January 3, 2017 @ 7:46 am By Jessica Pham  |  

The World Bank established the Financial Sector Development Project to support Myanmar’s SMEs — the latest sign of progress in the country’s economy.  The five-year project includes $100 million in credit, which will be used to allow SMEs increased access to financial services.  The project will… Read More

January 3, 2017 @ 7:30 am By Jessica Pham  |  

Over 25 startups in the online lending space have rapidly emerged over the past two years, according to TechCircle analysis.  Despite signs that global fintech investment was slowing in 2016, VCCircle‘s analysis for 2017 suggests that such investment may pick up again. Arti Singh and… Read More

December 31, 2016 @ 10:17 am By Jessica Pham  |  

Renu Rajani, Vice President of Capgemini, opined earlier this week that Fintech’s revolution this past year has disrupted trends in testing and quality assurance (QA).  The observation is based on findings further described in the firm’s latest fintech report, World FinTech Report 2017, which was published earlier… Read More

December 29, 2016 @ 11:32 pm By Jessica Pham  |  

Tapestry Networks and Ernst & Young (EY) published a report this month focused on global revolutionary changes that will affect the financial services sector.  The full version of the report is below. The report is a result of the October 5-6, 2016 Financial Services Leadership Summit in… Read More

December 29, 2016 @ 9:58 pm By Jessica Pham  |  

Standard Chartered Bank Taiwan opened a digital branch called iWealth in Taipei earlier this month.  iWealth is another component of the London-based bank’s foray into fintech in the Asia-Pacific region.  SC Bank will invest $1.5 billion in Taiwan over the next three years, focusing on… Read More

December 29, 2016 @ 8:40 pm By Jessica Pham  |  

When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in November that the country would no longer use its R500 and R1000 (approximately $7.50 and $15.00) currencies — which make up 86 percent of all cash in circulation in India — observers questioned the wisdom of the… Read More

December 28, 2016 @ 6:30 am By Jessica Pham  |  

China’s Global Times has reported that the country established a foundation focused on financial and technology mergers and acquisitions throughout Asia.  Asia Fintech Fund of Funds (FOF) is based in Beijing and has 10 billion yuan (approximately $1.44 billion) in funding. Asia Fintech is the second… Read More

December 27, 2016 @ 6:20 pm By Jessica Pham  |  

Backed by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation grant, the Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) initiative aims to bring together investors and entrepreneurs to work on research and design projects focused on technology that advance European interests domestically and internationally. The Horizon 2020… Read More

December 27, 2016 @ 5:19 am By Jessica Pham  |  

Kapilendo is a German crowdfunding platform founded in 2015 and it has successfully raised seven million euros (approximately $7.3 million) in Series B funding just before the New Year.  The pension fund for the Berlin Chamber of Dentists (Versorgungswerk der Zahnärztekammer Berlin, or VZ Berlin)… Read More

December 26, 2016 @ 5:48 am By Jessica Pham  |  

Do you often get phone calls and mailers from your college alma mater asking for donations?  I do, and as a recent grad, I wonder how much help I really contribute with my puny annual $5-10 donation.  Enter crowdfunding among alumni for high school and… Read More

December 23, 2016 @ 1:14 pm By Jessica Pham  |  

Weapons present in the South China Sea.  The U.S. backs out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal. South Korea’s president facing impeachment.  Duterte wins the Philippines presidential election. These are just a few of the explosive economic and political events that have continued to unfold in the… Read More

December 23, 2016 @ 7:31 am By Jessica Pham  |  

Tima says that it is Vietnam’s first P2P lending platform, and it has recently secured Series A funding from a Singaporean investor.  The amount is unclear but is a reported “US dollar seven-figure” amount.  The Singapore fund is also unnamed. An unnamed co-founder of Tima… Read More

December 22, 2016 @ 7:23 am By Jessica Pham  |  

During the first half of 2016, regulators feared that Fintech would become all too powerful.  Then, in November, they concluded that the Fintech sector was not threatening.  At the cusp of 2017, it also appears that other observers have concluded that the FIintech boom is… Read More

December 19, 2016 @ 5:20 pm By Jessica Pham  |  

Iowa is aiming to become the Most Connected State in the Midwest as Governor Terry Branstad and Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds announced a crowdsourced project to provide broader access to broadband.  The Blue Ribbon Initiative will be a private-public partnership that aims to raise $2… Read More

December 18, 2016 @ 10:00 am By Jessica Pham  |  

Abundance Investment (formerly AbundanceGeneration) has been partnering with Swindon Chapel Farm Solar since early last month to offer individuals a way to invest in renewable energy.  The Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA) option also offers folks looking for an alternative savings account an option to earn higher… Read More

December 16, 2016 @ 8:07 am By Jessica Pham  |  

Justen Hyde, a software engineer with Emergent Design Ltd, began crowdfunding eight days ago on JustGiving to address the Brexit fallout.  His initial goal?  Raise £3,959 (approximately $5,000) within a month to send every Member of Parliament — all 650 of them — a copy of “Brexit:… Read More

December 15, 2016 @ 3:10 am By Jessica Pham  |  

London-based AlliedCrowds is preparing to launch its P2P service AlliedExchange soon as it has begun the search for a new Managing Director.  AlliedCrowds/AlliedExchange is backed and funded by FSD Africa, which in turn is backed by the British government. This proposed platform will use P2P lending technology to present… Read More

December 12, 2016 @ 10:23 pm By Jessica Pham  |  

European fintech company figo, based in Germany, secured as a part of its Series B fundraising at the end of last month a €6.8 million (approximately $7.2 million) investment from Deutsche Börse Group.  The firm’s latest project is expanding its banking API products and services… Read More

December 12, 2016 @ 12:16 pm By Jessica Pham  |  

Building on its successful Reg A+ campaign on SeedInvest and the company’s first product, the Smart Vent System, Keen Home is now focusing on air purification.  It launched its second product in August, the Smart Filter product line, which combines with a subscription service in order to… Read More

December 11, 2016 @ 2:03 pm By Jessica Pham  |  

In a grand mashup of investment and politics, President-elect Donald Trump and Tokyo-based SoftBank Group Corp.‘s CEO Masayoshi Son announced their plan this week to create 50,000 new jobs in the U.S. via a $50 billion investment namely in startups. Deal Street Asia reported that the… Read More