PeerIQ's weekly update covers the recent partnership by Acorns and PayPal, household debt in the US and a new Bain survey that shows people are more willing to try fintech products; LendingClub filed its latest securitization deal for $330mn and Kroll upgraded all three classes of the Earnest EARN 2016-B deal; they also took a deep dive on TransUnions recently released fintech study. Source.
A consortium of banks that include JP Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, BNP Paribas, Credit Suisse and Citi trialed a distributed ledger platform that proceeded equity swaps from beginning to end; the AxCore platform by Axoni would allow for payments to process instantly and reduce potential disputes; Greg Schvey, CEO of Axoni, said in a statement reported by CoinDesk, “Equity swap data is infamously complex and difficult to manage, making it a terrific fit for distributed ledger technology.” Source.
The UK fintech market saw $2.8bn invested across 182 deals through three quarters, which surpassed all of 2016; the third quarter alone saw a record of $1.6bn in invesment; the number of deals closing was down when compared to 2016, though bigger deals have made the amount invested significantly higher; the figures can be attributed to Fintech Global, a UK based consulting firm. Source.
Nav Athwal was a founder and CEO of RealtyShares; the company has raised over $500 million for real estate deals and is one of the leaders in the real estate crowdfunding space; Crowdfund Insider spoke to Athwal who stated, “RealtyShares is in the strongest position it’s ever been in. The company is moving from the build phase to the scale phase of its lifecycle. To best position RealtyShares for the future, I made the decision to transition out of my role as CEO to a new role on the Board of Directors. I asked Ed Forst to take on the role of interim CEO, while we look for a permanent CEO who will fit the culture and profile we’re seeking. I am still very much a part of RealtyShares and will be actively involved in strategic decision-making. I am looking forward to supporting the company in this new capacity and getting back into principal real estate investing and agribusiness. As I begin to work on additional projects, I will be sure to let you know.” Source
Peter Renton shares returns from his marketplace lending portfolio as of Q3 2017; overall returns for Renton’s portfolio was 6.64%; declining performance in the portfolio is primarily due to LendingClub loans; new additions to his portfolio for the quarter include AlphaFlow, Money360 and YieldStreet. Source
Some fintech companies have stated that banks are not following through on the data sharing guidance set forth by the CFPB; banks on the other hand have said they are following through and sharing data with fintechs; the biggest complaint thus far is that banks are being selective and not granting access widely; banks have more complicated systems and multiple levels of compliance which could end a relationship before it begins; some ideas for better cooperation are for banks to design a set of standards as banks in the UK have done. Source.
China CITIC Bank and Baidu announced the creation of AiBank as they look to take advantage of the innovating China fintech market; the bank will provide lending services to consumer and SMBs, be comprised of 60 percent tech workers and leverage big data and AI; “AiBank is the future of intelligent finance … It is an institution that understands customers best and understands finance best,” noted Baidu’s COO, Qi Lu. Source.
French based DreamQuark is looking to provide an AI solution to banks, asset management firms and insurance companies; the product, Brain, helps financial services companies to make smarter decisions in fraud detection, anti-money laundering and credit scoring; they can also help to better organize data so firms can offer customers tailored products and cut down on false positives so consumers don’t need to call for verification purposes. Source.
CreditMate is a Mumbai based fintech startup; they help dealers and financiers provide vehicle loans to those with no formal credit history; Paytm plans to partner with the firm as part of the investment. Source