Archive: banks

Crypto Insider: Behind the Bank Runs

By Early Investing on March 22, 2023

Banks are having a rough month. First Silvergate Bank collapsed, with the company announcing its liquidation on March 8. Then Silicon Valley Bank collapsed two days later on March 10. And then two days after that, on March 12, Signature Bank was shut down by regulators.  By the numbers, Signature Bank’s collapse is the third-largest failure in U.S. banking history. Silicon Valley Bank is the second-largest failure, right behind Washington Mutual’s collapse in 2008. So banks…
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Crypto Monitor: Understanding Institutional DeFi

By Early Investing on January 20, 2023

You’ve likely heard of decentralized finance, or DeFi. Now get ready for… institutional DeFi! Institutional DeFi refers to large institutions using DeFi protocols to tokenize real-world assets with regulatory compliance and institutional-level controls for consumer protection.  Institutional DeFi comes with a lot of advantages — including…

Washington Contemplates a Digital Dollar

By Vin Narayanan on April 22, 2022

Editor’s note: We’re trying a new format for our Friday crypto updates. We hope you enjoy the new look. And don’t forget that once a month, Vin will be writing about collectibles instead of crypto. Market Musings As of this writing, bitcoin is up around 2%…
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Robo Advisory Startups Are Coming for Crowdfunders

By Andy Gordon on February 3, 2022

The buyout that caught my attention this week involved fintech wealth management firm Wealthfront. UBS — the largest private bank globally — bought it for $1.4 billion.  The acquisition got plenty of press. Several articles focused on the low buyout price. For venture capital (VC) firms…
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Iran Loosens Bitcoin Restrictions

By Adam Sharp on October 30, 2020

Some interesting crypto news broke this week. Apparently Iran has changed its laws to allow cryptocurrency to be used for purchasing imports.  According to Decrypt (a pretty reliable crypto news outlet), crypto miners will have to sell coins directly to Iran’s…

Cannabis Companies Spend Record Amount on Lobbying

By Allison Brickell on November 4, 2019

Cannabis companies have spent a record amount on lobbying this year. Here’s why.
The IPO process is broken. And Silicon Valley isn’t owning up to its role in that dysfunction.

Mailbag: Early Investors Don’t Need to Worry About WeWork

By Early Investing on October 6, 2019

In this week’s Mailbag, the Early Investing team addresses celebrity investors and the WeWork debacle’s impact on the startup investing world.

The Bullish Case for Gold

By Adam Sharp on September 27, 2019

Today we’re entering the world of precious metals and explaining why they’re an important part of every investor’s portfolio.

Why Millennials Prefer Real Estate and Crypto Investments

By Allison Brickell on August 19, 2019

The most popular investments in America are changing. And millennials are leading the charge.

A Broken Payments System That’s Bad for Everyone

By Vin Narayanan on August 14, 2019

The payments ecosystem is a hot mess. And the Federal Reserve, banks and crypto all offer potential solutions. But only one of those is really trustworthy.
The cannabis industry has a banking problem. But financial institutions want to change that - and the government is taking steps to make it happen.
Politicians and regulators are freaking out over Facebook’s new Libra currency. Here’s what’s going on.
Libra is a threat to banks. But it actually boosts the outlook for bitcoin.
The U.S. is on track to adopt new operating procedures for crypto exchanges. But one of these rules will only create problems for the crypto industry.

What’s Different About This Crypto Surge

By Andy Gordon on June 5, 2019

Crypto winter is over. But what’s causing this reversal of fortune?