Tagged: coronavirus

Fundera CEO: Payroll Protection Program is Absolute Chaos

Chatter continues to trickle in that the Payroll Protection Program is floundering a bit during the first few days of the initiative. The Payroll Protection Program (PPP) is part of the $2 trillion CARES Act – the bailout package addressing the COVID-19 onslaught. The PPP… Read More

Dire Warning: 9 out of 10 UK Growth Businesses May Fail Due to COVID-19, EISA Calls on Government to Act Fast

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged all UK businesses. But smaller firms and early-stage companies may end up bearing the brunt of the impact as these companies can be less well prepared to endure an ongoing economic shutdown. Today, the Enterprise Investment Scheme Association (EISA) is… Read More

UK-based Banking Group NatWest’s Online Business Bank, Mettle, to Offer FreeAgent’s Accounting Software for Free

UK-based banking group NatWest‘s online business services bank, Mettle, will be providing free access to FreeAgent’s cloud-powered accounting software The software should help freelancers, sole traders and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with handling their accounting work. Companies that sign up to connect their FreeAgent… Read More

India-based PayU, a Leading Payment Gateway, Introduces Initiatives to Help Merchants and SMEs Deal with COVID-19 Crisis

India-based PayU, a leading payment gateway, has introduced several projects and measures,  in order to assist local vendors, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and business owners in dealing with the disruption due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The initiatives launched by PayU will help businesses… Read More

Become CEO Eden Amirav Comments on SME Lending in a COVID-19 Reality: a Scary 99% Shutdown

The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is not yet fully understood. We all know it is going to be bad – the question is how bad and how long. In the US, the current administration has rushed to escort a huge stimulus bill through… Read More

US Federal Reserve to Establish Facility to Back Paycheck Protection Program

The US Federal Reserve, the central bank of the US, will establish a facility to facilitate lending to small businesses via the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) by providing term financing backed by PPP loans. The news was distributed in a very brief… Read More

Funding Circle Launches Pre-Application System for Paycheck Protection Program Loans

Funding Circle lobby

Marketplace lending company Funding Circle (LSE: FCH) announced on Friday it launched a pre-application system for small business owners interested in funds from the Paycheck Protection Program, which is offered by the U.S. Department of Treasury and Small Business Administration (SBA). Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)… Read More

Toronto-based Blockchain Firm Emerge to Provide DLT-enabled App to Help Track Coronavirus-related Activities in Latin America

A Canada-headquartered firm is using blockchain or distributed ledger technology (DLT) to deal with the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis in the Latin American region. Toronto-based blockchain firm Emerge has introduced a public safety system app, known as Civitas, in order to help local authorities in many… Read More

Lendio CEO Calls CARES Act Process to Provide Support for SMEs a “Mess”

Last week in advance of the opening up of federal subsidized programs to backstop small businesses in the US crushed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Lendio CEO Brock Blake took to Twitter to criticize the lack of coordination between the US Department of Treasury and the… Read More

Fintech Become, an Online Lending Platform for SMEs, Launches COVID-19 Business Community Center

Eden Amirav, CEO at Become (formerly Lending Express), a leading online platform that helps small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) find and optimize funding solutions, noted on April 5, 2020, that during these uncertain times, all business owners need to be able to get the help… Read More

Lendio Announces Paycheck Protection Program Loan Application For Small Businesses During COVID-19 Pandemic

Online lending platform Lendio recently announced it has launched an application for small businesses to access the $349 billion in government funds set aside for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Lendio reported that the Paycheck Protection Program is part of the $2 trillion CARES Act… Read More

Grupeer: After Halting P2P Lending Operations, Management Complains that Investors are Going Straight to Borrowers

Last week, Crowdfund Insider reported on Latvia-based peer to peer lender Grupeer’s decision to halt all lending due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. CI quoted the company’s decision: “Regretfully, we are forced to inform you that in the current circumstances it is not… Read More

COVID-19 Prevention: Scientific Evidence Suggests Risk of Coronavirus Transmission from Physical Bank Notes is Relatively Low

Although the public seems concerned that the Coronavirus (COVID-19) may be transmitted by handling physical cash, scientific evidence indicates that the risk is relatively low when compared with various other frequently touched objects, such as PIN pads. A paper recently published by the Bank for… Read More

Nordic-Baltic Banking Group, Swedbank, to Sponsor Global Hackathon to Find Solutions to Prevent Further Spread of Coronavirus

Swedbank AB, a Nordic-Baltic banking group headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, is reportedly sponsoring a global hackathon, which will try to find solutions to deal with the  deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The event, which is scheduled to take place between April 9-12, 2020, aims to be… Read More

Nationwide Halts Plans to Offer Business Banking Services, Returns £50 Million in Bail Out Funds to RBS, Following COVID-19 Outbreak

Nationwide has halted its plans to offer business banking services, and has reportedly returned £50 million in Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) bailout funds to the Banking Competition Remedies Board. In May 2019, Nationwide received a £50 million grant from the RBS bailout fund, in… Read More

Contactless Payments: Fintech PayBy Introduces Fast and Secure Mobile Payment App in the UAE, Following COVID-19 Outbreak

Individuals and organizations are increasingly looking for ways to access services that require minimal or no physical contact, following the deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Fintech firm PayBy has introduced a fast and secure mobile payment services platform in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). PayBy’s solution… Read More

Fintechs Start to Furlough Employees as the Economic Impact of COVID-19 Sinks In

Fintechs are starting to furlough employees as the economy tanks due to the COVID-19 induced decline. While not officially in recession, major economies are bracing for the worse while businesses are compelled to let employees go as business activity slows. On Monday, it was reported… Read More

Digital Bank Chime to Test Out New Way to Instantly Send $1,200 in Federal Stimulus Payments to US Customers, Following COVID-19 Outbreak

Chime, one of the largest US-based digital banking startups, is testing out a new way for its customers to instantly receive their $1,200 in federal stimulus checks. The neobank’s clients would be able to receive their cheques weeks before the American government plans to begin… Read More

NASAA Cautions About Fraud During COVID-19 Crisis, Reaffirms Opposition to Expansion of Accredited Investor Definition

Last week, the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) cautioned an SEC Committee about the potential for fraud during the COVID-19 outbreak. NASAA is the lobbying group that represents state and provincial securities regulators. Christopher W. Gerold, NASAA President and Chief of the New Jersey Bureau… Read More

Post COVID-19: Lasting Impact on Society Following Coronavirus Crisis will Create Favorable Growth Conditions for Fintech Firms, New Report Claims

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has had a significant impact on our lives and is changing the way we work, interact, and consume products and services. Finch Capital, an early-stage venture capital firm focusing on Europe and the Southeast Asia region, has published a report, titled… Read More

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