Flender has launched a marketplace lending platform to facilitate social network lending for individuals and businesses; during its pilot period it successfully financed social network borrowing in Ireland for business startups, small business expansion, car finance, home improvements and student loans; the launch follows a successful Seedrs fundraising campaign that raised 500,000 British pounds ($608,680). Source
Project Catalyst is a CFPB initiative designed to allow the Bureau to collaborate with startups, nonprofits and banks on new financial innovations; Patrick McHenry writes about the initiative's failed attempt for innovation through its no-action letter provision and instead says the Bureau should favor using sandbox programs; in Patrick McHenry's opinion editorial he argues for a better innovation testing environment, stating, "Congress needs to provide our federal regulators the ability to create a permanent beta testing environment that allows the agencies to test whether financial products are what they claim to be, while allowing a startup's compliance officer - who is usually the company's founder - peace of mind." Source
Tencent has reported plans in a white paper for the development of a blockchain platform; the firm says it plans to use the platform for offering digital asset management, authentication and shared economies, among other services; the firm also says the platform will help it to collaborate with other firms; in its white paper, Tencent also advocates for blockchain development and government integration in China. Source
The European Commission will implement a pilot project to study blockchain and is formalizing a European Union Blockchain Observatory; members of the Observatory will research blockchain solutions and uses; the Observatory is expected to become an expert resource for advising the European Commission on blockchain development and policy recommendations. Source
A growing number of refinancing products have increased student loan refinancings in recent years; however in the current environment, borrowers may see less savings from refinancing; borrowers reported average rate refinancing reductions of 2.2% earlier this year and that number has been trending lower since 2014 when borrowers reported rate reductions of over 3%; in 2016 student loan refinancings accounted for over $200 million for institutions on the LendKey platform; that value and the business for alternative refinancing platforms is at risk of trending lower as rates rise and the benefits of refinancing decrease overall. Source
Shanghai Securities News reported on market statistics and a continued commitment by Chinese authorities this week to manage fraudulent financing activities in the country; 5,197 new criminal cases were reported in 2016 involving 251.1 billion yuan ($36.5 billion); Yang Yuzhu, a Chinese regulatory director involved with a meeting of regulators, says, "The cases severely destroyed the order of financial markets."; in 2016 China approved the arrest of over 9,000 people on suspicion of illegal solicitation of public deposits and it prosecuted over 14,000; regulators plan to continue with enforcement action; they are also considering prohibiting organizations and individuals from publishing investment-related advertisements and are requesting provincial governments to closely examine potential illegal funding activities from May to July. Source
New statistics show e-commerce spending in China continues to rise, with projections estimating the average digital buyer will spend RMB12,198 ($1,836) online in 2017, an increase of 7% over 2016; growth is expected to slow to 5% or less after 2017; the forecasts could point to a peak for China's e-commerce giants and also serve as a catalyst for the broad ranging expansion of China's top e-commerce companies. Source
LendKey is a lending-as-a-service technology provider for banks and credit unions; the company has released a Student Loan Refinance Report discussing borrower trends at banks and credit unions; provides statistics on borrower demographics, lending preferences and loan performance; finds that the student loan refinance market is healthy and that borrowers are saving an average 2.2% in annual interest expense after refinancing. Source
Recent comment letters in response to the OCC's fintech charter show increased criticism for the agency's proposal; consumer protection groups, community banks and state regulators have all voiced opposition while supporters have been disappointed by the process for the charter; supporters are concerned that financial inclusion plans and other provisions for the charter might be overly burdensome; consumer protection provisions are also a point of emphasis with groups suggesting specific consumer protection measures such as interest rate caps, default rate limitations and underwriting standards; lack of details on a number of business factors including capital requirements and balance sheet versus off balance sheet funding have also reduced confidence in the charter. Source