Fintech Focus For December 23, 2020

Quote To Start The Day: During the darkest days of the Model 3 program, I reached out to Tim Cook to discuss the possibility of Apple acquiring Tesla (for 1/10 of our current value). He refused to take the meeting.

Source: Elon Musk

One Big Thing In Fintech: Jack Miller, head of trading at Baird, expects innovation to continue in US equity markets after new exchanges launched this year, new order types were approved and the US Securities and Exchange Commission adopted plans to modernize the market data infrastructure.

Source: Traders Magazine

Other Key Fintech Developments:

• PEAK6 bought Hardcastle Trading.
• Fidelity National tapped for merger.
• Fintech trends VCs are monitoring.
• Bitfinex to add a ETH/BTC contract.
• FTX listed Coinbase pre-IPO future.
• Meemo launching digital gift cards.
• Finantier enters into Y Combinator.
• Fintech expert on BTC predictions.
• Fintech is driving growth in banking.
• Brexit to turn London into DeFi hub.
• SEC adds Ripple suit, token halting.
• Goldman testing out Marcus Invest.
• Switzerland CB expands crypto trial.

Watch Out For This: Zoom has been one of the technology high-performers for 2020, supporting the way people communicate and stay in touch around the world in this pandemic-hit climate. But the company now valued at US$100 billion could see all its forward momentum crushed by allegations that it cooperated with the Chinese government to monitor and to, in some cases, interfere with users’ video calls.

Source: TechWire

Interesting Reads:

• What sites need to win local leads.
• Schwab was fined over its security.
• Startups lost in the 2020 pandemic.
• FDA sent Whole Foods a warning.
• Hunger, food insecurity not equals.
• Zoom is being probed by the SEC.
• Stimulus takes on illegal streaming.
• Kevin O’Leary on marketing trends.
• CMC’s founder joining government.
• Substack on its content moderation.
• Traditional-, digital-asset behaviors.

Market Moving Headline: The landscape for big tech companies is growing more challenging. Recent U.S. congressional reports have signaled bipartisan agreement on some new antitrust regulations —a development that, while no sure thing, some industry observers think could end up strengthening antitrust enforcement in possibly narrow but consequential ways. But the fact is, regulation isn’t likely to dethrone America’s top tech companies. Let’s remember: rapid change at the top is the way it works in the technology industry.

Source: Harvard Business Review