Practitioners speculate on Biden administration’s moves in financial services

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Practitioners speculate on Biden administration’s moves in financial services

Banking Dive reports that among the Biden administration’s banking and fintech priorities, credit underwriting and fair lending are likely to figure prominently, though there are other areas that may impact how banks, startups, and investment companies do business.

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Plaid launches diversity-focused fintech incubator

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Plaid launches diversity-focused fintech incubator

This week, data aggregator Plaid launched FinRise, an incubator aimed at early-stage fintech founders from underrepresented (BIPOC) backgrounds.

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Treasury Department nominee offers clues on financial industry priorities

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Treasury Department nominee offers clues on financial industry priorities

Janet Yellen, the Biden administration’s Treasury Secretary nominee and former chair of the Federal Reserve, outlined some key financial industry priorities in a Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday, Jan. 19.

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LendingClub gets green light to acquire Radius Bank

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LendingClub gets green light to acquire Radius Bank

LendingClub, the publicly-traded digital-lending marketplace, got the green light from regulators to complete the acquisition of Radius Bank, after getting preliminary approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency in December.

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Biden nominees to CFPB and SEC to usher in new era of regulatory oversight

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Biden nominees to CFPB and SEC to usher in new era of regulatory oversight

President-elect Joe Biden will nominate Gary Gensler as chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and Rohit Chopra as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

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Goldman Sachs seeks acquisition to strengthen consumer banking unit

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Goldman Sachs seeks acquisition to strengthen consumer banking unit

Goldman Sachs, which reported that profits more than doubled year-over-year (YoY) in the fourth quarter of 2020, is reportedly on the hunt for an acquisition to strengthen its Marcus consumer banking unit.

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BlackRock taps ClarityAI for ESG reporting within Aladdin platform

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BlackRock taps ClarityAI for ESG reporting within Aladdin platform

BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager with $8.68T in assets under management, announced that it’s integrating tools offered by Clarity AI, a sustainability analytics and data science platform, into Aladdin, BlackRock’s operating system for investment professionals.

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With Visa acquisition called off, speculation builds around Plaid’s path to an IPO

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With Visa acquisition called off, speculation builds around Plaid’s path to an IPO

Barron’s, citing unnamed industry sources, is reporting that Plaid is exploring avenues to go public in light of the recently-announced termination of an agreement that would allow Visa to acquire the data aggregator for $5.3B.

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With Plaid-Visa merger off, Plaid eyes client growth prospects

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With Plaid-Visa merger off, Plaid eyes client growth prospects

On Tuesday, Jan. 12, Visa and Plaid decided to terminate a merger agreement inked nearly a year ago that would allow Visa to acquire the data aggregator for $5.3B.

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Around 20% of bitcoin is locked in ‘stranded wallets’

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Around 20% of bitcoin is locked in ‘stranded wallets’

The New York Times reports that German-born programmer Stefan Thomas is sitting on a bitcoin fortune worth $200M, but can’t access it because he can’t remember the password to his digital wallet.

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Partner Banking Boom Could Be A Boon For New Fintech Startups

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Partner Banking Boom Could Be A Boon For New Fintech Startups

Bank partnerships come in all shapes and sizes. In addition to the bulge bracket banks like Goldman, community banks and credit unions are ramping up their partnerships.

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Walmart to launch fintech startup focusing on “next-generation” financial products

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Walmart to launch fintech startup focusing on “next-generation” financial products

Retail giant Walmart announced that it will launch a fintech startup that will offer “innovative and affordable” financial solutions for consumers.

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WSJ: Nasdaq Overtakes NYSE in Coronavirus-Era IPOs

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WSJ: Nasdaq Overtakes NYSE in Coronavirus-Era IPOs

IPO activity plummeted in March following extreme volatility which, led companies to postpone or scuttle plans to go public.

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Fall of Parler a boon for crypto-friendly social platforms Gab and DLive

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Fall of Parler a boon for crypto-friendly social platforms Gab and DLive

With the suspension of President Trump’s Twitter account, many users are moving to other platforms. This week, Parler, a forum popular among conservative activists, went dark after Amazon Web Services severed links with it following the Capitol riot.

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NCR offers to buy Cardtronics for $1.73B

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NCR offers to buy Cardtronics for $1.73B

Reuters reports that NCR Corporation, an Atlanta-based company that makes ATMs and self-service payment kiosks for the retail and hospitality industries, has offered to buy Cardtronics for $1.73B in cash.

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