BitFury Group announced $30 million deal with Credit China Fintech
Blockchain infrastructure provider BitFury Group announced on Thursday a deal with Hong Kong-listed fintech company Credit China Fintech Holdings to set up a joint venture that will focus on promoting the technology in China. As part of the deal, Credit China Fintech will invest $30 million in BitFury shares and the setting up of the joint venture. The joint venture will be used to sell BitFury’s bitcoin mining equipment. BitFury Group provides hardware and software around blockchain technology and this will be its first major venture in China. Blockchain refers to the technology underlying the crypto-currency bitcoin and works like a huge, decentralized ledger that records every transaction made on […]
The first property-backed Innovative Finance ISA has arrived
LandlordInvest, having recently been approved as an ISA manger by the Board of HM Revenue & Customs, becomes the first peer-to-peer lending platform to offer a property-backed Innovative Finance ISA (“IFISA”). LandlordInvest’s property-backed IFISA lets savers invest up to £15,240 in the current tax year (rising to £20,000 in the next tax year) in peer-to-peer loans secured by residential property, and with the ability to earn tax-free returns between 5-12% per annum. It is the first property-backed IFISA ever made available to UK savers, and it is expected to be a valuable addition to any well-diversified portfolio, especially in the current low rate environment. Filip Karadaghi, LandlordInvest’s Chief Executive said: “This […]
Fintech startup Squirrel is crowdfunding fresh investment on SyndicateRoom
A fintech startup whose app helps people better manage their money is seeking fresh funding via crowdfunding. Squirrel is seeking to raise £400,000 on equity crowdfunding platform SyndicateRoom, with £100,000 of that already promised by angel investor Jos Evans. The two-year-old startup offers users a bank account and budgeting features and already has more than 5,000 users and £2.9m managed through the app. It will use the new funds to expand its service, particularly focusing on the students and pensioners. “Engaging online investors in a fundraise has been a route that we’ve been considering for some time,” said founder and chief executive Mutaz Qubbaj. “However, it was crucial to reach […]
Funding Circle: A $100m vote of confidence in the UK’s Peer-to-Peer Lending industry
The news that Funding Circle has raised another $100m from a group of well-respected institutional investors is welcome news for the peer-to-peer lending sector, which has been showing signs of vulnerability of late. The funding round, led by Accel, and supported by investors including Baillie Gifford, DST Global, Index Ventures, Ribbit Capital, Rocket Internet, Sands Capital Ventures, Temasek and Union Square Ventures, cements Funding Circle’s position as the leading online peer-to-peer marketplace in Europe. To coincide with the announcement, Funding Circle also said yesterday that its total lending to small businesses globally has now reached £2.5bn – including £1.1bn of advances made last year alone. The latest equity investment takes […]
Australian FinTech will exceed AUD $4 Billion by 2020
A new report has found that FinTech revenue in Australia is predicted to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 76.3 percent and exceed A$4 billion by 2020. The research, Australian Fintech, Forecast for 2020, found that this increase was down to a reduction in taxes on investments in startups, tech-savvy digital individuals, and a rise in mobile payments. According to Research and Markets, in 2015 the Australian FinTech market produced A$247.2 million with 2016 generating further growth and 2017 predicted to continue the upward trend. The research found that there are three areas that financial technology services are focusing on in Australia that will grow by 2020: […]
UK robo-advisor Munnypot goes live
Munnypot, a new service offering clear, affordable online financial advice to all is live from today. Munnypot’s founders aim to help close Britain’s financial advice gap, which affects 16 million people1, by making high quality advice available to everyone. Munnypot is an online savings and investment service giving anyone straightforward automated financial advice in a language they can understand, at a fraction of the cost of most financial advisers. The service requires a minimum investment of £25 per month and/or a £250 single investment amount. It provides an intuitive WhatsApp style ‘chat-based’ user-interface that advises people on their savings and investment decisions. Conversational and jargon-free questions, coupled with state of […]
A Siri for Your Finances? Digit Says Trust Me
The fintech startup is working on algorithms to help you manage your money. Late last year, just in time for Christmas shopping, Rachel Rhoads got a nice surprise. One of her secret savings accounts had grown to $900 behind her back. Rhoads, a 37-year-old Los Angeles-based sales director for a jewelry line, has an account with Digit, a financial technology company with an algorithm that tracks users’ income and spending patterns. It painlessly spirits small amounts of money out of checking and into a savings account every two or three days. “I just thought it was such a good idea, to set it and forget it,” said Rhoads, who says […]
LandlordInvest gains ISA manager status from HMRC
LandlordInvest has been approved by HMRC as an ISA manager, paving the way for the launch of its Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA), Peer-to-Peer Finance News has learnt. The peer-to-peer lender, which specialises in buy-to-let mortgages, gained full authorisation from the Financial Conduct Authority in early December, following a 24-month application process. The platform will be making an official announcement regarding its HMRC approval later today. The IFISA is a tax-free wrapper around P2P investments heralded as a game-changer for the industry. It is hoped that the ISA brand will open the sector up to a wider range of retail investors, who might have not considered P2P before. At present, just […]
