Alternative Finances

Alternative Finances
The Problems And Promise Of Postal Banking
January 12, 2016

It is easy to overlook the problem of the unbanked and underbanked in the United States — if for no other reason than it is far from the endemic problem here that it is in other parts of the world. However, depending upon the exact...

CommonBond Raises $275M In New Lending Capital
January 06, 2016

As the online lending market heats up, another alternative lender has secured a chunk of funding to help push its capital lending goals. Reports yesterday (Jan. 5) show that CommonBond, the student loan lender, brought in another $275 million in lending capital in a round...

Alternative Finances
Kiva — Where Crowdsourcing Meets Alt-Lending
January 05, 2016

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...

Alternative Finances
Big Banks, Startups And Rethinking SMB Lending
January 04, 2016

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...

Alternative Finances
Was 2015 The Year Of Financial Inclusion?
December 31, 2015

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...

FICO Faces Federal Legislators
December 22, 2015

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 Partners With JetPay To Advance SMB Lending
December 22, 2015

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...

Alternative Finances
Mobile-Only Bank NUMBER26 Goes Contactless With MasterCard
December 18, 2015

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...

Alternative Finances
WebBank And Alt Lending’s ‘Perfect Storm’
December 15, 2015

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...