Opinion

January 21, 2021 @ 8:14 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Lex Sokolin, CMO at blockchain firm ConsenSys and Co-Head of Fintech and DeFi at ConsenSys Codefi, recently discussed how can we “best understand” the 100x revenue multiples for Fintech firms Affirm, Checkout, Rapyd, and several others. 1/ How can we best understand the 100x revenue… Read More

January 20, 2021 @ 6:02 pm By Lee A. Schneider  |  

As with most years, I started 2020 with a sense of optimism, looking forward to another productive year at work and doing the Appetite for Disruption podcast with my co-host Troy Paredes. In fact, he and I wrote an article discussing 2019 that focused more… Read More

January 20, 2021 @ 10:14 am By JD Alois  |  

As Bitcoin has rocketed to new all-time highs, it has sucked much of the oxygen out of the crypto news space. But Bitcoin’s rise has been joined by some other cryptocurrencies running higher – most importantly, the number 2 crypto Ethereum. In the last week… Read More

January 19, 2021 @ 12:16 pm By Steven Knipfelberg  |  

  While recent headlines may be focused on the meteoric rise of Bitcoin, another disruptive technology derived from the famed cryptocurrency may have even more profound implications for the future: blockchain-based “smart contracts.” A wide variety of companies are already experimenting with the ability of… Read More

January 17, 2021 @ 7:22 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

John Lee Quigley, who’s focused on building Bitcoin media and research products at HASHR8 Inc, a cryptocurrency mining and media firm that aims to support the “decentralized growth” of hashrate (or computing power used to secure digital currency networks) while enhancing the security of blockchains,… Read More

January 16, 2021 @ 11:49 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Fintech industry professionals believe that this year we’ll begin to really take advantage of the accelerated digital technology adoption and ongoing development that surfaced in 2020 due to COVID-19. The Fintech sector has taken a major step forward with the global user base growing significantly… Read More

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