Fintech companies raised $2.7 billion from 226 deals in the first quarter of 2017; 22 fintech unicorns in the first quarter with a total value of $77 billion; top funding rounds included Atom and Funding Circle with $100 million each; fintech venture capital funding in Europe increased to $700 million from $200 million in the fourth quarter and is expected to increase from 2016 while the US is expected to report a decrease. Source
Online lender Avant was one company greatly affected by the industry's challenges in 2016; in May it laid off 60 workers with further reductions in July; it also paused its plans to expand into Australia and offer new auto loans and credit cards; a new partnership with Regions Bank has helped revive the company's growth and it also plans to announce another partnership in February; the new business activity has helped it to begin hiring again and it's currently looking for 25 technologists and some additional customer service support; in 2017 Avant's President, Adam Hughes, says the firm will focus on three main initiatives: growing Avant's core lending product, partnering with more brick-and-mortar banks and launching the credit card product; it also has plans to continue its previous initiatives including Australia expansion and auto loans. Source
Several investment funds are reporting lower returns for 2016 including Lending Club's LC Advisors and Colchis Capital Management; both reported their lowest returns since launching in 2011; Lending Club's LC Advisors returned 1.83% in 2016, down from 5.76% in 2015 and 8.02% in 2014 reports the Wall Street Journal; Colchis's P2P Income Funds returned 6.2% in 2016; in the previous four years Colchis returned 9% to investors; higher defaults across higher risk loans have affected the performance; other publicly traded funds invested in marketplace lending have also struggled. Source
Quovo raised $10 million in Series B funding from existing investors FinTech Collective, Long Light Capital and they were joined by F-Prime Capital and Napier Park Financial Partners; "We're excited to see the continued traction and adoption of our services across the financial services and Fintech space," said Lowell Putnam, CEO and co-founder of Quovo; the capital will be used for growth of the platform and building out their bank API and Quovo Connect module. Source
Credible serves as a multi-lender marketplace, primarily for student loan borrowers; Lend Academy interviews Stephen Dash, Credible's CEO in their podcast; Credible has had great success in the market, beginning in 2012 when Stephen Dash moved to the US from Australia; through partnerships with a broad range of lenders, the company provides detailed, customized lending options; in the past year the company has expanded to personal loans and also partnered with Sallie Mae; given the current market environment Stephen Dash says the business will continue focusing primarily on its student loan customers for the near-term with a longer-term continued focus on customer experience and new loan categories. Source
The Volcker Rule was enacted in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis to prohibit banks from some of their riskiest activities; the rule is having a damaging effect when it comes to smaller banks who wish to work with fintech companies; according to the rule, banks cannot engage in proprietary trading and it limits banks from making investments in hedge and equity funds; smaller banks like community banks and credit unions don't have the resources of big banks to build out new technology so they look to partner with fintech firms; the limitations force these banks to invest in individual companies rather than funds who could potentially invest in a portfolio of companies; policy makers are looking toward Volcker Rule adjustments and the OCC recently signaled changes could be coming soon; while regulation has helped to curb abusive practices in financial services it would help to tailor legislation in a more specific fashion. Source
As of December 2016, shadow loans in China reported an annual increase of approximately 15% to 14.1 trillion yuan ($2.3 trillion); a study by UBS reports that as the market grows one area adding increased risk is regional banks, specifically banks located in China's Rust Belt region, which have been integrating the shadow loans into various methods for diversifying their balance sheet risk as the steel and metal-producing provinces struggle to remain profitable in the changing economy; the UBS report says alternative financial statement accounting regarding the loans could lead to a number of issues including overstated capital adequacy ratios, understated nonperforming loans and reduced provision charges. Source
Insurtech firm Trov has announced a $45 million investment from a Series D fundraising round; the platform plans to use the funds to expand its products, further develop its technology and enter new global markets; investors in the recent fundraising round included Munich Re/HSB Ventures, Oak HC/FT, Suncorp Group, Guidewire, Anthemis and Japan's Sompo Holdings; the single item insurer is already active in Australia, the UK and the US with its next expansion planned for Japan. Source
Orchard has released its "Quarterly Industry Report" for the third quarter; origination volume was lower in the third quarter, down approximately 21% from the previous quarter and 50% from peak origination volume in the fourth quarter of 2015; the third quarter is the third consecutive quarter of decreased origination volume; charge-offs have also increased; average borrowing rate has decreased 79 basis points from the previous quarter. Source
