Austrian crypto platform Bitpanda has received a full operating license from the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority or BaFin for the custody and proprietary trading of crypto assets. Bitpanda claims to be the first European retail investment platform to obtain the license which was introduced by BaFin in 2020, allowing it to actively market and offer services in the German market. Founded in 2014, Bitpanda now has nearly four million investors on its...
Read More »Total Funding to Portuguese Fintech Companies Surpasses EUR 1B Mark
In 2022, the Portuguese fintech ecosystem entered a new stage of development, marked by greater maturity of the sector, continued innovation through partnerships and a dynamic venture capital (VC) market, a new report by industry trade group Portugal Fintech, in collaboration with KPMG, Visa and law firm Morais Leitao, claims. The Portugal Fintech Report 2022, released in October, shows a resilient fintech industry that has continued to grow, innovate and attract...
Read More »BlackRock’s Fintech Bets Span Lending, Wealthtech, Crypto and More
BlackRock, one of the world’s largest asset managers, has been actively investing in the fintech industry over the past decade, participating in large rounds of financing across a broad range of segments, from payments and lending, to wealthtech and cryptocurrency, a new analysis by fintech-focused research firm WhiteSight shows. The report, which delves into the investment firm’s fintech moves, shows that BlackRock has been a prolific fintech investors, dipping its...
Read More »Swissquote Clients Can Now Invest in Dubai Financial Market’s Securities
Online trading platform Swissquote is now connected to the Dubai Financial Market (DFM), allowing clients to invest in and trade DFM-listed securities. The platform is connected to the DFM through GTN Middle East and BHM Capital Financial Services’ direct market access route, and is expected to boost DFM-listed securities’ accessibility to investors outside the UAE. Swissquote is a provider of online financial services granting its clients access to trade a range of...
Read More »neon’s Crowdfunding Campaign Reaches CHF 5 Million on Its First Day
Swiss neobank neon’s crowdfunding campaign reached CHF 5 million of its CHF 10 million target with more than 2,000 investors participating on the first day of the campaign. The campaign, which runs from October 25 to 31, is offering two to 250 non-voting shares priced at CHF 200.00 per share. The company aims to sell a total of 50,000 shares. According to the campaign page, neon’s recent milestones include hitting 130,000 users, generating CHF 3.5 million in revenue...
Read More »N26 Launches New Cryptocurrency Trading Feature With Bitpanda
German neobank N26 has launched its cryptocurrency product in Austria to enable customers to buy and sell 194 cryptocurrencies in their app. The N26 Crypto feature will be made available progressively to eligible customers in Austria over the coming weeks, as well as in other key markets over the next six months. The launch addresses strong local demand, where internal research showed that 40% of N26 users are either actively trading, or have expressed interest in...
Read More »Wealth Managers Reluctant to Invest in Crypto
Wealth managers around the world are still reluctant to invest in cryptocurrency on behalf of their clients amid concerns over the lack of regulation, the lack of education as well as high volatility, a new study by American asset management company Mercer found. The survey, which polled 125 wealth managers worldwide, found that just 8% of participants indicated having invested in crypto for their customers. Wealth managers in Europe were found to be the most open to...
Read More »Relai Partners Checkout.com to Enable Instant Bitcoin Purchases
Swiss Bitcoin investment app Relai has partnered with global payments provider Checkout.com to enable its users to buy the cryptocurrency via Visa, Mastercard and Apple Pay in real time through its self-custodial wallet. The partnership with Checkout.com is expected to allow users to have constant access to instant liquidity while also ensuring that they have full say over what happens to their assets. Founded in 2020, Relai currently serves over 40 countries in...
Read More »SIX Digital Exchange Links to SIX SIS to Boost Digital CHF Bond Accessibility
SIX Digital Exchange (SDX) announced the addition of SIX SIS to its Central Securities Depository (CSD), making it the first regulated CSD to have direct access to SDX. The addition is expected to increase the accessibility of natively digital CHF-denominated bonds to the wider market and enable investors to purchase a digital bond and hold it in SIX SIS. SDX offers issuance, listing, trading, settlement, servicing, and custody of digital securities. The platform is...
Read More »Swissquote Dives Into Cryptocurrency Trading With the Launch of SQX
Online trading platform Swissquote has launched a cryptocurrency exchange called SQX that aims to provide a more competitive and secure trading environment. Unlike other crypto exchanges, SQX says that it prides itself on being a centralised trading platform as it believes that currency markets function on the back of long-standing bilateral relationships. As such, Swissquote added that SQX’s new central order book, which sources and aggregates liquidity from...
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