Blockchain startup Factom raises $8 million in extended Series A
Blockchain startup Factom has finished raising just over $8m as part of an extended Series A round. Last October, the firm said that it had raised $4.2m as part of the funding in an effort to raise capital ahead of planned product launches. Taking part in the round, according to AustinInno, include Harvest Equity and Peeli Ventures, along with several as-yet-unnamed local investors. According to public records from the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Factom raised approximately $8,027,535 during the round. Previously, the firm – which uses its own blockchain network to verify the the integrity of data – had raised $1.1m in a crowdsale conducted in mid-2015, before going […]
P2P platform hits £50m lending milestone
Peer-to-peer (P2P) platform Lending Works has celebrated providing more than £50m worth of loans since its launch in January 2014. The achievement follows a record-breaking first quarter of 2017, with nearly £5m lent via the platform in March alone. Nick Harding, CEO of Lending Works, said: “It’s incredibly rewarding to have come as far as we have since launching just over three years ago. “It is at times like this that I want to thank our extraordinary team for their hard work and determination. “That said, we prefer to look forward rather than back, and with many exciting and ambitious new initiatives in the pipeline, we expect to breach the […]
P2P financing kicks off in Malaysia
The peer-to-peer (P2P) lending industry is off to an encouraging start. Funding Societies Malaysia, the first platform to launch, successfully raised RM320,000 for two term loan financing programmes within three weeks in March. The loans will be used to fund the working capital of two companies – an electronics business and an automobile parts distribution business. Meanwhile, the platform aims to provide investors with an effective return of 22% and 24.91% respectively over a year. “Most of the investors are in the 20 to 40 age group. We are quite happy with the fundraising and hope it will help us attract more borrowers and issuers,” says Funding Societies CEO Wong […]
Total Market Cap of Digital Currencies nears $30 Billion
Digital currencies reached a new high today, surpassing $28 billion, a more than doubling from their previous all-time high of around $12 billion back in 2013. Indicating an increasing interest in digital currencies and the wider blockchain space. The main driver is, of course, bitcoin, which is nearing $20 billion once more after rising for much of the week from around $1,000 to approximately $1,200. The currency, however, has lost market share, falling below 70%, as other coins gain attention. At first it was monero after being added to some drug markets, then dash suddenly and puzzlingly incredibly shoot up above $100, but now has nearly halved, standing around $60 […]
Texas Real Estate market active for Real Estate Crowdfunding
RealtyShares, a leading online marketplace for real estate investing, has just released data showing the total amount of crowdfunded real estate investments in Texas. To date $28.1 million has been raised for 31 real estate deals, ranking Texas among the most popular states for investors on the RealtyShares platform along with California and Florida. Nearly half of all deals funded in Texas to date have been for multifamily properties with a trend favoring equity over debt. Investments have been spread throughout the state, with the most investments centered around the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, followed by Austin and Houston. “Texas remains a very popular and active investment market for us given […]
Trov, the world’s first on-demand insurance platform, closes A$59m Series D funding round
Trov, the technology company revolutionising insurance for the tech-empowered consumer, today announced that it has closed AU$59.44 million (US$45 million) in Series D funding led by Munich Re / HSB Ventures, bringing its total funding to just over AU$112.28 million (US$85 million). All of Trov’s Series C investors participated in the round (Oak HC/FT, Suncorp Group (ASX:SUN), Guidewire (NYSE: GWRE), and Anthemis). Also participating in the financing is one of Japan’s leading insurers, Sompo Holdings (SOMPO), who will bring Trov to Japan. The new capital will be used to bring Trov’s on-demand insurance capability to more people around the world, expand the categories of items it covers, and accelerate the […]
UK looks to strengthen FinTech ties with India
A UK envoy that includes politicians, central bank officials, and prominent FinTech executives are in India to discuss trade relations that will deepen industry ties between the two nations as the UK prepares for the separation from the European Union. A UK-delegation led by Chancellor Philip Hammond that includes Her Majesty’s Treasury FinTech envoy Eileen Burbidge and Bank of England governor Mark Carney along with a number of leaders from banking and financial technology firms are currently in India as a part of a two-day visit as a part of the 9th UK-India Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD). Hosted by Arun Jaitley, India’s finance minister, the trade envoy will see […]
Europe wants to hear more ideas about Fintech
Europe wants to learn more about fintech and how to develop it. That’s why the European Commission’s Task Force on Financial Technology will seek feedback on fintech from consumers and companies involved in the sector. The effort involves an online survey whose findings will help the commission “create an enabling environment where innovative financial service solutions take off at a brisk pace all over the EU, while ensuring financial stability, financial integrity and safety for consumers, firms and investors alike,” the commission said. The commission’s task force also plans to work with companies on such projects as better ways to confirm the identities of financial customers, and to potentially revise […]
