This Week in Fintech 10 Jan

week with pics BL.001

This weekly summary from our 5 experts, brings you insights based on their experience as investors, entrepreneurs & executives.

Ilias Hatzis started his first company, an internet search engine, during the dot-com era & now focusses on crypto.

Efi Pylarinou worked for top tier Wall Street firms and is now a top global Fintech influencer.

Jessica Ellerm is CEO of Zuper Superannuation & previously worked for a top Fintech startup, Tyro.

Patrick Kelahan is a CX, engineering & insurance professional, working with Insurers, Attorneys & Owners.

Bernard Lunn is CEO of Daily Fintech and author of The Blockchain Economy.

If you want to continue receiving This Week in Fintech, you can either become a paying Member for $143 per year (and receive all our content in addition to this weekly summary) by clicking here.  If you just want to receive This Week in Fintech for free, you will need to fill in this form. Or fill in the same sign up form at the bottom of this post.

Your Editor is Bernard Lunn. He is also the CEO of Daily Fintech and author of The Blockchain Economy.

Monday Ilias Hatzis @iliashatzis our Greece-based crypto entrepreneur (Founder & CEO at Mercato Blockchain Corporation AG and Weekly Columnist at Daily Fintech) wrote Ethereum Strikes Back

Decentralized finance (DeFi) has literally exploded this year. 2020 is set to be even bigger. DeFi offers a unique way to earn interest on digital assets without a middleman taking a cut. Decentralized finance is evolving and Ethereum based DeFi is at the forefront. While several other smart contract platforms have been taking pot shots at Ethereum’s lead, none of Ethereum’s would be killers have been able to gain significant traction this year.

Editor note: If it is broke DO fix it. Bitcoin was born in the last financial crisis, when it was obvious that legacy finance was broken. When the next financial crisis hits, the alternative DeFi maybe ready to offer pragmatic solutions.

——————————————-

Tuesday Efi Pylarinou @efipm our Swiss-based Fintech Adviser,  founder of Efi Pylarinou Advisory and a Fintech/Blockchain influencer – No.3 influencer in the finance sector by Refinitiv Global Social Media 2019 wrote Facts & Figures, Risks & Challenges in the ETF market

I am starting the New Year with a focus on ETFs, a 30yr old financial product that has shown Resilience, and relentless Growth. It is simple in its use but not that simple in creating and going to market. It has even been the wrapper of choice to bridge the old world to the new digital asset world. But Distribution remains key.

Editor note: An interesting look at how ETFs are monetising after moving into the zero fees world. Passive index funds maybe easy for investors to buy but it is much harder to build successful ones.

——————————————-

Wednesday Jessica Ellerm @jessicaellerm, our Australia-based Fintech entrepreneur and thought leader specializing in Small Business and the Gig Economy & CEO/Co-Founder of Zuper, a new superannuation startup in Australia wrote Fintech Must Meet Cleantech. Fast.

It’s hard to think about much else in Australia right now, other than bushfires. They are consuming our media and our daily discussions with friends, neighbours and work colleagues. Finance has a unique role to play in this adaptation journey.

Editor note: During the holidays I got a break from Fintech but was obsessed with climate change as I watched the awful fires in Australia via Twitter. This post brings those two threads together. When Jessica writes “We must stop looking at climate change as a detractor from growth, and instead realise that by adapting to it, we will actually sustain growth” my head is nodding in vigorous agreement. 

——————————————-

Thursday Patrick Kelahan @insuranceeleph1, our US based Insurtech expert (a CX, engineering & insurance professional, working with Insurers, Attorneys & Owners who also serves the insurance and Fintech world as the ‘Insurance Elephant’) wrote Can industry changes soften a hard property insurance market in California?

There are suggestions of hardening markets for US property insurance participants, and there is no better example of this than what is occurring in California.  Non-renewals in wildfire prone areas, premium increases, reductions in coverage and the seeming ultimate reaction- regulatory prohibition of policy non-renewals.

How did the state get to this point, and is there a lesson to be gained for any area that is exposed to regional maximum losses?  Is the hardening multi-trillion dollar California homeowners market a bellwether for others?

Editor note: This is a must read if you work in Insurance. Like Wednesday’s post, this post tackles climate change, but from the point of view of the natural disaster gap (between premiums and cost of natural disasters which are worse in California due to bushfires and earthquakes).

——————————————-

Friday  Bernard Lunn, CEO of Daily Fintech and author of The Blockchain Economy, wrote: The Week ending 10 January 2020 in Security Tokens

Editor note: For busy leaders in Security Tokens, the disruptive force in the equities market, here is the news that mattered this week.

——————————————-

To continue receiving ‘This Week in Fintech’, the weekly recap of our articles, you will need to fill this form to give us consent to send this to you. Please note that Daily Fintech requires your organizational email address (e.g. corporate, educational or government) and your LinkedIn URL. This information is required for subscribers who want ‘This Week in Fintech’ for free. If you prefer to not provide this information, you can still receive all our content by becoming a paying member.

The post This Week in Fintech 10 Jan appeared first on Daily Fintech.