Global

January 7, 2019 @ 6:00 pm By Lorna Smith  |  

Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) are booming in offshore financial centres. In 2017, only a small minority of cryptocurrency transactions were taking place offshore but just a year later, according to a study by PriceWaterhouseCoopers and CryptoValley, the Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands (BVI) and Singapore… Read More

January 7, 2019 @ 12:36 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Mastercard announced on Monday it is dropping its name from its iconic brand mark in select contexts. The financial giant reported that the interlocking red and yellow circles, which is referred to as the Mastercard Symbol, will now stand on its own across cards using the… Read More

January 7, 2019 @ 12:13 pm By JD Alois  |  

UK based crowdfunding platform Crowdcube says it has had its best year ever when measured by multiple metrics. Additionally, Q4 was said to be the most successful quarter in the history of the platform. According to Crowdcube, revenue during 2018 jumped 50% to £6 million… Read More

January 7, 2019 @ 11:53 am By JD Alois  |  

OurCrowd, the largest investment crowdfunding platform in the world and Israel’s most active venture investor, says it will showcase several portfolio companies at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES.) OurCrowd, while based in Israel, has taken a very global approach in providing access to capital… Read More

January 7, 2019 @ 11:08 am By Cali Haan  |  

Management consultancy McKinsey & Company have published an elegant analysis of enterprise blockchain called “Blockchain’s Occam,” stating: “A key to finding the value is to apply the technology only when it is the simplest solution available.” Blockchain has been touted as a revolutionary technology capable… Read More

January 7, 2019 @ 9:28 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) has received payment institution authorization from Ireland’s Central Bank. According to Irish Times, the Central Bank granted authorization to Google Payment Ireland under the second Payment Services Directive (PSD2) regulation. The company will now be allowed to issue and acquire payments across the European Union (EU)… Read More

January 7, 2019 @ 9:20 am By JD Alois  |  

Happy New Year. Filed on January 3rd, the busy law firm of Levi & Korsinsky filed a class action lawsuit against Nano cryptocurrency and failed crypto exchange Bitgrail along with its founder Francisco “the Bomber” Firano. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of plaintiff James… Read More

January 7, 2019 @ 7:30 am By JD Alois  |  

Seedrs, a leading UK based investment crowdfunding platform, has provided some additional detail into their performance during 2018. Last week, CI reported that Seedrs has now topped £500 million in investment since platform launch. Money raised has backed 720 deals listed on Seedrs. For 2018,… Read More

January 6, 2019 @ 9:13 pm By JD Alois  |  

Prospa, an online lender providing financing to SMEs, says that as of January 1st they will be operating in compliance with the Code of Lending Practice. The Code was created by a group of online lenders seeking to establish best practices for the sector of… Read More

January 5, 2019 @ 4:20 pm By JD Alois  |  

Lithuania wants to be the leading Fintech hub in Europe. Beginning in 2013, the small Baltic nation decided to take action and become one of the EU’s “hottest destinations for Fintech.” Mantas Katinas, MD of Invest Lithuania – the public entity leading the Fintech charge in… Read More

January 4, 2019 @ 3:30 pm By JD Alois  |  

On December 24th, the French Government issued a decree (Décret n°2018-1226 du 24 décembre 2018) outlining the utilization of blockchain for securities. Specifically, for the “use of a shared electronic recording device for the representation and transmission of financial securities and for the issue and sale… Read More

January 4, 2019 @ 10:27 am By JD Alois  |  

Digital bank Monzo is preparing to cross the Atlantic and enter the US market, according to a report in Techcrunch. “Multiple sources” have substantiated the rumblings of Monzo’s pending US expansion. This should come as no surprise to many as several other digital banks, such… Read More

January 4, 2019 @ 8:42 am By JD Alois  |  

Last month, Google – or Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) was approved for an Electronic Money Institution license from the Bank of Lithuania. The license will enable Google to issue electronic money, handle electronic money wallets, perform remittances, payment transactions, provide cash deposit and withdrawal services, as well… Read More

January 4, 2019 @ 7:18 am By JD Alois  |  

Online property lender LendInvest is reporting their best month ever in December. According to the platform, £83 million was lent for UK properties during the month. LendInvest receives the backing of both retail and professional investors. LendInvest said the record-breaking amount of originations was fueled by several changes… Read More

January 3, 2019 @ 11:35 pm By Cali Haan  |  

“We are for biscuits, not Bitcoins.” V Shankar, CEO of a large “South-South” equity investment fund called Gateway Partners, was shouting into the wind last year when he advised investors to stay away from the trendiest investments: cryptocurrencies, Argentina, and Tesla. But he has been… Read More

January 3, 2019 @ 10:09 pm By JD Alois  |  

Fintech, or financial innovation, is pervasive within the financial services industry. Innovation has always existed in this sector of business but the advent of the internet combined with the creativity of risk taking entrepreneurs has engendered an accelerated period of disruptive change in finance. Think about… Read More

January 3, 2019 @ 4:26 pm By Cali Haan  |  

HIVE (TSX.V:HIVE) (OTC:HVBTF), a cryptocurrency mining outfit with locations in Canada, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Sweden, has rebuked the Norwegian government for requiring crypto mines there to pay standard electricity rates. Elsewhere, Hive recently received approval for a 50% Increase in ASIC capacity to mine… Read More

January 3, 2019 @ 10:39 am By Cali Haan  |  

People seeking information today about the Luas light rail system in Dublin may have encountered a message threatening to “publish all data and send emails to your users” unless a ransom of one Bitcoin (worth about $3850) is paid, RTE reports. That message has now… Read More

January 3, 2019 @ 9:11 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

Online platform Proplend gave its 2018 peer-to-peer (P2P) property lending year in review. The lender listed the various accomplishments that the lending industry experienced in the past twelve months. The accomplishments are the following: Over £50 million lending now facilitated through the platform and over £100 million… Read More

January 3, 2019 @ 6:41 am By Erin Hobey  |  

Finland-based online investment platform Invesdor operates and connects European growth companies with investors worldwide. Since launching six years ago, Invesdor has helped raise more than €63 million for more than 130 businesses.  How did the platform fare last year? This morning Invesdor Co-Founder and CEO… Read More