Tagged: covid-19

July 30, 2020 @ 9:00 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Peer to peer Bitcoin marketplace, Paxful claims that there’s now a growing interest in the use of P2P Bitcoin (BTC) trading platforms in Russia. According to a release shared with Crowdfund Insider, many Russians have been turning to cash and BTC during these times of… Read More

July 29, 2020 @ 11:35 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The global Fintech ecosystem is growing steadily. The financial technology sector is projected to reach $460 billion within the next five years. But financial losses due to fraudulent activities have reached $42 billion, globally, during the past two years. The billions of dollars stolen due… Read More

July 29, 2020 @ 7:27 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Starling Bank, a leading UK based digital bank, has reportedly delivered more than £654 million in loans under the United Kingdom’s bounce back loan scheme (BBLS) to around 24,000 local firms. Starling Bank, which teamed up with Funding Circle to issue £300 million in loans… Read More

July 29, 2020 @ 1:25 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Ireland-based Linked Finance, a peer to peer (P2P) lender, has asked the Irish government to extend the nation’s €2 billion (appr. $2.35 billion) credit guarantee scheme to P2P and non-banking lending platforms. The UK has introduced the COVID-19 loan scheme, however, Ireland’s alternative lending solution… Read More

July 28, 2020 @ 10:45 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Robert McKechnie, head of product at Equifax UK, a data analytics and technology company, has argued that Open Banking can help with lending during the COVID-19 crisis. McKechnie believes that data-sharing via Open Banking (after obtaining customers’ consent) will help with giving potential lenders the… Read More

July 28, 2020 @ 9:22 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Rebecca Schot-Guppy, the CEO at Fintech Australia, a member-driven organization that’s focused on supporting the financial technology ecosystem in the country, has argued that the success of Fintech outliers such as Afterpay and Airwallex during the COVID-19 outbreak should serve as a reminder that the… Read More

July 27, 2020 @ 1:03 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

battleface, a UK-based insurtech, recently announced the launch of its COVID-19 travel insurance package. battleface reported that the new policy will give travelers the peace of mind they have been looking for to venture out safely, including to countries currently advised against traveling to by… Read More

July 27, 2020 @ 8:53 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Investment in the United Kingdom’s Fintech industry reportedly slowed down by over a third during H1 2020, as many investors appear to be holding on to cash due to the economic uncertainty created by COVID-19. Despite the slowdown, investment levels still managed to gain 22%… Read More

July 23, 2020 @ 10:03 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

Online notary platform Notarize announced on Thursday it has formed a new partnership with payments platform Stripe to keep notaries working, remotely and safely, from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Notarize reported that by integrating with Stripe Connect, Notarize can pay notaries on the same… Read More

July 21, 2020 @ 9:00 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Shaw & Co, a corporate finance advisory company, will be providing a free of cost online credit suitability check software program for businesses, so that they can determine whether they need and qualify for working capital funding during the COVID-19 crisis. Shaw & Co’s cashflow… Read More

July 21, 2020 @ 9:19 am By JD Alois  |  

The UK COVID-19 support programs continue to expand as the banking and finance industry has now approved £47.9 billion to over 1.1 million businesses via government-backed coronavirus lending schemes, HM Treasury reports today. Both traditional finance and Fintechs are supporting these programs. Specifically: Coronavirus Business… Read More

July 20, 2020 @ 11:37 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Ney Villasenor, the VP and chief corporate affairs officer at GCash, a Fintech company that facilitates fast and secure mobile payments, has noted that there’s no doubt that COVID-19 has made Fintech services essential for people residing in the Philippines. Villasenor pointed out that cash… Read More

July 20, 2020 @ 9:35 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Several Fintech companies have been offering discounts or even free of cost services during COVID-19. These service providers aim to assist businesses, particularly SMEs, with managing and maintaining their operations during these challenging times. As reported by The Globe and Mail, financial advisors had already… Read More

July 18, 2020 @ 9:07 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Benedict Carandang and Lee-Anne Tobias from First Circle Growth Finance, a company that offers financing services to qualified SMEs in the Philippines that sell to other businesses or government agencies, note in a blog post published on the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) official website that… Read More

July 18, 2020 @ 5:41 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Indonesia’s Fintech lending platforms have reported slowing growth in total loan disbursements due to the COVID-19 outbreak and resulting economic challenges. The pandemic has caused many Indonesian startups to become more careful when channeling their credit. The Asian country’s Fintech Lenders Association (AFPI) deputy chairman… Read More

July 18, 2020 @ 11:39 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Wolfpack Digital from Transylvania notes that we’re halfway through 2020 and the economic impact of the COVID-19 outbreak has been felt and observed across different businesses and industries. The pandemic has also led to significant changes in consumer behavior, as more people are using digital… Read More

July 17, 2020 @ 11:41 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

OCBC Bank (Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp., Ltd) (SGX: O39), a multinational banking and financial services corporation headquartered in OCBC Centre, Singapore, has revealed that its customers in Singapore will now be able to use their SingPass to access its digital banking platform. The digital banking services… Read More

July 17, 2020 @ 11:23 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The GHL Group Berhad, a payment service provider and one of the top merchant acquirers in the ASEAN region, recently revealed that its Philippines division has been approved by the Philippines Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to conduct its lending business through its new unit,… Read More

July 16, 2020 @ 1:44 pm By JD Alois  |  

Plaid is a Fintech that jumped to the top of the news cycle when Visa (NYSE: V) announced in January that it was acquiring the Fintech for $5.3 billion. Plaid’s services enable consumers the ability to share their financial information with thousands of apps and… Read More

July 15, 2020 @ 11:57 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

David Bouchoucha from BNP Paribas’ asset management division has argued that private debt and real assets could potentially offer good opportunities to investors during the COVID-19 outbreak. Bouchoucha noted that these options can be attractive because private debt and real assets have proven to be… Read More