Karsten Wenzlaff, Advisor
August 26th, 2025
Competition | Nov 15, 2024

Image AI
The European Commission announced a whopping €798 million fine against Meta (formerly Facebook) after regulators found that Meta used unfair tactics by automatically linking Facebook Marketplace to its social network giving it an advantage over competitors in the online classified ads market. This is the largest antitrust fine Meta has faced in Europe (although it pales in comparison to its recent $14 billion data privacy settlement in Texas).
The decision reflects a growing scrutiny of big tech's influence in digital markets, and part of a larger EU effort to hold giant tech firms accountable for their market practices. Other firms like Google and Apple have faced similar antitrust actions in the past. Google recently turned over their $1.7 billion EU competition fine.
Margrethe Vestager, EU Competition Chief:
“Dominance isn’t illegal, but dominant companies must not abuse their power to harm competition.”
Meta disagreed with the EU’s decision and to fine it €798 million. The company says Facebook Marketplace was designed to make it easier for people to buy and sell, meeting user needs. Meta's post argues that the ruling ignores how strong the competition is in Europe's online marketplaces and unfairly protects older companies from newer ones like Marketplace. They also said there's no proof that its actions harmed consumers or competing businesses, and plans to appeal the decision.
The decision highlights the EU’s commitment to protecting consumers and smaller competitors in the digital economy.
The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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AI Innovation | Nov 15, 2024

Image: Freepik
As reported by Bloomberg, OpenAI is getting ready to introduce its latest big innovation called "Operator", an AI tool designed to change the way people and businesses handle their daily tasks. A research preview is set for January 2025 and while today's AI tools help with simpler tasks, Operator promises greater independence, smarter understanding of context, and the ability to manage multi-step workflows that will boost productivity, saving time and money.
You may be thinking can't AI applications already do much of what's promised with an advanced AI task operator? What advancements will set it apart?
Operator will take care of complicated workflows without you having to guide it at every step. For example, if you need to plan a business trip, it will book flights, reserve hotels, arrange transportation, and even handle follow-ups for schedule changes all without extra input.
Imagine a trusted AI tech assistant that you can simply check in with occasionally to get progress updates or address urgent needs.
Operator can link data from different sources to complete a task without missing details or losing context. For example, if you need a presentation for a meeting, it will gather information from your emails, past reports, and market research and integrate data from multiple sources to create a polished draft.
Operator won't wait for you to tell it what to do as it can predict and execute what might help you next. With today's AI tools, they provide assistance but still leave final decisions to users. Operator is capable of making autonomous decisions based on preferences and past behaviours. A simple example of this could be if you're double-booked for meetings, Operator will suggest a reschedule. It will remind you of an upcoming deadline and offer to write the necessary documents in advance.
It’s not just for personal tasks. Operator is being designed to handle complex operations across an organization. So it can automate customer support workflows, analyze company enterprise data, or streamline team project management.
Operator adapts to your style and preferences, delivering help that feels personalized for you. This includes things like your communication style, and priorities over time so it can provide tailored assistance.
Taking corresponding to emails for example. If your style is short and visually engaging emails, then Operator will draft them that way for you over time as it learns.
OpenAI's Operator is not the only AI at the dance, of course.
Anthropic has introduced a new featured called 'computer use' that allows the AI agent to interact directly with computer desktop environments. This allows the agent to seamlessly manage files, run applications, and perform tasks that would traditionally be handled by human operators.
Google is also developing its own AI agent with plans for a December 2024 release. Details are limited currently but it signals Google's commitment to being at the forefront of AI technologies and in this case, AI-driven task automation.
Amazon is already using advanced AI automation in its warehouses to improve operational efficiencies. For example, its Sequoia system integrates AI, robotics, and computer vision to optimize inventory management. This level of AI task integration helps Amazon identify and store inventory 75% faster. Amazon also uses Proteus, its first fully autonomous mobile robot designed to navigate the warehouse safely, move large carts, and interact easily with human staff.
In a policy blueprint revealed on November 13, 2024 at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, OpenAI advocated for the U.S. ad its allies to work together on AI infrastructure to stay ahead of China, which would improve access to talent funding, and supply chains.
The plan suggested 'AI Economic Zones' to speed up licensing to develop related energy projects including nuclear-powered. OpenAI stressed that its vital for economic growth, security, and to ensure AI reflects democratic values.
As the launch of Operator and similar autonomous AI task agents with deep multi-step capabilities are conceived and released into the wild agentic web, there's a deja vu moment with some of the famous scenes right out of the Terminator movie. Yeah, the one where history's defining moments are chronicled that set the world on a new path forever. The origins of skynet.
The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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Funding | Nov 12, 2024

Image: Freepik/storyset
Alberta-based fintech and privately held company, Neo Financial has secured $360 million dollars Series D in its most recent funding round to support its growth in the digital banking sector in Canada.The funding round consisted of $112 million in equity and $250 million in debt. Received support from prominent Canadian tech personalities like Stewart Butterfield from Slack and Tobi Lütke from Shopify as well as a new large and undisclosed investor from China.
*UPDATE: per the Globe and Mail article on Nov 28, the mystery investor has been revealed to be Chinese tech giant, Tencent Holdings Ltd. who led the $112 million CAD ($80 million USD) equity investment at a big discount from its prior funding round.
Chinese technology giant Tencent Holdings Ltd. led a recent US$80-million ($112-million) equity investment in Neo Financial Technologies Inc., valuing the Calgary online financial upstart at a steep discount to its last financing.
This investment highlights Neo's attractiveness and ambitious expansion strategies but also raises questions about the implications of foreign ownership in the Canadian fintech industry. Noteworthy that Neo recently took the top spot on Deloitte's Technology Fast 50 of companies to watch with a remarkable growth rate of 81732%
KOHO raised $190 million CAD in Oct 2024, comprising $40 million in equity and $150 million in debt, led by PROPELR Growth with participation from Rockefeller Capital, Drive Capital, and TTV.
Legal tech firm Clio raised $900 million in Series F (July 2024) led by NEA, with participation from Goldman Sachs Asset Management and CapitalG, valuing Clio at $3 billion.
Brim Financial closed $85 million in Series C (April 2024) led by EDC Investments, with participation from Vistara Growth and other investors.
Not too long ago, Nesto raised $80 million CAD in Series C (Dec 2022) from IGM Financial, supporting the company’s Mortgage Cloud service expansion.
Neo’s success speaks to Canadian innovators attraction of foreign capital. Balancing international investment with local priorities will be important for the Canadian fintech industry to remain competitive while maintaining trust and sustainability in the sector.
The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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Fintech Partnership | Nov 11, 2024

Image courtesy of AI
Canada Post and KOHO, a Canadian fintech company, are teaming up to offer basic banking services across Canada. This aim of the partnership is to bring KOHO's chequing and savings accounts, prepaid Mastercard, mobile app access, and financial tools to more people, especially those in remote or underserved areas. According to recent data, 15% of Canadians are still underserved by traditional financial institutions.
Canada Post can use its network of over 6000 locations coast to coast to improve banking services to those who might struggle to reach a traditional bank. Other countries are seeing similar trends, as postal services look to provide financial options for those who need them most. The United States Postal Service (USPS) began a pilot project in 2021 offering limited check cashing services at some locations to help people who don't have access to a bank account.
Canada Post has been under financial pressure in recent years with rising operational costs and declining traditional 'snail mail' volumes because of the onslaught of digitalization. In Canada Post's 2023 annual report, they reported a pre-tax loss of $748 million up from $548 million the previous year. Back in 2021, Canada Post announced 'A Stronger Canada - Delivered' plan which focused on diversifying revenue streams to better serve Canadians which included expanding into financial services.
In 2021, Canada Post partnered with TD to launch a personal loan pilot called 'MyMoney' but it was soon paused due to 'processing times' and then officially closed down with the reason being attributed to 'misuse by consumers' attempting to exploit the new offering.
The postal network is trusted and offers a vast network of outlets across the country. For the 15% of Canadians who are underserved by traditional banking options, the KOHO partnership could be a key lifeline with modern financial tools to help them access and manage their money without relying on banking institutions. In a country as big as Canada where many communities are 'underserved' in some capacity, it simply makes great sense to combine financial technology with Canada Post's infrastructure for a win-win.
The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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Fintech Report | Nov 11, 2024

Image: Fintech's Vertical Integration Into Banks (SVB 2024 Future of Fintech report)
Fintech never sleeps. It's been constantly evolving since NCFA Canada launched over a decade ago. Last month, Silicon Valley Bank dropped a 24 page data filled PDF report with a comprehensive outlook of the latest drivers of change in "Future of Fintech 2024". As regulatory pressure increases combined with a tougher funding environment and game-changer AI on the rise, fintech firms have both new obstacles and also fresh opportunities. This article looks at the top 10 insights that capture how the fintech industry is changing so that fintechs and investors can adapt accordingly.
With tougher funding conditions, heightened regulatory scrutiny, and rising costs, fintech firms are focusing on partnerships and innovation to drive growth.
AI is already a powerful and widely used tool, helping companies streamline, cut costs and integrate fintech deeper into traditional banking. the current environment calls for a lean approach while aiming for sustainable growth and profitability.
The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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