Forbes Fintech 50 list: New players, veterans and non-listed Startups

Recently published in Forbes, the new edition of its "Fintech 50"list, which enumerates the world's leading financial technology companies. It is noteworthy that this year, only six companies out of crypto and the Blockchain are represented, while the list for 2018, eleven players are included out of the box.

in view of the fact that the infamous crypto boom by 2017, the relentless bear market followed, it is hardly surprising. While there are in this year, much less crypto companies, but less than half - Ripple, BitFury, Coinbase — were already previously on this list, which means that regardless of market conditions, new blood was added.

the veterans of ripple

What is a company?

Ripple (XRP) is the oldest crypto-oriented companies on the Forbes list, which was awarded for the fifth Time in a row. Its main focus is on cross-border credit transfer payments on Blockchain-based. The San Francisco-based Startup aims Mainly, the SWIFT System, which handles worldwide transactions worth up to 5 trillion US dollars per day — with faster processing.

What has changed in 2018?

Overall, in 2018, for Ripple a productive year. While the company was burdened with lawsuits claim that XRP are a Token of securities (if this is really true, the company is confronted with substantial fines), and after long rumors, not on Coinbase has been noted, managed to Ripple, to develop numerous financial institutions such as the National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) and the Malaysian banking group CIMB for your RippleNet-win network. In addition, the company has introduced in connection with the Santander Bank and the SBI Holdings Blockchain money transfer Apps.

In addition, the company introduced several high-level talents: The former Google Manager Amir Sarhangi was appointed Vice President of Products of the Startups, and Kahina Van Dyke, Facebook's former global Director for financial services and payment partnerships, joined the company as Senior Vice President of Business and Corporate Development. Finally, Ripple continued to cooperate with universities from all over the world to explore the Blockchain-technology and has invested over 45 million euros in the academic research.

BitFury

What is a company?

BitFury is widely considered to be the largest non-Chinese Mining company is known, was presented for the second year in a row, according to Forbes, in part because of the efforts to expand even further. This year, the magazine referred to, the Amsterdam-based Startup as "a Full-Service company for Blockchain".

What has changed in 2018?

in Particular, BitFury has worked with the "Big Four" consulting firm PwC to create a Blockchain-accelerator for companies in Russia. It was also announced that PwC has already used Exonum, the Open Source Framework of BitFury to Build Blockchain applications, training courses and seminars.

in addition, rumors that the Startup wanted to go to the stock exchange, and examined, London, Amsterdam and Hong Kong as the host city for a potential initial public offering (IPO). BitFury has also developed in the area of self-regulation by its Software Stack, Crystal, has introduced that should be used to combat crimes related to Bitcoin (BTC), and added a former member of the U.S. securities and exchange Commission its Advisory Board. Finally, the company has not forgotten its roots and a new Generation of its BTC-Mining Hardware on the market.

Coinbase

What is a company?

In a similar way, Forbes praised Coinbase — one of the most important American Bitcoin Wallet and retail exchange — the moves through the usual steps. The company was included for the third Time in the list.

What has changed in 2018?

Coinbase, one of the most important achievements of the company in the last year, started the Over-the-Counter (OTC) for institutional customers, introduced a training program and Earn.com purchased, a paid Messaging service with Blockchain function. In addition, the company has recorded, in collaboration with Circle, another in the Forbes list crypto Startup, his first Stablecoin-share, and announced plans for Expansion on the Japanese market.

newcomers circle

What is a company?

Circle is a Goldman Sachs backed Startup company based in Boston that focuses on instant money transfers and also an insured Bitcoin Wallet. The company was represented this year for the first Time on Forbes "Fintech 50".

What has changed in 2018?

In fact, the past few months have been particularly productive for Circle, in collaboration with Coinbase on his Ethereum-based, Dollar-based Stablecoinauf the market, and the US-crypto-exchange, poloniex for 350 million euros, is completely bought up.

Gemini

What is a company?

Gemini Winklevoss, the crypto exchange of the brothers, debuted on the Forbes list. The platform has opted for Compliance as the most important policy and testing the limits of the US regulatory framework.

What has changed in 2018?

After the Winklevii were become in December of 2017, the first official Bitcoin-billionaires, you had in the past year, a recovery. After they had set some Wall Street executives for institutional investment, co-founded the Startup with the approval of the New York financial services Department (NYDFS), Stablecoin-share. Now, he continues his efforts to get traded on a stock exchange BTC-Fund (ETF), the SEC — a potential Gamechanger for the industry.

recently, the company of the twins, has completed its main examination successfully, and was the first crypto-stock exchange and Depositary, who led a SOC audit (Service organizational Control) 2 via Deloitte.

Axoni

What is a company?

The enterprise-oriented, New York-based Blockchain Startup Axoni is possibly the least recognized of newcomers to the crypto page of the Forbes list. The company focuses on the construction of Blockchain solutions for the capital market and closed according to the magazine, several partnerships with major financial institutions.

What has changed in 2018?

While there is little Online informationon the Startup (at least in comparison to the other nominees), but the financing round in August did not go unnoticed. It was led by Goldman Sachs and other major banks and risk capital investors, and to win, enabled Axoni, 28 million Euro. Forbes says the Startup, "sets the credit derivative market for 9 billion euros, is currently on smart contracts, which work together with DTCC and a steering Committee of 15 of the world's largest banks."

Who was left out this year?

As already mentioned, was the year 2017 in terms of the crypto-company to the list of fertile. This time, the company Blockchain, which Forbes described last year as "most popular cryptocurrency Wallet in the world," it's not on the list, for example.

lists The US-American Startup Chain, the Visa, Nasdaq, and Citigroup as a customer for the creation of a private block chains, was acquired in September 2018 by Stellar, which could explain his absence this year.

crypto-Compliance provider, and research firm Chainalysis were also not taken into account. In October 2018, the platform entered into with the stock exchange Binance a partnership to support their Expansion in various international markets, where different rules for anti-money laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) principle shall apply.

The crypto-exchange, ShapeShift has its headquarters in the famous Crypto Valley, Switzerland, is also missing this Time, which is no Surprise. A month ago, the company announced that a third of his team was dismissed — against the Background of the crypto winter.

the symbiote, the New York-based company behind the platform for smart contracts and Blockchain Assembly, which is supposed to be found on the capital markets, remained during the entire year of 2018, mostly mute, which is why it is not included in the new edition. At the end of January 2019, the Startup secured, among other things, a 17 million Euro from Citigroup and Nasdaq — which means that it has this year off to a good Start.

As a last memory company and BTC Wallet Xapo received Offline this time, no place on the list. Most recently, the Startup announced that it had shifted because of the "opaque" regulations are important business activities from Hong Kong to Switzerland.

there Are other crypto companies on the list?

Robinhood, a stock trading App, which introduced in the year 2018, the Zero-Fee crypto-trade BTC and ETH for your user, in the second year in a row on the new list of "Fintech 50", but not in the "Crypto and the Blockchain". Section. In January of this year, it has received a BitLicense to operate in New York, which means that it will expand its crypto-related operation.