Fintech and DeFi Research Archive — The Fintech Blueprint

Posts in digital lending

Brex Raises Again, Shopify Launches Bank Accounts and M&A Ideas for Goldman

Welcome back to the Fintech Blueprint / Rebank podcast series hosted by Will Beeson and Lex Sokolin. In this episode, we talk through a few recent events that are indicative of the Fintech world right now. Brex raised an additional $150 million at a slightly improved valuation vs. its last round just as Monzo is reportedly looking at a 40% down round. Why? Shopify launched bank accounts for its merchants and announced the Shop app, basically an Amazon competitor plus Klarna, just as it worked with Facebook to support the launch of Facebook Shops and joined the Libra Association. Lots going on. Lastly, we discuss why Goldman’s M&A activity over the past couple years leads to the natural conclusion that they should buy Schwab.

digital investing, digital lending, neobank, roboadvisor, eCommerceLex SokolinMay 29, 2020Brex, Goldman Sachs, Schwab, Silicon Valley Bank, Monzo, OnDeck, Shopify, Amazon, Libra / Diem, Facebook, FolioFn, Marcus

Goldman is trying to build a Fintech powerhouse, and this is how they should do it

This week, we put on the Goldman hat and go shopping for companies. We buy a little bit of Folio and sell some Motif. We look at Personal Capital and the $1 billion it wants for its $12 billion of assets. We examine the private markets with Addepar / iCapital and SharesPost / Forge, and then move over to the banking sector. Should we buy Wells Fargo, as rumored, or some digital wallet apps? Read on for how to acquire a best-in-class Fintech.

Technology, Empathy and Finance in a Time of Crisis, with Ohad Samet of TrueAccord

In this episode, we connect with serial founder Ohad Samet, CEO of TrueAccord. Ohad has been working in fintech machine learning for a decade and a half, applying multi-dimensional mathematics to consumer finance. The result? A more empathetic approach to the traditionally gnarly problem of debt collection.

artificial intelligence, fixed income, digital lendingLex SokolinMay 15, 2020TrueAccord

Neobank Chime valued at $6 billion with 7 million users, Goldman to launch roboadvisor with $5,000 minimum

We look at some of the recent Fintech bundling news that boggle the mind. Neobank Chime just raised a mammoth round from DST Global, valuing it at $6 billion. Figure raised another $60 million round. Goldman is launching a retail roboadvisor. Revolut is offering pensions. Wealthfront is offering mortgages. The world is upside down. We cool down with pictures showing augmented reality implementations in commerce and finance, and finish with an elevated thought about the future.

augmented reality, neobank, roboadvisor, digital investing, digital lending, metaverseLex SokolinDecember 10, 2019Chime, DST Global, Figure, Goldman Sachs, Revolut, Wealthfront

Robocop vs. Terminator in Fintech; Comparing DeFi originations to Digital Lenders in the early years

I've got a gentle, data-backed story this week inspired by a great distinction made in this Techonomy article by the Chief Digital Officer at Schneider Electric. The thesis tracks three key lessons from attempting to bring large companies into the 21st century: (1) transform the core of your business instead of fumbling around at the edges, (2) digitize your processes and separately figure out a distinct digital model, and (3) catalyze a digital ecosystem from the new model. You can think about the distinction as either taking the existing business and slowly swapping out parts from human to machine (e.g., like RoboCop), or building the robot from scratch utilizing the latest platforms, markets, and artificial intelligence (e.g., like Terminator).

digital transformation, philosophy, digital lending, decentralized financeLex SokolinAugust 19, 2019MaxMyInterest, Goldman Sachs, InstaDApp

Google and Amazon's mixed reality advertising could become digital lending and payments platforms

Finance is everywhere, and everywhere is finance. Smart city supply chains, self driving car insurance, video game real estate markets -- no matter which frontier technology you touch, it will have embedded implications on the delivery of financial services. And why wouldn't it? Like the use of language, finance is a human technology that allows societies to coalesce and compete with one another (in the Yuval Harari sense). It lifts people out of poverty and into entrepreneurship through microloans, providing generational sustenance for their families. And of course it also throws them into pits of corruption and greed, as they drink too deeply from the rivers of securitization and political power.

But enough poetry! I want to talk about augmented reality, attention platforms, and the re-formulation of payments and lending propositions in a global context.

digital lending, augmented reality, metaverse, marketing, big tech, eCommerceLex SokolinJuly 8, 2019Affirm, Greensky, Fundbox, PayPal, GreenSky, Qudian, Google, YouTube, Amazon

Goldman pays $750M for wealth platform United Capital, Jefferies gives blockchain-lender Figure $1B

Two things are on my mind: (1) the acquisition of United Capital by Goldman Sachs, and (2) Mike Cagney's Figure securing a $1 billion funding line from Jefferies and WSFS for blockchain-tracked home equity loans. Both are outcomes of complex, interesting, somewhat unexpected processes -- and both are examples of demand-driven market expansion. Let me highlight that again. Both of these are consumer-centric developments, and not product-driven developments, which goes to the core of the problem in the financial services industry.

enterprise blockchain, digital lending, marketing, financial advisors, acquisition, funding roundLex SokolinMay 20, 2019Goldman Sachs, Figure, United Capital, Dynasty Financial, Vestwell, Marcus

Fintech & DeFi Research Archive🔄

Names

Themes

*