Citigroup pauses SPACs, awaits regulation

Citigroup pauses SPACs, awaits regulation

The financial giant said it would temporarily halt public offerings through special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs). It’s concerned about increased oversight into SPACs from the SEC, which has yet to solidify specific guidelines.

Read More

Dimon’s shareholder letter: A subtle fintech strategy

Dimon’s shareholder letter: A subtle fintech strategy

In his annual letter to shareholders, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon shared his concerns about global volatility caused by the war in Ukraine, inflation, as well as consumer confidence. He also called for a “Marshall Plan” for decarbonization.

Read More

Morgan Stanley doubts DeFi growth

Morgan Stanley doubts DeFi growth

In a research report, Morgan Stanley said it expects growth within decentralized finance to slow down. It cited regulation and overcollateralization as the two primary factors affecting DeFi’s deceleration.

Read More

Lithuanian fintech harbors Ukrainian refugees

Lithuanian fintech harbors Ukrainian refugees

Paysera, a Lithuanian company handling payments for online stores and retail customers, has refurbished the fourth floor of its global offices to house 16 Ukrainian refugees. It’s also halted payments to and from Russia in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

Read More

Qualcomm to dive into the metaverse

Qualcomm to dive into the metaverse

The tech giant announced yesterday that it’s created a $100M fund to invest in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). The fund is called the Snapdragon Metaverse Fund.

Read More

CFPB expands anti-discrimination enforcement

CFPB expands anti-discrimination enforcement

On Wednesday, the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that discrimination associated with any financial product is illegal. The Bureau has primarily concerned itself with discrimination in credit.

Read More

Nium debuts SWIFT alternative

Nium debuts SWIFT alternative

The global payments firm launched a new brokerage payments solution that lets international FIs settle transactions with certain U.S. brokerages. This system is up to 90% cheaper for customers than SWIFT.

Read More

CFPB quietly rolls out new enforcement routes

CFPB quietly rolls out new enforcement routes

In late February, the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB) released updated “Rules of Practice for Adjudication Proceedings.” The amended process lets the CFPB avoid backlogged federal courts in favor of administrative courts.

Read More

Grain-backed crypto challenges “stablecoin” definition

Grain-backed crypto challenges “stablecoin” definition

Agrotoken, an Argentinian startup tokenizing grain by the ton through cryptocurrency, announced that its soy-, corn- and wheat-backed coins will be accepted as collateral by Santander. Agrotoken has also launched a 1,000-farmer test with Santander.

Read More

Fintechs are building out internal M&A teams

Fintechs are building out internal M&A teams

After a series of IPOs and significant fundraising deals, fintechs are poaching junior bankers to evaluate and negotiate M&As internally. Banking giants increasingly see fintechs and other startups as talent competitors.

Read More

“Climate fintech” needs to decide what it is

“Climate fintech” needs to decide what it is

Climate fintech funding rose to $1.2B in 2021, according to CommerzVentures. Carbon accounting attracted the most funding, raking in $410M last year.

Read More

With two new tools, Intuit courts SMBs

With two new tools, Intuit courts SMBs

The first, QuickBooks Get Paid Upfront, lets small businesses apply for an advance up to $30,000 for qualifying invoices; the second, QuickBooks Early Pay, lets employees paid through QuickBooks Online Payroll access earnings between paydays.

Read More

Can virtual cards alleviate supply-chain woes?

Can virtual cards alleviate supply-chain woes?

By letting small and midsize businesses (SMBs) issue instant cards to vendors, Mastercard looks to reduce payment cycle times to one day.

Read More

In new report, Fed flirts with central bank digital currencies

In new report, Fed flirts with central bank digital currencies

Late last week, the Federal Reserve released a 40-page report on the potential creation of a digital U.S. dollar, inviting explicit policy guidance from the White House and Congress.

Read More

Through Stripe, Ford zooms ahead on fintech

Through Stripe, Ford zooms ahead on fintech

Payment-processing platform Stripe announced a five-year contract with Ford Motor Company: an effort to revamp the automotive giant’s e-commerce strategy.

Read More