Archive for September, 2019
A pair of headlines grabbed my attention this week. The first came courtesy of Finextra, which reports that Greenlight, the “smart” debit card for kids, just acquired an additional $54 million in working capital. This is thanks largely to dollars put up by Drive Capital, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo during Greenlight’s Series B fundraising round. The B round generally occurs after a […]
The cashierless checkout isn’t exactly new. By contrast, the cashierless, cardless, cashless variety of checkout is relatively new. And it may already be be an endangered species. For an early example of cashierless checkout, look no further than the noble hot coffee vending machine that once graced every cafeteria. You’d drop a nickel in the coin slot […]
Last week, one day after I posted about the payments aspect of the rapidly growing gig economy, the California State Legislature passed Assembly Bill 5, colloquially known as the “Gig Economy Rights Bill.” The bill will require the likes of Uber, Lyft, and other gig firms to bestow employee status upon gig workers, who are currently treated as independent contractors. Indications […]
More than a few factors account for the explosion of the gig economy. Perhaps most obvious is the fact that that rapid technological advances in the payments industry have made it possible. Another is the yearning many experience for independence and self-employment. Yet another is the relief the gig economy holds out for the unemployed and […]
I shall open with a rhetorical question: Is anyone not looking into launching another crypocurrency? Right now, CoinMarketCap lists 2,346 of them, from giants like Bitcoin to not-giants like Onedex. But today’s rhetorical question is more about the fact that, besides Facebook, JP Morgan and Walmart are in, Goldman Sachs is taking a serious look, and speculation is mounting that Amazon will […]