Building a financial ecosystem for SMBs with ForwardAI

Building a financial ecosystem for SMBs with ForwardAI

In an interview with The Financial Revolutionist, Co-Founder and CEO of ForwardAI Nick Chandi outlines the market need ForwardAI addresses, describes the competitive dynamic between accounting platforms and banks, and envisions the future of SMB financial advisory services.

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Fundraising is falling, but VCs have more money than ever

Fundraising is falling, but VCs have more money than ever

According to a report by CB Insights, global startup funding fell by 23% in Q2 2022 from Q1, including by 25% in the US. However, US-based VCs raised a record-breaking $73.8B in Q1.

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What MercadoLibre’s fundraising says about fintech in Latin America

What MercadoLibre’s fundraising says about fintech in Latin America

Goldman Sachs announced a $233M loan to Latin American e-commerce giant MercadoLibre. Similarly, Citigroup lent $375M to them last year.

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Climate change complicates bitcoin mining in Texas

Climate change complicates bitcoin mining in Texas

ERCOT, which operates Texas’s power grid, has requested that bitcoin miners suspend operations during the state’s current heat wave, which has caused a surge in residential and commercial energy demand. Bitcoin miners complied, freeing up to 1,000 megawatts by turning off their machines.

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Voyager’s misleading marketing in regulators’ crosshairs

Voyager’s misleading marketing in regulators’ crosshairs

Crypto firm Voyager Digital, which filed for bankruptcy last week, previously told customers that their deposits were FDIC insured through a partnership with Metropolitan Commercial Bank. However, customer funds are only protected if Metropolitan Bank fails, not if Voyager fails; the FDIC is now investigating Voyager’s false claims.

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Inflation may be a windfall for rent-payment startups

Inflation may be a windfall for rent-payment startups

Rental fintechs have reported increased demand for their services, including cashback on rent payments or discounted rent, due to rising rental prices and inflation. Rent has increased by 11.6% over the past year, according to Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.

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Are we still experiencing inflation?

Are we still experiencing inflation?

Economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman argued that the US economy has exited an inflationary period. Citing the Federal Reserve’s economic data, Krugman said inflation has sharply decreased since March 2022.

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Through remittance network, India competes with SWIFT

Through remittance network, India competes with SWIFT

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the public-private payments incubator operating within the country’s central bank, announced plans to build international digital payments infrastructure for the country’s 32 million expats. The NPCI previously built India’s domestic digital payments rails, the Unified Payments Interface (UPI).

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Loyalty can be a currency, too, with Engage People

Loyalty can be a currency, too, with Engage People

To Len Covello, Co-Founder and CTO of Engage People, a Toronto-based loyalty network that connects loyalty programs with payment systems and retailers to let consumers pay with points at checkout, the future of payments leverages a fully-backed digital currency: the rewards point.

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Crypto crash fuels acquisition spree, raising privacy concerns

Crypto crash fuels acquisition spree, raising privacy concerns

Nexo, a crypto-lending platform with over 4 million users, has offered to acquire Singapore-based crypto services firm Vauld. Vauld management said in a blog post that Terra-Luna’s coin crash and Three Arrows Capital’s loan default sparked its financial difficulties.

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SCOTUS might halt financial regulation

SCOTUS might halt financial regulation

The US Supreme Court ruled last week against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), limiting its powers to interpret or enforce laws without explicit Congressional authority. Two top Republican lawmakers told the Financial Times that the ruling will soon affect financial regulators as well.

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Despite tempered hiring plans, Meta still bets on metaverse

Despite tempered hiring plans, Meta still bets on metaverse

Meta, Facebook’s parent company, announced it would reduce its engineer hiring goals by 30% this year. It will recruit between 6,000 and 7,000 engineers, down from an envisioned 10,000.

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Crypto hedge fund defaults on $670M loan

Crypto hedge fund defaults on $670M loan

Cryptocurrency hedge fund Three Arrows Capital (3AC) has failed to make payment on a loan issued by crypto broker Voyager Digital. This marks the largest institutional crash of the current “crypto winter.”

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Investing in fintechs with Information Venture Partners

Investing in fintechs with Information Venture Partners

In an interview with The Financial Revolutionist, Jane Podbelskaya, Principal at Information Venture Partners, suggests economic fundamentals will help early-stage fintechs weather upcoming volatility, and will make them capable of sustained growth under any economic conditions.

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India’s BNPL journey is off to a rough start

India’s BNPL journey is off to a rough start

Last week, the Reserve Bank of India, the country’s central bank, banned loading pre-paid payment instruments using credit lines. The regulatory shift effectively outlaws the business strategy of major BNPL providers in the country.

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