Fintech Focus For December 16, 2020

Quote To Start The Day: “When we’re talking about public markets — when you decide to go public — you go from one to two businesses. The business of whatever you’re in, let’s call it making widgets, and the business of being public.”

Source: David Buzkin

One Big Thing In Fintech: The coronavirus pandemic accelerated digital finance trends.

That’s according to Allison Beer, the head of Chase Digital, JPMorgan Chase & Co’s digital banking and innovation arm.

Over her career in financial services at American Express Company, in addition to other startups and nonprofits, the Yale University alumnus witnessed and acted on disruptive trends firsthand.

Digital banking is top of mind for Chase, she said.

“My team spans everything from payments, to all of our digital products and channels,” she said of producing inclusive technologies alongside a diverse group of talent.

“The focus for us is just what are the trends that customers are embracing, and how do we apply them to our business?”

Source: Benzinga

Other Key Fintech Developments:

• Credorax, Hero team on payments.
• Quontic added new BTC accounts.
• Marex Spectron expanded clearing.
• Self raises $40M Series D funding.
• Mature fintechs will face reckoning.
• China’s digital currency experience.
• IBM eyes payments, buys Expertus.
• INV releases new network platform.
• CyberLink will display FaceMe tech.
• Public.com to add Series C funding.
• ING eyes privacy, invests in eXate.
• Vela intros equities, options trading.
• How the FCA’s crypto ban will fare?
• Spring Labs looking to data-sharing.
• Frank moves into the edtech space.
• dxFeed, Small Exchange partnered.

Watch Out For This: Digital media companies are looking to consolidate with the help of SPACs (special purpose acquisition companies), an increasingly popular alternative for businesses to raise money via a public offering, without undertaking a traditional IPO process.

Source: Axios

• Interesting Reads:
• Brain Scientific announces offering.
• Huntington, TCF agree to a merger.
• FDA approved first GM pig for food.
• Fannie, Freddie talks left for Biden.
• Fed joined a panel on climate risks.
• The US needs better credit system.
• Homeless will find shelter at hotels.
• First virus vaccines out for delivery.
• Periscope will shut down by March.
• Rules pushing restaurants to edge.
• Sam’s Club adopted robotic pickers.

Market Moving Headline: Tesla Inc.’s entry into the S&P 500 will make for a wild trading session Friday as money pours into the electric vehicle maker’s stock and out of shares of the index’s other members.

Shares of the Palo Alto, Calif.-based electric vehicle maker will be added to the S&P 500 all at once, which is atypical for a large addition. The company had a market capitalization of $606 billion at Monday’s closing bell, meaning it would be the eighth-largest member upon entry into the benchmark index.

Source: Fox