The industry moved quickly, as the ongoing Washington, D.C., transitions entered their final phase. Innovation moved on autopilot, as new regulators find their footing.
Headlines to take note of:
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- TT launched a scorecard offering;
- OptionMetrics and the CRSP gave researchers a boost;
- Thanks to Coinbase, crypto loans are now a thing;
- Synchrony, Apple and Mastercard gave shoppers flexible options;
- Plus, Rate’s new offering gave its ecosystem a lift last year;
- And much more!
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Wealthtech, Regtech, Regulatory, and Treasury
Trading Technologies International, Inc. (TT)/Abel Noser Solutions
Markets solutions firm Trading Technologies extended its role in the equities sector with the ‘TT Broker Scorecard,’ a scorecard ranking solution. The broker ratings ecosystem leverages trading data from Abel Noser Solutions, a TT 2023 acquisition.
Additionally, access to the offering is available via ‘Trade Zoom‘, an Abel Noser transaction cost analysis (TCA) product.
OptionMetrics/Center for Research in Security Prices (CRSP)
Market researchers now have a plus thanks to a partnership between OptionMetrics and CRSP. The collaboration integrates OptionMetrics’ IvyDB U.S. data with the CRSP US Stock Database, enabling insights.
Consequently, academic researchers can now access securities-specific options data based on CRSP PERMNO identifiers.
PERMNO is CRSP’s foundational key used in its database for American equities across the board.
Fixed Income Clearing Corporation (FICC)
Fixed income-focused FICC launched ‘FIR,’ a client risk reporting portal that extends market functionalities. FIR has several features, including ‘Value at Risk (VaR)’ in-depth data and a bird’s eye view of real-time clearing scenarios.
In addition, the offering has a landing page that provides key market indicators at a glance.
Thanks to GenAI, users within Bloomberg’s ecosystem can now access on-the-go news summaries. The new feature provides information about the biggest happenings from internally sourced stories.
The addition went live on January 15.
Crypto, Blockchain, and Digital Assets
Premier crypto exchange Coinbase took things to another level with the launch of Bitcoin-backed loans on its Base blockchain. The new feature allows users to borrow up to 86% of their Bitcoin-leveraged holdings via USDC stablecoins.
Additionally, the loans are available across America, except in the State of New York.
Prominent crypto players Ledger and Uniswap collaborated to improve the landscape for users. According to a January 14 press release, the deployment integrates Uniswap’s API with the Ledger live ecosystem, enabling direct access to DeFi services within self-custody environments.
Moreover, the setup is (initially) available on the Ledger Live desktop and the Ethereum blockchain, with other upgrades occurring later.
Stablecoin behemoth Tether took the crypto space to the edge with the launch of the USDT0, a stablecoin token that works across multiple blockchains regardless of support. The USDT0 leverages the Layerzero Omnichain Fungible Token (OFT) protocol that enables token transfers across networks without the regular infrastructure and techniques.
Additionally, the asset is available on Kraken’s Layer-2 Ink blockchain. Transfers between Ink and Ethereum are currently available.
Fintech, Personal Finance, and Apps
Quicken, Inc.
Niche Fintech Quicken merged personal and business issues with ‘Quicken Business & Personal,’ a solution providing dual access to critical aspects of everyday finances. The offering increases efficiency for SMB owners who deal with money matters on the go.
Furthermore, the app has several intuitive features, including personal finance, cash flow monitoring, and tax tools.
AI-focused lending ecosystem Upstart boosted the automotive industry with additions to its auto retail finance ecosystem. New extensions include improved credit analytics that feature FICO scores, vertical integrations that reduce loan application times, enhanced offers, and others.
Additionally, the platform has a trimmed interface that enables flexibility and scalability for dealers and sales teams.
Versana LLC
Thanks to the ‘Versana Reconciliation Module (VRM),’ an offering that (further) digitizes the corporate lending markets, corporate treasuries are in for efficient processes. The offering corresponds available loan data to agent-based sources, cutting application times and improving odds.
Consequently, VRM has critical integrations with Versana’s centrally available ecosystem.
Online shopping and check-out experiences for members of Synchrony’s ecosystem have improved options by enabling Apple Pay’s Pay Later functionality. iPad and iPhone users can select the option after viewing promotional offers for regular or installment payment options.
The integration is (only) available to eligible users.
Banking, Payments, and Infrastructure
Gonzales, Texas-based Sage Capital Bank furthered its digitization efforts in collaboration with banking solutions provider Apiture. The partnership provides improved user experiences, including instant fraud detection and prevention, peer-to-peer payments, and other capabilities.
Additionally, the cooperation integrates Apiture’s Business Banking, Digital Account Opening, and Consumer Banking products.
Prosperity Bank/Akuvo
Similarly, El Campo, Texas-based Prosperity Bank partnered with niche banking Fintech Akuvo to (digitally) upgrade its operations. The collaboration deploys Akuvo’s cloud-based banking offering.
Furthermore, Akuvo’s solution has a (fully) automated virtual collections feature that handles day-to-day processes, including calls, payments, and promises.
Boutique banking Fintech Rellevate took its capabilities to another level via a collaboration with embedded finance specialist Highnote. In a January 14 announcement, Rellevate revealed the deployment.
Moreover, the cooperation offers clients several advantages, including improved security, extended payment channels, quicker transaction speeds, and more.
MagTek, Inc./Pioneer Square Brands Inc. (PSB) (VAULT)
Payment-focused MagTek teamed up with dynamic mPOS ecosystem VAULT to improve workflows and experiences. The cooperation integrates VAULT’s ‘Connect’ with MagTek’s ‘DynaFlex II Go.’
In addition, the deployment combines identity access and payments, enabling fluid mobile transitions.
REtech, Insurtech and Investing
Guaranteed Rate, Inc. (Rate)
Digital mortgage specialist Rate revealed its best annual performance, significantly contributing to its ‘Edge Non-QM’ solution, generating $1.4 billion worth of funded loans in 2024. According to a January 16 press release, Rate revealed the provision of $2.8 billion worth of mortgages last year.
Moreover, the improvement extends access to mortgages for credit-worthy customers who fall outside regular eligibility criteria.
MYCUMORTGAGE, LLC (myCUmortgage)/Solarity Credit Union/HopeSouth Federal Credit Union (FCU)/Tremont Credit Union
Credit Union and CFI-focused myCUmortgage revealed the addition of three members to its ecosystem. According to a January 15 announcement, myCUmortgage added Solarity Credit Union, HopeSouth Federal Credit Union, and Tremont Credit Union to its Credit Union Service Organization (CUSO) platform.
Additionally, the CUs have 68,000-plus members with (approximately) $1.8 billion worth of assets.
MiKargo247/Falvey Insurance Group
Logistics-focused Insurtech MiKargo247 unveiled its underwriting collaboration with North Kingstown, Rhode Island-based Falvey Insurance Group. Mikargo247 (now) serves as Falvey’s underwriting partner.
Moreover, the cooperation offers logistics industry players several advantages, including across-the-border transportation routes (Mexico), vertically integrated efficient processes, increased policy limits, expedited commodity approvals, and more.
