Why Funding Circle Exited Spain
January 24, 2017
Funding Circle operates in the US, UK, Germany, and the Netherlands. Up until recently, they also counted Spain among its active European markets, but no longer. The timing is curious, right after the company raised $100 million through a round led by Accel, but upon a closer look, Spain was never really their thing to begin with.
“We inherited Spain following our acquisition of Zencap in 2015,” Funding Circle Samir Desai said. “We decided to pause new lending in June last year and we have now taken the formal decision to stop all new loans for the foreseeable future. We continue to invest in Europe in Germany and the Netherlands where we are growing fast, and expect to enter more countries in the future.”
Zencap was once said to be the fastest growing online lending marketplace in Continental Europe. In August 2015, Victory Park Capital had agreed to invest up to €230 million in loans originated by Zencap over a three year period. Funding Circle acquired them a mere two months after that, inheriting their operations in Germany, Spain and the Netherlands.
“Funding Circle will continue working on behalf of all investors to service the existing loan book,” the company said. “In total €16 million of loans have been completed in Spain, which is approximately 0.1% of cumulative global originations. Alternative roles in the company have been offered to the team and the company will retain part of the team to service the existing loans.”
Ryan Weeks of AltFi, wrote of the decision to exit Spain, that it was a combination of limited awareness around P2P lending there and low quality loan applicants.
With more resources at their disposal now to focus on Germany and the Netherlands, the company also announced two new senior appointments. Thorsten Seeger has joined as Managing Director for Germany and Belkacem Krimi has joined as Chief Risk Officer for Continental Europe. Thorsten Seeger joins from Lloyds Banking Group, where he was Head of Financial Markets for SMEs and was responsible for driving and delivering access to financial markets for small businesses. Belkacem joins from GE Capital and brings extensive experience in credit risk and operational risk management, developed over 17 years across multiple countries in Europe and Asia. In his last role, he was the CRO for GE Capital France, based out of Paris – managing risk for over $10Bn consumer and commercial assets.
Desai, of Funding Circle, said, “We’re delighted to welcome Thorsten and Belkacem to the team. Both are hugely talented and have extensive experience and understanding of small business lending across Europe.”
But for now, it’s Adios to Spain.
Fifth Third Partners with QED Investors to Advance Fintech Strategy
January 20, 2017
CINCINNATI–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Fifth Third Bancorp (Nasdaq: FITB) today announced an innovative partnership between Fifth Third Capital Holdings, LLC and leading financial technology (fintech) venture capital firm QED Investors. Under the exclusive partnership, QED Investors will advise on the continued development of Fifth Third’s strategy to leverage fintech innovation to bring new products and services to bank customers while promoting the growth of fintech companies in the U.S.
“There is an unprecedented amount of innovation emerging in all parts of the financial services ecosystem,” said Tim Spence, executive vice president and chief strategy officer for Fifth Third Bancorp. “Our partnership with QED should enable us to identify new, high-potential technologies to complement our internal R&D and innovation efforts.”
This partnership, in addition to prior fintech company investments such as GreenSky, Transactis and AvidXchange, supports Fifth Third’s NorthStar strategy of enhancing its products and serving its customers more effectively through technology. By delivering products and services that its customers can count on, Fifth Third can better help those customers achieve their financial goals.
“We are incredibly excited about partnering with Fifth Third, a bank that is at the vanguard of change in the fintech space,” said Frank Rotman, Co-Founder and Partner at QED Investors. “Fifth Third is a natural partner for QED, one that embraces innovation and shares many of our views about what the future will look like in the space. We are thrilled for what this unique partnership means for the future of fintech and financial services at large.”
Fifth Third Capital and QED Investors led ApplePie Capital’s Series B capital raise in the fourth quarter of 2016. Fifth Third Capital and QED are also investors in GreenSky and AvidXchange. Fifth Third Capital continues to seek strategic investments in Fintech companies in the US market.
About Fifth Third
Fifth Third Bancorp is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. As of Sept. 30, 2016, the Company had $143 billion in assets and operated 1,191 full-service Banking Centers, including 94 Bank Mart® locations, most open seven days a week, inside select grocery stores and 2,497 ATMs in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Tennessee, West Virginia, Georgia and North Carolina. Fifth Third operates four main businesses: Commercial Banking, Branch Banking, Consumer Lending, and Wealth & Asset Management. Fifth Third also has an 17.9% interest in Vantiv Holding, LLC. Fifth Third is among the largest money managers in the Midwest and, as of Sept. 30, 2016, had $314 billion in assets under care, of which it managed $27 billion for individuals, corporations and not-for-profit organizations. Investor information and press releases can be viewed at www.53.com. Fifth Third’s common stock is traded on the NASDAQ® Global Select Market under the symbol “FITB.”
About Fifth Third Capital
Fifth Third Capital Holdings, LLC is a subsidiary of Fifth Third Bancorp. Fifth Third Capital seeks to invest in strategically relevant companies that support innovation across Fifth Third’s lines of business, bringing new solutions to bank customers and creating value for shareholders. Established in 2010, Fifth Third Capital has made numerous equity investments spanning the full company life cycle, from early to mature stage.
About QED Investors
QED Investors is a leading boutique venture capital firm based in Alexandria, VA. QED was co-founded by Nigel Morris, who also co-founded Capital One. They are focused on investing in early stage, disruptive financial services companies in the U.S., U.K. and Latin America. QED is dedicated to building great businesses and uses a unique, hands-on approach that leverages their partners’ and principals’ decades of entrepreneurial and operational experience, helping their companies achieve breakthrough growth. Notable investments include Credit Karma, SoFi, Avant, Remitly, Fundera and LendUp. For more information, please visit www.qedinvestors.com.
Contacts
QED
Frank Rotman, 804-445-2232
or
Fifth Third
Sean Parker (Media), 513-534-6791
Sean.parker2@53.com
or
Sameer Gokhale (Investors), 513-534-2219
New Industry Group Established to Support Consumers’ Right to Access their Financial Data
January 19, 2017The Consumer Financial Data Rights (CFDR) group defends consumers’ access to their data and fuels new innovation in fintech
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Jan. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — The Consumer Financial Data Rights (CFDR), a new industry group formed by some of the most recognized companies in the financial sector, officially launched today in support of the consumers’ right to innovative products and services that improve their financial well-being and are powered by unfettered access to their financial data. As fintech companies increasingly collaborate with banks around the world to provide innovative solutions through open application program interfaces (APIs), this right ensures a consumer can continue to give permission to third party companies to use that individual’s data for managing their personal finances, obtaining loans, making payments, and providing investment advice in addition to many other applications.
The CFDR brings together organizations from across the fintech ecosystem and includes some of the most influential and innovative companies in the financial sector, including the following founding members: Affirm, Betterment, Digit, Envestnet | Yodlee, Kabbage, Personal Capital, Ripple, and Varo Money among many other companies.
Section 1033 of Dodd-Frank codified the consumers’ right to access their personal financial data through technology-powered third party platforms. Together with promoting consumer choice and access to these consumer-first financial health tools, the CFDR is also committed to improving dialogue throughout the financial industry, actively engaging the government and working with banks, fintech innovators, and third party platforms. The CFDR aims to be a resource for policymakers, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, as they determine how to best assist consumers in leveraging their own financial data.
“Each consumer’s right to their own financial data is vital in helping to understand their finances and make the best saving and spending decisions,” said Max Levchin, Founder and CEO of Affirm. “As a company we’re committed to helping customers make the best financial decisions and improve their financial lives through technology and improved flexibility, and having a complete picture of a customer’s financial picture is essential to achieving this. As a founding member of the CFDR, we’re committed to ensuring that all consumers have access to data which makes their financial lives better.”
“Consumers and small business owners need to be able to view their entire financial picture to make decisions that are truly in their best interests,” said Rob Frohwein, Co-Founder of Kabbage. “The ability to freely access financial data empowers customers to take actions to improve their financial lives, whether it’s accessing capital to grow a business or better understanding their income streams. Access to financial data is not just vital for customers wanting to enjoy financial health, but it also allows companies to provide better user experiences. Kabbage is thrilled to join other companies also committed to democratizing access to financial data.”
CFDR’s first action will be the submission of a joint comment letter in response to an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking on Enhanced Cyber Risk Management Standards issued by the Federal Reserve, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The submission will encourage the regulators to establish a risk hierarchy with regard to cybersecurity risk in the fintech industry and will note the importance of continuing to allow consumers to access secure tools that enable their financial well-being.
“Consumers have the right to access financial solutions that allow them to improve their financial well-being,” said Anil Arora, CEO of Envestnet | Yodlee. “The CFDR is committed to initiatives that enable fintech innovation in the United States, much of which has transpired globally including recent open API initiatives in Europe, the Open Banking standard in the UK, and the commitment by the Monetary Authority of Singapore to create an open API economy and promote the secure use of cloud environments. The consumers’ right to unfettered access to their financial data will help enable the continued growth of innovative financial technologies and ultimately help consumers improve their financial health.”
About Consumer Financial Data Rights (CFDR)
The Consumer Financial Data Rights (CFDR) is a new industry group formed by some of the most recognized companies in the financial sector, launched to support the consumers’ right to unfettered access to their financial data. Open data acess is critical to enabling innovative tools that can help consumers improve their financial lives. CFDR members seek to: drive financial innovation in a collaborative ecosystem by bridging the needs of consumers, banks, fintech innovators, and regulators; partner with banks to support unfettered access to consumer and small business data through a secure and open financial system; and promote consumer rights to access and share their financial data with third party companies that provide tools to enable better financial outcomes.
SOURCE Envestnet | Yodlee
WEX and OnDeck Announce Strategic Partnership to Offer Financing to WEX Small Business Customers
January 17, 2017
SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine–(BUSINESS WIRE)–WEX Inc. (NYSE: WEX), a leading provider of corporate and small business payment solutions, and OnDeck® (NYSE: ONDK), a leader in online lending for small business, announced a partnership in which WEX will offer business financing from OnDeck to its small business customers.
WEX is a global, multi-channel provider of corporate payment solutions representing more than 10 million vehicles and offering exceptional payment security and control across a wide spectrum of business sectors. The company and its subsidiaries employ more than 2,500 associates who provide services in the Americas, Europe, Australia, and Asia.
“Our partnership with OnDeck will be a huge benefit to our small to mid-sized business customers who will now have access to new sources of financing,” said Brian Fournier, vice president, fleet channel partner, WEX. “The strategic partnership will enable these customers to take advantage of OnDeck’s leading portfolio of products and services.”
“OnDeck is 100 percent focused on helping small businesses seize opportunities, such as hiring employees, funding marketing, or buying inventory,” said Jerome Hersey, vice president, OnDeck. “Our partnership with WEX, an innovator in the payments marketplace, will enable us to offer more small businesses an unparalleled set of choices to meet their financing needs.”
For more information about WEX’s small business offerings, please visit: http://www.wexinc.com/fleet/small-business/.
About WEX Inc.
WEX Inc. (NYSE: WEX) is a leading provider of corporate payment solutions. From its roots in fleet card payments beginning in 1983, WEX has expanded the scope of its business into a multi-channel provider of corporate payment solutions representing approximately 10 million vehicles and offering exceptional payment security and control across a wide spectrum of business sectors. WEX serves a global set of customers and partners through its operations around the world, with offices in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany, Norway and Singapore. WEX and its subsidiaries employ more than 2,500 associates. The company has been publicly traded since 2005, and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “WEX.” For more information, visit www.wexinc.com and follow WEX on Twitter at @WEXIncNews.
About OnDeck
OnDeck (NYSE: ONDK) is the leader in online small business lending. Since 2007, the Company has powered Main Street’s growth through advanced lending technology and a constant dedication to customer service. OnDeck’s proprietary credit scoring system – the OnDeck Score® – leverages advanced analytics, enabling OnDeck to make real-time lending decisions and deliver capital to small businesses in as little as 24 hours. OnDeck offers business owners a complete financing solution, including the online lending industry’s widest range of term loans and lines of credit. To date, the Company has deployed over $5 billion to more than 60,000 customers in 700 different industries across the United States, Canada and Australia. OnDeck has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and operates the educational small business financing website www.businessloans.com.
OnDeck, the OnDeck logo, OnDeck Score and OnDeck Marketplace are trademarks of On Deck Capital, Inc.
Contacts
WEX
Rob Gould, 207-523-7429
robert.gould@wexinc.com
or
OnDeck
Jim Larkin, 203-526-7457
jlarkin@ondeck.com
AI Sales Assistant Penetrating Alternative Finance Raises $34 Million in Series B Round
December 15, 2016
Wondering how your competition always seems to be so on top of their game? They might be using an artificially intelligent sales assistant. Such technology was reported on last month when AltFinanceDaily learned that it had penetrated the alternative business financing industry through at least one company named AI Assist. AI Assist is powered by Conversica, a Foster City, CA-based technology firm that announced it had raised $34 million in a Series B round on Wednesday led by Providence Strategic Growth Capital Partners L.L.C. More than 1,000 companies across technology, automotive, higher education, finance, insurance, real estate and hospitality are using Conversica.
“Conversica’s AI technology has helped IBM be smarter about engaging our prospective customers and maximizing their value as they move through our sales funnel,” Kevin Pollack, head of IBM’s Global Email Marketing Practice, is quoted as saying in a press release. “Not only have we freed up resources within the marketing team and gained immediate value in the form of qualified sales opportunities, we are also seeing how AI can help transform our entire business moving forward.”
For Roman Vinfield, who launched a merchant cash advance ISO in 2015, it changed his life. “I hadn’t heard anything like an artificial-intelligence sales assistant,” said Vinfield. “The results we got within a month of using it were unbelievable.” Within the first month, Vinfield made $35,000 in revenues by spending just $4,000 and he eventually reduced his staff of 24 to 4 people. He’s since launched AI Assist, the exclusive reseller of Conversica to the alternative finance industry.
“We’ve gone way beyond the theoretical,” Conversica CEO Alex Terry told Fortune. A demo given by Vinfield of AI Assist, demonstrated that its artificial intelligence can communicate with merchants over emails in a way that is indistinguishable from a human. According to Fortune, Terry said the sales assistant software has proven so effective for some customers that recruiters have even mistaken the software for a human and tried to make a hire. Other contacts have sent in thank-you notes and flowers, he added.
Conversica has raised more than $56 million since inception. Providence, who led the Series B round, also owns stakes in Hulu and the Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network (YES Network). Conversica’s technology is only available to this industry via AI Assist.
Fintech Startup BlueVine Raises $49 Million in Series D Funding
December 14, 2016- The company has provided more than $200M in financing to thousands of businesses
- In response to customer demand BlueVine is increasing credit lines to $2 million for invoice factoring and $100,000 for business lines of credit
- Company is expanding strategic relationships with partners like Intuit
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (December 14, 2016) BlueVine, a leading online provider of everyday financing to small businesses, announced today it has closed $49 million in funding. The Series D funding round was led by existing investors, including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Menlo Ventures, 83North, Citi Ventures, Rakuten FinTech Fund and Silicon Valley Bank.
Since launching in March 2014, BlueVine’s cloud-based financing solutions have helped thousands of small businesses obtain quick, easy access to the funds they need to purchase inventory, cover expenses and expand operations.
We are very proud of all we’ve accomplished in 2016 and excited to continue on our incredible growth trajectory, said Eyal Lifshitz, CEO and founder of BlueVine. BlueVine is delivering unprecedented ease and convenience to meet SMB owners¹ financing needs and help them achieve their goals.
This financing will support BlueVine’s rapid growth as it expands its team and range of offerings. BlueVine has already funded more than $200 million in working capital for SMBs and is on track to fund more than $500 million in working capital during 2017.
This team continues to push the pace of innovation to deliver best-in-class everyday financing products, said Yoni Cheifetz of Lightspeed Venture Partners. We are delighted to have supported BlueVine’s journey to date and thrilled to enable them to bring their vision to thousands more SMBs across the country.
BlueVine’s business line of credit has proven to be very popular with QuickBooks users, said Rania Succar, business leader of QuickBooks Financing. It fills a critical part of the QuickBooks Financing portfolio and allows us to extend credit to younger businesses. We are excited about expanding our partnership to serve even more QuickBooks SMBs with BlueVine’s business line of credit.
BlueVine also announced it has once again increased its maximum credit lines based on client demand:
- For invoice factoring the maximum credit limit has been increased from $250,000 to $2,000,000
- For the business line of credit the maximum credit limit has been increased from $50,000 to $100,000
BlueVine offers credit lines starting at $5,000 for a business line of credit and $20,000 for invoice factoring.
About BlueVine
BlueVine offers small businesses financing solutions to access the funds they need to purchase inventory, cover expenses or expand operations. BlueVine was the first factoring company to develop a fully online, cloud-based platform for invoice factoring, enabling rapid advances on outstanding invoices due in 7-90 days and bringing a 4,000-year-old industry into the digital age. BlueVine also offers Flex Credit, an on-demand, revolving line of credit through the same online platform. With BlueVine, business owners can focus on growing their business instead of worrying about their bank account. BlueVine is funded by Lightspeed Venture Partners, Citi Ventures, 83North, Correlation Ventures, Menlo Ventures, Rakuten Fintech Fund and other private investors.
About Lightspeed Venture Partners
Lightspeed Venture Partners is an early stage venture capital firm focused on accelerating disruptive innovations and trends in the Enterprise and Consumer sectors. Over the past two decades, the Lightspeed team has backed hundreds of entrepreneurs and helped build more than 300 companies globally. The Firm currently manages over $4 billion of committed capital and invests in the U.S. and internationally, with investment professionals and advisors in Silicon Valley, Israel, India and China. www.lsvp.com
Press Contact
Amberly Asay
BlueVine Public Relations
801-461-9776
bluevine@methodcommunications.com
OnDeck Announces New $200 Million Revolving Credit Facility with Credit Suisse
December 9, 2016
NEW YORK, Dec. 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — OnDeck® (NYSE: ONDK), the leader in online lending for small business, announced today the closing of a $200 million asset-backed revolving debt facility with Credit Suisse.
In addition to its other funding sources, OnDeck may now obtain funding under the new credit facility with Credit Suisse, subject to customary borrowing conditions, by accessing $125 million of committed capacity and an additional $75 million of capacity available at the discretion of the lenders.
“OnDeck has emerged as a leading provider of growth capital to small businesses around the country,” said Jon-Claude Zucconi, Managing Director, Credit Suisse. “The team’s innovative vision and commitment to financing is vital to expansion and growth in the small business community.”
Under the facility, loans will be made to Prime OnDeck Receivable Trust II, LLC, or PORT II, a wholly-owned subsidiary of OnDeck, to finance PORT II’s purchase of small business loans from OnDeck. The revolving pool of small business loans purchased by PORT II serves as collateral under the facility. OnDeck is acting as the servicer for such small business loans. The Class A Loans under the facility were rated by DBRS, Inc.
OnDeck intends to initially use a portion of this facility, together with other available funds, to optionally prepay in full without penalty or premium, the existing $100 million Prime OnDeck Receivable Trust, LLC facility which was scheduled to expire in June 2017. As a result, OnDeck will benefit from obtaining additional funding capacity through December 2018.
“This transaction marks a continuation of our financing strategy to diversify funding sources, extend debt maturities, and create additional funding capacity to pave the way for future loan growth,” said Howard Katzenberg, Chief Financial Officer, OnDeck. “We are pleased to have Credit Suisse, a leading global financial institution, support OnDeck in our mission to power the growth of small business through lending technology and innovation.”
About OnDeck
OnDeck (NYSE: ONDK) is the leader in online small business lending. Since 2007, the company has powered Main Street’s growth through advanced lending technology and a constant dedication to customer service. OnDeck’s proprietary credit scoring system – the OnDeck Score® – leverages advanced analytics, enabling OnDeck to make real-time lending decisions and deliver capital to small businesses in as little as 24 hours. OnDeck offers business owners a complete financing solution, including the online lending industry’s widest range of term loans and lines of credit. To date, the company has deployed over $5 billion to more than 60,000 customers in 700 different industries across the United States, Canada, and Australia. OnDeck has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and operates the educational small business financing website BusinessLoans.com.
For more information, please visit www.ondeck.com.
About Credit Ratings
Credit ratings are opinions of the relevant rating agency. They are not facts and are not opinions of OnDeck. They are not recommendations to purchase, sell or hold any securities and can be changed or withdrawn at any time.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other legal authority. Forward-looking statements include statements about the intended use of proceeds from the new facility and expected optional repayment in full of the existing facility, the extension of debt maturities and the availability of additional funding capacity, all of which are dependent upon compliance with the borrowing and other conditions of the new facility, as well as information concerning OnDeck’s business plans and objectives and financing plans including future loan growth. Forward-looking statements can also be identified by words such as “will,” “enables,” “expects”, “may,” “allows,” “continues,” “believes,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “estimates” or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. They are based only on OnDeck’s current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of its business, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Moreover, OnDeck does not assume responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of forward-looking statements. As such, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, changes in circumstances, known and unknown risks and other factors that are difficult to predict and in many cases outside OnDeck’s control.
As a result, you should not rely on any forward-looking statements. OnDeck’s expected results may not be achieved, and actual results may differ materially from OnDeck’s expectations. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ from OnDeck’s forward-looking statements are the risks that OnDeck may not be able to manage its anticipated or actual growth effectively, that its credit models do not adequately identify potential risks, and other risks, including those under the heading “Risk Factors” in OnDeck’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2016 and in other documents that OnDeck files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, from time to time which are available on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. OnDeck undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements for any reason after the date of this press release to conform these statements to actual results or to changes in OnDeck’s expectations, except as required by law.
OnDeck, the OnDeck logo and OnDeck Score are trademarks of On Deck Capital, Inc.
Logo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150812/257781LOGO
SOURCE On Deck Capital, Inc.
SBA ‘SmackDown’ In Linda McMahon, As Pick for Administrator Brings More WWE to Small Business Funding
December 8, 2016
President-Elect Trump’s pick to head the Small Business Administration is Linda McMahon, the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). The publicly-traded company has produced many household names over the years, from The Undertaker to Bret “The Hitman” Hart to The Rock.
In a public announcement, Trump said “Linda has a tremendous background and is widely recognized as one of the country’s top female executives advising businesses around the globe. She helped grow WWE from a modest 13-person operation to a publicly traded global enterprise with more than 800 employees in offices worldwide.”
If confirmed by the Senate, McMahon will succeed Maria Contreras-Sweet, who has held the position since 2014 and has had a pretty open attitude about online lenders. The former WWE exec taking her place might find even more common ground with the non-bank finance community given that Bret the Hitman Hart is the official spokesperson for a merchant cash advance company.
Sharpshooter Funding in Canada, which heavily features Hart in their marketing campaigns, is affiliated with First Down Funding, a US-company that also does small business funding. A joint-company press release from earlier this year quotes Hart as saying, “When you sit down and listen to the whole format and how it provides money to much needed businesses and small business owners that need financial support and extra funding. It’s a worthwhile endeavor, and I’m actually very grateful that Paul Pitcher involved me with it so far.”
Meanwhile, McMahon says she is up to the task. “Our small businesses are the largest source of job creation in our country,” she said in an announcement. “I am honored to join the incredibly impressive economic team that President-elect Trump has assembled to ensure that we promote our country’s small businesses and help them grow and thrive.”
LendingMania might be just around the corner in 2017.
