Tag: Banking
What’s going on with fintech startup exits?
All the SPAC activity around fintechs is kind of normal. If you have not followed this new craze, here is a good recap from CB Insights. The huge amount of money going into fintechs needed an exit of some sort. When VCs give you some cash to build a business, they expect a return. As…
ESG and Fintech: a perfect match made in heaven?
It’s not just Greta. Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria are increasingly important in the business world. ESG is therefore more and more important in fintech. If you want to be cynical, that’s because it is more and more important for these businesses’ customers. So you need to adapt to continue to sell your stuff.…
Big Tech in Financial Services
Beware, Big Tech is here to eat your lunch. That is today’s equivalent for the financial services industry of the great communist threat during the Cold War. What’s behind “Big Tech” then? Usually, we mean FAMGA: Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, Google and Amazon. Some people instead look at FAANG: Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google. Or…
Why banks cannot buy their way into innovation
Recent news that BBVA is shutting down neobank Simple, that it had acquired for $117 million a few years ago, is telling us one thing: banks cannot buy their way into innovation. It is a pity because at the time of the acquisition in 2014, Simple was a neobank at the forefront of the US…
Private banking market: can neobanks crack it?
Is the private banking and wealth management market up for disruption? When the fintech industry first emerged, startups attacked the low-hanging fruits with business and retail payments: the Stripe, GoCardless, etc. These companies are now huge behemoths because this particular fintech segment has quite matured. Fintechs then went after the retail customers, and a bit…
Partnerships between banks and fintechs: is it a good idea?
When fintech first really emerged as an industry 15 years ago, it was all about how it would replace banking and existing financial services. As an aside, “really emerged” meaning that in the purest sense, technology has been deployed in financial services for a while. Post-crisis, the new kids on the block (not the actual…
Are low interest rates good for Banks and Fintechs?
As the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic takes its toll on economies around the world, central banks are cutting their base rates (or discount rates) to new lows. This is the rate at which a commercial bank can borrow from a central bank, like the Fed in the USA or the ECB in the Eurozone,…
Why Santander spinning off Innoventures is interesting
Santander, the Spanish banking giant, announced in September that from now on, Innoventures would operate as a separate entity. It is the bank’s Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) unit, set up in 2014 and responsible for investing into promising startups. It will be called Mouro Capital and have $400 million under management. Not too bad to…
Will Fintechs be wiped out by Coronavirus?
The Coronavirus outbreak is disrupting lives across the world and is having a significant impact on the global economy. The damages are expected to be long-lasting, and the recovery very slow, most likely over a number of years. It could accelerate the death of cash. By some accounts, it could be the worst economic crisis…
What is Financial Technology?
Let’s start from the beginning. What do we really mean when we talk about Fintech? You will have obviously noticed that it is a very trendy topic these days. You will have read all about it in the press or elsewhere for sure. What is Financial Technology, better known Fintech then? To start with, Fintech…
