Making sense of UBS’s cancelled Wealthfront acquisition
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On Friday, UBS announced that it had called off its acquisition of Wealthfront. UBS had been slated to purchase the robo-adviser for $1.4B.
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Fintech News Stories
Bank branch closings are slowing down. What does that mean for fintech?
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US banks have closed 1,261 branches during the first six months of 2022. If closures continue at the same pace over the rest of the year, then this rate will represent a 15% decline compared to 2021.
Read MoreMaking sense of Texas’ war on ESG
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Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced a list of ten financial firms that are now banned from doing business with state entities in Texas. Hegar said those firms, which include BlackRock, Credit Suisse, UBS, and BNP Paribas, “boycott” the fossil fuel sector, which is illegal under a 2021 Texas state law.
Read MoreCould US regulators look to India for financial privacy rules?
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In a new report, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) said consumers may be vulnerable to payment and lending apps that monetize users’ behavioral and spending data. The Bureau said it is planning to draft regulations to protect consumers’ financial data rights.
Read MoreBalancing globalization and compliance with Episode Six
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After interviewing the Episode Six founding team in 2020, The Financial Revolutionist sat down with CEO John Mitchell, revisiting Episode Six’s strategies and predictions for the future. Mitchell outlines the company’s steady course, shares the vision behind their business model, and hints at the future of hybridized, digital payments ecosystems.
Read MoreCFPB sets sights on Apple Pay Later
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Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Rohit Chopra said that Big Tech’s expansion into the BNPL space raises privacy and antitrust issues. To date, Apple is the only tech giant to launch a BNPL product, which is called Apple Pay Later.
Read MoreIs P2P fraud approaching a turning point?
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In a letter to Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Rohit Chopra, Democratic lawmakers asked Chopra to clarify whether consumers who are defrauded into making a financial transfer on peer-to-peer (P2P) payment apps like Zelle are “errors” or “unauthorized electronic fund transfers.” This shift could make financial institutions liable for repaying consumers who have fallen victim to fraud on P2P platforms.
Read MoreHow fintechs can leverage outsourced customer support for more than cost savings
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In an interview with The Financial Revolutionist, Ubiquity COO and Co-Founder Sagar Rajgopal describes the bidirectional benefits of outsourcing, provides examples of the insights customer-experience experts can offer fintechs, and outlines the future of outsourcing in the face of volatility.
Read MoreHow Celsius and Voyager can shape the future of crypto
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Cryptocurrency trading firms Celsius and Voyager Digital crashed earlier this month, trapping clients' funds within their platforms. Voyager’s financials are unknown, but Celsius has $167M in cash on hand to repay over $4.7B in customer deposits.
Read MoreStarling scraps European banking plans
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Starling, the UK-based challenger bank, withdrew its application for a European banking license four years after its initial application to the Irish Central Bank. The bank is now eyeing growth through its banking software subsidiary, Engine, and by expanding its lending initiatives.
Read MoreWhat’s behind Putin’s digital-asset payments ban?
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On July 16, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law that bans the use of digital assets like NFTs and cryptocurrencies to pay for goods and services within the country. It is still legal to trade, buy, and sell those assets.
Read MoreHow the EU might shake up the tech sector
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The European Union General Court ruled that Brussels has the authority to regulate the merger between US biotech groups Illumina and Grail. Grail has no commercial presence in Europe and its operations are primarily in the US.
Read MoreWhat MercadoLibre’s fundraising says about fintech in Latin America
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Goldman Sachs announced a $233M loan to Latin American e-commerce giant MercadoLibre. Similarly, Citigroup lent $375M to them last year.
Read MoreClimate change complicates bitcoin mining in Texas
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ERCOT, which operates Texas’s power grid, has requested that bitcoin miners suspend operations during the state’s current heat wave, which has caused a surge in residential and commercial energy demand. Bitcoin miners complied, freeing up to 1,000 megawatts by turning off their machines.
Read MoreVoyager’s misleading marketing in regulators’ crosshairs
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Crypto firm Voyager Digital, which filed for bankruptcy last week, previously told customers that their deposits were FDIC insured through a partnership with Metropolitan Commercial Bank. However, customer funds are only protected if Metropolitan Bank fails, not if Voyager fails; the FDIC is now investigating Voyager’s false claims.
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