SoFi has acquired Zenbanx which will expand its offerings for clients to digital banking; Zenbanx offers online and mobile banking with international money transfer services and deposits available in multiple currencies; SoFi's CEO Mike Cagney says he expects SoFi to begin offering customers digital banking accounts in the first quarter of 2017; according to a Wall Street Journal source the Zenbanx acquisition was valued at approximately $100 million. Source
In an opinion article, one investor shares emails that have been leaked at Chinese marketplace lender Yirendai (NYSE: YRD); leaked emails show the company's chairman requiring parent company employees at CreditEase to invest in a fund to purchase undisclosed US equities; the author states the fund is likely purchasing shares of YRD and presents his case for shorting the stock; the stock recently saw volatility following China's new regulatory guidance for P2P lenders. Source
Renren is a US listed publicly traded company currently managing a social networking business and a portfolio of financial technology companies; investing in Renren can offer investors exposure to a portfolio of financial technology companies; Lend Academy provides more details in their article; Renren's fintech investment portfolio currently includes some of the industry's top companies; it owns approximately 21% of SoFi and is also invested in Lending Home, Motif Investing and Fundrise; recently the firm announced a separation of its fintech investment portfolio which could offer an even greater opportunity for returns; accredited investors can receive ownership in the proposed spinoff by investing in the stock. Source
Brokerage service provider Folio has added a new socially responsible screening filter for factory farming companies; the new screening capability will allow investors to filter out companies with records of animal abuse from data provided by The Humane Society of the United States; Folio says it also plans to add additional partnerships for new screens as requested by investors. Source
Betterment has announced a new service that will offer professional advice from certified financial planners for an additional fee; the firm has structured the new service in two tiers providing for annual and unlimited advice; the annual access will be charged an additional 40 basis points with a minimum investment required of $100,000; the unlimited access will charge 50 basis points and require a minimum of $250,000; the new offering will target high net worth clients however the company will continue to maintain its $0 minimum investment; it is expected that robo adviser services will evolve to a hybrid model providing both automated and human services; Vanguard and Schwab offer a hybrid model with human advice available by phone or video chat. Source
Russia's Sberbank will integrate new artificial intelligence (AI) to replace 3,000 employees in its legal department; the AI solution follows comments from CEO Herman Gref in September 2016 which forecasted that 80% of the bank's decisions would soon be attributed to AI systems; as AI solutions evolve, regulators are considering industry standards and frameworks for changing labor markets. Source
Credibility Capital has completed a sale of a pool of whole loans to a regional bank; details of the loan portfolio and regional bank were not included; according to Brett Baris, chief executive officer of Credibility Capital: "Orchard provided a seamless software solution that improved the process for both sides of the transaction. With Orchard's new tool we were able to easily share vast amounts of loan data with our client on a single, easy-to-use platform." Source
The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) has announced a consultation process that will begin to set a framework for P2P lending; following the consultation process the regulator is likely to begin issuing licenses for P2P lending businesses; the regulators initiative would provide for a new source of funding for borrowers and would also help to support small businesses. Source
Allen Webb of RiverNorth talks about the firm's marketplace lending fund; gives an overview of the portfolio selection criteria; talks about the fund's structure and some of the liquidity challenges presented by marketplace loans; says the firm is planning future webinars to educate investors on the fixed income investment.
