SmartBiz is expanding its Small Business Administration (SBA) loan offerings to include a new online SBA commercial real estate loan; SmartBiz is an online marketplace providing small business owners with SBA loan financing options facilitated through banks; its new commercial real estate offering will include the SBA 7(a) commercial real estate loan. Source
The two companies will offer a suite of point of sale of devices and semi-integrated apps for merchant payment processing; the partnership will also enhance the efficiency of payments for merchants both through better communication from multiple devices and through more efficient connectivity with banks and the payments ecosystem. Source
The SME Loan Fund has a new fund manager, SQN Capital Management, and is changing its name to the SQN Secured Income Fund; it is planning to issue up to 250 million new shares to increase assets under management and improve liquidity; it will continue to invest in loans from origination platforms and finance companies however its investment policy will divert from investing in GLI Finance affiliated platforms and will now focus its investments primarily on a range of secured wholesale loans. Source
As of September 2016, WeChat had 768 million active users; the service is owned by Tencent; social cash sent to users through customized red packets or red envelopes has been one factor driving increased usage; WeChat has also been helping fuel a cashless society with 300 million users using WeChat Pay; expanding features and red packet promotional efforts have helped the company report an estimated value of $80 billion which is approximately half of Tencent's market cap. Source
Andy Taylor previously co-founded marketplace lending platform SocietyOne; his new venture Douugh is a personal financial app; it uses a virtual assistant called Sophie to help users manage their finances; much like other apps, users input their financial accounts; users can interact with Sophie, asking questions like "How much did I spend on food this week?"; the app will also provide context around whether the amount spent is higher than usual and also aid users in setting up spending targets; the company is in beta for the rest of the year and will officially launch in February of next year; they hope to eventually make Sophie accessible via Alexa and Siri. Source
Five Star Bank will join the technology ecosystem of SmartBiz Loans; as an SBA loan partner, Five Star Bank's loans will now be available as a loan financing option for small businesses seeking funding on the SmartBiz Loans platform; in addition to matching services, SmartBiz Loans also helps to support fast and efficient loan processing through its bank-enabling technology; the partnership will help increase the availability of loans for small businesses on the platform and also support new business development for Five Star Bank. Source
Payments.com provides an overview of small business lending activity worldwide; SME lending in China increased 17% from a year ago to $3.2 trillion; in London, over half of small businesses report being turned down for a loan; other highlights include SME statistics for Canada, a new SME financing platform from NatWest and rising rates in the US affecting SME borrowers. Source
Wealth advisor Snowden Lane has partnered with Artivest to offer investors easier access to private equity and hedge fund investments; Snowden Lane is an independent wealth advisor with no proprietary product offerings; through the partnership, Artivest will now be the firm's main provider of private equity and hedge fund investments; Artivest provides a curated platform of hedge funds and private equity investments. Source
Australian online lender SocietyOne is celebrating its fifth year in business with its first loan issued in August 2012; in June 2017 the platform reported cumulative originations of $300 million and since inception has helped over 13,000 customers; the firm says it has plans for expanding to new areas of lending over the long-term and will seek to obtain a 2% to 3% share of the $100 billion consumer finance market. Source
Australian marketplace lender, SocietyOne, has been growing rapidly in 2016; the firm has now originated $200 million (USD $147 million) in loans since its inception in August of 2012 after reporting a record month of originations in November with lending volume of $15.3 million (USD $11.25 million); in 2016, the firm has originated $126 million (USD $92.66 million), which accounts for the majority of its originations; the firm has hired a new chief marketing officer and has plans for continued growth with a focus on obtaining 2% to 3% of the consumer finance market by 2021. Source