Bitcoin exchanges BTCC, Huobi and OKCoin have implemented a 0.2% trading fee for both buying and selling; according to CoinDesk, volume has decreased after the fees were put in place but prices remain stable thus far; fees were put in place to help curb market manipulation and volatility. Source
In an opinion piece, William Mougayar who wrote, "The Business Blockchain" provides thoughts on initial coin offerings (ICOs); dozens of startups are planning ICOs and funds are also feeding an investment and speculation frenzy according to Mougayar; he notes that ICOs are a good alternative funding model but warns of potential issues outlined in the article. Source
A study by Citigroup shows China as the world's investment leader in fintech; says investment is being led by success from "Chinese dragons" including Ant Financial, Lu.com, JD Finance and Qufenqi; in the first nine months of 2016 fintech venture capital investment increased to 46% of the global total; the full Citi report can be found here. Source
Investment in regtech companies has reported a 38.5% compound annual growth rate over the past five years with a record $678 million invested in 70 companies in 2016; globally London has taken the lead reporting the greatest number of investment deals from 2012 to 2016 at 39; anti-fraud companies have been increasingly receiving greater investment with $334.8 million in 2016 accounting for 49.4% of total regtech investment. Source
Aviva, Hillhouse Capital and Tencent have announced plans for a new digital insurer, Aviva Hong Kong; Aviva and Hillhouse will own 40% with Tencent owning the remaining 20%; the new platform will focus on selling digital life insurance in Hong Kong and will also offer additional investment products. Source
Over $300 million has been invested on RealtyShares into residential and commercial real estate projects; the company crossed $200 million in September 2016; individual investors can invest a minimum of $5,000 per project; the company also has multi-billion dollar institutions participating on the platform; to date 550 real estate deals have been done across 1,000 properties, spanning 35 states; RealtyShares has a network of 38,000 accredited investors. Source
TrustPilot, a Denmark multi-language online merchant review platform, has raised 5.5 million British pounds ($6.9 million); platform allows for communication between merchants and consumers; funding was provided by Draper Esprit which now doubles its equity stake in the company to 11 million British pounds ($13.71 million). Source
Lemonade provides part two of its 2016 Transparency Chronicles with statistics on its first quarter in the market; notes some positives and negatives including confusion around marketing the firm as a peer-to-peer insurance provider; says they are an artificial intelligence and behavioral economics company or a tech company doing insurance; highlights from the first quarter include: average homeowners and renters premiums of $165.5; 123 homeowners policies; 63% of customers 25 to 34 years old; males accounting for the majority of customers at 76.5%; a claim managed in three seconds by artificial intelligence. Source
Venture capital firm QED Investors has partnered with Fifth Third Bank to advise the bank on its fintech strategy; QED Investors has worked with Fifth Third Bank on previous fintech acquisitions; Fifth Third Bank will work with QED Investors to identify new opportunities for fintech innovation and promote growth of US fintech companies. Source
The registered investment advisory business reported 138 transactions in 2016 setting a record for industry merger and acquisition (M&A) activity; since 2009 the industry has reported a compound annual growth rate of 16% for M&A deals; increased regulatory oversight from the Department of Labor has been one factor; the market data provided by Echelon Partners also provides additional information on the industry landscape for the registered investment adviser market. Source