Cheese Launches to Support Financial Wellness for Asian Americans

Cheese Launches to Support Financial Wellness for Asian Americans

The launch of Cheese, a digital banking platform dedicated to serving Asian American communities, is the latest instance of entrepreneurs seeking to translate a renewed sense of ethnic identity among many Americans into greater financial wellness, if not empowerment, for those in their communities.

“I have always envisioned launching a digital banking platform that someone like me could easily access but also serves a deeper purpose, with the power to positively impact Asian communities,” Cheese CEO Ken Lian said. “Cheese is that banking platform.”

Cheese includes Ifly.vc and Amplify among its chief investors, having raised $3.6 million in seed funding from the two firms in a round that also featured participation from former Wealthfront CEO Adam Nash and Zillow co-founder Spencer Rascoff. As part of the company’s offering, Cheese accountholders get a debit card (issued by Coastal Community Bank), two-day early advance pay with direct deposit, a 3% deposit bonus for referrals, a 0.3% annual percentage yield, and as much as 10% cash back on purchases at more than 10,000 participating merchants.

And as part of its pledge to support Asian American communities, Cheese will donate $100,000 to nonprofit organizations and community service programs that support Asian neighborhoods and small businesses – especially those impacted by COVID-19. Communities in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York City are among the first areas of focus.

The Asian American community is characterized by its diversity and its rapid growth; there are nearly 21 million Asian Americans in the United States. The relatively high income and education levels common in this community compared to other minority communities in the United States makes them an attractive opportunity for providers in financial services – from digital banking to wealth management.

At the same time, the rising number of incidents of violence against Asian Americans in 2021 are reminders that discrimination and racism against Asian Americans continues to be a challenge in a rapidly-diversifying country. In financial services, this issue often manifests itself most acutely with new Asian immigrants who may have language barriers or lack a credit history and struggle to even secure a bank account. Lian, who immigrated to the U.S. from China in 2008, knows this problem well.

“I had been declined multiple times for basic bank accounts,” Lian said, “even with an 800+ FICO score.”

Cheese is headquartered in Pasadena, California. The company was founded in 2019.


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Fintech Innovation Expert Jeremy Balkin Joins JP Morgan Chase

Fintech Innovation Expert Jeremy Balkin Joins JP Morgan Chase

Among the more popular members of our regular roster of Finovate speakers is Jeremy Balkin. An expert in retail bank management, fintech innovation, and strategic digital partnerships, Balkin spent six years as Head of Innovation with HSBC USA where he was part of the team that introduced humanoid robot Pepper to HSBC’s flagship Fifth Avenue branch.

So what’s new? Balkin announced today that he has joined JP Morgan Chase & Company as its new Head of Fintech and Innovation for Wholesale Payments. In his new capacity, Balkin will supervise fintech and innovation initiatives for wholesale payments, as well as help advise the company with regards to potential investments and partnerships with companies that can help JP Morgan become more effective in the space. JP Morgan’s wholesale payments business moves $7 trillion every day.

Balkin most recently shared his insights with Finovate audiences last fall as part of FinovateWest Digital. His discussion centered on how financial institutions can use innovations in customer experience to win new customers and better engage current ones. Adding new services, products, and rewards, Balkin argued, is a better strategy for most financial institutions than “the dead-end of price competition”. This customer-centric approach, which embraces fintech innovation, is all the more vital in a world in which Big Tech is effectively leveraging its digital platforms to offer financial services to its increasingly digitally-native customers.

In addition to his public appearances and work with banks and fintechs, Balkin is also an author. His books include Investing with Impact: Why Finance is a Force for Good and Millennialization of Everything: How to Win When Millennials Rule the World. We wish him luck in his new opportunity with JP Morgan Chase and look forward to seeing him on the Finovate stage again soon.


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NYDIG Raises $200 Million in New Funding to Bring Bitcoin to the Banks

NYDIG Raises $200 Million in New Funding to Bring Bitcoin to the Banks

We noted the $200 million fundraising announced by cryptocurrency solution provider NYDIG earlier this week. Given the investors involved, the amount invested, and the potential implications for further popularization of digital assets, we thought the round was worth a closer look.

New York-based NYDIG is a leading provider of technology and investment solutions for Bitcoin. Founded in 2017 by Robert Gutmann (CEO) and Ross Stevens (Executive Chairman), NYDIG offers banks, corporations, insurers, and high net worth (HNW) individuals financing, custody, execution, and research and advisory services to help them manage their Bitcoin holdings. NYDIG also offers industry-leading expertise in the derivatives markets for institutional investors seeking customized opportunities, from generating yield to establishing hedges.

This week’s financing takes the company’s total funding to $305 million, according to Crunchbase. The strategic partners involved included Stone Ridge Holdings Group, Morgan Stanley, New York Life, MassMutual, Soros Fund Management, FS Investments, Bessemer Venture Partners, and FinTech Collective.

“These partnerships leave no doubt that institutional adoption of Bitcoin has arrived and, further, that NYDIG is the partner of choice for serious financial services firms with the highest fiduciary and diligence standards,” Gutmann said. He announced that the company plans to deliver “an explosion of innovation in Bitcoin products and services” over the balance of the year.

Gutmann also added that the round’s investors will help NYDIG on “strategic initiatives” ranging from investment management and banking to clean energy and insurance. To underscore the point, the company’s statement also reported that life, annuity, and property & casualty insurers currently own in aggregate more than $1 billion of direct and indirect Bitcoin exposure. This exposure is both facilitated exclusively by NYDIG and is held in the firm’s secure, audited, and insured institutional custody platform.

NYDIG has partnered with a number of Finovate alums in recent months. This year alone, the company teamed up with Best of Show winner Kasasa to bring bitcoin wallet functionality to community banks and credit unions. Also in February, NYDIG collaborated with NYMBUS to help financial institutions add Bitcoin products and services to their digital offerings.

“As a notable advocate for financial institutions, Nymbus stood out as a partner to take our vision for Bitcoin and banking to the next level,” NYDIG Head of Bank Solutions Patrick Sells said when the partnership was announced. “As a former banker and technology evangelist, I couldn’t be more excited to bring Bitcoin and banking together, and I see it as a win/win.”

M1 Finance Scores $75 Million in Series D

M1 Finance Scores $75 Million in Series D

M1 Finance has raised another $75 million in funding to support its finance super app, which combines investing, borrowing, and spending functionality into a single platform. The Series D round was led by Coatue, and featured participation from Left Lane Capital, Jump Capital, and Clocktower Technology Ventures.

The investment brings M1 Finance’s total capital to more than $173 million, $153 million of which was raised in just the last ten months.

In a blog post, company founder and CEO Brian Barnes said that the funding will help M1 Finance add talent and “invest in innovation that furthers our mission.” Barnes wrote that rather than merely “incentivizing trading”, the goal of M1 Finance is to offer a “holistic, smart platform that encourages and enables you to practice good financial habits.” He added that this meant innovating in all areas of the customer experience – from more tools to better interfaces to a more seamless integration “with your whole financial life.”

M1 Finance’s platform includes three components: M1 Invest enables users to build their own investment portfolio for free and manage the portfolio with automatic, one-click rebalancing. Fractional share investing is also available. M1 Borrow offers a flexible portfolio line of credit for accounts of $10,000 or more, and M1 Spend gives users a checking account to make it easier for them to repay their loans on time, as well as set up direct deposits and schedule automatic investments.

In his blog post, Barnes also shared some recent milestones for the Chicago, Illinois-based company. M1 Finance topped $3 billion in client assets last month, reported a 3x increase in new sign-ups in January 2021 compared to the previous month, and noted a 2.5x growth in new sign-ups between January 26 and February 8 compared to the previous two weeks.

“We’re building (an) experience for people with thousands and millions,” he wrote. “Whether you have $50 million or $50,000 we want you to have the right tools, the right education, and the right control over your future.”

A Finovate alum since its conference debut in 2016, M1 Finance has partnered with the likes of Rackspace Technology and, in December, launched a new “smart transfers” feature. The fully customizable solution enables those subscribed to M1 Finance’s M1 Plus program to set “threshold-based rules to cascade available funds between M1 accounts.”


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Women in Fintech: Regina Lau on How to Contribute and Support Gender Equality

Women in Fintech: Regina Lau on How to Contribute and Support Gender Equality

Continuing our #womeninfintech series, we ask Regina Lau, Chief Strategy Officer, Retail Merchant Services, a TVC Portfolio Company and Executive Board Member of European Women Payments Network (EWPN), about her thoughts on International Women’s Day and the challenges and opportunities for women in the industry.

What does IWD & #ChooseToChallenge mean to you in your work life?

Regina Lau: International Womens’ Day (IWD) is a day to celebrate all the achievements from women around the world and also all the women who have been inspirational role models, no matter if they made big headlines or not. As a member of the Executive Board of European Women Payments Network (EWPN), this is also a very important day for us to continue the call for change and recommit to supporting all women. I believe that “when one rises, we all rise”.

What barriers did you face, as a woman, in becoming successful in your field and how did you overcome them?

Lau: I’ve always worked in male dominated industries, so I was often the only woman in the room (or at my level).  It was challenging to ensure that my perspective and ideas were heard.  I built as many relationships as possible with people who I knew supported and championed me. I also made sure I participated in discussions and meetings – if I was at the table, I was speaking up.  

How could men contribute to support gender equality?

Lau: Mentor and sponsor women and give them equal access to opportunities. Give women credit. View women through the “people” lens – speak up and stop gender-biased language and descriptors (i.e. when a woman speaks in a direct style or promotes her ideas, she is often called “aggressive” and “ambitious.” But when a man does the same, he is seen as “confident” and “strong.”) 

Can you tell us about your role model who have inspired you over your career?

Lau: I’ve admired many different women and men over my life.  One piece of advice that stuck with me was “you deserve a seat at the table, and when you get that seat at the table, make it count”.  

How important is it for women to lift each other up and what does that mean to you?

Lau: This is so important.  I had very few female role models growing up and throughout most of my career.  I wasn’t sure who had also experienced the same challenges I faced, and I didn’t know who to go to for support.  This has made me even more aware of the need to support other women, no matter how small or big.  Sometimes, people just need a listening ear or to know that someone else has gone through it before.  

What is your favourite part of your job? And then the most rewarding?

Lau: Working in teams with colleagues and partners to solve problems is my favourite, and mentoring & coaching both women and men to help them grow and learn is very rewarding.

On International Women’s Day, what is the most important message you want to send out to young women thinking about their careers?

Lau: Be bold, try new things and don’t underestimate yourself.  You won’t know unless you try – and if you need to, try again.

Still Moven: Digital Onboarding Alliance Underscores Financial Wellness Pivot

Still Moven: Digital Onboarding Alliance Underscores Financial Wellness Pivot

In a world of rebrands, reintroductions, and redirections, it is always impressive to see a pivot that sticks.

Moven, which announced its transition toward financial wellness and distributed smart banking a year ago this month, has teamed up with fellow Finovate alum Digital Onboarding. Together, the two fintechs will support user adoption of a turn-key digital bank-in-a-box, making it easier for banks and financial institutions to improve customer engagement on digital platforms.

“The pace of digital disruption in the banking industry is only going to quicken, and financial institutions have to rethink how they leverage digital channels,” Moven founder and Executive Chairman Brett King said. “Providing a new channel is one thing; getting existing and new customers to embrace that channel is an entirely different challenge, and frankly a tremendous opportunity for bankers.”

The partnership brings together Moven’s ability to provide users with data-driven, actionable insights into their financial health with Digital Onboarding’s digital messaging, personalized microsites, and proprietary action widgets to make account-related services more accessible and streamlined. The collaboration recognizes the challenge that digital banks represent to traditional banks and credit unions, and seeks to give them the tools to keep their own customers and better engage new, more digitally-demanding, ones.

“Neobanks are raising billions of dollars and investing heavily in advertising to lure U.S, consumers away from traditional financial institutions,” Digital Onboarding CEO Ted Brown said. “Now is the time for banks and credit unions to double down on investing in their existing customer and member bases. I am excited to collaborate with Moven to help banks and credit unions build long-lasting relationships by motivating financially health behaviors.”

The collaboration between Moven and Digital Onboarding is the most recent, big partnership Moven has entered into since its pivot. Late last year, the company announced that it was working on a turnkey digital bank-in-a-box project with another Finovate alum, Q2. Picking up its second patent for its financial wellness technology in January, Moven also has worked recently with New York-based digital asset manager NYDIG and Japan-based Kyushu Financial Group.

Speaking of NYDIG, the company secured $200 million in funding earlier this week in a round led by Stone Ridge Holdings Group and other strategic partners.

Moven will leverage its relationship with NYDIG to offer banks plugins that will enable them to offer bitcoin-related products. Moven CEO and CRO Kesh Talwar put the NYDIG partnership in the broader context of fintech and cryptocurrency’s parallel, but distinct paths toward prominence. “The growth of fintech platforms and of cryptocurrencies have both been striking, but the two worlds have largely been separate.” And because consumers are most likely to try new technologies when they are introduced by institutions they trust, Talwar sees a clear path to boosting cryptocurrency adoption by enabling banks to play a bigger part.

NYDIG Head of Bank Solutions Patrick Sells concurred. “Many banks have felt left behind with the rise of fintech, but today, banks have the opportunity to capitalize on the fact that their customers strongly prefer them to be in the lead when it comes to Bitcoin.”


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U.K. Challenger Starling Bank Scores $376 Million in New Funding

U.K. Challenger Starling Bank Scores $376 Million in New Funding

In its biggest fundraising to date, U.K.-based challenger bank Starling Bank has secured ($376 million) £270m in funding. The Series D round was led by Fidelity Management and Research. Also participating in investment were the Qatar Investment Authority, RPMI Railpen, and Millennium Management.

Starling hopes to use the capital to grow its lending book and to expand throughout Europe. M&A activity is also on the table for the digital challenger. The fundraising, which remains subject to regulatory approval, will give the neobank a pre-money valuation of £1.1 billion.

Founded by Anne Boden and headquartered in London, Starling now has more than two million accounts, including 300,000 SME business accounts. Starling Bank says that it has 5% of the small business market in the country, as well as deposits of more than £5.4 billion. The firm has made loans valued at more than £2 billion – much of that while participating in the government’s COVID financial relief programs.

“Digital banking has reached a tipping point,” Boden said in a statement announcing the investment. “Customers now expect a fairer, smarter and more human alternative to the banks of the past and that is what we are giving them at Starling as we continue to grow and add new products and services. Our new investors will bring a wealth of experience as we enter the next stage of growth, while the continued support of our existing backers represents a huge vote of confidence.”

Starling reached profitability late last year. Since then, the company has forged partnerships with iZettle, Dingy Insurance, PensionBee, and Finovate alum SumUp. Boden has hinted recently that an IPO could be “two to three years” away for the digital challenger. “I didn’t do all of this to sell out to a big bank,” she said.


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Betterment Acquires Wealthsimple’s U.S. Investment Advisory Business

Betterment Acquires Wealthsimple’s U.S. Investment Advisory Business

U.S. wealthtech player Betterment is building up its assets under management. That’s because the company acquired the U.S. investment advisory business of Canada-based Wealthsimple this week.

Terms of the deal– which notably does not include Wealthsimple’s technology, employees, or operations– were not disclosed.

“As we shift our focus to our Canadian business for the time being, finding a partner for our U.S. business that shared our commitment to putting clients first was our top priority,” said Wealthsimple Co-founder and CEO Michael Katchen. “It’s been a privilege to serve our U.S. clients, and we’re confident that their investments will continue to be in good hands with Betterment.”

To find a suitable home for its U.S. accounts, Wealthsimple selected Betterment in a competitive bidding process for its strong reputation and customer-first mentality. Wealthsimple’s U.S. clients will be moved over to Betterment in June of this year.

“This was an excellent opportunity for us to grow our customer base, and we’ll continue to be aggressive in opportunities that accelerate our business goals,” said Betterment’s newly-appointed CEO Sarah Levy.


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Canadian Fintech Embraces Real-Time Payments, Challenger Banking

Canadian Fintech Embraces Real-Time Payments, Challenger Banking

As our recent conversation featuring Boss Insights founder and CEO Keren Moynihan, reminds us, the fintechs (and “TechFins”) of the Great White North are engaged in some of the most forward-looking innovation on the continent.

This week brings an above average volume of news from Canada’s ambitious real-time payments industry. For one, the Vancouver Bullion & Currency Exchange (VBCE) announced a partnership with EMQ to bring “near real-time” cross-border payments to businesses and consumers across Canada. A PSP as well as a foreign currency exchange, VBCE hopes that its partnership with the global financial settlement network will give its customers the ability to move money faster and more efficiently. The firm also anticipates being able to use EMQ’s network to bring new services to market and scale existing ones.

“The speed and reach of EMQ’s global network allows us to pilot new services in one market and scale them rapidly across others to meet the evolving customer needs,” VBCE VP of Business Development Kevin Ma said. “This is especially important for our business with a diverse product portfolio.”

Elsewhere on the Canadian real-time payments beat, Payments Canada announced a collaboration with debit network Interac to support real-time payments in the country. Interac will serve as the exchange solution provider for Real-Time Rail, the real-time payments systems operated by Payments Canada and regulated by the Bank of Canada. RTR, scheduled to go live in 2022, will enable Canadians to initiate payments and receive funds in seconds.

Payments Canada President and CEO Tracey Black said that RTR will be the “foundation for faster, data-rich payments” and will serve as a “platform for innovation.” Black also praised Interac as a “well-suited partner” with the requisite infrastructure and connectivity to support “the rapid adoption of real-time payments in Canada.”

Last, some developments on the Canadian neobank front. Toronto, Ontario-based challenger bank KOHO added a no-fee savings account to its offerings this week. KOHO Save gives account holders 1.2% interest on their entire balance. There are no teaser rates and no minimum balance is required to acquire an account, which is available on the KOHO app.

“We’re excited to add KOHO Save to our product line as a simple and valuable money earning tool for Canadians,” KOHO CEO and founder Daniel Eberhard said. “We’ve been able to build a savings tool that doesn’t follow the same restrictions of most other savings products on the market. People just want to access their money freely and earn a great interest rate. We think Save is a wonderful step in that direction.”

KOHO also offers a savings and checking account and gives users a minimum of 0.5% (up to 10%) cash back on all purchases. KOHO Premium account holders get an additional 2% cash back on three major spending categories. The company, founded in 2014 and headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, has raised $57.5 million in funding from investors including Drive Capital and Portag3 Ventures.


Here is our look at fintech innovation around the world.

Central and Southern Asia

Latin America and the Caribbean

Asia-Pacific

Sub-Saharan Africa

Central and Eastern Europe

Middle East and Northern Africa


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Going Beyond International Women’s Day with NYC Fintech Women

Going Beyond International Women’s Day with NYC Fintech Women

What does International Women’s Day and #IChoosetoChallenge mean in practice, and what can be done to support and develop truly diverse teams? How does the world of fast-paced fintechs compare with legacy banking when it comes to embracing women in leadership, and empowering new voices to be heard from the bottom up?

Ahead of International Women’s Day, Charlie Burgess, Head of Digital Content for Finovate, sat down with Nicole Newlin, VP Solutions at Ocrolus and part of the Leadership Team at NYC Fintech Women, and Filippa Noghani, Head of Marketing – Banking and Financial Services at Virtusa and Board Member and Marketing Chair of NYC Fintech Women to talk opportunities and challenges, walking the walk of celebrating women, and why brands getting on-board with the IWD should look beyond making it just a marketing stunt.

Watch the full interview below. If you’re interested in finding out more about NYC Fintech Women, visit their page and learn more about the panel discussed, taking place at FinovateSpring Digital 2021 here.

Meniga Enables Carbon Footprinting for Iceland’s Islandsbanki

Meniga Enables Carbon Footprinting for Iceland’s Islandsbanki

Interested in activism that’s truly “global” in its appeal? Then the news that Meniga has partnered with Íslandsbanki, one of the largest banks in Iceland, to launch its new green banking solution, Carbon Insight, should be music to your ears.

“With more and more people around the world growing anxious about the consequences of climate change, the need for solutions and initiatives that empower people to take action to help protect our planet has become a business imperative,” Meniga CEO and co-founder Georg Ludviksson said.

Carbon Insight enables users to estimate and track how their spending decision impacts the environment via their carbon footprint. This footprint is derived via the Meniga Carbon Index, which was developed by a team of data scientists who leveraged environment research into the carbon emissions of various products and services. Carbon Insight works by multiplying spending transaction amounts by a “carbon intensity value” to give the user a reasonable carbon footprint estimate. This information can be used to help inform the user to which activities are potentially more environmentally impactful.

“We have seen great enthusiasm for our Carbon Insight product over the past few months, from banks and other key financial players, which is an encouraging sign from our industry that more green initiatives are still to come,” Ludviksson said.

As part of the partnership with Meniga, Íslandsbanki has agreed to integrate Carbon Insight into its digital banking solution. The Icelandic bank sees the new offering as a way to increase customer engagement and build on its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategy.

“Consumers are increasingly interested in improving their carbon footprint and having a positive impact on the environment,” Birna Einarsdóttir, Íslandsbanki CEO said. “Meniga’s Carbon Insight solution will enable Íslandsbanki’s customers to estimate the carbon footprint of their private consumption, identify carbon intensive purchases, and ultimately reduce their carbon footprint while saving money at the same time.”

Founded in 2009, Meniga most recently demonstrated its technology at FinovateFall 2019. Last fall, the company launched in the U.S. and, that summer, announced a $9.4 million fundraising that took the firm’s total funding to more than $43 million.


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Plaid Releases Income Verification Tool

Plaid Releases Income Verification Tool

Banking technology player Plaid announced Plaid Income this week, the company’s new income verification tool.

Income offers a secure and fast way to help consumers prove their salary in order to qualify for and secure loans, rent apartments, lease vehicles, and more. Lenders benefit from this data by being able to make better-informed risk decisions, issue pre-approvals or approvals faster, and allocate fewer resources to manually reviewing documents. 

Plaid places consumers in control of their own data by offering them the option to choose whether to share their data. With Income, they can opt to share their salary information by connecting to their employer account, payroll provider account, or by verifying their salary using documents such as paystubs, W2s, and some 1099s.

To help users connect directly with their payroll provider, Plaid supports real-time payroll authentication for over 250,000 of the largest employers in the U.S. The company is also developing credential-less authentication capabilities with leading payroll providers, including ADP.

The new Income tool is part of the Plaid for Payroll suite, which also includes the company’s Deposit Switch offering launched earlier this year.

Plaid’s income verification tool is similar to an offering from its competitor Finicity, which launched its Verification of Income and Employment solution in 2019. Among Finicity’s clients are Freddie Mac, Quicken Loans, and Experian.

Interestingly, Finicity was acquired by Mastercard late last year, just days after the U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil antitrust lawsuit to block Visa’s ability to acquire innovative fintech.


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