Opinion

January 15, 2021 @ 6:33 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Mayor of Miami says he wants to make his city more attractive or appealing to the technology sector by embracing Bitcoin (BTC), the flagship cryptocurrency, and even investing a certain amount of government funds in the digital asset. Mayor Francis Suarez noted that if… Read More

January 14, 2021 @ 8:04 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Mike Kühnel, Partner, Frankfurt at Bain & Company, Thomas Olsen, Partner, New York at Bain & Company, John Fildes, Expert Partner, Sydney at Bain, and Karl Gridl, Senior Manager, Zurich at Bain, have all co-authored a brief, titled “For Digital Assets, Private Markets Offer the… Read More

January 12, 2021 @ 3:47 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Biden Administration continues to announce new appointments as it looks to fill out the bench of federal appointees following the inauguration on January 20, 2020. For the securities and financial services industry, many questions exist as to how this leadership transaction will impact policy…. Read More

January 10, 2021 @ 9:23 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Cross-border payment platform Currencycloud notes that financial innovation is now taking place at a “record pace.” However, when it comes to smaller businesses, you must first address their cash flow problems, because “nothing else matters” (if you can’t solve this issue first). Derik Sutton, VP… Read More

January 10, 2021 @ 7:00 pm By Jayanta Roy  |  

Peer-to-peer (P2P) lending has come a long way since its early days as a casual crowdfunding platform. Today, individual borrowers and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can access loans without the hassle of going through banks and lengthy financial assessments. Still, P2P lending is a… Read More

January 10, 2021 @ 9:02 am By Omar Faridi  |  

With Bitcoin (BTC), the leading digital currency, trading at just below the $29,000 mark to end 2020, analysts at Fundstrat Global Advisors have again revised their BTC price targets to around $40,000 on the thesis or belief that 2021 might be another record or historic… Read More

January 9, 2021 @ 6:35 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The team at Blend Network, an online peer to peer (P2P) property lending platform, recently shared comments and feedback from one of their lenders. UK-based Blend Network notes that a platform lender (investor) “Maria,” has spent most of her career working in management roles and… Read More

January 8, 2021 @ 11:33 am By JD Alois  |  

In March of 2020, the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak delivered the UK budget. Included in the presentation was the announcement of a Fintech sector review – a study to be led by Ron Kalifa OBE, who was previously CEO Worldpay and current Chair… Read More

January 6, 2021 @ 11:57 pm By JD Alois  |  

The UK crowdfunding industry is worried that a recent “Call for Input: The Consumer Investments Market” by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) may undermine the viability of the investment crowdfunding industry. Comments on the process closed on December 15, 2020. The consultation was instituted… Read More

January 6, 2021 @ 11:39 am By JD Alois  |  

The year of COVID-19 was a difficult time for all. 2020 saw government-mandated lockdowns, a shift to virtual offices, and a health crisis that has not been experienced in many decades. While all industries had to adapt, some thrived – typically tech-centric firms that have… Read More

January 5, 2021 @ 9:00 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrency platforms such as Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Binance Coin (BNB), Chainlink (LINK), and Polkadot (DOT) are being increasingly adopted by a diverse group of users across the globe. Many more institutions and fairly large publicly listed companies… Read More

January 5, 2021 @ 10:05 am By JD Alois  |  

FinCEN, part of the US Department of Treasury, is in the process of creating rules that will impact the digital asset ecosystem. FinCEN is seeking to address the illicit activity in the “convertible virtual currency” (CVC) sector and the “anticipated growth” of “legal tender digital… Read More

January 4, 2021 @ 11:22 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Andrew King, Head of Synechron, a digital transformation consulting firm for financial services, notes that the exponential growth in digital transactions and data, along with regulatory developments, is changing the way companies are conducting business. King pointed out in an Op-Ed published by Insurance Business… Read More

January 4, 2021 @ 9:19 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Bitcoin could potentially quadruple this year as the digital asset is currently experiencing a massive rally that’s somewhat comparable to the historic crypto bull market of late 2017, according to Fundstrat Global Advisors’ Thomas Lee. Bitcoin’s (BTC) near 300% price increase in 2020 might be… Read More

January 3, 2021 @ 9:00 pm By Timothy Li  |  

Fintech enthusiasts welcome back to my 5th annual “Top Ten” Fintech prediction series. This year I’ve met a lot of powerful movers and shakers in the Fintech space. My take away from these meetings and interactions is how little do I know about this ever-expanding… Read More

January 3, 2021 @ 4:21 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

LocalBitcoins, one of the oldest and most widely-used Bitcoin (BTC) services, reveals that most of its customers are based in developing countries. These are places (such as Argentina and Venezuela) where Bitcoin is needed badly as a store of value because local fiat currencies have… Read More

January 2, 2021 @ 6:27 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Bruce Pon, Founder of Ocean Protocol (OCEAN), which allows software engineers to build marketplaces and other apps to privately and securely publish, exchange, and consume data, has noted that 2020 has been “a long, albeit, memorable year for the Ocean team.” Pon, who’s also the… Read More

January 2, 2021 @ 3:28 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Binance, the world’s largest digital asset exchange, says it remains committed to innovating in 2021 in an increasingly “decentralized” world. Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao or CZ has shared his thoughts and reflections looking back at 2020 and the firm’s goals for the new year. Zhao… Read More

January 2, 2021 @ 5:18 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Last year, we saw many banking challengers offering services to customers who might not have been satisfied with their traditional bank. Many more people also began to use online banking services due to the COVID-19 pandemic which forced many physical business locations to shut down…. Read More

December 31, 2020 @ 5:35 pm By JD Alois  |  

2020 was a challenging year for the entire world. The ongoing health crisis surprised everyone as the world dove into a pandemic, pummeling the global economy and impacting everyone. In many respects, Fintech emerged as a beneficiary of COVID-19. Digital transformation of financial services were… Read More