Raisin allows customers to compare accounts at banks across Europe; Thrive Capital led the latest round with participation from previous investors Ribbit Capital and Index Ventures; funding now totals $64 million; the company has tripled the amount of funds transacted on the platform last year; it now has 27 bank partners and expanded from Germany and Austria to a total of 31 countries. Source
It walks and talks like a neobank, but its leaders say it will have a credit union-forward strategy that caters to underserved segments.
This week’s PeerIQ Industry Update covers earnings reports from Citi, JPM and Wells Fargo, a review of Lendit Fintech USA 2018 and the latest version of the PeerIQ Valuation Report. Source.
In this week’s PeerIQ Weekly Update the company covers the recent spate of bank earning reports, securitization news and issues another round of hiring updates; banks have seen a continued drop in fixed income and commodities trading revenue, picking up the slack has been lending and wealth management; Citigroup and Morgan Stanley had strong reports while Goldman Sachs and American Express missed the mark; SoFi is issuing a $720mn securitization deal, Moody’s rated the A classes AAA; PeerIQ also lists five new hires stemming from the $12mn round last summer. Source.
As more banks start utilizing new technologies like artificial intelligence and blockchain current employees are beginning to worry about their future; Lyn Hall-Fore, U.S. director of BSA/AML compliance tells American Banker, “We told them, this is to make your job easier and better and give you more capacity to think, but still meet your production quotas”; finding the right balance will be a struggle as banks continue to innovate. Source
In their latest edition of Confessions, TearSheet talks to an analyst at a startup attached to a large bank about innovation, trying to get tech talent and why more fintech companies should partner with banks; about half of the talent at the startup came form inside the bank and as the analyst points out it was more because of convenience as hiring from the outside could take months; banks have trouble keeping top talent because the projects are not as interesting as projects at Google or Facebook; other areas discussed include default rates ticking up, marketing practices and expanding product offerings. Source.
The central bank of Indonesia has opened a fintech office; the central bank will use the fintech office to maintain its regulatory oversight while also providing support for new fintech startups; it plans to collect information on the industry for regulatory development; it will also facilitate the development of fintech companies and their introduction to the economy both in Indonesia and globally. Source
Spanish banks have been focusing on going digital to help keep ahead of competition; banks like Santander and BBVA have improved their mobile app access and started innovation teams to invest or partner with fintech companies; they have also changed their culture to better resemble a startup and have started talent competitions; while the banks have had their share of issues the digital focus can help to drive down costs and keep the banks ahead of the curve. Source.
According to a new report by CB Insights the most recent 5 quarters show that big investments in fintech companies from banks has slowed down; banks are instead beginning to develop and update core technology in house; Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan Chase and others have all developed and released their own digital investing and advising services; service provides like Diebold are offering the banks a chance to move all infrastructure online so they can focus on customer facing tools; banks are still working through transformation as almost all have now realized if they do not upgrade legacy tech they will be left behind. Source.
Bank lending is once again off to a slow start in 2018, but signs show the slowdown will only be temporary; the recent tax cuts could help to spur more borrowing; interest rate rises on the other hand could hurt companies looking to potentially borrow; as the economy keeps trending positively banks should see lending pick up in the coming months. Source.