Global

October 4, 2019 @ 4:49 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Paypal, one of the founding members of the Libra Association, has exited the controversial stablecoin project.  Earlier, the Financial Times reported that the digital payments giant PayPal might be pulling out of the Facebook-led cryptocurrency project due to regulatory issues. This afternoon, WSJ.com has confirmed… Read More

October 4, 2019 @ 2:38 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Tether, a cryptographic proxy of USD created in 2014 to give liquidity in crypto markets, has now solidly surpassed Bitcoin as the most traded cryptocurrency in the world. According to the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH), Tether first surpassed Bitcoin in daily trading volumes back in… Read More

October 4, 2019 @ 2:14 pm By JD Alois  |  

CreditSpring, an interesting twist on consumer credit, is crowdfunding on Seedrs now and has now topped its initial £1.5 million goal. CreditSpring is a membership loan platform. You join for a fee and then get access to credit during the year, when you need it…. Read More

October 4, 2019 @ 12:56 pm By JD Alois  |  

SupraFin has signed a strategic agreement with TribulusTech which includes an equity investment and a deal to partner on software development. SupraFin is a Wealthech platform for digital assets. SupraFin was founded by Liliana Reasor who spent 20+ years as an executive at JP Morgan,… Read More

October 4, 2019 @ 12:05 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

BayernLB (Bavarian State Bank), a publicly regulated bank in Munich, Germany, recently published a report that analyzes the claim made by some investors that Bitcoin is outperforming gold. The report states that the “hardness” of an asset in the traditional commodities market is determined using… Read More

October 4, 2019 @ 8:17 am By Omar Faridi  |  

UK-based Fintech firm Equals Group (LON:EQLS), which provides a travel card to around 1 million users, global payments solutions for companies, and tools to manage finances, has launched its first loan for small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) through a partnership with SMB lender iwoca.  Equals… Read More

October 4, 2019 @ 2:00 am By Cali Haan  |  

Liechtenstein’s parliament has passed the Blockchain Act, “(a) new law (that) aims to strengthen the legal certainty for users and service providers…to further promote the positive development of the ‘token economy’ in Liechtenstein…(and) protect the reputation of the country,” according to lawyer Dr. Günther Dobrauz, The law was… Read More

October 3, 2019 @ 9:42 pm By JD Alois  |  

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, told French business newspaper Les Echos that Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) has no interest in creating a cryptocurrency similar to Facebook. Cook blessed the front page of Les Echos October 4th print version with the headline “Apple est le premier contribuable mondial.”… Read More

October 3, 2019 @ 10:56 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The global digital banking market is expected to grow by $2 billion, with a compounded growth rate of 4%. The retail banking sector is projected to expand by more than 4.1%, according to a recent study. As noted in a release, the retail banking industry… Read More

October 3, 2019 @ 10:14 am By JD Alois  |  

Reflecting the same name as a speech delivered by current Bank of England Governor Mark Carney, the BoE has scheduled a Fintech Webinar on New Economy, New Finance, New Bank. The webinar will take place next Wednesday, October 9th. According to the registration page, the… Read More

October 3, 2019 @ 9:07 am By JD Alois  |  

Leading European marketplace lending platform October has joined with 5 Confidi entities belonging to Federconfidi and Rete Fidi Italia and with the European Investment Fund (EIF), to launch a €30 million fund to back Italian SMEs. Confidi are cooperative, non-profit guarantee consortia that facilitate access… Read More

October 3, 2019 @ 7:39 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The developers of Facebook’s Libra stablecoin have unveiled a new roadmap that outlines the main steps leading to the project’s mainnet launch. The announcement, published on October 2, reveals several important updates for the crypto project’s developers and for those who are running the Libra… Read More

October 3, 2019 @ 7:32 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Mumbai-based Varanium Capital, an asset manager that provides investment and consulting services to public and private businesses, is reportedly planning to raise ₹200-crore (appr. $28 million) for a Fintech-focused early stage venture capital fund. The Varanium NexGen intends to strategically invest around ₹2-5 crore (each),… Read More

October 3, 2019 @ 2:26 am By Cali Haan  |  

Officials at Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, and Stripe are reportedly hesitating now about officially signing on as members of the Libra Association, a governance consortium assembled by Facebook to advise on its proposed private, in-app currency system, Libra. The 28 current members of the Libra Association are reportedly being asked… Read More

October 2, 2019 @ 11:57 pm By JD Alois  |  

This week, the Saudi Capital Market Authority (CMA) approved multiple “Financial Technology Experimental Permits.” The regulator granted the permits to: Buthoor Solidarity, Afaq and Emkan Alarabiya. Each company received permission to create an equity crowdfunding platform. The permission was given by Royal Decree No. (M/30)… Read More

October 2, 2019 @ 9:08 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Banking advisors to the US Federal Reserve have warned that Facebook’s proposed private currency network, Libra, will disrupt conventional banking and could function as a “shadow banking” system if not properly regulated. They also warned that, “In extremis, alternative currencies could usurp the prudential authority… Read More

October 2, 2019 @ 7:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) have revealed the 40 finalists have been shortlisted for the Fintech Awards to be presented at this year’s Singapore FinTech Festival x Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology (SFF x SWITCH)…. Read More

October 2, 2019 @ 5:34 pm By JD Alois  |  

It has been a big week for enforcement actions at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Beyond the routine fraud cases, the SEC Division of Enforcement has announced settlements with several high profile initial coin offerings (ICO). Today, the Plexcoin ICO landed squarely in the… Read More

October 2, 2019 @ 10:27 am By JD Alois  |  

It has been widely reported that the founding members of the Libra Association, Facebook’s stablecoin initiative, have scheduled a meeting to take place in Geneva, Switzerland on October 14th. As the crypto advocates gather, one has to wonder what is on the agenda. First reported… Read More

October 2, 2019 @ 3:28 am By JD Alois  |  

B21 has been granted a DLT license, in principle, from the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission (GFSC). B21 is a developer of an App to purchase, trade and manage digital assets, according to a release. B21 is now the first regulated cryptocurrency investment app. The app… Read More