Fintech Focus For June 24, 2021

Quote To Start The Day: “Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.”

Source: President George W. Bush

One Big Thing In Fintech: The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated acceptance of digital currencies like Bitcoin and the underlying blockchain technologies that power them. And while Bitcoin volatility continues — with the currency hitting its lowest point in months this week — investors are optimistic momentum will continue even as the world slowly starts to return to normal.

Source: Crunchbase

Other Key Fintech Developments:

• 0x_nodes launching liquidity mining.
• LeveL ATS expands VWAP offering.
• Finding the ROI with blockchain tech.
• Mollie raised another $800M round.
• Viva Republic lands $406M funding.
• Rising demand for trading systems.
• DTCC appoints new strategy head.
• HAWK:AI adds $10M for innovation.
• Tradeweb Nasdaq tech acquisition.
• MarketAxess expands its protocols.
• Cross River bought a lending fintech.
• Fiserv, NYDIG eyeing crypto access.
• Nexo kicked off Polkadot integration.
• NEM incubator eyes DLT innovation.
• FP Alpha brings AI to estate plans.
• Input1, EasySend are partnering up.
• Lower raises $100M Series A round.
• BTG, and others, acquire real estate.
• Zeller secured a new funding round.
• Paytm looking for $1.6B public offer.
• VanEck adding a bitcoin mutual fund.
• Stash added PayGrade acquisition.
• Oxygen debuts new loyalty program.
• Atom Finance raises $28M in funds.
• CleanSpark honing its crypto mining.

Watch Out For This: The cost of living in dense technology hubs like San Francisco, among others, outpaced Detroit, nearly 88%. That according to EntryPoint’s 2021 Detroit Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Report.

In unpacking why Detroit is an attractive location for entrepreneurs to locate, live and launch their companies, Benzinga spoke with Jared Stasik of Detroit Venture Partners (DVP).

Source: Benzinga

Interesting Reads:

• Inner Game featuring Steven Cohen.
• Tesla’s solar roof rollout ends in bust.
• Top 5 trends to watch in the recovery.
• Tax-hike to provide ton of opportunity.
• Fannie, Freddie plunge on SCOTUS.
• Quantum data link launched in China.
• Fitch: Loan default rate forecast falls.

Market Moving Headline: Beijing is taking advantage of a strengthening economy and stable financial markets to toughen up its corporate sector. The result is a repricing of risk that should discourage the kind of reckless debt-fueled expansion that inflated some companies to a dangerous size. The spawning of such bloated empires created a threat to the financial system as well as a challenge to President Xi Jinping’s grip on power.

Source: Bloomberg