Insurance in Kenya and Africa at large remains a marginal product, with levels of penetration across the continent half the world average as a percentage of GDP, and premiums per capita 11-fold lower than the world average, according to a recent report by McKinsey and Co. (and that’s including the outsized market of South Africa; […]
Tiger Global in talks to lead over $100M investment in India’s Slice
A number of high-profile investors are chasing to invest in Slice, a fintech startup that is attempting to expand the market for credit cards in India. Tiger Global is in advanced stages of talks to lead a round of over $100 million in the Bangalore-based startup, sources familiar with the matter told me. A number […]
Mark Cuban-backed Otto raises $4.5M to turn car equity into credit
Otto, a fintech startup which aims to allow people to tap into their vehicle’s equity for access to credit, has raised $4.5 million in a seed round of funding. The Dallas-based company is building a mobile platform that will essentially let people borrow against their vehicles at the same interest rate as standard credit cards. […]
Shooting for greater privacy in DeFi, Sienna Network launches SiennaSwap
The rise of privacy-oriented financial blockchain projects are going to be crucial if “DeFi” (decentralized finance) is to have any kind of future. We have come to expect privacy in our “normal” financial lives, so we will expect it in the blockchain and Crypto world, whatever some might claim. We saw murmurs of that starting […]
Sure raises $100M at a $550M valuation to help companies launch insurance products with its ‘flexible’ APIs
Sure, an insurance infrastructure startup, announced today that it has closed on $100 million in Series C funding at a $550 million valuation. New York-based Declaration Partners and European growth investor Kinnevik co-led the financing, which also included participation from WndrCo and existing backers W. R. Berkley and Menlo Ventures. The round brings the Santa […]
YC-backed Amenli raises $2.3M to provide insurance to Egyptian consumers
The average penetration rate for insurance in Africa is between 3% to 5%. South Africa makes up a large bulk of it; without it, the continent is on a 1% to 2% rate even with other developed technology and financial markets like Kenya, Nigeria and Egypt. The insurance market is still one of the industries […]
Eight Roads launches its fourth fund: $450M aimed at European/Israeli scale-ups
European VC Eight Roads is launching its fourth fund of $450 million for European and Israeli tech companies , aiming for another 15-20 across a broad range of consumer, software-as-a-service, fintech and healthtech areas. Cheque sizes wil range from around $5 million to $50 million per company, and as such, it tends to play more […]
Chime’s Chris Britt and Menlo Ventures’ Shawn Carolan to talk fintech on TechCrunch Live
In a world where fintech is so hot right now, and investors are being swept up by their excitement for the space, Chime has managed to ride the wave to near perfection. The company has raised upwards of $2.6 billion, including a fresh $750 million just this year. The startup, playing in the fee-free banking […]
B Capital in talks to back Indian neobank Fi
B Capital Group, which last week co-led Indian social commerce Meesho’s $570 million funding, is in advanced stages of talks to back Bangalore-based neobank Fi (formerly known as epiFi), many aware of the talks told me. Fi offers a neobanking service for millennials in India. The startup, which early last year raised $13.2 million in […]
Where and when to spend your recently raised dollars
‘It’s easier to raise and harder to spend these days, because there’s such a high demand for talent.’