The most anticipated Chinese Fintech IPOs of 2017
Greater China’s IPO market is set to continue to lead the way in 2017 fueled by listings of fintech giants including Ant Financial and Lufax, according to a report by CNBC. In 2016, Greater China exchanges hosted four of the ten largest IPOs globally by proceeds during the year, including the largest deal of the year of Postal Savings Bank of China Co. Ltd., which raised US$7.6 billion on the Hong Kong Main Market (HKEx) in September. In total, there were 331 IPOs on Greater China exchanges raising US$46.2 billion in capital, according to a report by EY. Hong Kong, the world’s top venue for IPOs for a second straight year, […]
11 Fintech Companies in UK’s Trade Delegation to Australia & NZ
The Department for International Trade (DIT), the UK’s sole government department that negotiates to strike or extend trade agreements between the UK and non-EU states will send a Fintech delegation of 11 UK companies to Australasia. Aimed at promoting Fintech opportunities in the Fintech spaces in Australia and New Zealand, the trade mission will see a delegation of “eleven successful UK fintech companies” visit the countries in March. The 11 UK companies that form the delegation include credit rating specialist Aire; Fintech data analytics firm Clarus; asset allocation consultant ClearMacro; compliance solutions firm FundApps; investor relations firm Ingage; financial lenders Iwoca and Neyber; blockchain-based data platform ObjectTech; identity verification platform […]
Amazon Launchpad now operating in the US, Canada, India, Germany, France, the UK & Japan
Amazon is not only one of the world’s largest retailers and marketplace, it is also a market for emerging products having raised capital online and from early stage investors. Amazon Launchpad has expanded its platform from just the US to now operating in Canada, India, Germany, France, the UK and Japan. The list of partners is impressive engaging both venture capitalists and crowdfunding platforms. The roster includes: 500 Startups Accel Partners Andreessen Horowitz betaworks Balderton Capital CircleUp Crowdcube Crowdfunder (US) Crowdfunder (UK) Index Ventures Indiegogo Kickstarter Lending Club MicroVentures OurCrowd SeedInvest Seedmatch Seedrs StartEngine ulule and more… Amazon explains that their Launchpad has been designed to meet the needs of […]
Parisian bankers target fintech catch up
After years of lagging behind London on spawning financial technology startups, Paris this week hosted a show of force aimed at proving the French capital can catch up as more than 1,500 bankers, investors and entrepreneurs gathered. The Paris Fintech Forum, which took place recently in the old bourse’s temple-like building, tripled its turnout from last year. With the UK’s vote to leave the EU seen as an opportunity for Paris to raise its game, executives from Societe Generale, insurer Axa and Spain’s Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria among others showed up to talk about potential in France. Just as London is Europe’s banking and finance centre, it has been centre […]
Global online lender Spotcap partners with Heartland Bank, launches in NZ
European-based online lender Spotcap today announces a partnership with NZX-listed New Zealand bank, Heartland, with the bank providing Spotcap’s Australian operations with A$20million of funding. At the same time, Spotcap today launches its New Zealand operations in Auckland, further cementing Asia Pacific as one of the fastest growing regions for global fintech. * Spotcap provides flexible and accessible funding solutions to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with unsecured credit lines and business loans of up to $250,000. Rather than basing credit decisions on historical financials, Spotcap has developed a unique, proprietary credit algorithm which provides deep insight into the financial condition of a business, enabling quick, sound credit decisions. “We […]
Silicon Valley giant grows stake in UK fintech star TransferWise
One of the early backers of Facebook is increasing its stake in TransferWise, a British financial technology pioneer, in a move that will be hailed as a vote of confidence in UK start-ups. Sky News has learnt that Andreessen Horowitz, a prominent name in Silicon Valley, has agreed to buy a chunk of shares held by TransferWise’s initial ‘angel’ investors. Andreessen is said to have agreed to the purchases in recent weeks at a valuation broadly consistent with TransferWise’s last major fundraising in May 2016, according to people close to the situation. Founded by two former Skype employees, TransferWise has grown rapidly since its launch, and now acts as a […]
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 […]
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 […]
