Tagged: us

March 23, 2021 @ 8:41 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Digital banking challenger Current confirmed on March 12, 2021, that it began receiving and crediting stimulus payments “as of 11 am. ET on March 12.” The digital bank stated that it would  be crediting “all member accounts immediately, making all funds fully available as we… Read More

March 22, 2021 @ 11:08 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Google (Nasdaq:GOOGL) is reportedly planning to spend $7 billion on real estate this year, mainly in the form of office space and data centers. During 2020, the tech giant had put its real estate spending plans on hold as the COVID-19 pandemic weighed on the… Read More

March 22, 2021 @ 10:55 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The researchers at Bloqport have confirmed that only a month after launch, the first-ever Bitcoin ETF has reached $1 billion CAD in assets under management or AUM (as of March 20, 2021). Just one month after launch, the first ever #Bitcoin ETF has hit $1… Read More

March 21, 2021 @ 7:02 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Claire Davidson from banking challenger Branch notes that during the past year, healthcare workers have had to deal with both mental and physical challenges “like none other.” This may have included risking their own lives during the COVID-19 pandemic to mental and emotional stress and… Read More

March 21, 2021 @ 2:24 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Payments company Square’s (NYSE:SQ) Cash App now allows users to complete Bitcoin payments without having to pay transaction fees. You can now instantly send bitcoin to other $cashtags for free, right from your Cash App. To celebrate, we’re giving out $1 million in BTC. To… Read More

March 20, 2021 @ 4:41 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Divvy, a modern payment and expense management platform for businesses, which notably secured $165 million through its Series D funding round, has published a blog post that looks into how small businesses can settle their tax payments. Divvy confirms in its blog post that the… Read More

March 20, 2021 @ 3:45 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) reveals that February 2021 was yet another huge month for digital commerce, which increased 54.7% year-over-year (YOY). Mastercard pointed out that despite the “inclement weather” felt across many parts of the country this past month, US retail sales (excluding automotive and gasoline) surged… Read More

March 20, 2021 @ 1:57 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Visa confirms that a year into the Coronavirus pandemic, digital payments continue to “keep money moving.” The company’s latest report reveals that consumer behavior is changing how businesses sell or market their products in a post-COVID environment. Visa notes that due to the COVID outbreak,… Read More

March 20, 2021 @ 11:04 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Digital asset exchange Gemini recently revealed that it now has over $20 billion in crypto-assets under custody. The US-based firm confirmed in a blog post: “Tracking with the impressive growth of the crypto market this year and increased participation from institutional investors, we have doubled… Read More

March 20, 2021 @ 10:22 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Peter Van Valkenburgh, the Director of Research at Coin Center, a leading non-profit entity focused on the latest policy issues facing digital currencies, notes that his organization will be using the additional time provided by FinCEN to submit another comment in “ongoing surveillance rulemaking.” Coin… Read More

March 19, 2021 @ 3:38 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Research and Insights team at PayPal (NASDAQ: PYPL) notes that when the COVID-19 pandemic began, Jennifer Vaughan started noticing a visible change in her business’s customer base. Usually, Jennifer’s “high-end” paper store, Mulberry Paper and More, had been appealing to professional artists. However, Jennifer… Read More

March 19, 2021 @ 10:45 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Brian Brooks, Former Acting Head of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), has now joined the board of Spring Labs, a firm that develops innovative tech for exchanging data securely and in an anonymous manner via a shared blockchain or distributed ledger… Read More

March 19, 2021 @ 7:53 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Digital bank Chime notes that if you’ve ever tried to schedule an automatic bill payment from your bank account or received a direct deposit, then you may appreciate how convenient these transactions might be. We may be able to avoid many late fees if we… Read More

March 18, 2021 @ 10:55 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Miami-headquartered JAG Insurance has reportedly issued its very first policy using cryptocurrency. JAG Insurance Group, which is well-known for being a digital tech pioneer and challenging the standards of the insurance industry, has decided to take its first steps into the crypto-asset space by issuing… Read More

March 18, 2021 @ 4:06 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Digital asset exchange Kraken recently committed funding to support the Ethereum 2.0 transition process with the New Gitcoin Giving initiative. Kraken says it will match “up to $50,000” in donations to open-source Ethereum infrastructure initiatives as part of Gitcoin’s donation drive (which began on March… Read More

March 17, 2021 @ 10:25 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Six New Hampshire residents are reportedly facing federal indictment because of an elaborate scheme that allowed people to exchange over $10 million for digital currencies like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH). The US District Court indictment alleges that the co-conspirators had tricked or deceived financial… Read More

March 17, 2021 @ 8:42 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Beginning on March 16, 2021, Coinbase Pro users may transfer Cardano (ADA) into their accounts ahead of scheduled trading. Support for ADA tokens will be available at all of Coinbase’s “supported jurisdictions.” Trading will begin “on or after 9AM Pacific Time (PT) Thursday March 18,… Read More

March 17, 2021 @ 6:23 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The “humble” QR code has now emerged from last year as a “versatile” tool for providing an overall improved customer experience (CX). At restaurants, for example, customers are “loving” this contactless option so they safely view menus, order, and make virtual payments with a “snap… Read More

March 17, 2021 @ 3:50 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The shares of LendingClub (NYSE: LC), an online lender and nascent digital bank, have been surging recently. Last week, LendingClub reported an adjusted net loss of $(22.1) million in the fourth quarter, compared to an adjusted net income of $7.0 million the same quarter last… Read More

March 16, 2021 @ 11:05 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Southeast Asian ride-hailing and food delivery giant Grab Holdings is reportedly holding discussions regarding its plans to go public via a potential merger with a US-based special purpose acquisition company or SPAC. Grab Holdings may be valued at around $53 to $54 billion if these… Read More