The VCs Backing Decentralised Finance, Coinbase and Marqeta IPOs, Community Banks Pushed Toward Fintech

European investors are looking closely at a new frontier of blockchain-based finance. But it’s a bigger gamble than most.

A news report last week claimed that Coinbase, the country’s most prominent cryptocurrency company, is exploring an initial public offering. The report said the company is talking to bankers and lawyers and could go public late this year or sometime in 2021.

Allowing millions of Brazilian users of Facebook’s WhatsApp to send money as easily as texts seemed a golden opportunity for the world’s largest social media company.

A federal stimulus program to combat the recent economic downturn is pushing more community banks to embrace financial technology partnerships.

Marqeta Inc, the U.S. payment card issuing start-up whose investors include Goldman Sachs Group Inc, is seeking to hire investment banks to advise on a potential initial public offering, according to people familiar with the matter.

Robinhood has topped up its Series F funding round with an extra $320 million, valuing the stocktrading app at $8.6 billion.

Moneybox, the saving and investing app, today announced it has recently secured €33.07 million in Series C funding from existing investors including Eight Roads, and new investors Breega and CNP. The company stated that it now has €1.1 billion in assets under administration.

Customers include marketplaces like Just Eat, Urban and Easy Taxi.

Swedish PFM app Tink has acquired Instantor, a provider of credit decisions software used by more than 150 live customers, including banks and fintechs across 13 European markets.

Lanistar, a personal financial management startup founded in 2019, has raised £15 million to support its forthcoming commercial launch in Winter 2020.

findexable is launching the Global Fintech Index – the world’s first real-time fintech ranking and categorisation tool to benchmark fintech ecosystems and fintech companies globally.

Banks and credit unions need to evaluate their current distribution strategy to determine if building a separate digital bank is the best option.

Technology is changing the landscape of the financial sector, increasing access to financial services in profound ways. During the COVID-19 pandemic, technology has created new opportunities for digital financial services to accelerate and enhance financial inclusion. Here’s a new report from the International Monetary Fund analysing risks and opportunities.