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If you could choose one banking term to dominate in Google searches, “mobile bank” would be near the top of your list. In the past two months, Google has served 1 million searches for the term (see chart above). And not surprisingly, 75% were conducted from mobile devices. So who’s on the first page today? Read more…
Yesterday, Bank Innovations named five emerging U.S. fintech hubs (outside NYC, Silicon Valley and Boston). Its up-and-comers were: Atlanta, Austin, Lincoln, Miami and Washington DC. While Austin and Atlanta made sense, I was surprised by Miami, DC and especially Lincoln, Nebraska. The article didn’t include a methodology, so to test their hypothesis I searched AngelList’s database of Read more…
In this era of low rates and stingy credit approvals, it’s always nice to get a little good news from your FI. This week, Chicago’s Alliant Credit Union made the most of its 10 basis point increase in its basic saving rate. On its homepage, the drop-down navigation menus for both Bank and Invest, included Read more…
Note: I wanted to call this post, Frid-AI Fun, but visually, “Frid-AI” (sound it out) doesn’t really work as well as I thought it would. So we’ll just skip the “clever” headline and get right to it. As a semi-active analyst, full-time fintech advisor, and dormant engineer, I could not be happier with the rise Read more…
I thought I’d left behind Berenstain Bears 15 years ago when my youngest graduated to Animorphs books. But they made an appearance today when I discovered how they are helping kids get involved with saving and managing money. And before you dismiss their appeal, did you know the Bears have sold 300 million copies in Read more…
Given how many times “coffee” has appeared in my blog titles, you might think I’m obsessed (or addicted). You might be right. Nevertheless, I love the combination of these two important parts of my life, so I’m going to keep on posting. But unlike my last coffee post dealing with the branch experience, today’s subject Read more…
The connection between banking and coffee is tenuous at best; however, a number of banks (especially in the United States) have underused lobbies and there appears to be an infinite appetite for caffeine. So when demand meets supply, there are opportunities. I know you’ve heard this all before from me 11 years ago (yikes), The Wall Street Journal Read more…
Bank of America on Wednesday dropped a set of 12 clever video segments called #LLOVEYOURAPP. You can see them all on the BofA YouTube channel. Most have 100 to 200 views, so they are virtually unknown so far. I’m guessing that is about to change as they are pretty clever. For one, a cud-chewing llama is demoing Read more…
International identity verification solutions provider Data Zoo has secured $22.7 million (AU$35 million) in Series A funding. The round was led by Ellerston JAADE, an Ellerston Capital fund; Data Zoo will use the capital to help drive broader adoption of its identity verification technology. “There’s been a long-standing need for a more efficient and secure Read more…
Finishing the week with a bang is investment app Stash, which announced a new $40 million investment and first-ever independent audit chair on Friday. The investment comes courtesy of T. Rowe Rice Investment Management, as well as a combination of strategic and existing investors including Goodwater Capital and Union Square Ventures. The first-ever independent audit Read more…
Finovate kicks off its African-American History Month commemoration with a conversation with Rodney Williams, co-founder of SoLo Funds. Along with company co-founder Travis Holoway, Williams was named to Cause Artist’s “40 Social Entrepreneurs to Watch for in 2022.” SoLo Funds is a mobile lending platform that brings borrowers and lenders together for peer-to-peer microloans – Read more…
It looks like the Merry Men of Ribbit Capital have come to the rescue of the social trading app named after the mythological bowman who robbed from the rich to give to the poor. Between the final trading days of January and the first trading day of February, Robinhood has raised a whopping $3.4 billion Read more…