Two firms, Paxos and Gemini (backed by the Winklevoss twins of Facebook fame), received regulatory approval for their stablecoin this week. What are stablecoins and why does this matter? Should you invest in them? Let’s take a look. What Is a Stablecoin? A stablecoin is a cryptocurrency pegged to a more stable asset like gold or … Read more
The end of the summer means a couple of things aside from cooler weather. One of those things is the fall conference season in fintech. Are you going anywhere good? This time of year also means lots of news in the industry so I thought I’d review some of the news I found particularly interesting. … Read more
One of the best use cases for Bitcoin and cryptocurrency is its use as a ‘crisis’ currency. A crisis country with hyperinflation, like Venezuela, has a currency (the Bolivar VEF) that is a ‘softer’ form of money than harder forms of money like fixed supply cryptocurrencies. Gresham’s Law is an economic law that states that … Read more
2018 is a tough year to hold cryptocurrencies. Most are down more than 80% from the all-time highs of late 2017. It reminds me of the 2014 bear market that I bought into where Bitcoin dropped almost 80% after I bought my first one. If you still believe in the cryptocurrency you bought, then hold … Read more
Hong Kong-based Bitcoin exchange OKEx has a big problem. And this problem reminds us about exchanges. Whether decentralized or not, there is a potential risk with exchanges from the exchange itself, like when Bitfinex was hacked back in August of 2016 when 120,000 BTC were stolen. This is known as counterparty risk and we always have … Read more
The mantra in marketplace lending is to build, buy or partner. When people say this they are talking about fintech firms and banks and how they should work together. One side left out of this equation is fintech platforms getting into lending for their own customers like Amazon, Paypal, or EBay. All are or soon … Read more
Most people think if you want exposure to the cryptocurrency markets or blockchain, you have to buy Bitcoin or Litecoin or Ethereum, or all 3. While I would start there, this is not the only way to get exposure to these markets. The biggest thing that marketplace lending and the cryptocurrency world have in common, … Read more
A New Bank and Fintech Partnership The Litecoin Foundation, along with crypto payment processor and Litecoin partner TokenPay, acquire 9.9% each of German Bank WEG Bank AG. Let’s look at why and why this is a big deal. By way of disclosure, I’m long Litecoin (LTC) and bullish on it for the future. Over the last … Read more
Bitgive is a long-running Bitcoin-based charity since 2013. Brian Armstrong, Coinbase CEO (link down the right side if you want to use CB to buy or sell crypto) just announced his crypto-based charity fund GiveCrypto. The Pineapple Fund distributed millions in crypto to various charities. What does this have to do with a map of Puerto Rico? … Read more
Marketplace lenders are having a tough time getting a combination of consistent volume and good loan portfolio performance from business lending. Why is small business lending so difficult to master? Is it tougher to understand than consumer lending? Most people say yes. When I was at Lend360 in Dallas last fall, I heard a presentation from … Read more