On August 11, RBC Ventures (a subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada, the country’s largest bank by market capitalization) rolled out “Mydoh” which combines a money management app for iOS / Android devices and a Visa Prepaid Card for kids.

This offering is unique in Canada as it is the only product that unites a basic payment card that parents or legal guardians can control with a financial literacy tool that teaches kids and teens how to manage money responsibly (in a “gamification” way I might say). …

I’ve been following the Canadian fintech ecosystem very closely since 2016. At the time I was tasked to perform market research on that particular segment on behalf of my employer.

When this working relationship ended, I continued to monitor the space. I’ve seen a lot of startups come and go, changes in the regulatory landscape and even drama.

And then there are developments that I simply didn’t expect…

Lightspeed’s back to back IPOs

Lightspeed has been around a bit longer than people realize: the Montreal-based point of sale (POS) software company was founded in 2005.

Julien Brault, formerly of Les Affaires, wrote about the company’s…

In simple terms, “mycelium” refers to a thread-like body of a fungus. The main part of the fungus is the mycelia, which lives inside substrate (e.g. wood, straw, grain). On the other hand, edible mushrooms are only a small visible part of such organisms.

In the last few years, there has been an increased interest to use mycelium as a material in various industries. A big factor for this is (you’ve probably guessed it): high biodegradability.

Construction

The capabilities of mycelium as a construction material were showcased through the “mushroom brick tower”…

The popularity of Clubhouse has been well documented. Anna Wiener, writer at The New Yorker, describes the app as a “drop-in audio social network that enabled the creation of voice-only chat rooms”. I think that’s a fair interpretation. For many, Clubhouse has been a unifying platform during a pandemic that often seems endless. That being said, the technical concept behind the app is relatively simple in the grand scheme of things, and other tech companies are coming up with their own renditions.

Facebook Live Messenger Rooms

The New York Times first reported the development of…

By now you might be familiar with the term “Buy Now, Pay Later” (commonly referred to as “BNPL”). Let’s explore some of the reasons for this trend.

So what is BNPL exactly?

“Buy Now, Pay Later” schemes are loan financing products which are somewhat similar to credit cards. Through partnerships with specific retailers, you can buy goods and services through installments (with APRs similar to mainstream credit cards / lines). These typically range from four bi-weekly payments to installments spread over 60 months.

It’s a fairly streamlined process: you don’t need to pull any physical “plastic”, enter your number, etc… Besides the convenience factor, most…

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many experts are in favor of strict social distancing initiatives until a proper vaccine can be widely administered.

As national and regional governments are contemplating to gradually re-open their respective economies, the complexity of creating social distancing policies when it comes to passenger transportation is strikingly evident. Passenger transport often translates into packing a large number of individuals into tight, closed quarters… Yet transit authorities, airlines and cruise ship operators have a few ideas to make this happen.

Face covering

Covering one’s face is a well-know method used to stop the spread of viruses and contagious diseases. There…

Now that CES 2020 is over, let’s rewind a bit and discuss some of the most interesting robots presented at the humongous tech event.

Samsung’s Bot Chef

Samsung’s Bot Chef, which the South Korean conglomerate refers to as a “cobot” (collaborative robot). Bot Chef cannot prepare meals from scratch, but it can assist you with basic tasks. Bot Chef can download and display recipes on a nearby screen, open flames, dice and push ingredients; and more…

MarsCat

The makers of MarsCat claims that the device is “the world’s first fully autonomous robot cat”…

As 2019 is winding down, here are some of my predictions for the upcoming year. 3, 2, 1… let’s go.

Facial recognition will receive more scrutiny

Facial recognition has faced scrutiny this year, and it is likely that global observers will continue to have privacy concerns over such frameworks.

Earlier this month, it was reported that all mobile phone users in China registering new SIM cards must submit to facial recognition scans. The new law requires telecom companies to deploy “artificial intelligence and other technical methods” to check the identities of people registering SIM cards. All retail stores in the country had until December 1st to…