401(k) startup Guideline doubles AUM to $4B during pandemic

401(k) startup Guideline doubles AUM to $4B during pandemic

While free lunches and ping pong tables may have been popular office perks prior to the pandemic, one 401(k) startup discovered that many remote businesses decided to invest in 401(k)s as workplace benefits instead.

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Federal Trade Commission shuts down savings app Beam

Federal Trade Commission shuts down savings app Beam

Beam, a San Francisco-based savings app which launched in 2019, has been shut down as a result of a tentative settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

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Walgreens to roll out bank account, following in the footsteps of Walmart

Walgreens to roll out bank account, following in the footsteps of Walmart

With more than 9,000 stores across the U.S. and interactions with 8 million customers in-store and online, pharmacy retailer Walgreens is now betting on financial services in a tie-up with card issuer MetaBank and payments provider InComm Payments.

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Visa takes leap in settling transactions via USDC stablecoin

Visa takes leap in settling transactions via USDC stablecoin

Payments giant Visa says it’s allowing transactions to settle using cryptocurrency USD Coin (USDC), a stablecoin whose value is tied to the U.S. dollar.

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Allstate completes exit from life and annuities business

Allstate completes exit from life and annuities business

Reinsurer Wilton Re will pay $220M to acquire Allstate Life Insurance Company of New York (ALNY) from parent company Allstate.

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Despite the pandemic’s impact on real estate, proptech is thriving

Despite the pandemic’s impact on real estate, proptech is thriving

Real estate has had quite the year, which has only fueled innovation in the space. It will be exciting to see what more will develop around proptech’s intersections with asset management and insurance, as well what proptech can do to advance environmental sustainability, co-living solutions, and…

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Goldman Sachs and Fidelity apply for bitcoin-related investment products

Goldman Sachs and Fidelity apply for bitcoin-related investment products

Fidelity and Goldman Sachs are seeking approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for bitcoin-related investment products, demonstrating how quickly the cryptocurrency is moving into traditional banking and wealth management realms.

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Big banks back Black & Latinx-focused neobank Greenwood’s $40M Series A fund raise

Big banks back Black & Latinx-focused neobank Greenwood’s $40M Series A fund raise

Greenwood, a digital banking platform aimed at Black and Latinx communities, has secured $40M in Series A funding after securing a $3M seed round in October.

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Coinbase fields customer service complaints as it prepares to go public

Coinbase fields customer service complaints as it prepares to go public

Coinbase, the cryptocurrency exchange which recently filed paperwork to go public through a direct listing, is battling a growing number of complaints from clients who say they’re locked out of their accounts or can’t get answers to simple customer-care questions.

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eMoney Advisor integrates with Akoya network to stamp out ‘screen scraping’

eMoney Advisor integrates with Akoya network to stamp out ‘screen scraping’

eMoney Advisor, the Fidelity-owned financial software planning platform used by more than 70,000 financial professionals across firms of all sizes, announced that it’s joining the Akoya data access network.

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BitClout, a crypto social network, will launch out of beta this week

BitClout, a crypto social network, will launch out of beta this week

BitClout, a crypto social network that allows participants to buy and sell tokens based on people’s reputations, will launch out of beta this week. It is centered around possibilities to invest in a measure of individuals’ credibility and recognition.

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BlackRock launches internal review of discrimination and sexual harassment allegations

BlackRock launches internal review of discrimination and sexual harassment allegations

BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, has hired law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison as part of an internal review of harassment and discrimination claims that came to light this week in an investigative report from Institutional Investor.

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SXSW 2021 Pitch Winners Announced

SXSW 2021 Pitch Winners Announced

“What is your customer acquisition strategy?” is a typical question for startups. And many of the 40 companies pitching in eight categories during the 13th annual SXSW Pitch Event showed they had a clear roadmap for attracting ideal customers to grow their businesses.

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Caesar Sengupta, Google’s head of payments, to leave for ‘new mission’ next month

Caesar Sengupta, Google’s head of payments, to leave for ‘new mission’ next month

Google’s head of payments says he’s leaving the company for a yet-to-be-announced “new mission.” His last day at the company is April 30.

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Fintech pioneer Mint poised for major upgrade

Fintech pioneer Mint poised for major upgrade

Mint, one of the first personal finance aggregators, is updating its client experience and adding support for new offerings thanks to parent company Intuit’s Credit Karma acquisition and a new team.

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