), has told Reuters that Facebook’s new cryptographic payments program, Libra, is forcing banks in the Eurozone to rapidly develop an instant payments network for banks in the zone. The EPCs goal is to help harmonize… Read More