The hottest Fintech Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Business Topics

What Happened to the OCC's Chief Fintech Officer?

Fintech Business Weekly • 133 implied HN points • 10 Sep 23
💼 Business Fintech Banking Regulation Investment Startups
  1. The OCC's Chief Fintech Officer mysteriously disappeared from his role, raising questions about his background and qualifications.
  2. CFPB Director highlights Apple and Google's control over mobile payments, calling out potential anti-competitive practices.
  3. FDIC's Q2 Banking Profile shows declining net income, slightly reduced net interest margins, and continued unrealized losses in banks' securities portfolios.

CBW Bank, A BaaS Pioneer, Is Up For Sale: Exclusive

Fintech Business Weekly • 59 implied HN points • 17 Mar 24
💼 Business Fintech Banking Regulation Innovation Sales
  1. CBW Bank, a pioneer in Banking-as-a-Service, is up for sale, showing continued challenges in bank/fintech partnerships.
  2. CBW Bank grew significantly under new ownership, focusing on innovation and providing API access for startups and banks to build digital banking solutions faster.
  3. Regulatory shifts and challenges in innovation may have led to CBW's decision to sell, highlighting the impact of changing regulatory attitudes on banks like CBW.
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TabaPay Working On A Deal To Acquire Synapse, Sources Say

Fintech Business Weekly • 59 implied HN points • 10 Mar 24
💼 Business Fintech Venture Capital Startup Regulation
  1. TabaPay is in talks to acquire Synapse, a banking-as-a-service platform, to potentially mitigate damage caused by a past financial incident.
  2. Oxygen, a neobank, is pivoting to focus on 'health solutions' temporarily, suspending its banking services.
  3. Trade groups are suing to block a new CFPB rule that limits credit card late fees, arguing it restricts choices and responsible credit card use.

Issue #136: Affirm Arrives In The UK, Block Ramps Up Afterpay, And Coinbase Partners With Visa

Fintech Radar • 6 implied HN points • 13 Nov 24
💰 Finance Fintech Investments Payments Crypto Banking
  1. Affirm is now in the UK, partnering with Amazon to offer buy now, pay later options. This move puts them up against established competitors like Klarna and Afterpay.
  2. Block is enhancing its Cash App by integrating Afterpay, making it easier for users to manage payments. This could help Block maximize the value of its Afterpay acquisition.
  3. Coinbase teamed up with Visa for real-time deposits, allowing quick transfers into user accounts. This partnership is a significant step for improving the user experience in crypto trading.

Maryland Latest State To Issue EWA Guidance

Fintech Business Weekly • 126 implied HN points • 20 Aug 23
💰 Finance Fintech Bankruptcy Regulation
  1. Maryland issued guidance on earned wage access (EWA) products, following in the steps of Nevada and Missouri.
  2. CFPB Director Chopra announced new rulemaking to regulate data brokers and protect consumer data.
  3. Analysis of Dave's Q2 earnings shows discrepancies in metrics like average revenue per user, highlighting the importance of looking beyond official reports.

What IS OCEN? What would it look like?

Turnaround • 494 implied HN points • 05 Oct 20
💼 Business Fintech Lending Credit Banking Small business
  1. OCEN is a new credit infrastructure that could revolutionize lending in a way similar to how UPI transformed payments.
  2. It is a protocol, not a switch, and its potential lies in the consumer products that can be built on top of it.
  3. OCEN aims to address India's credit distribution problems by making access to credit easier for the Next Billion Users and SMEs, potentially reducing the concentration of capital.

Dave & MoneyLion Q1: Some Progress, But Valuations Continue To Slide

Fintech Business Weekly • 133 implied HN points • 21 May 23
💰 Finance Earnings Regulations Fintech
  1. Dave and MoneyLion are experiencing progress in Q1, but their valuations are decreasing.
  2. SoLo Funds faces challenges with deceptive practices despite celebrating a consent order.
  3. Revolut is encountering hurdles with delayed financial filings and difficulties in obtaining a banking license due to ownership structure issues.

Issue #133: Stripe To Buy Bridge For $1.1B, Apple Pay Adds Klarna, And Brex Partners With Navan

Fintech Radar • 6 implied HN points • 23 Oct 24
💰 Finance Fintech Investing Banking Cryptocurrency Insurance
  1. Stripe is buying Bridge for $1.1 billion to enhance its stablecoin services. This shows Stripe's big plans to grow its role in international payments.
  2. Apple Pay is teaming up with Klarna to allow users to split payments into four interest-free installments. This move signals Apple’s shift back to focusing on partnerships for better payment options.
  3. Brex is partnering with Navan to make travel payments easier for businesses. This collaboration aims to simplify expense management by integrating payment solutions directly into travel bookings.

The Googlisation of Payments; B2B fintech pricing: Pricing model definitions; Embedded fintech revenue model;

Fintech Wrap Up • 39 implied HN points • 28 Jun 23
💼 Business Fintech Payments Generative AI
  1. Payments platforms can be attractive for advertisers to invest in due to access to data and trust
  2. Embedded finance is changing how customers and businesses interact with financial services
  3. Financial institutions can generate revenue by offering bundled fintech services through subscription tiers

#63 - Roy Sheinfeld, LNM fam & Lightning friends

LN Markets’ Newsletter • 39 implied HN points • 10 Jul 23
🕹 Technology Bitcoin Lightning Network Cryptocurrency Blockchain Fintech
  1. Roy Sheinfeld is dedicated to revolutionizing Bitcoin's role to a medium of exchange.
  2. Lightning Network is evolving with improvements like splicing, asynchronous payments, and stuckless payments.
  3. Key advice for building a business in the Bitcoin space: Embrace the community, prioritize open communication, and seek partners, not just investors.

Issue #135: Robinhood Launches Election Contracts, NVIDIA Tackles Fraud, And Moniepoint Joins the Unicorn Club

Fintech Radar • 4 implied HN points • 06 Nov 24
💰 Finance Fintech Investing AI Payments Market Trends
  1. Robinhood has launched contracts for betting on the U.S. presidential election, allowing users to trade on candidates like Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. This move taps into the growing interest in prediction markets during election cycles.
  2. Hong Kong has introduced a framework for AI in finance to ensure responsible use, data privacy, and collaboration with universities. This trend might inspire other markets to set similar guidelines for AI in financial services.
  3. NVIDIA is now using AI to detect fraudulent credit card transactions in real-time. This development shows how AI is making it easier for companies outside of traditional finance to tackle fraud prevention.

More Vertical Fintech, Please

Equal Ventures • 39 implied HN points • 23 Feb 23
💼 Business Fintech Market Analysis Investments Business Models
  1. Combining vertical software with fintech can create powerful business opportunities, leveraging market nuances to enhance efficiencies and insights.
  2. It's challenging to build defensible financial services independently, but merging them with workflow software can increase market size and potential revenue streams.
  3. Markets with low digital penetration offer ripe opportunities for vertical SaaS and fintech integration, attracting investments across various sectors for this innovative approach.

Open Banking +

Fintech Across the Pond • 19 implied HN points • 24 Jan 24
💰 Finance Fintech Payments APIs
  1. Open banking lacks a scalable commercial model, hindering broader adoption.
  2. SPAA aims to address the commercial gap in open banking by introducing premium APIs.
  3. SPAA enables new payment features and access to enhanced data assets for better functionality.

Issue #134: Western Union Acquires Dash, Morgan Stanley’s AI Push, And Finix’s New Funding Round

Fintech Radar • 4 implied HN points • 30 Oct 24
💰 Finance Fintech Investing Payments Banking Insurance
  1. Western Union is buying Dash, a mobile wallet in Singapore, to expand its digital services. This shows how much the remittance business has changed with more competition from apps.
  2. Goldman Sachs and Apple are being fined nearly $90 million over issues with the Apple Card, which could hurt their future plans. It highlights the challenges Goldman faces in consumer banking.
  3. Morgan Stanley launched an AI assistant to help its staff analyze research reports faster. This shows how traditional finance is integrating AI to improve efficiency.

Issue #138: Robinhood Acquires TradePMR, Revolut’s ATM Play, And UPI Continues To Go Global

Fintech Radar • 2 implied HN points • 28 Nov 24
💰 Finance Fintech Investing Banking Payments Startups
  1. Robinhood has bought TradePMR to expand its services for financial advisers, showing it's serious about growing in the wealth management area. This move is part of a wider trend where fintech companies are trying to offer more services to their users.
  2. Revolut is planning to introduce an AI assistant, branded ATMs, and mortgage options by 2025. These additions reflect their aggressive approach to compete in the traditional finance space beyond just banking.
  3. Google Pay is now incorporating buy now, pay later options from Afterpay and Klarna. This shows that big tech companies want to partner with existing services instead of directly competing in the financial sector.

The Road to Global Fintech and Crypto Adoption

Ben’s Newsletter • 79 implied HN points • 28 Jun 22
💰 Finance Fintech Cryptocurrency Digital Assets Investment Strategies Market Trends
  1. Many traditional banks are slow to adopt new technology, which harms their ability to innovate and serve customers effectively.
  2. There is a big chance for fintech to grow since a lot of people around the world still don't have access to basic banking services.
  3. For crypto and fintech to succeed, they need better systems for security and transparency, plus the ability to process payments quickly and easily.

Databricks Synthetic Datasets API, Vapi $20M, Prometheus Data Leak

The API Changelog • 1 implied HN point • 17 Dec 24
🕹 Technology APIs Data AI Fintech Cybersecurity Software
  1. OpenAI and Meta experienced global outages recently, disrupting services for many users. They are working on fixes to prevent this from happening again.
  2. Databricks launched a new API for creating synthetic datasets to help with testing while protecting privacy. This is useful for developers needing realistic simulation data.
  3. Prometheus servers are at risk of data leaks due to weak authentication, making it important to enhance security measures to prevent potential attacks.

New look, new name, all AI.

aidaily • 19 implied HN points • 11 Apr 23
🕹 Technology AI Startups Health Fintech Tools
  1. AI startups secure a significant portion of big funding deals, highlighting the importance and opportunities in AI technology.
  2. AI can aid in early detection of diseases like Alzheimer's through advanced analysis of medical imaging.
  3. AI tools are transforming various industries, from storytelling platforms to creative tools like generating art, music, and games.

Fintechs, you are not a super-app; The 10 biggest fintech companies in America 2023; Open finance: The opportunity to support small businesses;

Fintech Wrap Up • 19 implied HN points • 14 Jun 23
💰 Finance Fintech AI Cryptocurrency Regulation
  1. Fintech companies should be honest about their capabilities and avoid prematurely labeling themselves as super-apps.
  2. Affirm has partnered with Amazon Pay to offer buy now, pay later options for U.S. merchants and customers.
  3. Open Finance presents an opportunity to support small businesses by improving standards, data-sharing, and access to finance.

apidays Paris, Cerve Food API $4.4M, Traefik AI Gateway

The API Changelog • 1 implied HN point • 11 Dec 24
🕹 Technology APIs AI Fintech Security Conferences
  1. The apidays conference in Paris brought together many people to share ideas about APIs. It had various tracks on important topics like security and design.
  2. Several companies are launching new APIs to make processes easier, such as identity management and payment systems. These updates enhance personalization and efficiency for businesses.
  3. AI advancements are being integrated into different products, with companies like Amazon and GitHub making tools to simplify coding and deployment. This makes it easier for developers to work with cloud technologies.

Going cashless in Nigeria: How startups are digitizing payments in the country's trickiest verticals

Afridigest • 15 implied HN points • 02 Mar 24
💼 Business Payments Fintech Economics Startups
  1. Nigeria is a leading fintech hub in Africa, receiving a significant amount of funding in the sector since 2022.
  2. Despite fintech activity, cash remains prevalent in Nigeria, especially in everyday transactions like public transportation, informal economy vendors, and fuel purchases.
  3. Startups in Nigeria are innovating to overcome challenges in digitizing payments in tricky sectors, offering solutions like digital payment systems for transportation, mobile money for informal vendors, and e-wallets for fuel payments.

Issue #95: X Is Getting Into P2P Payments, Circle Files For An IPO, And Revolut Gains Interest In Its HR Tech Offering

Fintech Radar • 18 implied HN points • 17 Jan 24
💰 Finance Fintech Payments IPO
  1. Twitter (X) plans to introduce peer-to-peer payments, a logical starting point given its large user base and commerce opportunities
  2. Revolut's HR platform, Revolut People, attracts over 300 companies to its waitlist, surprising with strong interest in the offering
  3. Mastercard is developing an AI tool for small businesses, showing a cautious approach amid a potential trend towards more AI-focused innovations in the market

Big Changes Are Coming to FIN!

James Ledbetter's FIN • 15 implied HN points • 25 Feb 24
💼 Business Fintech Investments Technology Media Finance
  1. Big changes are happening to FIN, with new editorial leadership and a vision for cross-platform expansion in the fintech industry.
  2. Investors are showing interest in fintech companies like Eigen Labs securing significant funding for innovations like restaking protocols and dub platform for copy trading.
  3. AI-driven fintech and regtech companies like Napier AI are experiencing growth through substantial funding to enhance compliance and security measures.

Spotify Closes API, PlayAI $21M, SEC EDGAR Next

The API Changelog • 1 implied HN point • 03 Dec 24
🕹 Technology API AI Music Fintech Data
  1. Spotify is limiting access to its API for third-party developers. This change is meant to protect user data but has upset many developers who feel left in the dark.
  2. PlayAI has raised $21 million to improve its AI voice technology. This funding will help them create better speech tools for businesses.
  3. The SEC is updating its EDGAR system for better security and account management. These changes will make filing and managing documents easier for companies.

Issue #94: Visa Unveils A Web3 Loyalty Program, HSBC Launches A Forex App Called Zing, And Consumer Advocates Take Aim At The Starbucks App

Fintech Radar • 14 implied HN points • 10 Jan 24
💰 Finance Fintech Banking Cryptocurrency Investment Startups
  1. Visa introduces a Web3 loyalty program to reward customer interactions.
  2. HSBC launches a forex app named Zing to compete with fintechs like Revolut and Wise.
  3. Consumer advocates file complaint against Starbucks app, alleging deceptive practices in trapping customers to spend more.