All of three weeks old, FundersClub has already raised more than $1 million for startups, attracting more than 1,000 investors from 25 countries with combined net worth of more than one billion dollars.

The Club offers accredited investors early access to investment in vetted start-ups, pooling checks from multiple sources for aggregated monies. Differing from Kickstarter, which solicits project-specific donations, and Kiva, where transactions are microloans, FundersClub exchanges shares of the company for every investment.

Early stage companies publish profiles and fundraising goals with FundersClub, which sets-up individual venture capital funds for each, and when a goal is reached, bundles the monies and lists each contributor as a shareholder. Continue reading...

In an "ugly" day for the Barclays brand and the banking sector, WSJ's Dennis Berman and David Reilly discuss (above) the departures of Barclays CEO Bob Diamond (who faces a British parliamentary grilling on Wednesday) and COO Jerry del Missier and other scandals that have plagued the world's biggest banks.

Finger-pointing aside, Bloomberg looks at whether this opens the door to Barclays splitting its consumer lending and investment banking divisions. U.S. regulators today released "living wills" — contingency plans for breaking up nine of the world's biggest banks in the event of an emergency.Continue reading...

Crocs is expanding the availability of its spongy footwear into the booming Indian market with a new tagline, “Walk in comfort, wear in style.” Asia is rapidly growing and may replace the U.S. as the largest market for the billion-dollar brand that is in almost 100 countries and posting a year-on-year sales increase of 40.5% in the first quarter.

Crocs entered India in 2007 through a franchising and licensing agreement, and the little shoe that could is now available in 13 cities across India through 26 exclusive stores (and one kiosk in Pune). 

“The new brand campaign sends the message that Crocs can be worn every day, for every occasion,” says Florent Andre Bailly, Crocs VP for West Asia, India and Africa.

“We are constantly touching new consumers because many people still think that Crocs is a clog company, and when they find out the wide range of shoes which are comfortable yet stylish. This in itself is a whole new growth driver for the business.”Continue reading...

Germany's Sparkasse Chemnitz bank has launched a Karl Marx credit card, following an online contest that pitted the socialist philosopher against nine other options, including "a palace, a castle and a racetrack," NPR reports. Reuters has more.

The latest TV commercial from Ally Bank, “Grocery,” (above) touts the brand’s "people sense" which translates into customer-centricity as good business sense, specifically, Ally’s Raise Your Rate CD, one of their most popular products.

Ally Bank, a direct bank in the U.S., is a subsidiary of Ally Financial Inc., and offers a full suite of financial services including 24/7 live customer care, online savings, interest checking, money market accounts, IRA Plans and products, CD’s, reimbursement of ATM fees nationwide, an Ally Perks debit card reward program, and is a member FDIC. 

"Ally Bank brand awareness has reached an all-time high throughout the duration of this campaign," said Ally Financial CMO Sanjay Gupta. "With it, we continue to see the strongest brand linkage since the Bank's launch in 2009." Indeed, Ally Bank now has over 1 million customer accounts — and it's now expanding its customer-centric offerings with the launch of Ally Mobile Banking for smartphone users.Continue reading...

Barclays got out of the branch-banking business in the United States in the early 1990s, but now the British bank is making a digital run at the U.S. by wooing Americans to its new online banking service.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Barclays, which will have its name on the side of the new Brooklyn Nets arena when it opens later this year to basketball (and Barbra Streisand) fans, is looking to “diversify funding for its growing credit-card operations” in the U.S. The British bank, as Marketwatch notes, today went live in the U.S. with a high-yield savings account and certificates of deposit through its Barclays Bank Delaware subsidiary.Continue reading...

If there is one thing Donald Trump values (other than total self-promotion and a wicked combover), it is loyalty. And now his company is ready to give back to those that can’t get enough Trump.

Visitors to Trump Hotels can now pull out a Trump Card, “a guest privileges program that seeks to one-up the run-of-the-mill benefits offered by the majority of hotel loyalty programs.” How will the irrepressible Trump do that?Continue reading...

As if there were any doubt that mobile wallets are the future, Barclays just launched what it's calling Europe's first person-to-person service for sending and receiving money using mobile phone numbers, and saw 20,000 Brits sign up in the first two days. The bank's free mobile app, powered by Pingit, is free to download and use, and promises secure transfer of funds in seconds, which will show up immediately on customers' bank statements.

The Barclays Pingit mobile payment system is available to any UK resident with a UK registered mobile number, users must be 18 or older and need an Android phone, BlackBerry or iPhone smartphone with with web access. Barclays current account customers can send up to £300 a day to family, friends and small businesses. Non-Barclays customers with a current account can receive payments, and "soon they'll be able to send money too," according to the bank.Continue reading...