NewOak will invest up to $2 billion in loans originated by Canadian online lender LendingArch over the next three years; NewOak will also make a significant contribution to the strategy of the firm; the New York-based asset management and institutional advisory firm will take an advisory role with LendingArch supporting its business development and capital markets strategies. Source
On March 29, the Boston-based anti-fraud firm FiVerity announced a "holistic" fraud analytics platform to help firms stop criminal activity.
Alex Tapscott has raised $20 million for NextBlock Global, an investment firm investing in projects selling cryptographic tokens; he now has plans to list the company on the Toronto Stock Exchange; Tapscott is also the co-author of "Blockchain Revolution," which he wrote with his father, Don Tapscott, last year; with the IPO listing of NextBlock Global he hopes to further accelerate adoption of ICOs and blockchain. Source
The Women in Consumer Finance Conference is an annual event that actively targets the issue of diversity within the financial services sector. By organising three days of personalised engagement activities attendees are delighted at its impact.
Marketplace lender, PeerStreet, has raised $15 million in a funding round led by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz; PeerStreet offers secured real estate loans through its lending platform; the minimum investment is $1,000; investors on the platform include high net worth individuals, family offices and institutions; Andreessen Horowitz's Rampell noted the competitive advantages of PeerStreet compared to competitors included their fast growth and distribution model; he stated, "Most companies that are lending to consumers spend all the money in customer acquisition and it is very hard to get a profit." Source
Marketplace lending loan servicer First Associates has announced the opening of a new operations center; the operations center is located in Baja California, Mexico with capacity for 1,000 seats; in comments regarding the announcement, First Associates CEO David Johnson said: "We couldn’t be more excited about our new Baja facility. We are able to deliver the same outstanding quality and service as our San Diego operations center, offer an economically advantageous option to our clients and provide significant opportunities in a developing business community that is an important part of the greater San Diego/Tijuana metro area." Source
Investment in Canadian fintech increased in 2016 while slowing in the US and UK; data from Thomson Reuters says investment in Canadian fintech reached $197.41 million, an increase of 74% from 2015; in comparison, fintech investment in the US was down 30% and fintech investment in the UK was down approximately 25%; the Canadian market is much smaller than the US and UK however its infrastructure and ecosystem are growing; political changes were also less of a factor for Canada in 2016 while the US election and UK Brexit vote created uncertainty for investors. Source
Moven has agreed to extend its exclusivity rights with TD Bank in Canada for another five years and broaden the agreement to the US; the exclusivity rights in the US are likely to result in a US launch of the partnership's money management tool, the MySpend app, which allows users to track spending and receive notifications; expansion of the white label app from Brett King's Moven is expected to add significant value for the fintech firm. Source
eOriginal has added Ron Suber, Prosper Marketplace president, to its advisory board; the digital transaction document management company has been steadily expanding its business in the marketplace lending market; Ron Suber will help support the company's growth as an advocate for its unique digital documentation products also advising the company on the marketplace lending market overall; eOriginal is currently growing and expanding, also adding Jon Barlow, founder and former CEO of Eaglewood Capital Management, to its advisory board and raising $26.5 million in a recent funding round. Source
The UK Financial Conduct Authority and Ontario Securities Commission will now partner on fintech innovation; an agreement between the two agencies will help facilitate expansion for financial technology companies; both agencies will support cross-border business growth and will also share information on trends and regulatory proceedings. Source