Bitcoin reported substantial gains in 2016, increasing 120% and 57% in the last three months of the year; on January 1 the cryptocurrency exchange rate versus the dollar increased to over $1,000; equity strategist, Christopher Wood of CLSA notes that trading in China has concurrently been high with trading on the China BTC Bitcoin Exchange increasing from Rmb 1 billion ($140 million) in September to Rmb 27.8 billion ($4 billion) in December; in an article from Asia Times, the source also reported that China accounted for 42% of Bitcoin's trading in the first six months of 2016; one factor significantly affecting the increased trading volume has been the weakening of China's currency causing increased interest in foreign investments. Source
The Plug and Play Tech Center in Silicon Valley has created a program to connect 30 of the largest insurance companies with insurtech startups; these insurance companies are seeking insurtech innovation for improving user experience, risk assessment and underwriting, prevention of loss and cost reduction; additionally, large insurance companies are reporting that they seek access to a range of innovative solutions across all industries. Source
Japanese insurer Fukoku Mutual Life Insurance Co. has announced plans to replace 30% of its payment assessment department with an artificial intelligence system; the insurance company has partnered with IBM for use of IBM's Watson; the system will analyze and interpret medical documents for insurance payments; the company estimates it will save approximately 140 million yen ($1.19 million) per year by utilizing the new system; other insurance companies also exploring artificial intelligence for similar types of work include Dai-ichi Life Insurance Co., Japan Post Insurance Co. and Nippon Life Insurance Co. Source
Lend Academy provides 2017 predictions for the industry and analyzes last year's predictions in their article; predictions for 2016 that did occur included a new auto lending product at Lending Club, online lending platform launches from banks, an increased focus on retail investors and a new industry trade association; in 2017 predictions include at least a dozen new bank partnerships, positive reception for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's fintech charter, lending platforms offering banking products, increased use of artificial intelligence and significant foreign investment from China in US platforms. Source
The Securities and Exchange Commission's 2016 Annual Report on Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations (NRSROs) notes increased rating activity for marketplace lending; says smaller NRSROs have increased market share by rating marketplace lending securitizations; rating agencies issuing ratings for marketplace lending transactions included KBRA, Fitch, S&P, Moody's and DBRS; of the 28 rated marketplace lending transactions in 2016, DBRS rated 28.6%, KBRA rated 25.0%, Moody's rated 25.0%, Fitch rated 7.1% and S&P rated 3.6%. Source
Cost reduction benefits have been identified for blockchain however revenue benefits are also a factor for banks; banks are increasingly using blockchain solutions to reduce expenses and now banks are also researching ways to utilize blockchain for revenue growth; as blockchain becomes more widely used in the industry it is likely that banks will develop revenue generating products that use the technology; while banks have not greatly been reporting on new blockchain products, potential product development exists with digitizing illiquid assets and building micropayment systems. Source
Currently the student loan debt market is at approximately $1.4 trillion; market share from government lenders has been on the rise under the Obama administration with federal student loans accounting for approximately 93% of the market versus 88% in 2008; in the Trump administration it is likely that private lenders will take a larger share as Republicans favor more financing options from private sector participants; since the November 8 election, shares of private lender Sallie Mae have increased 55%; marketplace lenders are also likely to take part in a market shift towards private student lending, specifically as their student loan offerings continue to expand. Source
Decreased venture capital funding and fintech challenges in 2016 slowed the market for initial public offerings (IPOs); experts believe the IPO market could be revived in 2017 with four companies at the top of the list to watch for a potential public offering; companies include Transferwise, SoFi, Ant Financial and Credit Karma; all four companies have significant venture capital support and are likely leaders for the fintech IPO market in 2017. Source
As of September 2016, WeChat had 768 million active users; the service is owned by Tencent; social cash sent to users through customized red packets or red envelopes has been one factor driving increased usage; WeChat has also been helping fuel a cashless society with 300 million users using WeChat Pay; expanding features and red packet promotional efforts have helped the company report an estimated value of $80 billion which is approximately half of Tencent's market cap. Source
In the fintech industry there are many companies that have emerged with food-based company names; as the holiday season ends and the new year begins, LendIt has highlighted these companies in a blog post; the list of companies spans the full range of fintech industry categories. Source