Tagged: coronavirus

June 2, 2020 @ 7:55 am By Omar Faridi  |  

UK-based peer to peer (P2P) lender RateSetter recently revealed that fewer consumer borrowers are asking for more time to pay back their loans. RateSetter said that its loan performance is now consistent with what it had predicted or expected during April 2020 and it claims… Read More

June 1, 2020 @ 11:20 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

U.S. banking group Wallis Bank recently announced it has provided $347.5 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans to more than 3,500 small businesses throughout the country that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. As previously reported, The PPP was established by Congress under… Read More

May 30, 2020 @ 6:00 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

San Francisco-based Brex, a company focused on developing B2B financial products, recently acquired $150 million in capital, in order to further strengthen its existing balance sheet and help it maintain operations during the COVID-19 outbreak. Now, the company has announced (on May 29) that it… Read More

May 29, 2020 @ 11:00 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Bank Central Asia, or BCA, (PT Bank Central Asia Tbk), an Indonesian bank that overtook Singapore’s DBS Bank (in 2016) as Southeast Asia’s largest lender by value, with a market cap of about $24.5 billion, has reported a significant increase in its digital banking transactions… Read More

May 29, 2020 @ 9:06 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Privacy-oriented Brave Browser, which rewards users in Basic Attention Tokens (BAT), is now supporting in-browser video calls. These calls are reportedly protected by end-to-end encryption, which may become a standard feature given that WhatsApp calls and communication also uses end-to-end encryption. The encrypted video service… Read More

May 29, 2020 @ 6:54 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The month of April 2020 saw a dramatic 200% surge in the number of new mobile banking registrations, meanwhile, mobile banking traffic increased by 85%, according to data from Fidelity National Information Services (FIS). The significant increase in mobile-based transactions may be attributed to the… Read More

May 29, 2020 @ 11:34 am By JD Alois  |  

The online lending industry has probably suffered more than any other sector of Fintech during the COVID-19 crisis. Borrowers, both businesses and consumers have paused payments in droves. Many individuals have lost their jobs. Businesses have shuttered, some permanently. While many governments have moved swiftly… Read More

May 29, 2020 @ 7:41 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Charlotte Marsh, managing director at ArchOver, a peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platform supporting SMEs business borrowing, has argued that the COVID-19 outbreak can be viewed as a key opportunity for P2P lenders to provide long-term funding to businesses struggling to cope with the economic challenges created… Read More

May 28, 2020 @ 9:18 am By JD Alois  |  

  LendingClub (NYSE:LC), an online lending marketplace and emerging digital bank, has announced the launch of the “Member Center,” a centralized location for users to find assistance and support to better manage their financial lives during the COVID-19 crisis. Early one, when the Coronavirus first… Read More

May 28, 2020 @ 7:42 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Andrew Jenkins, the HM Treasury appointed Fintech Envoy for Northern Ireland, has argued that the financial technology industry could help create many new jobs in the next few years in Northern Ireland. While speaking to the Stormont Economy Committee on Fintech in N. Ireland, Jenkins… Read More

May 27, 2020 @ 1:05 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Fundbox, a Fintech firm focused on “disrupting” the global $21 trillion B2B commerce ecosystem with its payment and credit network for B2B transactions, confirmed on May 26, 2020, that it received a fresh equity investment from MUFG Innovation Partners Co., Ltd., the corporate VC division… Read More

May 27, 2020 @ 7:27 am By Omar Faridi  |  

UK-headquartered payments service company SumUp has launched an online payment tool to help businesses conduct operations while observing social distancing measures, following the COVID-19 outbreak. As noted in a release shared with CI, SumUp’s latest solution is part of the Fintech firm’s efforts to enter… Read More

May 27, 2020 @ 12:27 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Fintech adoption in Qatar is on the rise, as more consumers are making digital or online payments, instead of using cash due to COVID-19. The nation’s residents have been asked to follow safe distancing measures in order to prevent the further spread of the Coronavirus…. Read More

May 26, 2020 @ 2:03 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Fintech AMF – Finance Montreal Research Chair is actively looking for initiatives that explore the potential impact of COVID-19 on the Fintech industry, the Autorité des marchés financiers, or AMF (Quebec’s financial regulator), has confirmed. There are reportedly eight different research grants that will be… Read More

May 25, 2020 @ 7:32 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Andy Mukherjee argues in a recently published Op-Ed in the Washington Post that the virtual yuan could potentially transform “the relationship between money, economic power, and geopolitical clout.” The digital renminbi has been under development since 2014. Its top-level design was recently finalized and its… Read More

May 25, 2020 @ 2:33 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Ed Lane, VP of Sales for the EMEA region at nCino, a US-based cloud banking provider, has argued that the United Kingdom still leads the evolving global digital banking sector. Lane, who has previously served in senior management roles at Oracle and Salesforce, writes that… Read More

May 25, 2020 @ 8:16 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Consumers across the globe continue to increasingly use digital payments options instead of physical cash, due to COVID-19. NatWest claims that it has witnessed a significant increase in UK businesses that are now ready to accept payment cards. The lender notes that 70% of local… Read More

May 24, 2020 @ 11:35 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

An increasing number of transactions are being conducted online by the residents of the Philippines due to COVID-19. The nation’s government has confirmed that it will launch a branchless bank that will offer services to Filipinos working and living abroad. The digital bank will also… Read More

May 23, 2020 @ 9:14 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Southeast Asian banks will most likely accelerate their digital transformation initiatives, due to the COVID-19 outbreak and changing consumer behavior resulting from safe distancing measures and lockdowns. Incumbents could be challenged more than ever before, as they might struggle to offer the same level of… Read More

May 23, 2020 @ 4:24 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The global economy has slowed down considerably during the past few months due to COVID-19. Many businesses and industries have been negatively affected, including financial services providers. The pandemic has destabilized private capital markets. Investments in new initiatives and early-stage companies have decreased significantly. During… Read More