Articles by deBanked Staff
PayPal Begins Offering Business Loans in Canada
July 28, 2019
PayPal has extended its popular working capital business loan program to Canada, according to company CEO Dan Schulman.
“This quarter, we began offering our PayPal business loan product to PayPal merchants in Canada, allowing them to access financing to build and sustain their businesses,” he said during the Q2 conference call. “This follows the expansion of our business financing solutions to Germany in Q4 2018 and in Mexico earlier this year in partnership with Mexican lending platform Konfio.”
deBanked ranked PayPal as the leading alternative small business finance company by originations in 2018. They are followed by OnDeck, Kabbage, Square, and Amazon.
Loan Broker Busted In Advance Fee Loan Scam Faces Drug Charges
July 20, 2019Demetrios Boudourakis, who was arrested last month for operating an advance fee loan scheme that allegedly defrauded small business owners nationwide, is also facing federal drug charges. The criminal complaint, filed on June 14th, asks for an arrest warrant for conspiring to distribute controlled substances.
Lending Express Rebrands to Become
July 16, 2019
Lending Express, a company whose CEO was once a master gamer, has rebranded to Become.
“This transition comes at a pivotal point in the company’s growth and highlights its dedication to providing businesses with opportunities to improve fundability, secure funding, and ultimately become more,” a company spokesperson wrote.
According to the company, their online loan marketplace grew from just one lending partner in Australia to over 50 lending partners, operating in both Australia and the US. They’ve facilitated more than $150 million in funding and have over 150K members on their platform to date. Their journey is documented on a blog post published this week.
Star Fundraiser For 1 Global Capital Settles With The SEC
July 15, 2019
Henry J. “Trae” Wieniewitz, III was charged by the SEC on Monday for his role in allegedly selling unregistered securities in two companies, 1 Global Capital (the now defunct merchant cash advance provider) and Woodbridge Group of Companies (a purported real estate lending business revealed to be a $1.2 billion ponzi scheme).
“Wieniewitz and Wieniewitz Financial raised more than $11.4 million and reaped approximately $500,000 in commissions from unlawful sales of Woodbridge securities, and raised more than $53 million and obtained approximately $3 million in commissions from unlawful sales of 1 Global securities,” the SEC stated.
Wieniewitz was not a registered broker-dealer nor associated with a registered broker-dealer.
A settlement was announced simultaneously. “Wieniewitz and Wieniewitz Financial settled the SEC’s charges as to liability without admitting or denying the allegations, and agreed to be subject to injunctions, with the court to determine the amounts of disgorgement, interest, and penalties at a later date,” an SEC statement said.
Wieniewitz was not alone in selling investments in both 1 Global and Woodbridge.
Separately, the owner of Woodbridge and two former directors of the company were recently charged criminally.
No criminal charges have been brought to date in the 1 Global Capital saga. That could change. 1 Global Capital revealed in 2018 that it was being investigated by the US Attorney’s office. That along with the SEC investigation prompted the company to file for bankruptcy. The SEC subsequently brought civil charges.
Documents filed in the SEC case against 1 Global’s former owner, Carl Ruderman, have since revealed that at least one former employee had been approached by the FBI about the operations of 1 Global.
Last month, it appeared Ruderman and the SEC were heading towards a settlement.
One notable fact about 1 Global Capital is that the company participated in the largest merchant cash advance in history at $40 million. That transaction has become a point of significant controversy and litigation. The recipient of those funds, a conglomerate of car dealerships in California, have shut their doors.
Online Lenders Beat Credit Unions, Friends, and Family as Primary Source of Credit
July 14, 20197% of small businesses generating less than $5 million/year in revenue relied on online lenders as their primary source of credit in the last quarter, according to the latest Private Capital Access Index published by Pepperdine Graziado Business School. 3% relied on credit unions as their primary source and 6% relied on friends and family.
Banks were the most popular. 19% relied on large banks as their primary source of credit and 12% relied on community banks.
38% said they didn’t have any source of credit at all.
Sticking with the under $5 million/year segment, 45% of respondents explained that their primary source of credit had become so simply because they were able to qualify for it. 21% said their primary source became so because they couldn’t qualify for any other source.
Meanwhile, merchant cash advances, online business loans, and factors experienced among the lowest reported approval rates for businesses of all sizes. Of those businesses that applied for financing, the success rate in obtaining funds are as follows:
| Financing Type | Success Rate |
| Business credit card | 65% |
| Trade credit | 57% |
| Personal loan | 51% |
| Lease | 48% |
| Bank loan | 41% |
| Online lender | 38% |
| Merchant cash advance | 31% |
| Asset Based Lender | 28% |
| Factor | 23% |
| CDFI/Credit Union | 18% |
While bank loans came in at 41%, revenue was a major determining factor. 88.9% of businesses doing $5 million to $100 million/year in revenue successfully obtained a bank loan while only 31.6% of businesses doing less than $5 million/year in revenue successfully obtained a bank loan.
Trump Attacks Bitcoin and Cryptocurrencies
July 11, 2019
President Trump revealed his stance on cryptocurrencies over twitter on Thursday, and he’s no advocate.
“I am not a fan of Bitcoin and other Cryptocurrencies, which are not money, and whose value is highly volatile and based on thin air. Unregulated Crypto Assets can facilitate unlawful behavior, including drug trade and other illegal activity. Similarly, Facebook Libra’s “virtual currency” will have little standing or dependability. If Facebook and other companies want to become a bank, they must seek a new Banking Charter and become subject to all Banking Regulations, just like other Banks, both National and International. We have only one real currency in the USA, and it is stronger than ever, both dependable and reliable. It is by far the most dominant currency anywhere in the World, and it will always stay that way. It is called the United States Dollar!”
I am not a fan of Bitcoin and other Cryptocurrencies, which are not money, and whose value is highly volatile and based on thin air. Unregulated Crypto Assets can facilitate unlawful behavior, including drug trade and other illegal activity….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 12, 2019
….Similarly, Facebook Libra’s “virtual currency” will have little standing or dependability. If Facebook and other companies want to become a bank, they must seek a new Banking Charter and become subject to all Banking Regulations, just like other Banks, both National…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 12, 2019
…and International. We have only one real currency in the USA, and it is stronger than ever, both dependable and reliable. It is by far the most dominant currency anywhere in the World, and it will always stay that way. It is called the United States Dollar!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 12, 2019
New York Attorney General Turns Up The Heat On Tether, Bitfinex
July 9, 2019
Bitcoin is back over $12,500 but a growing chorus within the crypto faithful are pointing to a potential catastrophic event that could change the crypto markets forever.
It’s the potential implosion of Tether, a company spotlighted in a recent deBanked magazine story for its uncanny ability to create digital dollars out of thin air, and a new forceful response from the New York Attorney General’s Office over Tether’s attempt to weasel its way out of being investigated.
Specifically, Tether has raised several challenges to the OAG’s and New York Supreme Court’s jurisdiction, most recently through a motion to dismiss a formal investigation. The OAG, who believes the tactics are only being used to stall, wrote in papers submitted on Monday that “the delays must stop, and Respondents must produce the information they were originally directed to produce.”
The AG calls out Tether on its claims that its digital dollars (USDT) are fully backed 1:1 by real US dollars on deposit in a bank account, when in fact they are not. Additionally, they believe Tether is attempting to circumvent a court ordered injunction and is further bending securities laws in part by purportedly selling $1 billion of a new digital token to anonymous investors to cover losses that are already under investigation.
“This is an ongoing law enforcement investigation. The OAG is entitled to pursue it, without further impediment or delay,” they state in court papers, stressing yet again that Tether should no longer be allowed to delay the process.
Tether meanwhile, reportedly created another $100 million of USDT the same day the papers were filed. Should those funds be used to buy Bitcoin, Bitcoin’s value might continue to surge… in the short run.
Merchant Advance Capital Rebrands to Merchant Growth
July 3, 2019
Merchant Advance Capital, which trumpets itself as Canada’s fastest and most transparent small business financier, is rebranding as Merchant Growth.
The company has offices in Vancouver, BC and Toronto, ON and was founded in 2009.
“I founded our company out of my apartment 10 years ago,” David Gens is quoted as saying in a company announcement. Gens is the company’s president & CEO. “Back then our mission was simply to provide credit to small businesses, and we did that by providing one product, called a ‘merchant advance’. Today, we offer a comprehensive suite of financing solutions delivered with unparalleled convenience. In doing so, our mission has expanded to allowing business owners to achieve unconstrained growth, while reducing the administrative stress of running a business. As we’ve transformed our focus from one credit product to this far-reaching mission, we felt the need for our name to reflect this. We are Merchant Growth.”
Gens has been an oft-quoted source in deBanked over the years. His company closed on a $30 million debt facility last year with Comvest Credit Partners.
Gens is also speaking at deBanked CONNECT Toronto on July 25, 2019. You can register to attend at www.debankedcanada.com.
