General News

January 12, 2024 @ 8:40 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Recruitment intentions remained subdued as 2023 drew to a close, according to the latest KPMG and REC, UK Report on Jobs survey, compiled by S&P Global. Permanent placements and temp billings “declined again in December, albeit at softer rates than in November, as employers maintained… Read More

January 11, 2024 @ 11:45 am By Omar Faridi  |  

As expected by most industry analysts and also after an embarrassing false start (following the official SEC X account being “compromised”) the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has finally approved 11 spot bitcoin ETF applications – which were submitted by traditional financial and crypto-focused… Read More

January 11, 2024 @ 9:59 am By Omar Faridi  |  

DigitalBridge Group, Inc. (NYSE: DBRG) announced it has hired Ersin Yorulmaz as Managing Director, Co-Head of European Capital Formation, effective immediately. Yorulmaz’s appointment further “solidifies DigitalBridge’s already strong commitment to the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), with the firm’s existing regional client base and portfolio… Read More

January 11, 2024 @ 6:07 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Morrison Foerster, a global law firm, is pleased to announce the arrival of Tammy C. Davies as a partner in the firm’s Finance Group, based in the New York office. Davies brings to the firm deep experience “representing alternative lenders and investors in complex credit… Read More

January 10, 2024 @ 11:11 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Chainalysis is announcing that Omesh Agam has joined the company as the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). Omesh reportedly brings to Chainalysis “more than 20 years of experience in cybersecurity, having served in leadership positions for global security operations, security engineering, and all facets of… Read More

January 10, 2024 @ 8:40 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Royal Bank of Scotland Report on Jobs survey signalled a fresh decline in permanent staff appointments across Scotland during December. The pace of reduction was reportedly “the strongest since April, as growing economic uncertainty weighed on hiring decisions and discouraged workers from seeking new… Read More

January 9, 2024 @ 8:58 am By JD Alois  |  

The British Business Bank has announced an additional £21.25 million in funding for an existing ENABLE facility. The funding is in partnership with Tower Leasing. According to a statement distributed by the Bank, the money will go to fund smaller businesses aiming to acquire assets… Read More

January 9, 2024 @ 8:43 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Since the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the transition to online banking, UK individuals are visiting their local bank branches less often and less frequently. Research courtesy of KPMG indicates that 21% of UK consumers haven’t visited a bank branch in the last year, up from 14%… Read More

January 9, 2024 @ 8:14 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Financing a new business can be one of the biggest hurdles entrepreneurs face, according to an update shared by UK’s Starling Bank. Some 85% of UK startups launched in the last three years “have relied on the founder’s personal capital as the initial source of… Read More

January 8, 2024 @ 10:31 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

CME Group, which claims to be one of the leading derivatives marketplaces, reported its full-year, Q4 and December 2023 market statistics, “showing it reached a record average daily volume (ADV) of 24.4 million contracts during the year, an increase of 5% over 2022.” Q4 ADV… Read More

January 8, 2024 @ 1:20 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced the new Small Business Advocate – a role that has been vacant for some time now. The Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation was created by legislation that was signed into law in 2016…. Read More

January 8, 2024 @ 12:48 pm By JD Alois  |  

The quality of securities issued under  Reg CF largely depends on the perception of the investor. One person’s belief that a security offering is going to the moon can be mirrored by another who sees it as a dog. Big-name venture capitalists mostly get it… Read More

January 8, 2024 @ 10:35 am By JD Alois  |  

New cybersecurity rules are kicking in this week for the European Union. The regulation establishes an “internal cybersecurity risk management, governance and control framework for each Union entity, and sets up a new Interinstitutional Cybersecurity Board (IICB) to monitor and support its implementation by Union… Read More

January 8, 2024 @ 8:41 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Everything that Plaid is building together is part of a “bigger picture” which includes helping millions find financial freedom. As Plaid and its team prepares for 2024, they’ve taken a look back at what they consider to be the year’s biggest highlights and what they’ve… Read More

January 8, 2024 @ 8:18 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Global Fintech Airwallex has reportedly announced the appointment of Nadav Tamam in order to spearhead its enterprise business focused on Israel and the Middle East region. As reported by news outlets focused on Israel, Tamam has prior experience working at firms like Google as well… Read More

January 7, 2024 @ 6:29 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

Rocket Companies, the Detroit-based Fintech that includes mortgage, real estate, and other financial services businesses, has named Jonathan Mildenhall as its group chief marketing officer (CMO), effective Jan. 8. “Jonathan is one of the top marketing minds in the world, with a strong reputation for consistently delivering compelling… Read More

January 7, 2024 @ 4:56 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Klarna, the AI powered global payments network and shopping assistant, announced  Matthew Miller will join the boards of Klarna Holding AB and its subsidiary, Klarna Bank AB. Miller is “a long-standing Partner at Sequoia focused on early and growth stage investments in technology companies across… Read More

January 7, 2024 @ 4:54 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Kyle Waters and Tanay Ved from Coin Metrics noted that digital assets rebounded sharply in 2023 as market conditions “improved across the board and institutional interest accelerated alongside the impending launch of a spot Bitcoin ETF.” Looking to 2024, there are a number of important… Read More

January 6, 2024 @ 4:46 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Every quarter, Carta releases information on the startup ecosystem in their State of Private Markets report. Carta‘s “first cut” of data as close to the end of the quarter as possible has been shred. This initial analysis focuses “on round valuations and cash raised across… Read More

January 6, 2024 @ 4:42 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The venture market downshifts further in 2023, with dealmaking and funding totals falling to 6-year lows, according to an update shared by CBInsights. Q4’23 was the “harshest” quarter for global VC in 6 years, the CBInsights team noted. However, the down market has “revealed a… Read More