Venture capital

Andrew Keys, co-founder of the venture capital firm ConsenSys Capital, has a vision of the future bankers might find chilling, in which banks and other middlemen are cut out of financial services.

The Omidyar Network has invested in five challenger banks. Tilman Ehrbeck, who is leading its financial inclusion efforts, says the firm will invest more in apps for gig workers and retirees next year.

This week's plunge in bitcoin's value highlights one of the biggest concerns in using the cryptocurrency for payment. Stablecoins, which are pegged to traditional currency such as the U.S. dollar or a precious metal, are seen as a much less risky investment.

The Spanish bank’s investment arm, Propel, is jointly working with the venture capital firm Anthemis Group to find promising startups.

Harvest is when farmers need funding the most. ProducePay has financed over $850 million of produce in under four years, disrupting traditional finance rules in the farm-to-table process.

Striking the right balance between personalization and privacy is just one challenge the startup Finn AI is grappling with as it refines the artificial intelligence behind banking through Alexa and other devices.

At Barclays' fintech accelerator, this year's class has fresh takes on personal financial management, recruiting and trade finance.

The regtech firm Arachnys, which recently raised $10 million from QED Investors and others, draws from a collection of 23,000 data sources to help banks protect themselves from money launderers and other criminals.

A $245 million funding round for the payments processor Stripe contributed to heavy venture capital investment in the third quarter.

Companies founded by women receive significantly less than the venture capital available to all U.S. firms, but trends are improving for all startups this year, including for women-owned fintechs.