When Kiva got its start a decade ago, the needs of small businesses in developed nations like the U.S. were not its original area of interest. Cofounded by two Stanford MBAs, the alternative lender came into existence when its two founders realized that there was...
The big banks, until very recently, seemed largely allergic to SMB lending. In the wake of the financial meltdown and increased regulations, underwriting a big loan to a big player and a small loan for a small player were equally expensive on the front end, but...
Financial inclusion is a popular cause. PayPal CEO Dan Schulman has been promoting it — and PayPal’s role in enhancing it — all year long, and Bill Gates recently declared that 2016 will be the year of financial inclusion worldwide. In fact, when it comes...
As 2015 draws to a close, some are celebrating the good times just gone by, while others are just looking forward to getting on to a new year. For the good folks at the Fair Isaac Corporation — better known as FICO — this year’s...
Credibly and JetPay Payment Services, a provider of debit and credit card processing services, have announced a new partnership. As outlined in a press release yesterday (Dec. 21), the partnership will give JetPay’s distribution network streamlined access to Credibly’s lending platform, providing more capital for...
Mobile-only banking startup NUMBER26 announced Thursday (Dec. 17) the launch of a new addition to its contactless payment card offerings. NUMBER26 customers can now order an NFC-enabled card from MasterCard International’s lead debit brand, Maestro, bringing cashless payment options to more than 650,000 locations throughout...
For the last 300 odd years, the term “perfect storm” has referred to a meteorological event wherein all of the wrong factors in a climate system came together at just the right time to create some sort of monstrous weather event. For the last 20...
Consumers in the developed world tend to think of their financial systems as complex, particularly as compared to the developing world. And while that is not an entirely incorrect perception, it might just be a little bit skewed. When it comes time to pay in...
The man who Wired named as the likely creator of bitcoin has just had his house raided by Australian Federal Police. Craig Steven Wright found his home being tossed by police in connection with an investigation initiated by the Australian Taxation Office. The raid was apparently entirely...