Global

October 24, 2019 @ 9:27 am By JD Alois  |  

Paris based but regulated in Malta, Monart has launched a blockchain-based marketplace to tokenize art. Monart recently held an opening event in Paris at the offices of Beaux-Arts Magazine. According to a company release, Monart is targeting a market estimated at $67 billion annually. After… Read More

October 24, 2019 @ 8:54 am By Cali Haan  |  

The Bank of Lithuania, the country’s central bank, has issued guidelines intended to, “provide greater regulatory clarity and aim at higher investor protection,” in the country’s security token offering (STO) market. Lithuania has been working hard to establish itself as a Fintech leader in the… Read More

October 24, 2019 @ 8:44 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Shenzhen-based Tencent, an internet service portal that provides mobile, telecom, and online advertising services, has stated that the proposed launch of the Facebook-led Libra project could pose a threat to existing digital payment platforms. Tencent’s management noted in a recently published blockchain whitepaper that the… Read More

October 24, 2019 @ 7:43 am By JD Alois  |  

Peer to peer lender RateSetter has announced the appointment of Martyn Scrivens as Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Board Risk Committee.  Scrivens officially joins the Board on 1 November 2019. Scrivens commented on his selection: “RateSetter stands out with its unique model, strong reputation… Read More

October 24, 2019 @ 7:32 am By JD Alois  |  

UK based digital bank Revolut has launched in Fintech-friendly Singapore, according to a company release. In 2018, Revolut set up an Asia-Pacific hub in Singapore, where the Fintech now employs twenty people. Revolut says it is planning to triple its headcount in Singapore in the… Read More

October 24, 2019 @ 7:05 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Commerzbank, Deutsche Börse and MEAG, the asset manager of Munich Re and ERGO, are examining and assessing the scope of distributed ledger technology (DLT) in post-trade services.  The partners recently performed the settlement of a legally binding secondary market securities transaction through tokens. Frankfurt-based Commerzbank,… Read More

October 24, 2019 @ 2:46 am By JD Alois  |  

According to HM Treasury, banks and alternative lenders have “reaffirmed their pledge to support British SMEs ahead of Brexit.” The commitments have been outlined in the SME Finance Charter. The Charter, which is a voluntary agreement, covers; loans and overdrafts, asset financing, stock lending and… Read More

October 23, 2019 @ 8:31 pm By JD Alois  |  

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, spent over 6 hours today testifying in front of the powerful House Financial Services Committee. While his prepared remarks foreshadowed his defense of Facebook’s Libra stablecoin, little can prepare you for the onslaught of questions delivered by every single Committee… Read More

October 23, 2019 @ 12:36 pm By JD Alois  |  

Global investment crowdfunding platform and Israel’s leading venture investor OurCrowd has partnered with the Toyota Tsusho Corporation (Toyota Tsusho), a member of the Toyota Group, which comprises of 17 companies including Toyota Motor. The new partnership will launch a new business that will act as… Read More

October 23, 2019 @ 9:13 am By JD Alois  |  

TokenSoft, a platform for issuing digital securities using blockchain technology, says the ERC-1404 token standard is seeing broad adoption for security token issuance. James Poole, co-founder and CTO of TokenSoft, says that creating a standard for security token issuers made sense to developers: “our customers,… Read More

October 23, 2019 @ 6:59 am By JD Alois  |  

Digital bank Starling Bank has raised £30 million in a new funding round, according to a company release. Merian Chrysalis Investment Company Limited is leading the round with an investment of £20 million. Starling’s existing investor, JTC, has topped off the round with £10 million…. Read More

October 23, 2019 @ 2:48 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Singapore is the world’s most prepared city for adopting innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and it’s also considered a world leader in terms of smart city development, according to recent studies. Research performed by Oliver Wyman Forum ranked 105 cities throughout the world… Read More

October 23, 2019 @ 1:48 am By JD Alois  |  

McKinsey & Company has published its Global Banking Annual Review entitled “The Last Pit Stop? Time for Bold Late Cycle Moves.” The document is a probing examination of the global banking industry, based on a survey of over 1000 banks globally, highlighting both successful segments… Read More

October 22, 2019 @ 10:43 pm By JD Alois  |  

Mine Digital, a digital asset exchange, has launched in Australia. According to the company, the exchange is the first to launch with an Australian Financial Services License. The license allows Mine Digital to create markets in derivatives products including options and more. Mine Digital will… Read More

October 22, 2019 @ 3:02 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Malta-based digital asset exchange Binance is planning to launch its first fiat-to-cryptocurrency trading pairs. While attending the Open Innovations 2019 conference in Moscow this week, Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao said that fiat-to-crypto options would be introduced soon, starting with the Russian ruble. Zhao stated:… Read More

October 22, 2019 @ 11:48 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Over 650,000 companies can register to become BBVA Spain customers, via an online process that reportedly takes a few minutes to complete.  BBVA has been offering various online enrollment options for private clients. The institution is the first bank in Spain to launch an online… Read More

October 22, 2019 @ 11:26 am By JD Alois  |  

Revolut has partnered with Mastercard to issue credit cards using the global network. According to a release from Revolut, the new deal will reach 210 countries and territories with he first cards hitting the US by the end of the year. Revolut is a UK… Read More

October 22, 2019 @ 8:01 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Payments processing firm Wirecard (WDI.DE) has commissioned an independent audit of its accounts by professional services firm KPMG. The audit is being performed to address questions related to allegations of improper accounting by Wirecard’s management.  The audit will commence immediately according to a statement by… Read More

October 22, 2019 @ 7:44 am By JD Alois  |  

Capitalise.com has announced a new partnership with iwoca and an unnamed “high street bank” to provide instant decisions on credit for participating businesses labeled “Instant Offers.” The service is said to remove any delay for online lending. iwoca is an online lender that offers loans… Read More

October 22, 2019 @ 2:55 am By JD Alois  |  

EstateGuru, an online lender for short-term, property-backed loans for SMEs, is reporting having financed 1040 loans for a total amount of €153 million since 2014. Geographically, 68.27% of them were in Estonia, 17.92% in Latvia, 12.24% in Lithuania, 1.37% in Finland, 0.1% in Portugal, and 0.1%… Read More