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A lot of coin
Coinbase closed at $328 per share in its Nasdaq debut Wednesday, or a market cap of about $86 billion. The listing was considered a landmark for cryptocurrency, which has been rallying for the past few months and attracting high-profile investors.
The rise of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies has often been marked by criticism from figures in traditional financial services, most notably JPMorgan CEO
Coinbase did not use the traditional IPO process, instead listing its stock directly, allowing staff and shareholders to sell shares immediately. Other technology firms have also used IPO alternatives such as special purpose acquisition companies (
Bigger footprint
MoneyGram has partnered with U.S.-based P2P and B2B payment company Sigue, allowing Sigue to access MoneyGram's international receivers network and reach a larger base.
Adding Sigue is a win for MoneyGram's "as a service" business line, which is designed to expand processing scale by allowing third parties to access MoneyGram's network via an API.
Like its rival Western Union,
Do feed the animals
The Zoological Society of London and SumUp are testing cashless donations at the ZSL London Zoo, part of a broader trend to add digital options for donations where losing cash can cut into volume.
Contactless terminals will be placed around the zoo, offering detailed options to match donations to feeding animals, such as a £5 donation to feed five of the zoo's penguins, or £10 to help the zoo's conservation efforts to protect lions and other animals globally.
The devices will also have antimicrobial screen covers and access to hand sanitizer. SumUp has collaborated with other firms to digitize donation payments, including a partnership with the PayPal-owned
What they want
Central bank digital currencies are in the early stage, with most of the focus on how the coins will work. The European Central Bank is also taking the public's temperature.
The ECB received more than 8,200 replies to a survey, and found 43% said privacy was the most important feature of a digital euro, reports
The EU, which expects to debut the digital euro in the next four years, is attempting to address privacy, a major attraction for cryptocurrencies. The
From the web
TECHCRUNCH | Thursday, April 15, 2021
The company announced today it has closed a $2.2 million seed round, co-led by former Tableau executive and ClearGraph chief executive officer Andrew Vigneault, Unpopular Ventures and DV Collective. Other participants included JG Digital Equity Ventures (JGDEV), Amino Capital, Canaan Partners Scout Fund and Ignite Impact Fund.
REUTERS | Thursday, April 15, 2021
Brazilian e-commerce solutions platform Olist has raised $23 million in fresh investment from Goldman Sachs and venture capital firm Redpoint eventures in its most recent round of funding, the SoftBank-backed company said on Thursday.
TECHCRUNCH | Thursday, April 15, 2021
Flipkart said on Thursday it has agreed to acquire online travel and hotel ticketing firm Cleartrip as the Walmart-owned e-commerce firm looks to expand its offerings in the world’s second largest internet market.
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The growth in e-commerce has opened new avenues for crooks, with better tech, compliance and educated consumers needed, says Ecommpay's Paul Marcantonio.
The fintechs Nymbus and Segmint teamed up to translate the gibberish on bank statements into actionable data.
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Taco Bell is opening its first digital-only restaurant in Times Square on Wednesday. The location will replace traditional menus with self-serve kiosks and feature order-ahead pickup cubbies, allowing customers to walk in, grab their food and go.
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Top executives from the 49 companies that earned a spot in this year's ranking of the Best Fintechs to Work For cite the need for nimble shifts in business strategy, leadership style and recruiting tactics among the lessons they took away from the challenges of the coronavirus crisis.
