Here at fintechinvestmentreviews.com, new and exciting ideas are our main interest, especially those who make for good investment opportunities.

Four-year-old California based company Activehours provides its users with a portion of their paycheck before the user receives it. The cash advance is available almost immediately after the user’s shift ends.

A great feature of this app is that users don’t have to pay any interest on their lending. Users are instead encouraged to leave a tip to the company that provides them with this service.

This new financial technology innovation sets payday lenders in its sights. Payday lenders often have almost extortionate rates of interest and this is where Activehours has a huge advantage. Another big advantage of the app is that it’s simple and completely controlled by the user.

Repeat funding for Activehours

Back in January 2017, Activehours raised $22 million in series A funding, and before that, the company raised $4.1 million in seed funding.

Fintechinvestmentreviews.com hears that Activehours has done it again, raising $39 million for its new take on cash advances. This latest boost in funding comes just nine months after its last cash injection.

Led by Andreessen Horowitz and the company’s early-stage investors, Matrix Partners, Ribbit Capital and March Capital Partners, Activehours has managed to raise nearly $65 million since the company’s launch in 2013.

Activehours is proving that people will pay the optional tip for lending money. The maximum lending amount is $100 and there is a 15% cap on tipping.

Giving consumers control

A big selling point of Activehours is that it puts the consumer in complete control of their lending, unlike more traditional payday lenders. Many times, the lender will tip an amount that is similar to payday lending rates, but because they choose exactly what they want to tip, the choice is theirs.

When we consider that Americans pay $32 billion in bank overdraft and non-sufficient funds fees or $9 billion in payday lending fees, it’s clear that the numbers add up for many people in need of a viable alternative to traditional lending.

It’s clear that Activehours offers a great alternative and will continue to expand with additional funding.

To get more investment reviews and news, visit fintechinvestmentreviews.com.

Fintechinvestmentreviews.com reports that in recent years, the public’s confidence in traditional banking has plummeted. Events like the financial crisis of 2008 and the mis-selling PPI have shaken the public’s faith in high street banks like Barclays, Lloyds and Halifax.

Even as the UK taxpayers’ money was being used to bail out some of the UK’s biggest banks, workers in the sector continued to enjoy increasing bonuses and salaries.

The UK’s discontent with this traditional way of banking has led to the fintech sector boom in challenger banks that offer alternatives to traditional banks.

What’s so different about challenger banks?

Challenger banks work much in the same way as traditional banks but are built completely on modern technology, rather than relying on the old way of doing things.

Because these kinds of banks use newer technology, they can provide more transparency than a traditional bank. They can also offer better interest rates, lower fees and better customer service. Like Starling bank, most of these banks don’t even have branches.

In the UK, these banks are growing in popularity as people lose interest and faith in legacy banks. Fintechinvestmentreviews.com reports that these banks are also taking root in North America.

Starling bank seeking further investment

Starling Bank is centred around a mobile app where everything is controlled. The company plans to raise $54 million (£40 million) to take their mobile app global. The bank doesn’t have a single branch and its customers manage their account themselves through the company’s app.

Starling offers numerous advantages to customers. They boast zero fees, even when using an account abroad. They offer overdrafts with low fees that put the user in control of how much they are lending at all times.

Whenever a customer uses their card, the transaction is displayed instantly in an informative and intuitive way. Starling even sends the user a notification when their card is used. This is a vast improvement on mobile banking apps provided by legacy banks like NatWest.

Starling supports ApplePay and AndroidPay, making paying for things much simpler and easier. Users don’t even need to have a card to access their account.

For more information on Starling and other exciting investment news, visit fintechinvestmentreviews.com.

London based fintech company Algomi has secured its third investment and collaboration in just six months. Despite reporting an overall loss in 2016, Algomi has a bright future with their three most recent collaborations.

Collaboration: S&P Global

The latest Algomi investment comes from S&P Global. S&P Global turn vast fields of data into actionable insights for governments, companies and individuals. The company has an astounding 135 billion data points that it harvests data from.

S&P Global and Algomi plan to share software technology and data to improve both of their businesses. For Algomi, it’s beneficial to have access to these vast data connections and S&P Global will have access to Algomi’s technology to power new and exciting software.

Marketing ALFA: AllianceBernstein

Back in May, AllianceBernstein chose Algomi to be the sole marketer of their ALFA technology, adding to Algomi’s software catalogue.

ALFA was developed by AllianceBernstein as an in-house liquidity tool. It provides the user with cross-market information on liquidity and trade intent to give the buy-side trader a real-time view of the entire market on one screen.

AB chose Algomi after a long search process and Algomi’s focus as a provider of data technology solutions was a key factor in AB’s choice in Algomi investment.

Stu Taylor, Algomi CEO said, “The buy-side community has to navigate an increasing variety of liquidity channels, yet preserve their trading and data integrity. They must remain instantly and continuously aware of relevant trading opportunities in the market to achieve Best Execution”.

Technology: Openfin partnership

In April, Algomi announced their partnership with Openfin. With this investment, Algomi acquired the usage of HTML5 format, allowing the company to roll out updates rapidly.

The speed in which a financial technology company can evolve and respond to customers’ needs is at the heart of what they do, and this switch to a faster format helps Algomi do this.

Openfin will be used to deploy Algomi’s Synchronicity software for the sell-side and their Honeycomb network solution for the buy-side.

With this switch to Openfin, Algomi will be able to keep on top of the ever-changing world of fixed income trading.

Algomi has been securing investments and partnerships steadily since the company’s launch in 2012. In the last six months, the company has secured three partnerships, with significant investment. Algomi will be working with Openfin, AllianceBernstein and S&P Global.

The latest collaboration came from S&P Global along with an investment. Algomi will have a long-term commercial relationship with S&P Global that will result in product and data collaboration.

S&P Global’s investment bought them a minority stake in Algomi and a seat on the board of directors. S&P Global will use Algomi’s bond trading technology to push into new markets.

Collaboration and diversification

Partnerships like the ones that Algomi has been entering benefit both parties. The larger, well-established companies are seeking to diversify their businesses to gain some stability.

Events like the 2008 financial crisis have shaken up the financial world and companies now know that collaboration between cutting-edge financial technology companies and well-established financial institutions can be the way to stability.

Strategic investments like S&P Global’s in Algomi makes even moresense because they can improve their own businesses by utilising each other’s data and in the case of Algomi, software.

Algomi’s cutting edge technology

Algomi started life in 2012 as a software company that develops cutting-edge technology for fixed income traders. The company was founded by former UBS bankers and now has offices in London, New York and Hong Kong.

Their range of programs helps both buy-side and sell-side traders make better-informed decisions. They do this by harnessing artificial intelligence to analyse and interpret vast data sets.

Once analysed, this data is presented in an intuitive way to help the trader increase their pool of liquidity or make better trading decisions.

Commenting on their recent partnership, Douglas L. Peterson, President and CEO of S&P Global, said: “We think very highly of Algomi and are excited about the opportunity to bring our data, technologies and deep analytics into additional market segments. By partnering with Algomi, we will further leverage the power of big data and artificial intelligence to create even more opportunities to deliver value to our and Algomi’s customers.”

There are sure to be more companies seeking Algomi investment, so keep an eye on Algomi.

Fintechinvestmentreviews.com reports that NOW Money has secured a $700,000 investment from two US venture capital investors. The fintech start-up provides a banking service for the UAE’s underserved low-income migrant population.

There are many fintech start-ups that have good intentions. Here at fintechinvestmentreviews.com, Juvo was the subject of a recent blog. Juvo is a credit-building service that aims to create a platform for underserved parts of the population of the world to build a credit rating that could lead to life-changing financial services. Juvo does this by making deals with pre-paid mobile phone providers. When a member makes a top-up, they gain a little credit.

This is further evidence that fintech is changing the world for the better and improving people’s quality of life for ever, while creating new and exciting investment opportunities.

What does NOW Money do?

Founded in 2015, NOW Money is the first financial technology innovation in the Gulf region to use mobile banking technology to provide private banking accounts. These accounts provide financial inclusion and a range of low-cost remittance options to the population of low-income migrant workers in the UAE.

The company’s aim is to provide banking solutions for everyone. The key to providing these services is making them affordable to even low-income workers.

The company’s team is driven by financial inclusion and social responsibility within the corporate world. The company’s views align with the UAE’s vision to improve their employee’s welfare, especially when considering low-income migrant workers.

NOW Money: a good investment opportunity?

Fintechinvestmentreviews.com focuses on investment opportunities. So, how does NOW Money fare as such?

Since its foundation in 2015, NOW Money’s user base has grown to over 4000. Thanks to their new funding from venture capital investors, Newid Capital and Accion Venture Lab, the company expects a large amount of growth.

“We’re incredibly pleased to have secured funding from the USA,” said Katharine Budd, the company’s co-founder.“Financial exclusion is a global problem, and we can’t wait to work alongside Accion Venture Lab and Newid Capital, who work tirelessly to eradicate the issue.”

According to NOW Money’s other co-founder Ian Dillon, NOW Money is the first early stage investment from USA venture capital firms into the middle east.

Fintechinvestmentreviews.com reports that MaxMyWealth has been given a cash injection by UK-based investors. The reports say that just two UK investors have acquired a significant minority stake in Heathwalk Advisors, which owns fintech platform MaxMyWealth. The exact amount of capital invested is undisclosed.

The company is based in London and India and the deal creates structured investments across the two locations. The investors are Global Advisors (Jersey) Ltd, which is an alternate asset management firm and leading investor in the blockchain ecosystem, and Horseferry, which is a diversified investment firm.

What is MaxMyWealth?

MaxMyWealth is an application launched in India in February this year. The idea for the website was to create a savings and investment application that selects the most profitable mutual funds by using proprietary research that is obtained by teams in India and the UK.

This would provide investors with well-informed saving and investing options, producing more return on investments.

Fintechinvestmentreviews.com hears that the application provides useful features such as:

• Projected wealth views, giving investors an idea on the return of their investment;
• Interactive graphs, giving investors clear and well-organised information to make better decisions;
• Goal tracking and forecasts, to see progress of investments;
• Intelligent withdrawal, bringing the ability to make efficient steps to manage investments;
• Tax loss harvesting, to give a clear view of taxation.

A great feature of MaxMyWealth is that the system is connected to automated teller machines (ATMs) and point of sale (POS) transactions via a visa card, so users can withdraw or access their money through ATM transactions or POS transactions.

MaxMyWealth: a good investmentopportunity?

As the big players in the finance industry have shown, investing in an area of financial technology that directly affects the sector they operate in can be a very profitable investment. It’s the same idea with MaxMyWealth. The investors in this company aren’t just expecting a return on their investment, they need this service for their own investments.

MaxMyWealth founder Vinay Chauhan is an investment professional and has seen the need for an application such as this. The investors in this company are also investment professionals and see the need for MaxMyWealth.

Stay tuned to fintechinvestmentreviews.com for more exciting investment opportunities and reviews.

In today’s turbulent economic climate, diversification is key to maintaining success. Euronext, the pan-European stock exchange is a prime example of a well-established market incumbent looking to diversify and doing so with Algomi investment.

Recently, Euronext has been on an acquisition spree, snapping up fintechs that could be useful to them and ventures that could leave them with a healthy profit. Euronext invested $10 million recently in Algomi, buying themselves a 10-year development plan and a seat on the board of directors over at Algomi.

Euronext very intelligently invested in a business that could impact their own line of work dramatically, with Algomi developing software that allows traders to make more viable and well-informed decisions.

Revolutionising trading: what Algomi does best

Algomi started out in London in 2012 and have won numerous prizes for innovative and exciting products. Euronext’s plan with Algomi is to develop a trading platform that improves liquidity in pan-European corporate bond trading.

This platform is to be launched this year, with further view to roll out a new network of fixed income venues globally, with Euronext breaking into the North American market for the first time.

Stu Taylor, co-founder and chief executive of Algomi, said: “Partnering with an established exchange to provide fixed income traders with a single resource for price discovery, trade execution and settlement on illiquid bonds is a major part of our mission to unlock liquidity.”

Away from Euronext, Algomi offers a range of products for different types of traders. A lot of Algomi’s efficiency comes from its whole network of programs, including buy-side traders and sell-side traders. Each program links to the other, sharing data completely anonymously, to the advantage of the data consumers.

Algomi investment in the future

Euronext is set to expand its 10-year licence with Algomi, securing the company’s future for years to come.

Algomi has been in many journalists fintech top 50 lists for years, marking it as one of the most innovative and exciting companies in the financial technology sector.

Check back here at fintechinvestmentreviews.com to keep up to date on Algomi’s new ventures and investment opportunities.

Recent news of AllianceBernstein’s trade with software provider Algomi is just the latest in Algomi’s history of partnerships and teamwork between existing market incumbents and financial technology start-ups.

According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), these kind of partnerships and joint ventures between well-established market infrastructure and fintech companies is the key to gaining shares and for big banks, securing their monopoly on the financial industry.

The report by the WEF states that brand new market platforms introduced by fintech companies don’t typically challenge the giants in the finance industry. The report suggests that partnerships and collaboration between the newcomers and the well-established institutions is the most successful path to growth for both parties.

Rapid innovation allowed by fintech companies

Companies who have paid for Algomi investment have opened the doors to allow rapid innovation. The co-author of the WEF report said in a statement: “Fintechs have changed the basis of competition in financial services, but not the competitive landscape. Fintechs now define the tempo and direction of innovation in financial services, but high customer switching costs and the rapid response of incumbents has challenged their ability to scale”.

In the early days when early fintechs influence started to grow, financial institutions were reluctant to embrace the new technologies. This is because they felt a threat to their monopoly, but the real success stories came when they started to work together.

When we look at the larger picture, financial technology companies haven´t challenged any established financial institutions, but their partnerships have had a huge impact on the financial industry and how people work within the industry.

Algomi investment: a success story

Algomi is a success story in the fintech world. Back in March, Algomi received its biggest investment: $10 million from pan-European exchange Euronext.

This deal involves a 10-year plan which involves developing relationships with regional exchanges to establish an automated trading system in North America – Euronext’s first foray outside of the Euro zone. As a part of the deal, Euronext gained a minority share in Algomi and a seat on the board of directors at the London-based start-up.

For more exciting news on Algomi and other reviews, check back regularly.

News from fintechinvestmentreviews.com: the firm Juvo is fostering the creation of mobile identities for everyone and recently have scored a $40 million injection in new funding through a series B investment run. Most companies that deal with big data harness it to gain an advantage over their rivals, but Juvo harnesses the power of big data to bring financial inclusion to those who may have been left out of the system.

Juvo creates credit identities for people who have been financially excluded. It does this by implementing the use of prepaid mobile phone cards. When the individual adds minutes onto the prepaid phone card, they build credit.

Steve Polsky, Juvo´s CEO says: “We see an incredible opportunity to walk hundreds of millions of people along the path to financial services, starting with their everyday interactions with their mobile phones”

A global solution for building credit ratings

Fintechinvestmentreviews.com hears that a large percentage of global mobile users are on prepaid plans. Many users will add minutes or texts to their plans when they run out, Juvo takes this information and builds it into a financial identity where they may not have been one before.

With the cash injection, Juvo plans to increase it´s reach around the globe. It already has over 500 million subscribers in 25 different countries.

“It has been an exciting ride to date, surrounded by passionate people who believe deeply in Juvo’s mission,” Juvo CEO Steve Polsky says. “This new funding will allow Juvo to expand and deepen our product offerings as well as continue to build the best in class teams in data science, financial services, and consumer mobile services.”

Juvo´s mission is truly worldwide and has good intentions for all of its users. Improving credit ratings all over the world for people who would usually not have the chance.

How it works

Put simply, Juvo teams up with mobile phone operators and financial institutions to help members of underserved communities to build their financial credit, believing that anyone can have good credit. Credit will allow the underserved population to gain access to deserved financial services. For more fintech investment reviews keep your eyes on fintechinvestmentreviews.com.

Fintechinvestmentreviews.com reports that Bread has raised $126 million in an effort to fund big online purchases. The idea behind Bread is about online shopping. When consumers buy products online, the most commonly used method of payment is the conventional credit card. If it´s a larger purchase, consumers will usually pay the debt off over time, being charged interest for using their credit card.

Bread aims to get consumers to ditch their credit cards for a loan that has a lower interest rate and more predictable monthly payments. Bread raised it´s capital after a series B funding round. The boost in capital will help Bread get more online retailers on board with their funding plan.

The company was founded in 2014 in New York with the aim of providing funding solutions for companies who wish to supply more financing options to it´s customers. The reason why people would want to invest in this technology is simple: if people can pay for things over time, they are more likely to buy more things and at a higher price.

Healthy competition in the marketplace

Fintechinvestmentreviews.com has seen that other companies are racing to provide similar services. Affirm, PayPal Credit, and Klarna are trying to offer finance on big-ticket items online. The difference with Bread is that they are trying to provide a more customisable finance option, dealing more directly with the brands, allowing them to use their own branding, rather than a third party. This is an effort to replace private-label credit cards that aim to build loyalty, such as Macy´s or Tiffany´s.

Bread co-founder and CEO Josh Abramowitz says “Private-label solutions were built for an earlier era. It’s quite striking that 20 years into the internet revolution so much of the core of banking has not yet changed.”

How it will work for retailers

The main aim with this technology is to give people a chance to make purchases and not have to deal with often expensive credit card rates. Retailers can choose their repayment parameters. They can set their interest rate from 0% to 29.99% and repayment times from 3 months to 48 months.

For more news and reviews on exciting new fintech companies, stay tuned to fintechinvestmentreviews.com.