Fintech Focus For March 31, 2021

Quote To Start The Day: Making renewable energy from solar isn’t that complicated anymore.

Source: Greg Barron-Gafford

One Big Thing In Fintech: The technology needed to support ETF trading has advanced considerably in the last decade. In the past it was necessary to build in-house, but now it is possible to find good vendor solutions, meaning that the asset is accessible to more banks than it might have been previously.

Source: Traders Magazine

• KeyBank, Laurel Road launch bank.
• Tide proposes open bank data fees.
• MEMX shook market, faces growth.
• Dapper Labs nabs $305M in funds.
• Coinbase hires, adding new leaders.
• DriveWealth, Plaid team up on API.
• Stripe investing in Brex rival Ramp.
• Barclays adds FX to BARX platform.
• OANDA completes TMS acquisition.
• LBBW signs with TreasurUp fintech.
• SuperRare closes on $9M Series A.
• Capitolis closes on a $90M Series C.
• R3 Corda available on China’s DLT.
• Bakkt intros Bakkt App, digital wallet.
• Slice launching point-of-sale system.
• Walgreens, InComm partnering up.
• 1099B is the standard for crypto tax.
• AbbyBank added MX-powered tech.
• Zigg Capital eyeing real estate tech.
• ICE launches Abu Dhabi exchange.
• CME will launch Micro BTC futures.
• Wisr invests in fintech platform Arbor.
• The Coury Firm added to leadership.
• Zinvest hones AI management tech.
• Triterras looks to expand leadership.
• Neuravest Research added leaders.
• Delta Exchanges finished $5M raise.

Watch Out For This: After being closed to the public for more than year and operating as the temporary trading floor of a securities firm, the Four Seasons Palm Beach will reopen to new guests Thursday with COVID-19 protocols in place.

Late last March, as the coronavirus pandemic arose and Palm Beach County officials were ready to temporarily pull the plug on new hotel reservations, Citadel Securities, a market-maker sibling of hedge fund Citadel, privately booked the Four Seasons and opened a trading floor there.

Source: Palm Beach Daily

Interesting Reads:

• Virgin debuted a third-gen spaceship.
• Analysis: ARK Invest content strategy.
• Refi slowdown may challenge lenders.
• Aurora, Volvo team over autonomous.
• How Ken Griffin navigated pandemic.
• Open- vs closed-end real estate fund.
• Spotify is looking to get into live audio.
• Virtu Financial CEO talking Archegos.
• Cartken, REEF launch Miami delivery.
• Cameo a unicorn after a $100M raise.
• Substack raises $65M, eyeing growth.

Market Moving Headline: Bonds have tumbled in 2021, driving Treasury yields to the highest in more than a year, amid expectations for a rapid economic recovery. But the money flowing into state and local debt is providing a cushion. Barclays Plc strategists said in a March 26 note that mutual funds’ large “cash buffers” would likely limit a selloff, because the funds are ready to step in and start buying if yields rise to more attractive levels.

Source: Bloomberg