VIAINVEST blog

The alternative finance market in the UK has been on a tear. According to the University of Cambridge report, the online alternative finance market segment ballooned 43% to GBP 4,6 billion in 2016 from GBP 3,2 billion the prior year. While the 4^th Annual UK Alternative Finance Industry Report reflects performance for all of 2016 over 2015, much of the momentum has spilled over into 2017, evidenced by milestones and records being set by the likes of Zopa, Funding Circle RateSetter among others. Continue reading P2P Shines in UK Alternative Finance Overview

Regtech a blend word for regulatory technology is a new fintech area emerged to enhance the regulatory and compliance processes for the financial services industry with the use of innovative technology. This blog post will provide an overview of this sector by looking at its main characteristics and analyzing few case studies when regtech was applied or may be useful for financial companies. Continue reading Regtech: Definition, Key Characteristics and Practical Applications

The end of the third quarter marks a new record for fintech deals and funding in Europe. VC backed fintech companies have raised $538 million within 65 business deals, coming close to $1.8 billion of the total amount raised and 216 deals closed since January, making it the most successful year ever even without counting the last quarter that still is not closed. If the development will continue at this pace, the total amount invested in European VC backed companies could exceed the $2 billion thresholds in 2017. Continue reading European fintech investments hit the record in Q3, 2017

From lending to investing, digital disruption is now affecting every aspect of the finance industry, changing substantially what customers’ expectations are and the way how financial services are operated. In this post we will take a look at the asset and wealth management industry, that is now changing at an exponential rate. Continue reading The Exponential Change in Wealth Management

If you observe the alternative lending market in Canada, you will find that the environment among fintech companies and banks is more collaborative than it is competitive. That’s not always the case in the European market, where fintech companies including P2P lenders are continuing to grab the market share from banks and infringe on their coveted access to customer data. Continue reading Fintech Continues to Grab Market Share From Banks

Regardless of any other factors, cybersecurity is an absolute priority for the fintech industry and is becoming a key factor determining the growth of the market. Well established financial institutions have started to invest billions of dollars into new technologies to strengthen their security measures and to increase the awareness of the importance to embrace digital transformation. However, cybersecurity is still considered an issue when it comes to technology innovation and collaboration with fintech firms as threats are developing at the same pace as technology is. Continue reading Fintech and cybersecurity – the future outlook

As part of the priority task to establish the Capital Market Union (CMU), and broaden access to finance for SMEs with a focus on start-ups and scale-ups, European Commission (EC) has announced plans to draft a proposal that would regulate crowdfunding and peer-to-peer lending market in the European Union. EC aims to finish this project in the first quarter of 2018 and has already published an Inception Impact Assessment in order to inform and get feedback from interested stakeholders, that now have until November 27, 2017, to submit their comments.  All related companies and other stakeholders are welcome to give their feedback on the proposal here. Continue reading Common framework for crowdfunding and P2P – the proposal from European Commission

The big three in technology – Amazon, Facebook, and Apple – could one day become the big three in banking. While it may seem a little farfetched, remember it didn’t end well for those who were too quick to dismiss Amazon as a serious e-commerce player. Continue reading Tech Giants Hover Over the Banking Space

Just about every industry has found its way to the blockchain and fintech is no exception. Fintech was one of the early arrivals using distributed ledger technology (aka blockchain) led by payments platform Ripple, which is famous for removing friction, or costs and time, associated with cross-border transactions. While payments led the way, other aspects of alternative lending are raising their profile on the blockchain as well now and in the coming years. Continue reading P2P Lending Makes Its Way Onto the Blockchain