Ireland and Germany will battle for fintech crown post-Brexit: VC founder
Ireland and Germany are poised to step up to fill a void as leader of Europe’s fintech scene once the U.K. leaves the European Union (EU), according to the co-founder of a global venture capital firm backed by The Boston Consulting Group. While it’s difficult to tell exactly what it will be, Brexit, which will mean the U.K. will lose its easy access to Europe’s financial industry, is certainly going to have an impact on the fintech industry, says Raj Ganguly, co-founder and partner at B Capital Group. “It seems like London is going in the direction of a hard Brexit. And with the the passporting rules potentially going away, […]
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 […]
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, […]
European fintech deals hit 5-year high in 2016
Europe’s advantage in financial technology has been highlighted by figures showing fintech deals hit a five-year high on the continent in 2016, defying the global trend of a slight decline. The number of deals in European fintech rose 11 per cent to 179 in 2016, compared to a 1 per cent global drop, according to the data analytics company CBInsights. Germany and the UK dominated, staking claim to nine out of the 10 biggest European fintech deals. The deals grew 124 per cent compared with 2011’s total, in contrast to an 8 per cent drop-off in deal activity in the US to 422 deals — identical to 2014 levels, the […]
Australian FinTech launches International FinTech platform
The team behind the highly successful AustralianFinTech.com.au, this week launch their International platform, ukfintech.internationalfintech.com, aimed at connecting the FinTech industry on a global scale. Founder and CEO, Cameron Dart, says International FinTech has been born on the back of the highly successful Australian FinTech platform and growing demand from the global community to have a dedicated online presence for their sector. “International FinTech mirrors the Australian FinTech platform, including a dedicated industry newsfeed and a comprehensive directory of FinTech companies globally. “The site also aims to educate users of new financial technologies such as peer to peer lending and cryptocurrency, all presented in simple terms with no financial jargon” says […]
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 […]
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 […]
