Finance Trends

An insurance broker that operates as a one-stop platform for consumers to compare insurance options from top carriers. It offers a variety of insurance products, including life, renters, long-term disability, and pet insurance, and provides online insurance checkup services to help customers assess their insurance needs. Policygenius primarily serves customers in the United States, aiming to simplify the insurance purchasing process and help consumers make informed decisions.

Data wrangling, also known as data munging, is the process of cleaning, transforming, and organizing raw data into a format suitable for analysis. This process involves steps such as data collection, cleaning, transformation, integration, enrichment, and validation to ensure data accuracy and consistency. Data wrangling is essential for data analysts and scientists who require reliable and well-structured data for insightful analysis.

Know Your Customer (KYC) is a process used by businesses, particularly financial institutions, to verify the identity of their clients. This process aims to prevent fraud, money laundering, and other illegal activities by collecting and verifying personal information such as name, address, date of birth, and identification documents. KYC procedures are essential for maintaining the integrity of financial systems and ensuring regulatory compliance, primarily benefiting financial institutions and their customers.

Financial services company that provides secured and unsecured personal loans, as well as secured savings loans. Goeasy also offers merchandise leasing transaction services through online and mobile e-commerce-enabled platforms, differentiating itself with a broad range of financial solutions accessible via digital channels. The company's services are primarily targeted at consumers in Canada and the United States who are seeking flexible loan options and leasing services.

Cashless tipping platform that enables individuals and teams to receive tips directly from customers without the need for physical cash. Tipjar stands out by offering a transparent and fair distribution system for tips among team members, ensuring equitable sharing. This platform is particularly beneficial for service industry workers and teams looking to streamline and modernize their tipping processes.

Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) are mandatory withdrawals that individuals must take annually from their IRA and retirement plan accounts starting at age 72 (or age 73 if they reach age 72 after December 31, 2022). These distributions are designed to ensure that retirement accounts are eventually depleted and taxed, preventing indefinite tax deferral. RMDs primarily affect retirees who have accumulated savings in tax-deferred retirement accounts.

Problem-solving process that involves breaking down complex problems into manageable parts, identifying patterns, abstracting general principles, and developing step-by-step solutions or algorithms. Computational thinking is essential in computer science but also valuable in fields such as mathematics, engineering, and science, as it promotes logical reasoning and systematic problem-solving. This approach benefits students, educators, and professionals who seek to enhance their analytical skills and tackle complex challenges efficiently.

Equity compensation given to employees, which vest over time or upon meeting certain performance criteria. RSUs are taxed as ordinary income when they vest and convert into actual shares, aligning employee interests with those of shareholders. They are particularly beneficial for employees in companies looking to retain talent and incentivize long-term performance.

Know Your Customer (KYC) is a process used by banks and financial institutions to verify the identity of their clients. This process aims to prevent financial crimes such as money laundering, fraud, and financing of terrorism by collecting and verifying documents like proof of identity, proof of address, and financial information. KYC primarily benefits banks and regulatory authorities by ensuring compliance with legal requirements and maintaining the integrity of the financial system.

AI lending platform that collaborates with banks and credit unions to offer consumer loans by utilizing non-traditional variables to assess creditworthiness. Upstart differentiates itself by leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning to provide more accurate and inclusive credit assessments, potentially offering better loan terms for consumers. The platform primarily targets individuals seeking personal loans who may not have a traditional credit history, as well as financial institutions looking to enhance their lending processes.

A security risk originating from within an organization, typically involving employees, former employees, contractors, or business associates with inside information. Insider threats can lead to theft, fraud, espionage, or sabotage, and are categorized into malicious insiders, negligent insiders, and compromised insiders. Organizations mitigate these risks through background checks, access controls, security training, and data loss prevention tools.

Crypto-native risk monitoring firm headquartered in New York City, specializing in DeFi and crypto trade surveillance, as well as anti-money laundering (AML) software. Their products are designed to detect token scams, onboarding fraud, and other types of fraudulent activities in the cryptocurrency space, differentiating them through their focus on comprehensive risk management solutions. Solidus Labs primarily serves cryptocurrency exchanges, financial institutions, and regulatory bodies seeking to enhance security and compliance in the digital asset market.

The practice of placing wagers on competitive video gaming events. Esports betting includes various types of bets such as match winner, tournament winner, prop bets, and live betting, with popular games including 'League of Legends,' 'Dota 2,' and 'Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.' This activity primarily targets gaming enthusiasts and bettors looking to engage with the competitive gaming scene, with platforms like Betway and Unikrn offering these services.

Simulation of human intelligence in machines programmed to think and learn like humans. AI can perform tasks such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and language translation, with applications in fields like healthcare, finance, and automotive. It is beneficial for industries seeking to automate complex tasks and improve efficiency.

A digital form of a signature that can be used to sign documents electronically, legally binding in many countries. E-signatures streamline the process of signing contracts, agreements, and other important documents by allowing signatures to be created using various methods such as typing a name, drawing with a mouse or touchscreen, or using a stylus on a digital pad. They are commonly used in business transactions, legal agreements, and other scenarios requiring a signature, offering advantages like convenience, speed, and remote signing capabilities.

A financing option that helps homeowners afford the installation of solar energy systems without having to pay the full cost upfront. These loans can increase home value and may make borrowers eligible for tax benefits, such as the federal solar tax credit, allowing homeowners to spread the cost over time while still reaping the benefits of solar energy. Solar loans are particularly beneficial for homeowners looking to invest in renewable energy solutions without significant initial expenditure.

Company that owns and develops real estate properties and holds interests in three main business areas: Real Estate, Steel Services, and Industrial Holdings. Onvest differentiates itself by managing a diverse portfolio that spans across multiple industries, providing stability and growth opportunities through its varied investments. The company primarily targets investors and businesses looking for reliable real estate and industrial investment opportunities.

A Gold IRA (Individual Retirement Account) is a type of self-directed IRA that allows investors to hold physical gold and other precious metals as part of their retirement portfolio. This differs from traditional IRAs, which typically hold paper assets like stocks and bonds, and offers tax advantages such as tax-deferred growth. Gold IRAs are primarily targeted at investors seeking to diversify their retirement savings with tangible assets and hedge against economic uncertainties.

A leading financial technology company that provides comprehensive payment solutions. Adyen differentiates itself by offering a unified platform that supports various payment methods and currencies, ensuring seamless transactions for businesses worldwide. The company's services are primarily targeted at large enterprises and online merchants seeking efficient and scalable payment processing solutions.

Software company specializing in financial technology development, providing trading technology for brokerages. OneZero Financial Systems offers multi-asset class execution, connectivity, distribution, and data insights, differentiating itself by enabling brokerages to compete in the foreign exchange, commodities, cryptocurrency, and futures markets. The primary target demographic includes brokerages and financial institutions seeking advanced trading technology solutions.

OneFamily is a UK-based financial services provider that operates as a mutual society, meaning it is owned by its members rather than shareholders. The organization offers a variety of financial products including Child Trust Funds, ISAs, Lifetime ISAs, Junior ISAs, Tax-Exempt Savings Plans, and Over 50s Life Cover, differentiating itself through its member-owned structure. OneFamily primarily serves individuals and families looking for savings and investment products, particularly those interested in mutual society benefits.

Process used by financial institutions and other organizations to monitor and analyze financial transactions in real-time or near real-time to detect and prevent suspicious activities. Transaction monitoring involves data collection, rule-based monitoring, risk scoring, alert generation, and investigation and reporting, providing a comprehensive approach to identifying potential financial crimes. This process is essential for compliance officers, risk management teams, and regulatory bodies aiming to ensure financial integrity and security.

Consumer-facing financial services app that enables users to access their earned wages, savings tools, and rewards quickly. It differentiates itself by offering these services with no interest, no credit checks, and no hidden fees, providing a transparent and user-friendly financial solution. Klover primarily targets individuals seeking immediate access to their earnings and financial tools without the burden of traditional banking fees and credit requirements.

Service aimed at helping clients develop money management skills, including budgeting, saving, and debt reduction. Financial coaching focuses on creating financial plans and improving financial literacy without providing specific investment advice, differentiating it from traditional financial advisory services. This service is particularly beneficial for individuals seeking to improve their financial habits and achieve long-term financial stability.

Cash-out refers to the process of converting assets, winnings, or investments into cash. This term is commonly used in contexts such as casinos, where players exchange chips for money, or in financial markets, where investors sell their holdings to realize profits. The concept of cash-out is relevant to individuals seeking liquidity or immediate access to funds.

French multinational company specializing in payment and transactional services, offering solutions for merchant services, financial services, and mobility & e-transactional services. It differentiates itself by providing a comprehensive suite of secure and innovative payment solutions that cater to the evolving needs of businesses and consumers globally. Worldline primarily targets businesses and financial institutions seeking reliable and advanced payment processing and transactional services.

CoinJoin is a method for combining multiple Bitcoin payments from multiple spenders into a single transaction, making it more difficult for outside parties to determine which spender paid which recipient. This technique enhances the privacy and anonymity of Bitcoin transactions by obscuring the trail of ownership. CoinJoin is particularly beneficial for individuals and entities seeking to protect their financial privacy in the cryptocurrency space.

​Yassir is an Algerian-based super app that offers a range of on-demand services, including ride-hailing, food and grocery delivery, and digital payments. Founded in 2017, it has expanded its operations to 45 cities across Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal, South Africa, France, and Canada, serving over 8 million users. Yassir primarily caters to individuals in these regions seeking convenient access to transportation, delivery services, and financial transactions through a single platform

Till Financial is a free app and debit card designed to help families teach children to become smarter spenders. It allows parents to give kids money, monitor their spending, and help them set saving and spending goals, with features like weekly allowance payments and rewards for completing tasks. The app is targeted at families looking to instill financial literacy and independence in their children.

The process of identifying and preventing fraudulent activities, particularly in financial transactions. It employs various techniques such as rule-based systems, statistical analysis, machine learning, and behavioral analytics to detect suspicious behavior and anomalies. Fraud detection is crucial for financial institutions, e-commerce platforms, and insurance companies to protect against unauthorized transactions, false claims, and identity theft.