Venture Capital

Feb
24

P2P Bitcoin lender Bitbond raises $1.2 million in new funding

Peer-to-peer bitcoin loan market Bitbond has raised $1.2m in new funding. The web platform, which connects lenders and borrowers to facilitate the distribution of loans denominated in bitcoin, received the new funding largely from a group of angel investors, some of whom already have stakes in the startup. The round was led by Şekip Can Gökalp, founder of Mobilike, a Turkey-based mobile ad network formed in 2009, and that was acquired last year. Other investors include Janis Zech and Andreas Bodczek, who founded ad tech startup Fyber, and Alexander Graubner-Müller, co-founder and CEO of Germany-based online lender Kreditech. According to Bitbond representative Chris Grundy, most of the funding will be […]

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Feb
24

Silicon Valley tried to upend Banks. Now it works with them.

In 2011, Brett King was promoting his book, “Breaking Banks,” and creating a start-up that he hoped would do to the banks what Amazon did to the retail industry and Facebook did to media. “We had grand ideas of being the Facebook of banking, and being a new form of bank account,” Mr. King said recently. Six years later, his company, Moven, has opened only 60,000 of those new bank accounts. Mr. King has now transitioned to selling his software to the banks he once scorned, who use it as a component of their mobile apps. “We realized that if you want millions of users as a bank, it is […]

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Feb
23

Australia weathers fintech slump

Global investment in fintech companies almost halved last year as “froth” comes out of the burgeoning industry and investors wait to see if they can successfully disrupt incumbents such as banks and insurers, according to a new report. Fintech investment funding declined to $US24.7 billion ($32.17bn) last year from a bumper $US46.7bn in 2015, driven by fewer merger and acquisitions, and private equity investments, KPMG found. However, the less mature Australian fintech industry bucked the trend as investment soared to a record high of $626 million last year, up from $185m in 2015 and $461m in 2014. The increase was powered by Champ Private Equity’s acquisition of Pepperstone, Stirling Products’ […]

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Feb
22

This FinTech CEO is making money instantly available anywhere in the World

The consumer financial services industry currently boasts a $33.5 billion market cap globally, supplying consumers with various loans and lines of credit. For years, the most common and accurate way of indicating whether consumers qualify for an approved loan or credit line was by analyzing general online data and traditional credit intelligence metrics. Today, with real-time consumer data becoming easily accessible and more emphasis is placed on creating cutting edge banking solutions for a mobile generation, financial technology companies have risen and claimed a reputation for actively disrupting the traditional banking infrastructure. Consequently, the existing challenge for FinTech startups and their big bank counterparts is whether to continue operating independently, […]

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Feb
22

Mundi Ventures invests 1.5 Million CHF in Qumram to fuel global growth

Qumram, a leading global RegTech firm, providing digital compliance and risk management solutions, has announced further investment of 1.5 million Swiss Francs, from the technology-focused venture capital firm, Mundi Ventures. Headquartered in Madrid, Mundi Ventures has operational presence in Barcelona, London and Seattle. In addition to providing due diligence support, Mundi Ventures will boost Qumram’s growth strategy by facilitating access to corporate executives, new markets, and new customers. Through this investment partnership, Qumram will gain access to the Mundi Club, a global network of more than 500 renowned Spanish business leaders, located in 41 cities worldwide, including board members of Havas, Kering, Merck, Bertelsmann and Nestle, as well as the […]

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Feb
21

Asian Fintech Startups see a record $5.4 Billion VC Funding in 2016, driven by China

Fintech startups in Asia gained a record $5.4 billion in venture-capital funding last year, up from $4.8 billion in 2015. According to data from venture capital research firm CBInsights, Asia accounted for nearly 20 percent in the number of Fintech investments worldwide. Notably, however, the deals are far more substantial in the region with 43% of the global funding taking place in Asia, in 2016. A driving factor towards the increase in the volume and value of investments is the money poured into the Asian Fintech sector by major Chinese companies. The $5.4 billion is recorded across 165 transactions or funding deals in 2016, up from 162 in 2015. On […]

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Feb
20

Fintech SoFi gets $500M infusion from Silver Lake, Softbank

San Francisco fintech SoFi is near to closing a deal for a $500 million infusion from buyout firm Silver Lake and tech giant Softbank, according to sources close to the matter. The Wall Street Journal reports that the company is close to completing the deal, which won’t give Silver Lake a majority stake in the company but does signal an increasing interest by venture capital firms in fintech startups that focus on lending. “The new equity investment, which values SoFi at more than $4 billion, would give the San Francisco-based company a fresh round of cash as it works to shake off a tough 2016 for the online lending industry […]

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Feb
18

Global investment platform DarcMatter receives ‘Best Fintech Solution’ award

Global investment platform for alternative payments DarcMatter announced that it has received ‘Best Fintech Solution’ award for Small & Startup Funds at the HFM U.S. Hedge Fund Technology Awards that was held on 13 February 2017 in New York. The HFM U.S. Hedge Fund Technology Awards recognizes and selects those software providers that are serving hedge fund industry and have proven exceptional customer service and innovative product development in the fintech ecosystem. DarcMatter was selected by the panel of judges, as it is focused on offering a technology platform for hedge fund managers in order to directly and more transparently access LPs for streamlined and efficient capital raise. “We are […]

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