What will it take for the online lending industry to hit profitability? October 26, 2016 Online lending has been having its Uber moment. “Platforms spend as much as they physically can to dominate, with VCs behind them pushing for that growth. But now, a lot of VCs have left. Platforms will have to go out for funding again, and we’ll see massive down rounds,” says one platform founder, speaking on [...]
CommuterClub’s co-founders talk desk dividers and the future of mobility October 24, 2016 We sat opposite each other and, although there was a barrier between us (a physical desk divider) we’d work late into the night and bounce ideas around,” says Petko Plachkov, co-founder of travel payment plan firm CommuterClub. He’s describing working at fintech legend Clive Cowdery’s firm, the Resolution Group, with his co-founder, Imran Gulamhuseinwala. “I joined [...]
Meet Ernest: The free financial coach that sits in your Facebook October 24, 2016 When I was at BlackRock, I spent a lot of time on tech that was designed to improve return on investment for people who already had a lot of money,” says Niall Bellabarba, co-founder of Ernest, the intelligent finance coach. “So my starting point was that the man on the street doesn’t have access to [...]
We’ve only seen the start of how fintech can transform the world October 21, 2016 Fintech in some ways created the blueprint for the way in which innovative startups can disrupt a seemingly unmoveable industry. But as the players in the Digital Innovators list demonstrate, the fintech innovation story is far from done. The latest breed of fintech startups focus on improving our experience of financial products in all sorts [...]
Robots, AI and digital disruption are coming to the hedge fund industry October 20, 2016 The robots are coming. And the hedge fund industry appears to be accepting it. “There’s a very strong business case for replacing humans with algorithms in a lot of areas of the business,” said one respondent in a survey of more than 100 hedge fund leaders and executives. Some 58 per cent of those interviewed [...]
Misys cuts float value as Brexit volatility bites October 16, 2016 Financial technology company Misys has been forced to cut the value of its pending market flotation due to Brexit-induced market volatility. The company is the latest in a string of firms that has had to dial back or call off plans to list as a result of the UK’s shock vote to quit the European Union [...]
Wake up, policy-makers: The fintech paradigm shift could change everything October 13, 2016 Nowhere within the financial firmament does enthusiasm abound more right now than in the arena of fintech. Just as it has disrupted and revolutionised our social interactions and shopping habits, the internet is breeding new ways to cut the cost of transacting and pair those with capital with those seeking it. Peer-to-peer lending and crowdfunding [...]
This UK startup using AI for compliance just raised millions October 13, 2016 A UK tech startup which uses artificial intelligence to ensure compliance rules are followed by financial firms has raised millions of pounds from top investors. ComplyAdvantage has raised $8.2m (£6.7m) in a series A round of funding led by Balderton Capital to fuel expansion into the lucrative US market. The regulatory tech firm, or regtech (an offshoot of [...]
Smoke and mirrors: Who’s responsible for greater transparency in equity crowdfunding? October 13, 2016 What's in store for crowdfunding now? The FCA has reached the final stages of its latest review of the rules governing the sector, and this comes at a critical time in the cycle, when many deals are starting to conclude (and failures are becoming painfully apparent). Moreover, investment volumes have fallen for the first time [...]
Govcoin’s co-founder Robert Kay explains why his firm is using blockchain to change the lives of benefit claimants October 10, 2016 "When you get into this technology, you can let your imagination run wild with it. But as an entrepreneur, you have to focus. You can use a new technology to help those that can pay the most for it, or those who will benefit the most from it. It is our view that distributed ledger [...]