Investment funding deals for fintech businesses were lower in 2016, according to data from CB Insights; the firm reports that the number of deals remained steady with a 1% decrease to 836 however the total amount funded decreased by 13% to $12.7 billion in 2016; global instability and industry challenges in P2P lending were among the factors contributing to the lower investment. Source
The China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) has issued a new guidance document titled, "Guiding Opinions on Risk Prevention and Control in the Banking Sector"; the document targets banking institutions and their risk prevention efforts related to internet finance businesses; it focuses on ten types of high priority risks and emphasizes the requirement that P2P lenders partner with a custody bank; in addition to further details on broad market rectification it also includes emphasis on student lending and microloan businesses. Source
The Cambridge Center for Alternative Finance (CCAF) has released its first report on the alternative finance market, titled, "Africa & Middle East Alternative Finance Benchmarking Report"; the report was created with support from Energy4Impact, UKAid and CME Group Foundation; for 2015 the report cites growth of 59% and a total market of $242 million; Robert Wardrop, executive director at the CCAF says development trends in Africa and the Middle East had a different focus which was on equity crowdfunding and online micro finance as opposed to consumer and business P2P lending in other global markets. Source
Louis Beryl, CEO of marketplace lender, Earnest, speaks with Jim Cramer about the firm's credit evaluation process; Cramer discusses Earnest's lending specialization which focuses on student loan refinancing but also includes personal loans; Beryl primarily talks about Earnest's edge in credit underwriting which considers a borrower's full financial profile including additional details on assets and bank accounts; this is facilitated by direct connection to online banking accounts; Beryl says Earnest has passed the $1 billion lending mark with $300 million saved for clients using the company's online lending technology. Source
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was approved to investigate the activities of Indian tribe lenders; the online lenders under investigation will be Great Plains Lending, MobiLoans and Plain Green; the lenders are providing credit to a range of borrowers outside of their Indian tribes; they are claiming sovereign immunity because of their status as Indian tribes. Source
Dianrong and FnConn have launched Chained Finance, a blockchain lending platform for supply chain companies; according to Soul Htite, founder and CEO of Dianrong, "Chained Finance creates a unique ecosystem that will provide supply chains with easier access to funding at competitive rates."; the companies report the platform could triple financing access for supply chain companies. Source
UK challenger bank OakNorth has hired three new senior executives in anticipation of higher lending demand post-Brexit; Georgy Naydenov and Stuart Blair will join OakNorth as debt finance directors and David Webley was hired as a credit director; the bank's loan book has grown by 300% since the June referendum vote with loans of 300 million British pounds ($368.85 million); for 2017 it anticipates lending over 500 million British pounds ($614.75 million). Source
Revolut has partnered with Trussle to offer mortgage loan solutions for its clients; the partnership is the most recent in a series of partnerships for the digital only bank, adding to lending solutions from lenders Lending Works and Bricklane; Trussle will provide a multi-lender service to Revolut customers through technology that can recommend mortgage loans for first time borrowers and suggest alternatives for current borrowers. Source
Pepper Hamilton provides details on their recent podcast and webinar in their featured blog post; the firm's January 5 podcast provided insight on what the Donald Trump presidency means for the financial services industry; on January 24 the firm provided a webinar on factors for considering the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's new fintech charter. Sponsored Blog Post
The below chart was taken from a Business Insider article discussing subprime auto lending. Since 2010, auto originations have been increasing steadily, topping $465.6 billion in 2016. This increase has been in part due to the low interest rate environment. Many people have speculated that the increase in subprime auto loans should be cause for concern. The subprime share of auto loans currently sits at around 17% as shown below. Data from Equifax and VantageScore from 2015 to 2016 shows auto loan delinquencies have increased from historical lows. In 2015, severe delinquencies (60 days+ past due) were 1.24% compared to 1.35% today. As of December 2016, 13.1% of the portfolios at banks and credit unions were considered subprime, defined as having a credit score less than 620, compared to 34.8% of other finance companies. Source