Global

November 7, 2019 @ 4:56 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Five virtual currency service providers (VASPS) have now been authorized by Finland’s Financial Supervisory Authority (FIN-FSA) to provide cryptocurrency services in the region. The five firms must also comply with EU anti-money laundering laws and will be subject to inspection. As well, in announcing the registered… Read More

November 7, 2019 @ 1:33 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has announced the 20 finalists for the Global Fintech Hackcelerator as part of the 2019 Singapore Fintech Festival x Singapore Week of Innovation and TeCHnology (SFF x SWITCH). In a release, MAS said the finalists were selected from two… Read More

November 7, 2019 @ 12:59 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

London-based GoCardless, a Fintech firm that makes collecting payments by direct debit easy for everyone, has partnered with TransferWise, a cross-border money transfer service, in order to launch the first global network for processing recurring payments through bank debit. GoCardless’ recurring payments customers will be… Read More

November 7, 2019 @ 10:02 am By JD Alois  |  

DayTek Capital says it expects to launch a new digital bank “Infinity” in Australia by mid-2020. The company describes the forthcomin bank as “product disruptive,” without providing too many details. Additionally, DayTek reports the Australian government is assisting with the Fintech getting established as Trade… Read More

November 7, 2019 @ 9:45 am By JD Alois  |  

German online lender Kreditech says the company is on track to “reach profitability in the near future,” as operating loss shrinks. Simultaneously, revenue and originations both declined. The Fintech claims significantly improved performance as a result of a new strategy that was implemented in 2018…. Read More

November 7, 2019 @ 8:29 am By JD Alois  |  

Medical cannabis company Puro, described as the “Sauvignon Blanc” of marijuana is raising capital on PledgeMe. The Malborogh, NZ based company is seeking NZ $2 million in equity representing a 7.9%% equity stake in the company. The minimum investment has been set at NZ $500…. Read More

November 7, 2019 @ 7:58 am By JD Alois  |  

Tandem Bank is expanding into Hong Kong. The UK based challenger bank announced in a release that Tandem is working closely with Convoy Global Holdings on the launch. Tandem Bank expects to officially open up operations before the end of 2019. Convoy Global Holdings is… Read More

November 7, 2019 @ 6:38 am By Omar Faridi  |  

London-based Thought Machine, a Fintech firm that aims to address the banking sector’s dependence on legacy IT infrastructure, revealed on November 6 that it’s launching “Vault Rare.”  Vault Rare is a new product that will be integrated on top of Thought Machine’s cloud-native banking platform,… Read More

November 7, 2019 @ 4:21 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Hangzhou-based Alipay, a company that provides a mobile and online payments platform, has introduced a new prepaid card service for people visiting China. The card is reportedly supported by the Bank of Shanghai. The company’s announcement noted: “We heard you. You want to use Alipay… Read More

November 7, 2019 @ 3:19 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Tel Aviv-headquartered Riskified, a company that develops payments and fraud-prevention solutions, revealed on November 4 that it has completed its $165 million Series E investment round, which was led by multinational growth investor General Atlantic, bringing the company’s valuation to over $1 billion.  According to… Read More

November 7, 2019 @ 2:13 am By Cali Haan  |  

The UN Security Council’s Sanctions Committee on North Korea has identified a Hong Kong business using a “blockchain platform” to launder money on behalf of the Pyongyang regime, Chosunilbo reports. The business, Marine China, reportedly, “set up a shipping and logistics firm run on a blockchain… Read More

November 7, 2019 @ 1:07 am By Cali Haan  |  

Daniel Daianu, president of Romania’s Fiscal Council, told members of the Romanian Academy Tuesday that Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency could destroy the current global monetary balance and so disrupt the work of central banks that they become ineffective at managing money supplies, Agerpres reports. Facebook hopes… Read More

November 6, 2019 @ 9:21 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Australian Senate Select Committee on Financial Technology (Fintech) and Regulatory Technology (Regtech) has published an “Issues Paper outlining what it intends to review and report back to the Senate. The Committee was established in September 2019 and consists of six senators. The Fintech and… Read More

November 6, 2019 @ 8:52 pm By JD Alois  |  

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) (NYSE:MUFG) has established the Security Token Research Consortium (ST Research Consortium) to develop next-generation financial transaction services using blockchain technology. Japan has emerged as a robust market for the development of blockchain technology. MUFG  is one of the largest financial… Read More

November 6, 2019 @ 12:56 pm By JD Alois  |  

Tokenization platform Equisafe and Masteos will soon launch a marketplace for pooling rental investments between individuals via the blockchain, according to a note from Equisafe. The platform named RENT was created by Equisafe and by Masteos, a consulting and rental property management company.  Equisafe explained… Read More

November 6, 2019 @ 12:17 pm By JD Alois  |  

Good news for investment crowdfunding platforms in France. Last week, it became official that the effective crowdfunding cap was increased from €2.5 million to €8 million (~$8.9  million). The change came with the finalization of Decree No. 2019-1097.     The Decree was part of the Loi… Read More

November 6, 2019 @ 8:13 am By JD Alois  |  

Chip, a Fintech that claims to be one of the most crowdfunded businesses in the UK, is raising £7.3 million following a previous £3.8 million crowdfunding round on Crowdcube. Chip recently sold a 9.39% equity stake in the company to 6897 individual investors at a… Read More

November 6, 2019 @ 7:18 am By Omar Faridi  |  

California-based blockchain analytics firm CipherTrace recently began supporting crypto exchange Binance’s native digital token, BNB, and its public blockchain platform, Binance Chain. As explained in the release, “Binance Chain is the underlying blockchain layer for Binance’s (decentralized/non-custodial exchange) DEX. Now, with support from CipherTrace, Binance… Read More

November 6, 2019 @ 2:53 am By Cali Haan  |  

“Software-defined cryptography firm” Unbound Tech says that parties exposed in last week’s email debacle at BitMEX, and the exchange itself, “remain at high risk for exploitation through a variety of approaches.” Last Friday, news broke that BitMEX, a cryptocurrency exchange popular for allowing 100x leveraged… Read More

November 6, 2019 @ 1:03 am By JD Alois  |  

Crowdcube, the UK’s largest crowdfunding platform by total funded, has tallied its 1000th raise, according to a report from the company. Luke Lang, Crowdcube’s co-founder and CMO, stated: “Reaching our 1000th raise shows how committed communities are backing trail-blazing businesses in greater numbers than ever… Read More