FinTech
BlockFi, the Peter Thiel-backed crypto lending start-up, cuts 20% of its staff as bitcoin plunges
The logo of cryptocurrency platform BlockFi. Budrul Chukrut | SOPA Images | LightRocket via Getty Images Crypto lender BlockFi is cutting around 20% of its staff as the company reckons with a dramatic downturn in digital currencies and heightened concerns about a weakening economy. CEO Zac Prince said in a tweet Monday that BlockFi has […]
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Crypto lender Celsius pauses withdrawals due to ‘extreme market conditions’
Celsius CEO Alex Mashinsky. Piaras Ó Mídheach | Sportsfile for Web Summit | Getty Images Celsius, a controversial cryptocurrency lending platform, said Monday it was pausing all withdrawals, causing more pain in the fragile crypto market. Celsius is one of the largest players in the nascent crypto lending space, with more than $8 billion lent […]
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Klarna CEO defends business despite massive losses and layoffs
Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski has defended his company’s business model and the controversial “buy now, pay later” industry. Klarna lets consumers buy things that they might not necessarily be able to afford at that moment in time. Its 150 million customers pay a relatively small amount up front and pay back the rest later. In […]
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‘Buy now, pay later’ firms were already in trouble. Apple just gave them one more thing to worry about
Apple Pay Later will let users pay for things over four equal installments. Jakub Porzycki | Nurphoto | Getty Images AMSTERDAM — Apple’s move into the crowded “buy now, pay later” space has raised the stakes for the fintech companies that pioneered the trend. The iPhone maker announced plans to launch its own “pay later” […]
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‘The mood is very grim’: Once-hot fintech sector faces IPO delays and consolidation
Investment in fintech is slowing as worries around rising inflation and the prospect of higher interest rates have dented economic sentiment. Elena Noviello | Moment | Getty Images AMSTERDAM — Financial technology companies are putting IPO plans on hold and cutting expenses as fears of an impending recession cause a shift in how investors view […]
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Ethereum just completed a successful dress rehearsal for its most important upgrade ever
INA FASSBENDER | AFP | Getty Images Ethereum just completed its first big dress rehearsal for a long-awaited makeover that will be its most significant overhaul since the digital currency was launched nearly a decade ago. Cryptocurrencies such as ethereum and bitcoin are often criticized for the process of mining to generate new coins. Both […]
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Affirm shares are set to drop another 40% as rates rise and economic growth slows, Wedbush says
Now is not the time to buy into buy now, pay later company Affirm , according to Wedbush. Analyst David Chiaverini initiated Affirm with an underperform rating and a price target of $15 per share, implying downside of nearly 40% from Tuesday’s close. “We’re concerned about Affirm’s path to GAAP profitability, increasing competition in the […]
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Crypto poses a threat to the safety of global payment systems, fintech boss warns
Starling CEO Anne Boden. Harry Murphy | Sportsfile for Web Summit via Getty Images AMSTERDAM — The boss of Goldman Sachs-backed digital bank Starling has doubled down on criticisms of crypto, calling digital currencies a threat to the safety of payment infrastructure. “It is very dangerous,” Anne Boden, who founded Starling in 2014, warned Tuesday […]
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Stripe co-founder hits back at rivals accusing the company of unfair competition
John Collison, president and co-founder of Stripe. Christophe Morin | IP3 | Getty Images AMSTERDAM — The co-founder of $95 billion fintech giant Stripe defended the company’s business practices after complaints from rivals that it engages in unfair competition. John Collison, Stripe’s president, said Tuesday he is “pretty unapologetic” about the company’s decisions to launch […]
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Human rights advocates tell Congress bitcoin is essential in countries with ‘collapsing’ currencies
WASHINGTON — A week after prominent technologists publicly slammed crypto for being too risky and unproven in a letter to Congress, human rights advocates from around the world have sent a rebuttal to U.S. lawmakers defending digital assets for the access they provide to people in countries where “local currencies are collapsing, broken, or cut […]
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