Tagged: coronavirus

August 23, 2022 @ 8:17 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The New Zealand payment card market is expected to “gradually recover” from the COVID-19 pandemic to register a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.0% “between 2022 and 2026 and reach NZ$98.0 billion ($67.1 billion) in 2026,” forecasts GlobalData, a data and analytics company. According… Read More

August 16, 2022 @ 3:13 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic were a “hive of activity” for small businesses, with a striking 53% jump in applications to start new companies, according to an update from Fundbox. Now macro economic factors, from inflation to staffing shortages, “are posing significant challenges… Read More

July 11, 2022 @ 9:02 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Consumers from lower-than-average socioeconomic backgrounds found it challenging to access online banking during the COVID-19 outbreak, while many continue to depend on in-person banking services. This, according to an update from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). The research, released in the… Read More

May 30, 2022 @ 7:12 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Data from Mastercard’s (NYSE: MA) 2022 Borderless Payments Report has revealed “two in five (44%) global small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) fear they will never achieve the same revenue levels as before the pandemic, although online business and international sales offer a real lifeline.”… Read More

May 30, 2022 @ 6:31 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

When you expect the “unexpected,” you can set your business up to “weather turbulent times,” according to an update from Adyen. If the past few years of the global pandemic have done anything, “they’ve proven that adage true.” When it became clear that the retail,… Read More

May 28, 2022 @ 1:52 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Stable, the ‘home of hedging’ for the $5 trillion agricultural commodity industry, recently revealed that it has finalized a $60 million Series B. The investment round has reportedly been led by Acrew along with key investors Greycroft, Notion Capital, Syngenta and Continental Grain Company also… Read More

May 9, 2022 @ 6:43 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Hilary Wiek, CFA, CAIA Lead Analyst, Fund Strategies & Sustainable Investing, notes that when Pitchbook last reported their benchmark returns, performance “was through June 2021.” The research report also mentioned that vaccines “were available, masks were coming off, and many office workers had resumed their… Read More

May 6, 2022 @ 8:09 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The small business lending market has has reportedly returned to pre-pandemic levels of activity. This, according to nearly a third of brokers (30%) surveyed in iwoca’s latest SME Expert Index. And nearly another third (31%) believe the market will “return within 6 months, based on… Read More

February 28, 2022 @ 3:27 am By Omar Faridi  |  

European marketplace lender October recently commented on the French state-guaranteed loans. On March 2020, the French State announced an “exceptional package of €300Bn state-guaranteed loans (PGE) to support SMEs during the Covid-19 crisis.” Since the launch of this first state-guaranteed loan via the October platform… Read More

February 27, 2022 @ 9:39 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) notes that they have made enhancements to the SME Financing Guarantee Scheme. The Financial Secretary confirmed in the 2022-23 Budget today (23 February) that the application period for the 80% Guarantee Product, the 90% Guarantee Product and the Special… Read More

February 15, 2022 @ 3:08 am By Omar Faridi  |  

When the COVID-19 crisis struck, working practices changed for many individuals and businesses across the globe. Offices had been closed and corporate travel was at a standstill, as virtual networks began replacing physical networking. Fast forward two years and while lockdowns are easing and conferences… Read More

February 11, 2022 @ 8:44 am By Omar Faridi  |  

WealthKernel, a provider of digital investment services and infrastructure, has introduced Instant Matching Deposits that are being powered by ClearBank, the Cloud-enabled clearing bank. Instant Matching Deposits enables investors “to instantly fund their accounts and begin trading without waiting days for payments to clear, and… Read More

February 2, 2022 @ 3:19 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The team at ComplyAdvantage has released their new report, titled The State of Financial Crime 2022. ComplyAdvantage’s outlook for 2022: From supply chains in crisis to “high-wire” geopolitical standoffs and the implementation of updated regulatory frameworks, it’s going to be “a landmark year for compliance… Read More

January 30, 2022 @ 1:57 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The team at Fintech firm Paysend notes that the world of work has changed, and never more so than in the past 2 years. Many businesses are reporting that they are “struggling to cater to changes that come with being Remote.” At Paysend, they made… Read More

January 23, 2022 @ 9:45 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The team at UK’s MarketFinance notes that investors have continued to commit to funding small businesses in the United Kingdom despite “lingering anxieties” over the COVID-19 pandemic, Brexit and various other factors. MarketFinance VP Capital Markets, Marion Delille, has taken a look into just why –… Read More

January 20, 2022 @ 8:38 am By Omar Faridi  |  

European Fintech iwoca notes that as worries or concerns about the economy emerge, almost three in four small business owners are thinking about the potential impact of inflation. iwoca writes in a blog post that businesses are “wary of the impact of this on their… Read More

January 18, 2022 @ 11:46 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The team at UK’s investment platform easyMoney notes that the use of Fintech apps is increasing steadily across the globe. That’s why they decided to also launch their own app for their customers. The company wrote in a blog post that half of easyMoney investors… Read More

January 11, 2022 @ 4:12 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Financial services have become a lot more accessible, seamless, and user-friendly in the past decade due largely to the rise of innovative Fintech platforms throughout the world. Traditional banking service providers have launched their own digital transformation strategies in order to remain competitive in a… Read More

January 6, 2022 @ 10:44 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Stephanie Leung, Group Deputy CEO at Southeast Asia’s StashAway, a digital wealth manager, notes that the COVID-19 outbreak has accelerated three key trends: a new inflation regime, China’s economic recovery, and the Fourth Industrial Revolution. According to Leung’s observations, the Coronavirus pandemic has continued to… Read More

January 6, 2022 @ 2:24 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Payments giant Visa (NYSE: V) notes that Sara’s Tamales in Portland, Oregon, is a small business built on a “big dream” — one that seemed quite “far-fetched” before owner Sara Rodriguez introduced her very first tamale cart. “When you don’t have the opportunities, the money… Read More