In a busy week for the Forex , fintech, and crypto spheres, we take a look at the stories that dominated this week's headlines.
Revolut raises $500M, becomes UK's most valued fintech
Revolut, the digital banking platform, raised $500 million to value the company at $5.5 billion, making it the most-valued fintech startup in the UK. US-based investment firm TCV led the round, which saw the 2,000-employee strong company now raise a total of $837 million.
Read more on the rise of Revolut and its latest funding round.
INTL FCStone acquires GAIN Capital (NYSE: GCAP) in an all-cash deal
There's about to be another big shakeup to the brokerage industry in the United States, with INTL FCStone Inc. set to acquire GAIN Capital Holdings, Inc.(NYSE: GCAP) The deal, which has been approved by both Boards of Directors, will see INTL FCStone purchase GAIN for $6.00 per share in an all-cash transaction, representing approximately $236 million in equity value.
Finance Magnates reported rumors of a deal as early as July last year, but now the transaction is expected to close in mid-2020, subject to approval by GAIN's stockholders and regulators.
Fintech Trends: all you need to know
Finance Magnates analyzed the latest CB Insights report that made a big splash on the fintech scene. There was an important shift in where the funding was being directed towards, with fewer deals overall from 2018 to 2019. Also, the total sum of fundraising by fintech companies throughout 2019 was $34.5 billion, down from the $40.8 billion in funding the year before,
However, despite the seemingly downward trend, fintech is growing and growing fast. Find out the story behind the numbers and what we can expect in fintech trends over the coming year,
XTB expansion plans and review of a challenging 2019.
In a candid interview with Finance Magnates, Omar Arnaout, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at XTB, revealed South African Expansion plans and discussed a mixed year for the Polish-listed broker. The firm managed to double its revenues in Q4 as the company adjusted to the product intervention measures originally implemented by ESMA
Omar discusses the impact of regulations and how the company seeks to expand over the coming months. Read the full Omar Arnaout interview for more.
The impact of the Coronavirus on Bitcoin
In an expert analysis, Finance Magnates looked at the effect the Coronavirus is having upon on Bitcoin (BTC). The spread of the virus doesn't seem to have had the price-boosting effect that so many seemed to think it would. Does this destroy the "BTC as a safe haven" narrative? Analysts and speculators alike have supposed that if Coronavirus continues to spread, the price of Bitcoin will continue to increase as people move their assets from fiat currencies and other markets into BTC. So, what's really next for Bitcoin?
Read the full analysis here.
