Finextra Research: Latest fintech news, analysis, interviews, features and opinion by industry experts

Canadian fintech Koho launches

Vancouver-based mobile finacial services outfit Koho has finally moved out of private beta testing, pitting its mobile-based service against Canada's big five providers in the battle for Generation Y.

17 March 2017

Company update/Non-bank competitors

Kabbage prices $525m securitisation

Kabbage, a pioneering financial services, technology and data platform, today announced that on March 7, 2017, it priced $525 million of fixed-rate, asset-backed notes in a private securitization transaction.

08 March 2017

News/Non-bank competitors

Online lender Upstart raises $32.5m

Upstart, a US online lender founded by a gaggle of former Googlers, has raised $32.5 million in a funding round led by Japan's Rakuten and an unnamed asset manager.

03 March 2017

Company update/Non-bank competitors

LendUp closes $100m credit facility

LendUp, a socially responsible lender for the emerging middle class, today announced it has closed another $100 million credit facility with investment firm Victory Park Capital (VPC) to fund future loan growth.

02 March 2017

Company update/Non-bank competitors

Prosper strikes $5bn loan purchase agreement with institutional investors

Prosper Marketplace, a leading online consumer lending marketplace, today announced that it has closed a deal with a consortium of institutional investors to purchase up to $5 billion worth of loans through the Prosper platform over the next 24 months.

27 February 2017

Company update/Non-bank competitors

SoFi confirms $500m Series F funding round

SoFi, a modern finance company taking an unprecedented approach to lending and wealth management, announced today it has entered into a definitive agreement to raise $500 million in Series F financing led by Silver Lake, the global leader in technology investing.

24 February 2017

News/Non-bank competitors

Bharti Airtel takes stake in fintech lending startup

Indian telco Bharti Airtel has acquired a stake in fintech loan startup Seynse Technologies.

23 February 2017

News/Non-bank competitors

Chatbot savings app Plum partners P2P lender Ratesetter

British AI-powered savings Facebook Messenger chatbot Plum is to start steering users that are willing to take on risk in exchange for higher interest rates to P2P lender Ratesetter.

22 February 2017

News/Non-bank competitors

High rate of defaults hit P2P lending sector

Investors in the peer to peer (P2P) lending sector have seen their returns suffer due to a high rate of borrower defaults among start-ups, reports the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

20 February 2017

News/Non-bank competitors

Asia catching US in value of fintech deals

Venture capital investment in Asia-based fintech start-ups reached $5.4 billion in 2016 just shy of the $5.5 billion invested in the US.

20 February 2017

News/Non-bank competitors

SoFi closes in on $500m funding round - Bloomberg

SoFi is on the verge of closing a $500 million funding round led by private equity firm Silver Lake Partners that would value the online lender at $4.3 billion, according to Bloomberg.

17 February 2017

News/Non-bank competitors

Exclusive: SolarisBank eyes EUR30m in Series B funding round

German Banking-as-a-Platform (BaaP) startup solarisBank is in the process of raising EUR30 million in a Series B funding round as it gears up to go live with a host of fintech firm partners, Finextra understands.

15 February 2017

News/Non-bank competitors

The fintech effect: Banks buy in to benefits of boosting financial well-being

Fintech startups are setting new standards for customer control and experience, forcing high street banks to up their game, says UK charity the Fairbanking Foundation.

15 February 2017

News/Non-bank competitors

TrueLayer unveils API platform to connect banks and developers

Promising to bridge the divide between financial institutions and developers, UK startup TrueLayer has launched the private beta of its API platform for accessing bank data.

14 February 2017

Company update/Non-bank competitors

MTS launches Money Wallet

Mobile TeleSystems PJSC ("MTS" or the "Company" - NYSE: MBT; MOEX: MTSS), the leading telecommunications provider in Russia and the CIS, launches MTS Money Wallet, that enables users to get an easy "one-click" access to MTS's financial services and be rewarded with bonuses and loyalty points.

13 February 2017

News/Non-bank competitors

Citi and AmEx join Plaid Technologies funding round

Plaid Technologies, a startup that helps the likes of Venmo and Lending Club connect with their users' bank accounts, says that the venture arms of Citi and American Express joined its recent $44 million Series B funding round.

06 February 2017

News/Non-bank competitors

SoFi moves beyond lending with acquisition of mobile banking startup Zenbanx

Online lender SoFi is stepping up its efforts to take on America's banks by buying fellow fintech player Zenbanx, enabling it to offer checking accounts, credit cards and international money transfers. Financial terms were not disclosed.

01 February 2017

Company update/Non-bank competitors

Crossflow Payments wins Calibrate Management investment

Crossflow Payments (Crossflow), the technology driven alternative finance platform delivering innovative supply chain finance solutions, has today announced a significant investment from Calibrate Management (Calibrate), a leading investor focused on early stage, high growth firms.

01 February 2017

News/Non-bank competitors

Former Visa president raises $125m for new fintech fund

Nyca Partners, a fintech startup-focused venture capital firm set up by former Visa president Hans Morris, has raised more than $125 million for its second fund.

27 January 2017

News/Non-bank competitors

China's fintech dragons roar

2016 was the year that China's fintech dragons roared, dominating VC spending while investment in some previously feted leaders in other parts of the world wilted, according to a report from Citi.

26 January 2017