General News

March 20, 2023 @ 8:14 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) usage continues to grow, but “not all these payment plans are experiencing the same level of customer engagement,” according to an update shared with CI. By the end of 2021, shoppers had “spent more than $20 billion using BNPL, and,… Read More

March 19, 2023 @ 7:18 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Okcoin is pleased to announce “the appointment, subject to regulatory approval, of Erald Ghoos as General Manager of Okcoin Europe, based in Malta, and David Renold as Chief Executive Officer of OKG Payments, Okcoin’s Ireland-based affiliate.” OKG Payments plans “to provide permitted products and services… Read More

March 19, 2023 @ 5:41 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

APEXX Global, the global payments orchestration platform, has raised $25m from existing and new investors, closing its Series B round. The funds from the investment round will be used “to develop APEXX’s products and technology and to expand its presence in North America.” APEXX raised… Read More

March 19, 2023 @ 4:12 pm By JD Alois  |  

Several government entities have commented on UBS’s recently announced takeover of Credit Suisse. The acquisition was supported by the Swiss government. Credit Suisse faced a crisis of confidence this past week, which could have spilled over into this coming week. Swiss government officials worked to… Read More

March 19, 2023 @ 3:13 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA has approved the acquisition of Credit Suisse by competitor UBS. The move was announced earlier today as Credit Suisse had endured a difficult week after rumblings of financial challenges at the bank. On March 15, FINMA issued a… Read More

March 19, 2023 @ 2:50 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Juniper Research specializes in identifying and appraising new high-growth market sectors within the digital ecosystem. They provide market research covering 90 technology markets. Their research reports form the basis on which their analysts make various predictions. As noted in an update shared by Juniper Research,… Read More

March 17, 2023 @ 2:42 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Earnix, the provider of intelligent cloud-based real-time rating, dynamic pricing and product personalization solutions for insurers and banks, announced that Angle Auto Finance, an independent financier, selected Earnix as its strategic partner to address the evolving demands of auto buyers. The resulting solution “ensures delivery… Read More

March 17, 2023 @ 11:11 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Vouch reportedly joins peers like Fintech Unicorn Brex in order to support Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and “reinforce the startup ecosystem’s health and stability.” In an effort to ensure the ongoing health and stability of the startup ecosystem, Vouch announces its commitment “to continue working… Read More

March 17, 2023 @ 9:21 am By JD Alois  |  

The troubled banking system continues to struggle to regain its footing following the collapse of several banks that found themselves upside down after a rapid rise in interest rates. The banks holding long-duration assets saw their value tank adding stress to the overall financial system…. Read More

March 17, 2023 @ 9:03 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Robinhood Inc (NASDAQ:HOOD) has reportedly decided to make an exception to its short position ban for customers who had placed winning “puts” against failed lender Signature Bank (Nasdaq: SBNY), the FT revealed on Thursday (March 16, 2023). Put options are essentially contracts that provide a… Read More

March 16, 2023 @ 3:48 pm By JD Alois  |  

The largest banks in the US have joined to support First Republic Bank by providing $30 billion in money to backstop the firm reflecting their “confidence in the country’s banking system.  Bank of America, Citi, JP Morgan Chase, and Wells Fargo each have committed $5… Read More

March 16, 2023 @ 3:12 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Embroker, the digital insurance platform making it a radically simple single destination to get business insurance, announced that Chris Spagnuolo has come on board as Chief Product Officer (CPO). He joins the team at a pivotal time “to continue fueling Embroker’s momentum in developing innovative… Read More

March 16, 2023 @ 8:36 am By JD Alois  |  

Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) has taken “decisive action” to buttress its balance sheet by tapping into a CHF 50 billion ($54 billion) loan from the Swiss National Bank. (SNB) In recent days, shares of Credit Suisse had been hammered by speculation that the bank was in… Read More

March 15, 2023 @ 2:43 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Global asset manager and tech lender Liquidity Group is reportedly planning “to offer about $3 billion in emergency loans to start-up clients hit by the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.” Liquidity has “about $1.2 billion ready in cash to make available in the coming weeks,”… Read More

March 15, 2023 @ 2:17 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Jscrambler, the security solution for JavaScript protection and webpage real-time monitoring, announced that it has joined the PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) as a new Principal Participating Organization. Jscrambler will help drive the future of global payment security “with a strategic level of leadership,… Read More

March 14, 2023 @ 5:55 pm By JD Alois  |  

Prior to the US government’s decision to backstop all deposits, under the management of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), bank accounts were ONLY insured up to$250,000. While this amount has not been much of a problem in the past, last week, the world changed,… Read More

March 14, 2023 @ 5:01 pm By JD Alois  |  

Tasneem Dohadwala, Founding Partner of VC Excelstar Ventures, has shared her thoughts on the demise of several banks and the federal government’s decision to guarantee all deposits. Some observers have criticized the “government bailout” while others have noted that if the Feds had not taken… Read More

March 14, 2023 @ 12:46 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

VMware recently announced VMware Cloud on AWS is now available in Bahrain. The service, which launched on February 28 in the AWS Middle East (Bahrain) region, will help customers in Bahrain “move their workloads across VMware cloud environments with optimized access to AWS services, supporting… Read More

March 14, 2023 @ 11:08 am By JD Alois  |  

Moody’s Investors Service has downgraded the entire US banking sector following the events in the past week. Moody’s said it has changed its outlook from stable to negative. This is a reflection of the events impacting Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), Signature Bank (SBNY), and Silvergate… Read More

March 14, 2023 @ 8:39 am By JD Alois  |  

Moody’s Investors Service have downgraded or withdrawn its ratings from seven different banks. The decision follows the collapse of multiple banks. Last week, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Silvergate Bank were taken over by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). On Sunday, Signature Bank in… Read More