Drawbridge, a premier provider of cybersecurity software and solutions to the alternative investment industry, today unveiled its new corporate brand identity reflecting the company’s evolution into a modern technology partner for more than 800 alternative investment funds and their portfolio companies. The rebrand caps a period of continued hyper growth and technology advancements that have enabled Drawbridge to deliver the industry's leading all-in-one cybersecurity platform to help its global clients navigate the dynamic cybersecurity landscape.

Built and led by fintech industry pioneers and cybersecurity experts, Drawbridge enables alternative investment firms to bolster their cybersecurity posture to minimize risk, meet evolving regulatory requirements and confidently transact with clients and counterparties. Its award-winning all-in-one cybersecurity platform enables users to easily perform nonstop due diligence, assess risk, monitor for security breaches and test their protection with unprecedented independence and insight. Drawbridge clients are empowered to continuously detect and remediate cybersecurity vulnerabilities, enabling them to leverage Drawbridge’s extensive solution portfolio with as much or as little guidance from Drawbridge’s expert professional services team as possible.

"Drawbridge was founded with a steadfast commitment to client success and technology innovation. While that philosophy has never changed, our business itself has evolved, and we realized our brand needed to evolve with it,” said Jason Elmer, Founder and CEO, Drawbridge. “The significant investments we have made over the past four years in our people, products and services have enabled us to evolve into a true modern technology company, and we’re proud that our new brand supports this mission and vision while positioning us for future success.”

The rebrand follows a milestone year for Drawbridge marked by product innovation, continued global expansion and a 166% annual increase in its client base. In 2021 Drawbridge secured a growth equity investment from Long Ridge Equity Partners and heavily invested in key industry talent with strategic senior and board appointments and multiple new product offerings. The company’s stellar growth is a result of expanded business with existing clients and significant new client acquisitions.

Elmer continued, "The unprecedented geo-political risks and cyber threats we’ve witnessed over the past several years have demonstrated that the need for robust cybersecurity programs has never been greater, especially in the financial services sector. We’re proud that our state-of-the-art platform has made Drawbridge the partner of choice for more than 800 financial services firms that have selected Drawbridge to provide them everything they need to manage their comprehensive cybersecurity programs, molded to each client’s specific needs. We are excited to continue evolving in tandem with the dynamic cybersecurity landscape to ensure we have the right talent and technology to help protect our clients against the most daunting cyber threats.”

Informa Connect’s FinovateSpring returns to the Hilton San Francisco Union Square Hotel on May 18-20 for its first in-person, West Coast fintech conference since 2019. More than 1,100 senior executives will hear from over 100 speakers and see live product demos from more than 50 fintech solutions providers.

Understanding the importance of providing virtual access to as much conference content as possible, FinovateSpring will offer digital passes to the event so anyone can join from anywhere in the world. For in-person registration or to secure a digital pass, please visit https://informaconnect.com/finovatespring/booking-options.

More than 270 financial institutions have registered their representatives to attend FinovateSpring 2022, including all top 10 U.S. banks. Along with expert advice from key influencers, FinovateSpring is well known for spotlighting new fintech innovations from seed-stage startups to established leaders. Hand-picked solutions providers are given seven minutes to demo their product or service in real time, with no PowerPoint presentations or canned videos allowed. This highly efficient Finovate format is valued by the many senior-level decision-makers who attend.

In addition, dozens of FinovateSpring panels, sessions and keynotes will address the most critical challenges facing the industry, including How to Win the War for Fintech Talent, Why Digital Transformation Projects Generally Fail – And How To Make Sure Yours Doesn’t, The Three Cs of Innovation, 21st Century Lending - Harnessing New Tech To Meet The Changing Needs Of Consumers & Small Businesses, Financial Crime & Cyber Threats – How New Technology Can Change The Game, and many more.

FinovateSpring also means unparalleled networking opportunities to connect directly to innovators behind the most exciting tech in finance. Meet leading fintechs, platform players, financial institutions, regulators and investors redefining the future of financial services worldwide. The unique high-impact networking sessions and 1-on-1 meetings are the heart of Finovate conferences. The event’s innovative matchmaking tool makes it easier than ever to search, find and engage with the people who can move your business forward.

C-level execs, SVPs, founders, directors, division heads, compliance officers, presidents, change officers, technical officers, EVPs, transformation officers and many others will be represented by those who attend FinovateSpring 2022. To see who is registered and learn more information, visit https://informaconnect.com/finovatespring/.

The awards ceremony aims to recognise top brands in the B2B & B2C online trading and fintech space. The industry’s elite will be battling it out for a multitude of potential awards carefully curated by Ultimate Fintech, the full-service marketing agency, and producers of the legendary iFX EXPO.

Winning one of these prestigious awards doesn’t just offer your brand bragging rights, but garners significant exposure to target audiences around the world.

Every company can claim to be the best, it’s time to prove it.

Categories

There are three different awards categories.

• Broker Awards

These feature global awards such as the Broker of the Year award, the Most Transparent Broker award, as well as the Best Trading Platform.

• Regional Broker Awards

These awards are broken down by region and country including Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Australia/New Zealand to name a few.

• B2B Awards

These include the Best Social Trading Solution award, the Best Institutional Broker, as well as the Best Bridge Provider award.

Timeframe

Nominations are now open, which means that you’ve got until the 23^rd of May to shine the spotlight on the brands that go above and beyond for their clients.

The voting round is between the 25^th of May and the 1^st of June. During this round, the entire industry will be asked to cast their vote.

It all comes together on the 9^th of June, where the winners will be announced at the Awards Ceremony held on the last day of the iFX EXPO International (as if it wasn’t exciting enough).

How do I nominate and vote?

Applicants have to register and fill out the nomination application form once they login. There will be a public voting system hosted on the website during the voting round as well.

With just over a month to go until the deciding night, it’s time to rally your troops and earn your place among the biggest in the business. The Ultimate Fintech Awards are your platform to skyrocket your brand to international superstardom.

Ready to make it official? Nominate your brand.  

Sazmining, the world’s first Bitcoin mining platform created exclusively for retail customers and powered by clean energy, today announced its key advisory slate, seven leading experts in renewable energy, bitcoin and fintech. 

“We’re thrilled to welcome some of the brightest minds in renewables and bitcoin as key advisors for Sazmining - experts who are in philosophical alignment with our vision that sustainable energy and bitcoin investing can go hand in hand,” said Sazmining founder and CEO Will Szamosszegi. “Together, we are committed to breaking down the barriers of this asset class, and transforming how people relate to money and energy.”

Serving as advisors are: 

• Troy Cross - Professor of Philosophy and Humanities, Reed College; Fellow, Bitcoin Policy Institute
• Cary Hayes - President-America’s, REC Group
• Scott Kerbel - Partner, Knickerbocker Financial Group
• Sarah McKenna - Managing Director, AJ&Smart
• John Schaeffer - Founder, Real Goods and the Solar Living Institute
• Benoy Thanjan - CEO and Founder, Reneu Energy
• Brandon Quittem - Head of Acquisition, Swan Bitcoin
• Paul Wehner - Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer, SFB Technologies

Sazmining’s growth trajectory continues. Since launching at Bitcoin 2022, the platform has secured over $1.7M in reservation commitments from retail miners. Interested investors can reserve their mining rigs for the next renewable-powered Bitcoin mining facility by adding their names to the Sazmining waitlist here. 

Nano, the feeless eco-friendly cryptocurrency, was used for the first-ever crypto transactions to take place at an official event inside the Houses of Parliament. This took place at the launch of The Centre of FinTech at the University of East London, an educational institution with which the Nano Foundation has deep ties.

George Coxon and Colin LeMahieu, directors of the Nano Foundation, attended the official launch of The Centre of FinTech at the Houses of Parliament. At this event, George was confirmed as an Industrial Fellow to The Centre of FinTech, adding to her existing position as a founding member of the advisory board.

“London has long been the center of the financial universe, and with the advent of blockchain technology and the recent regulatory announcements concerning blockchain and cryptocurrency in the UK, we at the Nano Foundation see no sign of that changing,” said George. “Our relationship with The Centre of Fintech at UEL is all about equipping students with the educational tools they need to build an incredible career in the industries and fields of the future. Students who engage with the programs on offer at The Centre of FinTech will be uniquely equipped to blaze a trail in this exciting and dynamic new space, and the Nano Foundation will be right there with them!”

“There is a huge amount of focus on the wrong things for the wrong reasons, and some in the crypto industry have lost sight of the initial purpose of cryptocurrency” Colin added. “We play a different “game” to the majority in the crypto space, focusing on solving real-world problems, and building real relationships like the one we have with UEL. Being able to work so closely with the students who will go on to shape the future of the industry in the UK is an amazing opportunity, and one we are not taking lightly.”

The Nano Foundation has been cultivating a strong relationship with this new educational institution in recent months, collaborating with MBA students in a competition to redesign the nano paper wallet. The winners of this competition received their certificates on stage at the event which was also attended by Ron Kalifa, a prominent figure in the UK FinTech sector as the author of the Kalifa Review a Non-Executive Director at the Bank of England, and the Global CEO and Vice Chairman of WorldPay, as well as a host of other industry leaders and decision-makers.

MDOTM, the European leader in AI-driven investment strategies, enters the annual list of the world’s most innovative Wealthtech companies selected by Fintech Global, the London-based leading provider of B2B Fintech information services. Its advisory board of industry experts and analysts evaluated over 1200 applications awarding companies that marked significant technological progress in the Asset and Wealth Management industry.

Founded in London in 2015, MDOTM developed ALICE^® (Adaptive Learning in Complex Environments), a proprietary AI technology to provide banks, insurance companies, family offices, asset and wealth managers with Portfolio Advisory and Asset Allocation services. Financial institutions across Europe, the US, the UK, and the Nordics leverage ALICE's forward-looking insights to enhance their investment process and launch new products.

The MDOTM team has grown to be one of Europe's largest AI-focused investment teams, with over 50 people working on the fintech's R&D and LAB in partnership with universities. The company's proven investment track record, academic leadership in AI research, and ALICE's growing adoption among institutional clients contributed to the company’s inclusion among the global Wealthtech leaders.

In the past year, MDOTM saw a twofold increase in the Assets under Advisory (AuA) resulting from new client wins, including large insurers and asset managers that launched new products and used ALICE's insights to support their tactical and strategic Asset Allocation decisions. Along with Fintech Global’s recognition, in 2022, ALICE^® was also awarded ‘Excellence in Investment Advisory’ by AIFIN and ‘Best New Product’ during the New York Global Fintech Awards.

Axel Maier, Global Head of Business Development of MDOTM, commented: “Innovation has become crucial for Asset and Wealth Managers to stay competitive. Being recognised among the world’s best WealthTech companies is further proof of MDOTM’s growing momentum and value to our institutional clients. With one of the biggest AI-focused investment teams in Europe and a strong focus on R&D, we became one the most competent and trusted advisors for any financial institution that plans to launch new investment solutions and integrate AI into their investment process.”

Australia’s Hay Group is launching Shaype to redefine what is possible in financial  innovation, fintech and embedded financial experiences.  

Since launching the Hay as a Service (HaaS) offering in 2020, the team and the  platform’s capabilities have grown and evolved reflecting the strong demand from  clients for better financial innovation solutions. 

The key attributes delivered to clients include project acceleration and derisking  technology execution for start-ups as well as established suppliers who can use  the powerful and flexible platform to bring new products to market.  

The business has established a reputation for speed, flexibility, control, strong  working relationships and a partnership approach. 

To continue to build on this strong foundation, Hay as a Service (HaaS) has today  become Shaype.  

Hay Group Founder & CEO Andrew Laycock said:  

“Customers want new and flexible ways of dealing with their finances and  businesses are seeing a huge opportunity to deliver financial experiences  differently.  

“Our new brand represents the ambition and evolution of our wholesale financial  technology platform which we launched in 2020 to provide single API access to a  full suite of powerful financial microservices. Shaype reflects our passion to  redefine what is possible in financial innovation.”  

Leveraging the opportunity and success in the Australian market, Shaype is a  global business with locations in Sydney, London, Belfast and Warsaw.  

Key industry partners of Shaype include AWS, VISA, Apple and Google.

• Relai is Crowdcube’s first ever regulated bitcoin-only trading platform
• The round will fuel Relai’s already rapid growth across Europe 
• Relai to continue its innovative approach that makes access to Bitcoin possible in just one minute
•  Investors in private phase include N26 investor Redalpine

Zurich, 28 April 2022 - RELAI, the savings and investment app making bitcoin accessible for everyone, is running its first raise via Crowdcube - marking the first time the crowdfunding platform has played host to a regulated bitcoin startup. Founded by Julian Liniger and Adem Bilican, Relai is headquartered in Switzerland. Since its launch in 2020, Relai has gone from strength to strength, and currently boasts more than 24,000 active users across Europe.

The private phase of the raise saw more than €1.2m invested, with Relai’s lead VC investor, Redalpine, investing again. Other seed stage investors included Polytech Ventures, Fulgur Ventures and ACE & Company. Crowdcube investors can invest from as little as €10, and will receive common shares in the business. Investors will receive an update on the company's performance every quarter.

In addition, Relai is giving those who invest €5,000 or more 0% fees on transactions on the Relai app. The public Crowdcube raise is open to investors on 3 May 2022 and will close w/c 30 May 2022. 

How will Relai use the funding?

Relai will be using the funds raised in this round to further scale its user base across Europe, where it currently has users in 40 different countries. Elsewhere, Relai has plans to make buying bitcoin even quicker and simpler, in particular for those who are new to what is the original and most popular cryptocurrency. Relai also has soon-to-be-announced plans to launch additional features which will expedite bitcoin’s transition to the mainstream.

Julian Liniger, CEO and Founder of Relai, said:

“We’re really excited to be working with Crowdcube to help unlock the next phase of our growth. Our journey to date, paired with our exciting roadmap for the future, means there’s never been a better time to invest in Relai. The private phase of the Crowdcube raise has seen our lead VC investor, Redalpine, doubling down on their seed investment with us, whilst we’ve also had support from other leading European and US investors. We can’t wait to open our doors to the Crowdcube community and welcome thousands of Relai users and fans as shareholders on our journey.”

Dr. Harald Nieder, General Partner at Redalpine said:

“We first invested in Relai in 2021, and didn’t hesitate to add to our commitment when we were given the opportunity this time around. In the past months, we have seen great performance to reach several milestones, fantastic new additions to the team and speedy execution -  we’re excited to be on the journey with the Relai team and welcome the new investors joining us at the table.”

Pepe Borrell, VP of international at Crowdcube, said: 

“Relai joins the wave of European fintechs keen to champion inclusion by putting it at the very core of the business by turning their customers into shareholders – having them on their cap table. We’re really excited to support our first Swiss fintech to reap the benefits of a Crowdcube raise, such as driving engagement, loyalty and advocacy from their communities.”

Starting a business is a great way to achieve financial independence. However, starting a business can be very expensive depending on the type of business you are interested in. Because of this, you might want to start looking for financing to get everything you need for your new business. This is usually not a problem if you have a good credit score but could be a problem if you have a poor credit score. So, what options are available to you in these cases?

Personal Loans

Getting a personal loan is very challenging if you have bad credit, but it is not impossible. Some banks and lenders cater exclusively to those who have bad credit, helping them get the funds they need for whatever they need. The one downside of going this route is that you will have to contend with some conditions you may not like. For example, you may only be able to access a small amount which might not be enough for what you need, or you may be required to pay very high interest on the loan.

Payday Loans

If you are starting a business to get away from the employed life, you might already have a job. This makes payday loans a good option for you. These are short-term loans that give you access to some money that you have to repay on your next payday. If you have small business expenses, these loans are great because you can repay them all at once. You can get easy access to payday loans across Canada by talking to the right lender and getting the amount you need quickly.

When borrowing a payday loan, ask if there are any rollover provisions. These are conditions where your loan can be rolled over to your next payday if you are not able to pay on the immediate one. By rolling over your loan, the lender might increase your interest rate, but they will not put you in debt thus reducing further damage to your credit score.

Peer-to-peer Lending

Peet-to-peer lending is where you borrow cash from individuals. You often make the connection to the lender through a friend or website where investors are willing to give you the money. You might have to pay high interest or give up a small part of your upcoming business until you can repay the loan. Different lenders will have different conditions, so check them out before getting into any arrangements.

Secured Loans

If you have some assets, you can borrow secured loans using them as security. The catch here is that you lose the property if you are unable to repay the loan and thus you should think about this carefully before you go ahead.

The most popular types of properties used to secure these loans are cars and homes. If you have a car, you can get a car title loan and if you have a home, you can get a home equity loan.

Conclusion

Borrowing cash for a new business venture with a poor credit score is very difficult. You will have to contend with unfavorable conditions, small loan amounts, and high interest rates. However, you can still get a loan if you are willing to overcome the challenges you will face.

 Appian Capital Advisory LLP, the investment advisor to long-term value-focused private equity funds that invest solely in mining and mining-related companies, today announces that it has entered into a C$85,000,000 term loan facility financing transaction (the "Credit Transaction") with Western Potash Corp. ("Western Potash"), the wholly owned subsidiary of Western Resources Corp. ("Western Resources"). Proceeds of the Credit Transaction will enable Western Potash to complete the remaining construction and development of the Milestone Phase I Project (the "Project"), Western Potash's MOP potash project located in Saskatchewan, Canada.

The Credit Transaction is comprised of the following, with funding subject to customary terms and conditions:

1.  A six-year term loan facility of up to USD equivalent of C$85,000,000, at an interest rate of 12.5% per annum;

2.  The grant of a 1.5% royalty based on the gross revenue of the Project to Appian; and

3.  Issuance to Appian by Western Resources of 20,774,030 warrants, allowing Appian, after exercise, to acquire up to 9.9% of Western Resources' issued and outstanding common shares. The exercise price is at a 25% discount to the 5-day VWAP on April 28, 2022, the execution date of the Facility Agreement.

The Credit Transaction is a strong fit within Appian's investment mandate, providing attractive risk-adjusted returns and alignment with Western Resources through royalty and warrant upside, while maintaining downside protection through a senior secured position. It provides Appian with upside exposure to the potash commodity market through the royalty and any future production expansions through the warrants package.

The Project has strong fundamentals including:

• Located in a tier-1 jurisdiction, the Project has near-term production potential expected to begin in Q2 2023 and achieve run-rate production approximately 1 year later, allowing it to take advantage of favorable Potash market dynamics 
   
• Phase I run-rate production of 146,000 tonnes per annum MOP and a 40 year mine life. Potential to expand to a larger Phase II of 1.4 million tonnes per annum after successful completion of Phase I
   
• Environmentally friendly solution mining method leaves no salt tailings on the surface
   
• Efficient operating costs in the middle of the cost curve (on a US Midwest delivered basis)
   
• Long-term off-take agreement with Archer Daniels Midland (NYSE: ADM) for 100% of the potash production from the Project

Michael W. Scherb, Founder and CEO of Appian, commented: "Appian is delighted to be supporting Western Resources to develop the Milestone Phase I Project. This transaction demonstrates the continued success of our dedicated credit and royalties offering, highlighting our ability to invest through the capital structure and provide non-dilutive financing for mining companies. The value that our market-leading technical team brings is also a key differentiator, with our expertise helping project owners to maximise potential and returns.

This is a strong fit with Appian's investment mandate, providing attractive risk-adjusted returns and potential upside, supported by a robust potash asset with exposure to growing global demand for agricultural commodities."