Amazon is fast becoming the financial services company of the future; they now have their hands in payments, cash, small business lending, consumer credit and more; partnerships with companies like USAA and Capital One who use Amazon's Alexa digital assistant have emerged; this all shows the threat Amazon poses to traditional banking giants, though there has been no indication they want to become a bank themselves; JPMorgan Chase has started using Amazon's cloud-based AWS service to build a hybrid private-public cloud strategy; AWS sales increased 42% on a year-over-year basis to $4.1 billion for the second quarter; banks are starting to become technology firms and technology firms are helping to change the way banks operate. Source
Bernardo Martinez is stepping down from his role as US Managing Director of Funding Circle; he started leading Funding Circle...
In this week’s PeerIQ Industry Update they cover the mixed economic news at the end of 2019 into early 2020;...
Digital banking is having its moment and the bank branch should be quite worried; branch traffic is down 30 percent...
YieldStreet has reached $100 million in lending in less than eight quarters; the firm markets returns of 8% to 20% with a peer-to-peer lending model that offers secured loans; investment minimums begin at $5,000 and the platform has a range of investors including accredited, high net worth, family offices, registered investment advisors and institutional investors. Source
The OCC is looking for feedback on whether to launch a program for banks and vendors to test new financial...
A new fintech, SoLo Funds, has launched to allow customers to be the borrower and lender as they try to...
Microinvesting fintech app Blast has come up with a new way for individuals to save money, video games; unlike past attempts where a bank has created a savings game, Blast’s idea is to use existing games like League of Legends or Counter-Strike: Global Offensive where players are rewarded for tasks completed; this new style of gamification is not trying to change the user but instead it looks to use the framework of a customers existing life; they are currently starting with a savings account but are seeking partnerships with financial institutions. Source.
There has been a number of news items in recent weeks about how difficult it is for banks and fintech companies to work together; banks tend to be more intrusive and fintechs come with a significant culture shift; one thing has become clear and that is the benefits outweigh the hassle; banks and fintech companies benefit greatly from partnering and customers clearly when they do. Source.
When it comes to laying the groundwork for success in 2019, and beyond, the only New Year’s resolution banks and...