Wealthsimple is a Canadian firm backed by Montreal-based Power Financial and they are looking to launch their robo advisory solution to US clients soon; in accordance with US securities law, Wealthsimple received approval to operate as an investment advisor by the SEC in October 2016; there is no account minimums for their product and the first $10,000 invested will be fee free, anything above $10,000 will be subject to a management fee of 0.5%. Source
Canadian robo advisor WealthBar now manages over CAD$100 million (USD$75.93 million) in assets under management; the firm was launched in 2014; it currently offers online onboarding, investment management, financial planning and an individual advisor; its services have also expanded to private investment portfolios and registered retirement savings plans. Source
Investment in Canadian fintech increased in 2016 while slowing in the US and UK; data from Thomson Reuters says investment in Canadian fintech reached $197.41 million, an increase of 74% from 2015; in comparison, fintech investment in the US was down 30% and fintech investment in the UK was down approximately 25%; the Canadian market is much smaller than the US and UK however its infrastructure and ecosystem are growing; political changes were also less of a factor for Canada in 2016 while the US election and UK Brexit vote created uncertainty for investors. Source
Fitch Ratings has upgraded its outlook for Canadian banks from negative to stable; cites solid risk management, increasing profits and better than expected capital positioning as factors for the upgrade; says recent regulatory changes, slow GDP growth, high household debt and decreasing home prices are still concerns for 2017. Source
The Ontario Securities Commission has issued a request for high-level experts to join its newly-formed Fintech Advisory Committee; to begin with, the panel is expected to assist with the launch of an innovation sandbox called "Launch Pad;" other expertise at play includes crypto-currencies, fintech platforms, venture capital for fintech, AI and data analytics for finance. Source
Diagram has raised $25 million (USD$19.13 million) for a new fintech venture capital fund that will be led by Paul Desmarais III; Paul Desmarais is part of Quebec's Desmarais family which has built a $7 billion (USD$5.36 billion) fortune through investment in the insurance business; the new fund's initial fundraising effort has come from Portag3 Ventures LP and over 50 individual angel investors; the fund will invest in a variety of Canadian fintech companies. Source
Canada reported significant growth in online and marketplace lending in 2016; fintech growth in the country was also substantial with Canada reporting a 74% increase in fintech investment; a blog post from Aspire gives a roundup of online and marketplace lending activity in 2016 which included many partnerships and equity rounds; also provides predictions for the market in 2017; among its seven predictions are more bank partnerships and increased institutional investment. Source
The National Crowdfunding Association of Canada (NCFA) has published a report providing insight on the country's crowdfunding market; identifies a need for regulation that will help support the industry's growth while also setting standards for the market overall; predicts transaction value of $190 million for 2016; says the industry has grown 48% from 2013 to 2015. Source
Borrowell, a marketplace lender focused on consumer loans, has been in business for approximately two years in Canada with a lot of growth in the small, developing Canadian P2P industry; Lend Academy interviews Borrowell's CEO and Co-Founder Andrew Graham in their podcast; discussion focuses primarily on Borrowell's business model and the company's announcement of the country's first marketplace lending partnership with a major bank; Borrowell has partnered with CIBC in a co-branded partnership that offers consumer loans to CIBC's customers. Source
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) will use Borrowell's technology to offer loans to their existing clients with one click of a button; the loans can be up to $35,000, involve a streamlined online application and will be funded within 24 hours; they will only be offered to a select group of CIBC clients to start; David Williamson, Group Head of Retail and Business Banking, CIBC, says, "Our partnership with Borrowell is based on our shared view that the process for borrowing money for personal banking clients could be improved in the digital age, while retaining all of the prudent risk management criteria you would expect from a major bank." Source