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
U.S. Bank and Bank of Montreal are investing in digital technology to overhaul their websites, mobile apps, call centers and ATMs; the two companies shared their plans with American Banker; common themes from both companies include: 1) invest in what customers are dissatisfied with 2) make incremental enhancements 3) create a unified customer experience 4) establish an innovation team and 5) test emerging technologies. Source
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
Everyone is talking about how AI is the next big thing, and there is no doubt it is making waves. But is the world ready?
Wealthsimple is a Canadian firm backed by Montreal-based Power Financial and they are looking to launch their robo advisory solution to US clients soon; in accordance with US securities law, Wealthsimple received approval to operate as an investment advisor by the SEC in October 2016; there is no account minimums for their product and the first $10,000 invested will be fee free, anything above $10,000 will be subject to a management fee of 0.5%. Source
Canadian online lender LendingArch is building out its financing capabilities with the launch of a new solution for medical expenses; the company seeks to provide financing solutions for debt consolidation, home improvement and other areas of personal growth; the medical expenses product will broaden the firm's scope and help support consumers in managing out of pocket medical expenses; customers can access the loan solution individually or at a clinic location; the platform's loans allow for immediate payment to clinics and offer financing terms ranging from 12 months to three years. Source
Canada reported significant growth in online and marketplace lending in 2016; fintech growth in the country was also substantial with Canada reporting a 74% increase in fintech investment; a blog post from Aspire gives a roundup of online and marketplace lending activity in 2016 which included many partnerships and equity rounds; also provides predictions for the market in 2017; among its seven predictions are more bank partnerships and increased institutional investment. 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
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
Partnership will add 700,000 small businesses from the Vendasta network to the LoyaltyCapital® Network; the Vendasta network includes representation from 1800 media properties and 8000 sales professionals; Vendasta businesses will now have the opportunity to obtain better access to credit financing through the LoyaltyCapital customized multi-lender platform focused on providing credit for businesses with high customer loyalty in their communities. Source