Paul Schulte, Advisor, Banking and Financial Services
August 22nd, 2019
Paul Schulte is the Founder and Managing Editor of Shulte Research based in Singapore. Paul's roles[...]
Category Archives: Hack or Fraud Alert
Fintech Canada Directory Category: Security | Identity | Regtech
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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, 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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Did a family’s Desjardins data make it into the hands of this ‘prolific’ Toronto fraudster?
CBC News | | Dec 2, 2019
As Quebec police continue to investigate the massive Desjardins security breach, one family who banks with the credit union is wondering whether their personal information may have made it into the hands of a Toronto woman that police have described as a "professional" and "prolific" fraudster.
Five members of one family near Kapuskasing, Ont., about 800 kilometres north of Toronto, have filed numerous police reports after someone took out thousands of dollars in loans, credit cards and purchased a car — all using the identity of a 26-year-old female family member.
"She's going to be stuck with this the rest of her life. She's going to have to monitor her credit for the rest of her life. She's even thought of changing her name. It's life-changing," said the woman's mother, speaking about the bills racked up in her daughter's name.
"We were wondering who can do that? What do they look like? How do they pass for her?"
The family has asked to not be identified, due to the privacy breaches they've already suffered and the fact no arrests have been made. They provided CBC News with dozens of documents outlining the apparent identity theft.
See: Capital One data breach shows why it shouldn’t be a tech company that does banking
The whole family banks with Desjardins and were notified in June that each of their personal information had been stolen as part of a data breach affecting all 4.2 million members of the Quebec-based credit union — considered to be one of the largest corporate data thefts in Canadian history.
That same month, a series of loans and purchases were made by someone using the daughter's identity.
Condo address as link?
The family reached out to CBC News after our investigation last month revealed that a Toronto woman named Deborah Oguntoyinbo is facing more than 50 fraud-related charges, allegedly involving the stolen identities of some 20 women.
She was previously living in a 22nd-floor condo unit at 50 Forest Manor Rd. in Toronto.
The northern Ontario family says they've learned that whoever stole their daughter's identity fraudulently purchased auto insurance in her name using the same Toronto condo address.
CBC has also since uncovered information that shows Oguntoyinbo rented the condo using an identity stolen from yet another woman.
Oguntoyinbo has been convicted of more than a dozen fraud-related charges and is currently facing more than 50 additional charges in Toronto, as well as in the nearby York, Peel and Halton regions.
See: Black Friday, data concerns, online sales: 5 killer stats
It's alleged she's stolen the identities of some 20 women, draining their bank accounts and leasing homes and cars in their names. In many cases, the alleged victims' credit ratings have been destroyed.
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Montreal Gazette | Frédéric Tomesco | Nov 1, 2019
The data breach at Canada’s largest financial co-operative keeps getting bigger (now 4.2 million)
All of Mouvement Desjardins’s individual members — 4.2 million people — have had their personal information compromised as a result of the actions of a single employee, who has since been fired, chief executive officer Guy Cormier said Friday. That’s about 56 per cent more than the total Desjardins first disclosed June 20.
With the Sûreté du Québec having shared its findings with Desjardins on Thursday, “it was important for me to inform our members as quickly as possible,” Cormier said Friday morning at a hastily called news conference in Montreal.
See: Canada’s “spare change” saving and investing app gets backing from National Bank and Desjardins Capital
“Today it feels like I’m repeating a movie,” he said. “This is not a new breach.”
Autorité des marchés financiers, the province’s financial markets regulator, said it was informed of the latest developments at the end of the day Thursday.
“This is a very serious situation that the AMF has kept a careful watch on from the outset,” the regulator said Friday in a statement. AMF “is staying in close contact with Desjardins in order to obtain all the necessary information regarding this new development.”
Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard went one step further, calling the incident “extremely serious.”
The provincial government “understands the concerns of the citizens, and we are acting,” he told reporters Friday afternoon in Quebec City. Still, he acknowledged, “we don’t know at this stage what proportion of the stolen data was sold.”
Girard, one of three ministers in the provincial government who are looking after the Desjardins file, said he’s preparing a bill of law to better regulate credit-rating agencies. Justice Minister Sonia LeBel, meanwhile, is working to improve the protection of personal data.
Cormier declined to give details on the police investigation, citing the sensitivity of the matter. As of now, only one suspect who worked at Desjardins is being linked to the breach, he said, without identifying the individual.
Reached by the Montreal Gazette, a spokesperson for the SQ declined to provide details of the investigation Friday.
In June, Desjardins said the names, dates of birth, social insurance numbers, addresses and phone numbers of about 2.7 million individual members were affected, plus 173,000 business customers.
Passwords, security questions and personal identification numbers weren’t compromised, Desjardins stressed at the time. It blamed the breach on an “unauthorized and illegal use of internal data” by the former employee.
Desjardins has seen no spike in fraud since the breach was disclosed, Cormier said Friday. Between 250 and 350 people have called the co-operative’s hotline every week to request information, he said.
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BCSC acts to protect customers of Einstein Exchange crypto-asset trading platform
BCSC | Nov 4, 2019
Vancouver – The British Columbia Securities Commission (BCSC) has taken action to protect customers of Einstein Exchange, a crypto-asset trading platform based in Vancouver.
On November 1, the BCSC applied to the Supreme Court of British Columbia for an order appointing an interim receiver to preserve and protect any assets of Einstein Exchange. The Court granted the application and appointed Grant Thornton Limited as interim receiver. Grant Thornton subsequently entered and secured the premises of Einstein Exchange on November 1.
Customers seeking information about the status of their accounts, Einstein Exchange and the receivership should email Einstein.Receivership@ca.gt.com or go to https://www.grantthornton.ca/service/advisory/creditor-updates/#Einstein-Exchange-Inc.
See: Another Canadian Crypto Exchange Under Fire
The materials filed in court noted that the BCSC had received numerous complaints about customers being unable to access their assets on Einstein Exchange, and on October 31 had been told by a lawyer representing the trading platform that it planned to shut down within 30 to 60 days due to a lack of profit.
The BCSC has not authorized any crypto-asset trading platforms to operate as an exchange. The BCSC, along with other Canadian securities regulators, continues to urge Canadians to exercise caution when buying or selling any crypto-assets due to various risks, including the loss of some or all of their investment.
See the original release --> here
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, 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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AMF announces its 2018-2019 Enforcement Report
AMF | Sylvain Théberge | Oct 30, 2019
MONTRÉAL, Oct. 30, 2019 /CNW Telbec/ - The Autorité des marchés financiers (the "AMF") today published its Enforcement Report relating to the regulation of the Québec financial sector for fiscal year 2018-2019.
This year's report, which is presented in a new, more visually dynamic and easy-to-read format, provides an overview of the past year's activities and results. It bears witness to the efforts made, particularly in developing technological tools, to achieve efficiencies and roll out an innovative and credible preventive and deterrent enforcement program.
"Our report reaffirms the importance of our teams' efforts in enforcing the laws relating to the regulation of Québec's financial sector in order to protect financial consumers at a time when the financial sector is changing in fundamental ways and presenting new challenges," said Louis Morisset, AMF President and CEO.
See: IIROC Announces Crypto-Asset Working Group Members
In addition to providing a statistical portrait of the AMF's enforcement activities of the past year, the report covers, among other things, targeted campaigns designed to protect the public against fraud, particularly in the crypto-asset sector. It also outlines measures taken by the AMF to more effectively detect non-compliance and presents some national and international initiatives that the AMF is involved in.
"Although the fast pace of fintech development is providing consumers with new options, it is also spawning new ways to engage in unethical, abusive and fraudulent practices that cross borders," said Jean-François Fortin, Executive Director, AMF Enforcement. "That is why we are focused on developing ever-more effective and efficient technological tools and collaborating with our regulatory partners so we can share our expertise and draw on best practices."
The Autorité des marchés financiers is the regulatory and oversight body for Québec's financial sector.
View: Original release
Download the AMF 2018-2019 Enforcement Report --> Now
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, 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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Cyberattacks now cost small companies $200,000 on average, putting many out of business
CNBC | Scott Steinberg | Oct 13, 2019
Key Points
- Forty-three percent of cyberattacks are aimed at small businesses, but only 14% are prepared to defend themselves, according to Accenture.
- These incidents now cost small businesses $200,000 on average, reveals insurance carrier Hiscox, with 60% of them going out of business within six months of being victimized.
- More than half of all small businesses suffered a breach within the last year.
- Today it’s critical for small businesses to adopt strategies for fighting cyberthreats.
In an age of ongoing digital transformation, cybercrime has quickly become today’s fastest-growing form of criminal activity. Equally worrying for modern executives, it’s also set to cost businesses $5.2 trillion worldwide within five years, according to Accenture.
With 43% of online attacks now aimed at small businesses, a favorite target of high-tech villains, yet only 14% prepared to defend themselves, owners increasingly need to start making high-tech security a top priority, according to network security leaders.
See: The growing cost of cybersecurity
“Modern IT infrastructures are more complex and sophisticated than ever, and the amount of virtual ground that we’ve got to safeguard has also grown exponentially,” explains Jesse Rothstein, CTO of online security provider ExtraHop. “From mobile to desktop interactions, cybercriminals can launch thousands of digital attacks designed to compromise your operations at every turn, only one of which ever needs to connect to cause serious disruption.”
As a result, he says, it’s guaranteed that virtually every modern organization’s high-tech perimeters will eventually be breached. This being the case, for small business owners, it’s no longer a matter of considering if security threats will arise, but rather thinking in terms of when.
Worse, the consequences of cyberattacks continue to grow, with digital incidents now costing small businesses $200,000 on average, according to insurance carrier Hiscox, and 60% going out of business within six months of being victimized. The frequency with which these attacks are happening is also increasing, with more than half of all small businesses having suffered a breach within the last year and 4 in 10 having experienced multiple incidents, reveals Hiscox.
At the same time, though, according to Keeper Security’s 2019 SMB Cyberthreat Study, 66% of senior decision-makers at small businesses still believe they’re unlikely to be targeted by online criminals. Similarly, 6 in 10 have no digital defense plan in place whatsoever, underscoring the need for heightened industry awareness and education across the board.
“Attackers are getting smarter, attacks are occurring faster, and incidents are becoming more complex,” cautions Justin Fier, director of cyberintelligence and analytics at cyberdefense firm Darktrace. “The latest cyberattacks speedily exploit vulnerabilities in computer networks — which [can be infected] like human immune systems, changing thousands of times per second — and can overtake even major networks in an hour and a half.”
—What’s more, given that digital threats tend to go an average of 101 days before being detected by business operators, the damage to an organization from such compromises can quickly add up.
Consider the case of humanitarian aid trip organizer Volunteer Voyages, a single-owner small business which suffered $14,000 in fraudulent charges after an online thief pilfered its debit card information, which the bank refused to reimburse. Or that of popular online food delivery startup DoorDash, which suffered a major data breach this past September, with hackers having accessed sensitive user data for over 4.9 million customers, resulting in tens of thousands in expenses. Likewise, government contractor Miracle Systems, which provides IT and engineering services to over 20 federal agencies, recently suffered losses of $500,000 to $1 million due to an internal server breach.
See: Cybercrime FinTech, Flare Systems, Raises $1M, Led by Luge Capital
However, considerable as they are, these charges do not factor in additional damage to intangible assets such as brand reputation and customer goodwill. Case in point: Miracle and its clients were later shocked to discover that their data was openly being advertised for sale by hackers on international cybercrime forums for a starting price of $60,000.
Ironically though, even with 480 new high-tech threats now introduced every minute, according to anti-virus provider McAfee, human error still remains one of the greatest threats to organizations’ well-being. With just 3 in 10 employees currently receiving annual cyber security training, it’s all too easy for enterprising con artists or e-mail scammers to circumvent even the most cutting-edge digital safeguards.
Noting this, the over 30.2 million small businesses in America now at risk of digital disruption are advised to adopt a comprehensive mix of both high- and low-tech strategies for combating cyber threats, including:
- Making daily backups and duplicates of data and files that can be retrieved in the event of system compromise or ransomware (malicious software that holds accounts/networks hostage until large sums of money are paid).
- Installing and regularly updating anti-virus, network firewall, and information encryption tools to scan for and counteract viruses and harmful programs; guard against incoming network or denial-of-service attacks; and keep sensitive information safe.
- Routinely monitoring and scanning any device that’s connected to a computer system or network, and prohibiting the use of removable media (e.g. USB drives) at work.
- Limiting employees’ access to only the files, folders, and applications that are required to perform routine on-the-job tasks.
- Providing regular, up-to-date training for staffers at least every 90 days on the latest online threats and trends in cybercrime.
- Engaging in teaching drills and exercises grounded in real-world everyday scenarios that test employees’ ability to detect scammers and respond appropriately to fraudulent requests.
See: 10 Key Issues For Fintech Startup Companies
- Instructing staff about the dangers of clicking on unsolicited email links and attachments, and the need to stay alert for warning signs of fraudulent emails (among the fastest-growing forms of “phishing,” a.k.a. online con artistry, today).
- Utilizing multifactor authentication (requiring multiple checks and approvals) before authorizing any major, uncommon, irregular, or allegedly time-sensitive requests.
- Conducting ongoing vulnerability testing and risk assessments on computer networks and applications to seek out and address possible points of failure before they arise.
- Implementing artificially-intelligent cyber analytics tools that can scan networks, user accounts, and applications to determine what passes for normal behavior, and auto-detect and immobilize suspicious activities before they spread.
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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, 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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Capital One data breach shows why it shouldn’t be a tech company that does banking
ComplianceX | The Compliance Exchange | Aug 8, 2019
Once upon a time, any financial institution entrusted with your money and sensitive information would be housed in an imposing building made of granite. Its vault, often visible from the lobby, was formidable. And its managers would always be prudent, conservative types. Think Fidelity Fiduciary Bank, the fictional institution in the Mary Poppins movies, whose chairman in the original film sang: “Invest your tuppence wisely in the bank, safe and sound, soon that tuppence, safely invested in the bank, will compound.”
The idea was to convey a sense of security so that people would feel good about depositing their hard-earned cash and storing their prized possessions in safe deposit boxes. It spilled over to investors who saw bank stocks as prudent, though hardly spectacular, investments.
Nowadays, though, banks can’t do enough to shed the dowdy images, perhaps none more so than Virginia-based Capital One Financial Corp. During an earnings report this year, CEO Richard Fairbank all but said that he did not view his bank as, well, a bank:
“What we’re doing at Capital One is building a technology company that does banking, instead of a bank that just uses technology.”
Which brings us to the company’s announcement that a lone hacker — allegedly a troubled 33-year-old woman in Seattle — had managed to penetrate its firewall to acquire sensitive data on more than 100 million card customers and applicants.
The sad truth is that many modern banks don’t much care about people’s private information. The same apparently goes for companies that work with banks. On the same day the Capital One breach was reported, credit rating agency Equifax agreed to pay $700 million to settle a 2017 data breach.
Institutions might say they do care, but what really matters is how fast they can digitize everything about their company and migrate it to the cloud. By doing this they increase their profit margins and rates of growth, and become Wall Street darlings.
It’s not hard to see the financial pressure on banks. Since the Great Recession, their stock performance has been so-so, while tech companies have done extremely well. Anything that they could do to function more like tech companies that do finance, rather than vise versa, could make them hot properties.
See:
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Open banking data tapped to speed up laundering checks
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Designing a data transformation that delivers value right from the start
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While Canada debates, others are commercializing our most valuable asset: data
Tech companies, however, are bad examples to follow. They collect data on people’s habits that allow advertisers, political operatives, hostile foreign powers and others to glean valuable insights. And banks hold even more sensitive information than do most tech outfits.
It’s one thing to be lax and self-interested with people’s web surfing histories or social media contacts. It’s quite another to be cavalier with account information, Social Security numbers and credit scores. These can be sold to people interested in taking out fraudulent loans, making fraudulent purchases and engaging in other forms of identity theft.
Continue to the full article --> here
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, 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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Hackers Steal $40.7 Million in Bitcoin From Crypto Exchange Binance
Coindesk | Nikhilesh De | May 7, 2019
Hackers stole more than 7,000 bitcoin from crypto exchange Binance, the world’s largest by volume, the startup reported Tuesday.
Binance announced that a “large scale security breach” was discovered earlier on May 7, finding that malicious actors were able to access user API keys, two-factor authentication codes and “potentially other info,” the exchange’s CEO, Changpeng Zhao, said in a letter. As a result, they were able to withdraw roughly $41 million in bitcoin from the exchange, according to a transaction published in the security notice.
The disclosure comes hours after Zhao tweeted that the exchange was undertaking “some unscheduled server maintenance,” writing that “funds are #safu.” After the disclosure announcement, Zhao tweeted that the exchange would “provide a more detailed update shortly.”
See: Binance Coin Burn Is Around The Corner – How The Coin Burn Works
The exchange may not yet have identified all impacted accounts, he said. And according to Binance’s statement, the breach only impacted Binance’s hot wallet, which contains roughly 2 percent of the exchange’s total bitcoin holdings.
“All of our other wallets are secure and unharmed,” he said, adding:
“The hackers had the patience to wait, and execute well-prepared actions through multiple seemingly independent accounts at the most opportune time. The transaction is structured in a way that passed our existing security checks. It was unfortunate that we were not able to block this withdrawal before it was executed.”
The withdrawal triggered internal alarms after it was executed, and Zhao said the exchange froze withdrawals following the discovery. While deposits and withdrawals will remain suspended for the next week, trading will be re-enabled, though he cautioned that “the hackers may still control certain user accounts.”
Binance will conduct “a thorough security review” encompassing its systems and data during the next week.
The exchange will use its Secure Asset Fund for Users (SAFU fund) to cover the loss, which won’t impact users, according to the notice.
See: FCA reveals findings from first cryptoassets consumer research
The fund consists of 10 percent of all trading fees absorbed by the exchange, and was initially launched to protect Binance’s users “in extreme cases,” according to a previous notice. It is stored in its own cold wallet.
“In this difficult time, we strive to maintain transparency and would be appreciative of your support,” Zhao said Tuesday.
Continue to the full article -->here
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, 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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Computerworld | Lucas Mearian | Dec 6, 2019 The investment bank's trust of blockchain is likely to spur confidence in the nascent technology. Investment bank HSBC Holdings is using a blockchain distributed ledger technology (DLT) to digitize transaction records of private investments, enabling clients globally to access the details of their assets online in near real-time. The London-based company, the seventh largest bank in the world, plans to move $20 billion in assets that include equity, debt and real estate onto its new Digital Vault blockchain, a shift away from its current use of paper records to respond to client search requests. "The Digital Vault is live in Asia and will be rolled out in the U.S. and Europe in the first quarter of 2020," an HSBC spokesperson said via email. By getting investors to interact with this data on the blockchain through decentralized applications (dApps) supported by friendly user interfaces, HSBC is helping build the on-ramps and infrastructure needed to take blockchain DLT mainstream, according to Avivah Litan, a Gartner vice president of research. See: The Decade in Blockchain — 2010 to 2020 in Review "Presumably, millions of potential investors and users will be on-ramped to blockchain interfaces and ...
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ConenSys | Dec 3, 2019 On January 3rd, 2009, in the wake of a global financial crisis that accelerated the growing chasm of inequality throughout world economies, a mysterious figure named Satoshi Nakamoto launched a virtual currency named Bitcoin that functioned atop what s/he called a ‘Proof of Work chain.’ In its ‘genesis block,’ Nakamoto permanently embedded a brief line of text into the data that signaled the inspiration behind the newfangled tech: “The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks.” It was a rallying cry for a better way. What proceeded over the next decade has been a stratospheric rollercoaster ride for cryptocurrencies and digital assets, alongside the early phases of a total reworking of economic and human systems atop a philosophy of decentralization and democratization of access to value. See: How Big Data and Blockchain are enhancing FinTech There have been inconceivable highs and corresponding lows in the ten plus years since Bitcoin’s genesis block, as development of blockchain technology and awareness of its potential marches ever forward. As this decade draws to a close, it’s an opportune moment to view ten years of blockchain development in retrospective. The technology has grown from a digital ...
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Collaborative Fund | Morgan Housel | Oct 16, 2019 An irony of studying history is that we often know exactly how a story ends, but have no idea where it began. Find something that’s important to you in 2019 – social, political, economic, whatever – and with a little effort you can trace the roots of its importance back to World War II. There are so few exceptions to this rule it’s astounding. But it’s not just astounding. It’s an example of something easy to overlook: If you don’t spend a little time understanding World War II’s causes and outcomes, you’re going to have a hard time understanding why the last 60 years have played out the way they have. You’ll struggle to understand how the biggest technologies got off the ground, and how the most important innovations are born from panic-induced necessity more than cozy visions. Or why household debt has risen the way it has. Which raises the question: What else is like World War II? What are the other Big Things – the great-grandparents – of important topics today that we need to study if we want to understand what’s happening in the world? The three big ...
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Of Dollars and Data | Nick Maggiulli | Dec 3, 2019 Psychological Tricks for Worry-Free Spending I want to teach you how to spend money. You may think that statement sounds ridiculous and say to yourself, “Nick, I don’t need help with spending money. I’m an expert at that!” But I’m not talking about how to spend money extravagantly. I’m talking about how to use your hard-earned cash in a worry-free way. There have been thousands of personal finance articles written on how to spend money. Some of these articles emphasize frugality and reducing your expenses, while others focus on growing your income so you don’t have to worry about expenses at all. But, the problem with many of these approaches is that they are based upon one thing—guilt. Between Suzie Orman telling you that buying coffee is equivalent to “peeing away $1 million” and Gary Vaynerchuk asking you whether you are working hard enough, mainstream financial advice is built upon sowing doubt around your decision-making. Should you buy that car? How about those fancy clothes? What about a daily latte? Guilt. Guilt. Guilt. This kind of advice forces you to constantly second guess yourself and creates anxiety around spending ...
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Cointelegraph | Anatol Hooper | Dec 5, 2019 Blockchain is transforming the financial industry right before our eyes, with many market onlookers anticipating a complete replacement of existing payment, trading and banking infrastructures. Blockchain and finance seem like the perfect match, but there are other sectors, for which the technology may play a game-changing role. For one particular industry, the latter adjective isn’t figurative at all, because blockchain can do just that – change the gaming market. This is a unique chance for investors, and it seems like they don’t want to miss it. During the last few years, the gaming industry has been pampered with several innovations at once – virtual reality (VR), augmented reality and artificial intelligence. But it is blockchain that can have the greatest contribution, bringing more transparency and trust to the gaming space. Investors don’t want to be simple observers and are jumping on the blockchain gaming bandwagon. For them, the technology has a disruptive potential that can be converted into profitable deals. Thus, they consider this emerging technology to be a breakthrough in the gaming industry. See: Podcast Ep27-Mar 1: Blockchain Gaming and Esports with Shidan Gouran Transforming gaming at all levels But how can ...
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Financial Post | Julius Melnitzer | Dec 5, 2019 Canadian banks have become 'incubators and accelerators' for tech talent, helping to get new innovations to market more quickly For all the buzz about the disruption that’s occurring in Canada’s financial services sector, the country ranks a lowly 23 among 27 countries in its market adoption of fintech. The information appears in an infographic prepared by Fortunly, an online knowledge base and financial product review-website. The charts examine the significant disruption that fintech solutions are causing in the world of finance, including mobile wallets, cash transaction systems, the rise of blockchain currencies and artificial intelligence. See: A major UK lender just launched a digital bank to compete with Monzo and Revolut | Interview with Bó CEO Which is not to say that Canada is standing still. The country’s market adoption rate of fintech stands at 50 per cent, not insignificant but still way behind China and India, leading the pack at 87 per cent. Rounding out the top 10 are Russia and South Africa, Colombia, Peru, Netherlands, Mexico, and Ireland and the United Kingdom. Canada’s adoption rate, however, is ahead of that in the United States, France and Japan. Globally, adoption ...
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Entrepreneur | Murray Newlands | Dec 3, 2019 You can raise a million, too. Here's how to be successful with equity crowdfunding. There's an art to raising money for a startup. I recently joined Commerce AI as Chief Strategy Officer, and my role has two main functions: fundraising and marketing. My goal in the first 30 days was to raise a million dollars from crowdfunding. This can be a viable goal for your company as well. Here’s how. Equity crowdfunding Under the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) act, there are a number of routes to crowdfunding. The starting point is a Form C round, which in essence means you can raise $1.07 million per year -- yes per year -- from non-accredited investors. This means anyone can invest over $250 at a time. This time we worked with accredited investors only but most people will start with a Form C round. Architecting a New World: Investment Crowdfunding and Digital Assets This model is like Kickstarter, but you give backers equity rather than a product. The equity can be a convertible note, a safe note or a fixed price round. If your goal is to raise more than $107,000, an independent CPA ...
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Novacap | Release | Dec 3, 2019 Novacap is the first private equity firm in Canada to launch a fund dedicated to financial services. MONTREAL, Dec. 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Novacap, one of Canada's leading private equity firms, announced the introduction of a new sector fund and its first closing. Novacap Financial Services I (the "Fund") gathered initial commitments of C$260 million, a strong start toward its target of C$500 million. A second group of institutional investors is expected to close in Q1 2020. Driven by strong demand from new and existing investors, the Fund will be managed by three seasoned executives: Marcel Larochelle, as Managing Partner, as well as Rajiv Bahl and Alain Miquelon as Senior Partners. With a dedicated investment team, they will fully leverage Novacap's infrastructure and apply Novacap's proven investment methodology. Novacap Financial Services I aims to invest in mid-market companies established in North America, with a focus on Canada, with strong growth potential. Four segments are of particular interest: 1-specialty insurance and distribution, 2-asset and wealth management, 3-alternative lending and 4-financial infrastructure. The Fund will make equity investments in order to support companies with their organic growth initiatives and to drive strategic acquisitions. See: Portag3 Ventures ...
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Brookings Institution | Dec 4, 2019 Facial recognition technology has raised many questions about privacy, surveillance, and bias. Algorithms can identify faces but do so in ways that threaten privacy and introduce biases. Already, several cities have called for limits on the use of facial recognition by local law enforcement officials. Now, a bipartisan bill introduced in the Senate proposes new guardrails for the use of facial recognition technology by federal law enforcement agencies. See: Smart Cities Offer Promises and Concerns Over Privacy On Thursday, December 5, the Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings will feature Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah), who introduced the bipartisan Facial Recognition Technology Warrant Act this past November. The discussion will focus on how placing procedural safeguards on facial recognition technology, such as requiring warrants and limiting the duration of surveillance, can alleviate concerns over security and privacy while encouraging innovation. Thursday, Dec 05, 2019 8:45 AM - 9:30 AM EST Brookings Institution Falk Auditorium 1775 Massachusetts Avenue N.W. Washington, DC 20036 More information on registering for the Webcast or attending --> here The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry ...
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Wealthsimple | Isabelle Kirkwood | Dec 2, 2019 Toronto-based FinTech startup Wealthsimple is separating its direct to consumer and Wealthsimple for Advisors businesses and will transition the advisor-focused offering to a new company, BetaKit has learned. “We’re currently focused on identifying the right partner to support your business on a future platform.” Wealthsimple for Advisors is the company’s automated management platform targeted toward financial planners, investment advisors, portfolio managers, and dealers. The company announced the news to separate the entities in an email obtained by BetaKit and sent to clients on Monday. Wealthsimple plans to announce the move on Tuesday morning. In a statement to BetaKit, the company noted that Wealthsimple for Advisors will transition in the coming months, and is currently looking for partners to support advisors on a new platform. See: Wealthsimple launching zero-commission trading platform “We are at a pivotal stage in our business where we have a very real, very unique, once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform financial services for Canadians,” said Michael Katchen, co-founder and CEO of Wealthsimple, in the statement to BetaKit. “To take full advantage of that opportunity, we need to be laser-focused on delivering transparent, accessible financial services to consumers, both directly and in ...
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Computerworld | Lucas Mearian | Dec 6, 2019 The investment bank's trust of blockchain is likely to spur confidence in the nascent technology. Investment bank HSBC Holdings is using a blockchain distributed ledger technology (DLT) to digitize transaction records of private investments, enabling clients globally to access the details of their assets online in near real-time. The London-based company, the seventh largest bank in the world, plans to move $20 billion in assets that include equity, debt and real estate onto its new Digital Vault blockchain, a shift away from its current use of paper records to respond to client search requests. "The Digital Vault is live in Asia and will be rolled out in the U.S. and Europe in the first quarter of 2020," an HSBC spokesperson said via email. By getting investors to interact with this data on the blockchain through decentralized applications (dApps) supported by friendly user interfaces, HSBC is helping build the on-ramps and infrastructure needed to take blockchain DLT mainstream, according to Avivah Litan, a Gartner vice president of research. See: The Decade in Blockchain — 2010 to 2020 in Review "Presumably, millions of potential investors and users will be on-ramped to blockchain interfaces and ...
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ConenSys | Dec 3, 2019 On January 3rd, 2009, in the wake of a global financial crisis that accelerated the growing chasm of inequality throughout world economies, a mysterious figure named Satoshi Nakamoto launched a virtual currency named Bitcoin that functioned atop what s/he called a ‘Proof of Work chain.’ In its ‘genesis block,’ Nakamoto permanently embedded a brief line of text into the data that signaled the inspiration behind the newfangled tech: “The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks.” It was a rallying cry for a better way. What proceeded over the next decade has been a stratospheric rollercoaster ride for cryptocurrencies and digital assets, alongside the early phases of a total reworking of economic and human systems atop a philosophy of decentralization and democratization of access to value. See: How Big Data and Blockchain are enhancing FinTech There have been inconceivable highs and corresponding lows in the ten plus years since Bitcoin’s genesis block, as development of blockchain technology and awareness of its potential marches ever forward. As this decade draws to a close, it’s an opportune moment to view ten years of blockchain development in retrospective. The technology has grown from a digital ...
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Collaborative Fund | Morgan Housel | Oct 16, 2019 An irony of studying history is that we often know exactly how a story ends, but have no idea where it began. Find something that’s important to you in 2019 – social, political, economic, whatever – and with a little effort you can trace the roots of its importance back to World War II. There are so few exceptions to this rule it’s astounding. But it’s not just astounding. It’s an example of something easy to overlook: If you don’t spend a little time understanding World War II’s causes and outcomes, you’re going to have a hard time understanding why the last 60 years have played out the way they have. You’ll struggle to understand how the biggest technologies got off the ground, and how the most important innovations are born from panic-induced necessity more than cozy visions. Or why household debt has risen the way it has. Which raises the question: What else is like World War II? What are the other Big Things – the great-grandparents – of important topics today that we need to study if we want to understand what’s happening in the world? The three big ...
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Of Dollars and Data | Nick Maggiulli | Dec 3, 2019 Psychological Tricks for Worry-Free Spending I want to teach you how to spend money. You may think that statement sounds ridiculous and say to yourself, “Nick, I don’t need help with spending money. I’m an expert at that!” But I’m not talking about how to spend money extravagantly. I’m talking about how to use your hard-earned cash in a worry-free way. There have been thousands of personal finance articles written on how to spend money. Some of these articles emphasize frugality and reducing your expenses, while others focus on growing your income so you don’t have to worry about expenses at all. But, the problem with many of these approaches is that they are based upon one thing—guilt. Between Suzie Orman telling you that buying coffee is equivalent to “peeing away $1 million” and Gary Vaynerchuk asking you whether you are working hard enough, mainstream financial advice is built upon sowing doubt around your decision-making. Should you buy that car? How about those fancy clothes? What about a daily latte? Guilt. Guilt. Guilt. This kind of advice forces you to constantly second guess yourself and creates anxiety around spending ...
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Cointelegraph | Anatol Hooper | Dec 5, 2019 Blockchain is transforming the financial industry right before our eyes, with many market onlookers anticipating a complete replacement of existing payment, trading and banking infrastructures. Blockchain and finance seem like the perfect match, but there are other sectors, for which the technology may play a game-changing role. For one particular industry, the latter adjective isn’t figurative at all, because blockchain can do just that – change the gaming market. This is a unique chance for investors, and it seems like they don’t want to miss it. During the last few years, the gaming industry has been pampered with several innovations at once – virtual reality (VR), augmented reality and artificial intelligence. But it is blockchain that can have the greatest contribution, bringing more transparency and trust to the gaming space. Investors don’t want to be simple observers and are jumping on the blockchain gaming bandwagon. For them, the technology has a disruptive potential that can be converted into profitable deals. Thus, they consider this emerging technology to be a breakthrough in the gaming industry. See: Podcast Ep27-Mar 1: Blockchain Gaming and Esports with Shidan Gouran Transforming gaming at all levels But how can ...
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Financial Post | Julius Melnitzer | Dec 5, 2019 Canadian banks have become 'incubators and accelerators' for tech talent, helping to get new innovations to market more quickly For all the buzz about the disruption that’s occurring in Canada’s financial services sector, the country ranks a lowly 23 among 27 countries in its market adoption of fintech. The information appears in an infographic prepared by Fortunly, an online knowledge base and financial product review-website. The charts examine the significant disruption that fintech solutions are causing in the world of finance, including mobile wallets, cash transaction systems, the rise of blockchain currencies and artificial intelligence. See: A major UK lender just launched a digital bank to compete with Monzo and Revolut | Interview with Bó CEO Which is not to say that Canada is standing still. The country’s market adoption rate of fintech stands at 50 per cent, not insignificant but still way behind China and India, leading the pack at 87 per cent. Rounding out the top 10 are Russia and South Africa, Colombia, Peru, Netherlands, Mexico, and Ireland and the United Kingdom. Canada’s adoption rate, however, is ahead of that in the United States, France and Japan. Globally, adoption ...
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Entrepreneur | Murray Newlands | Dec 3, 2019 You can raise a million, too. Here's how to be successful with equity crowdfunding. There's an art to raising money for a startup. I recently joined Commerce AI as Chief Strategy Officer, and my role has two main functions: fundraising and marketing. My goal in the first 30 days was to raise a million dollars from crowdfunding. This can be a viable goal for your company as well. Here’s how. Equity crowdfunding Under the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) act, there are a number of routes to crowdfunding. The starting point is a Form C round, which in essence means you can raise $1.07 million per year -- yes per year -- from non-accredited investors. This means anyone can invest over $250 at a time. This time we worked with accredited investors only but most people will start with a Form C round. Architecting a New World: Investment Crowdfunding and Digital Assets This model is like Kickstarter, but you give backers equity rather than a product. The equity can be a convertible note, a safe note or a fixed price round. If your goal is to raise more than $107,000, an independent CPA ...
Read More
Read More
Novacap | Release | Dec 3, 2019 Novacap is the first private equity firm in Canada to launch a fund dedicated to financial services. MONTREAL, Dec. 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Novacap, one of Canada's leading private equity firms, announced the introduction of a new sector fund and its first closing. Novacap Financial Services I (the "Fund") gathered initial commitments of C$260 million, a strong start toward its target of C$500 million. A second group of institutional investors is expected to close in Q1 2020. Driven by strong demand from new and existing investors, the Fund will be managed by three seasoned executives: Marcel Larochelle, as Managing Partner, as well as Rajiv Bahl and Alain Miquelon as Senior Partners. With a dedicated investment team, they will fully leverage Novacap's infrastructure and apply Novacap's proven investment methodology. Novacap Financial Services I aims to invest in mid-market companies established in North America, with a focus on Canada, with strong growth potential. Four segments are of particular interest: 1-specialty insurance and distribution, 2-asset and wealth management, 3-alternative lending and 4-financial infrastructure. The Fund will make equity investments in order to support companies with their organic growth initiatives and to drive strategic acquisitions. See: Portag3 Ventures ...
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Brookings Institution | Dec 4, 2019 Facial recognition technology has raised many questions about privacy, surveillance, and bias. Algorithms can identify faces but do so in ways that threaten privacy and introduce biases. Already, several cities have called for limits on the use of facial recognition by local law enforcement officials. Now, a bipartisan bill introduced in the Senate proposes new guardrails for the use of facial recognition technology by federal law enforcement agencies. See: Smart Cities Offer Promises and Concerns Over Privacy On Thursday, December 5, the Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings will feature Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah), who introduced the bipartisan Facial Recognition Technology Warrant Act this past November. The discussion will focus on how placing procedural safeguards on facial recognition technology, such as requiring warrants and limiting the duration of surveillance, can alleviate concerns over security and privacy while encouraging innovation. Thursday, Dec 05, 2019 8:45 AM - 9:30 AM EST Brookings Institution Falk Auditorium 1775 Massachusetts Avenue N.W. Washington, DC 20036 More information on registering for the Webcast or attending --> here The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry ...
Read More
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Wealthsimple | Isabelle Kirkwood | Dec 2, 2019 Toronto-based FinTech startup Wealthsimple is separating its direct to consumer and Wealthsimple for Advisors businesses and will transition the advisor-focused offering to a new company, BetaKit has learned. “We’re currently focused on identifying the right partner to support your business on a future platform.” Wealthsimple for Advisors is the company’s automated management platform targeted toward financial planners, investment advisors, portfolio managers, and dealers. The company announced the news to separate the entities in an email obtained by BetaKit and sent to clients on Monday. Wealthsimple plans to announce the move on Tuesday morning. In a statement to BetaKit, the company noted that Wealthsimple for Advisors will transition in the coming months, and is currently looking for partners to support advisors on a new platform. See: Wealthsimple launching zero-commission trading platform “We are at a pivotal stage in our business where we have a very real, very unique, once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform financial services for Canadians,” said Michael Katchen, co-founder and CEO of Wealthsimple, in the statement to BetaKit. “To take full advantage of that opportunity, we need to be laser-focused on delivering transparent, accessible financial services to consumers, both directly and in ...
Read More
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