Cumulative issuance for marketplace lending securitization now totals $28.2 billion across 106 deals; Q4 2017 issuance totaled $4.4 billion which was another record quarter; SoFi issued the largest consumer and student lending deals ever; PeerIQ shares other highlights in their quarterly report. Source
While speaking at the Asian Financial Forum Jiang Yang, vice chairman of China's Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) said that fintech should serve the broader economy, not a select few; two markets mentioned in the talk included p2p lending and cryptocurrencies as they are two of the most popular areas of fintech in China; while Mr. Yang stated that fintech has provided more convenience they should not ignore risks like money laundering and financial crime; he also stated that regulators can play a key role to ensure these new tools are used properly and are widely adopted. Source.
With open banking starting last week in the UK, we might soon see a global push as Hong Kong is looking to explore the idea; the CFPB in the US recently came out with data sharing guidelines that look to begin creating a framework for future legislation; there is not yet the expectation that Hong Kong will adopt such regulations but they did ask for banks and fintechs to weigh in on the open API framework; the FT also sits down with former Barclays CEO Antony Jenkins to further discuss open banking and what it could mean for all participants. Source.
US regulators did not sign off on Ant Financial’s acquisition of MoneyGram, but this won’t hamper their US ambitions; Last May Ant Financial did a deal with First Data, the payment infrastructure company; Ant Financial has been largely successful in China due to the unique financial system there; in the US they face other challenges which includes a more developed financial system with legacy players; it remains to be seen whether the eventual leaders in the US will be technology companies like Amazon, something we’ve seen happen in China. Source
Curve lets customers consolidate their credit cards into one Curve card; Curve was previously in beta and available to business users only; the fintech company stated that they have 50,000 people on the waitlist and had 100,000 beta users; Curve offers a free version of the app and a premium version for £50. Source
The new entity will work with businesses in a variety of ways; under “catalysts” internal consultants will help with problem solving and will include the eXellerator innovation lab; “Investments” will include their minority investments in a variety of companies; they have previously invested in Ripple and Paxata; “Ventures” will focus on their investments in new technology. Source
One of China’s leading online wealth management companies Lufax is looking to go public in Hong Kong at a $60bn valuation; the South China Morning Post reports the company intends to file their application by the end of January; Lufax was last valued at $18bn in 2016, they have more than 33 million users and over $75bn in assets under management. Source.
Victory Park is one of the biggest backers of subprime lenders in the US; they have provided capital to companies like Avant, Elevate and LendUp totaling $6.5 billion from 90 deals; the firm is now looking at zip Money in Australia, Kreditech in Germany and Oakam in the UK. Source
In this week’s PeerIQ Industry Update they look at the record levels of consumer debt, some regulatory changes, new securitizations and give an update on recent hirings; consumer credit is now at an all time high surpassing $1tn, though per capita levels remain below peak; the Trump administration is looking to revise the Community Reinvestment Act rules to include small business loans; Marlette’s newest securitization, MFT 2018-1, consists of loans originated by Cross River bank for over $390mn and it has received ratings from Kroll; PeerIQ also announced the hiring of 6 new employees as the company continues to grow. Source.