Chinese bitcoin exchange ViaBTC plans to open an overseas platform after Beijing ordered the closure of all cryptocurrency exchanges on the mainland; ViaBTC announced a week ago that it would follow Beijing’s orders and shut down its Chinese exchange business by the end of September. Source
Speaking at TechCrunch Disrupt, Sam Altman, who leads the Y Combinator stated, "We are interested in how companies like Y Combinator can use the blockchain to democratize access to investing We should try to figure that out.”; TechCrunch reports that sources say YC is further along in the process of making this a reality; Altman also provides his opinion on ICOs in the interview. Source
ConsenSys has announced their latest venture, a peer to peer trading company called CarbonX; CarbonX plans to tokenize carbon credits; the company is backed by a co-founding group that includes the Tapscotts, authors of Blockchain Revolution: How the Technology Behind Bitcoin is Changing Money, Business and the World; Joseph Lubin, Founder of ConsenSys stated, "As one of the fastest growing companies working on Ethereum, a platform that is poised to reformat how the world organizes itself, ConsenSys is committed to enabling technologies to be built that will facilitate attention to externalities like pollution and critical new foundations like sustainability. CarbonX has the potential to incentivize behavior that contributes to environmental sustainability, and is an excellent example of Ethereum-based technologies poised to make positive change." Source
The CEO and co-founder of AutoGravity talks about how they are bringing the car buying and financing experience into the 21st century. Source
Last week Prosper closed their Series G, raising $50 million from an investment fund co-managed by FinEx Asia and LPG Capital based in Hong Kong; sources say the post money valuation was $550 million, approximately a 70% drop from their high in 2015; Peter Renton reflects on the investment and the current state of the market. Source
ABN AMRO launched New10 to offer an initiative for SMEs looking to take out a loan entirely online; Mark Schröder, co-founder and Commercial Director of New10, "New10 responds to the desire of SMEs to finance their growth ambitions online, quickly, easily and clearly."; New10 provides loans ranging between EUR 20,000 and EUR 1 million. Source.
MarketInvoice inked another bank deal with Varengold Bank AG for £45mn ($60mn) in debt funding; according to AltFi MarketInvoice's capacity to take on institutional money has increased four fold since 2014; MarketInvoice have funded over 70,000 invoices and lent out over £1.5bn ($2bn). Source.
American Banker announced its 15th annual ranking of the Most Powerful Women in Banking and Finance; the ranking includes three parts: Most Powerful Women in Banking, Most Powerful Women in Finance and Women to Watch. Source.
CB insights has compiled a list of the top European venture capitalists by country based on the number of portfolio companies they have backed; the list focused on the most active investors of the last five years and included VCs, corporate VCs, growth equity firms and super angels. Source.
This week's PeerIQ update focused on news from the FOMC, a $50mn Prosper fundraise led by FinEx and highlights from ABS East; they also provide a recent update on securitization deals, trends in personal loan originations and a bank partnership between JP Morgan Chase and Bill.com. Source.