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The Brazilian fintech Stark Bank, backed by Jeff Bezos, has seen a significant rise in profits while effectively managing its funding.

What Happened: Stark Bank, a Sao Paulo-based company, has witnessed a three-fold increase in its payment processing business, reaching 155 billion reais ($31 billion) in 2023. This expansion has resulted in a doubling of the firms net income to 71.5 million reais, reported Bloomberg.

Despite this substantial growth, the company has kept its funding from its 2022 Series B round, which included investments from Bezos Expeditions, the family office of Amazon.com Inc AMZN founder Jeff Bezos, and Ribbit Capital, largely untouched.

The firms founder, Rafael Stark, who owns 38% of the company, has no plans to dilute his stake and is instead focused on creating long-term value.

"While a lot of tech companies are trying to stop losing money we're posting high levels of profitability," Stark, 35, said. "There's no need to keep raising money and diluting my stake. It's better to grow and create much more value further down the road."

See Also: NASA, The US Navy And The US Army Are All Partners Of This Cutting-Edge Company Laser Photonics Corporation

Stark Bank, which helps companies process payments, invoices, and receivables, is concentrating on capturing a larger share of the domestic market from major corporate banks. Despite its small market share in Brazil, the firm has shown potential for further growth.

Stark, who legally changed his surname to Stark on all official documents, is considering a potential initial public offering (IPO) around 2029, following a similar growth path to digital bank Nu Holdings. He is currently focused on expanding the companys presence in Brazil and Sao Paulo, where the countrys largest firms are located.

Why It Matters: The success of Stark Bank is a testament to the potential of the Brazilian fintech industry. This development also highlights the strategic investments made by Bezos in the Latin American startup scene.

Earlier this year, Bezos sold over $6 billion in Amazon stock, prompting speculation about his future plans. This move followed his investment in Perplexity, an AI startup aiming to challenge Googles dominance in internet search.

This news comes after Bezos was referred to as the most unusual business leader of our era by Amazon CEO Andy Jassy. Bezos unique approach to business and investment strategies has continued to yield results, as seen in Stark Banks success.

In January, a fund backed by Bezos exceeded $5 million in single-family home acquisitions. This further highlights Bezos successful investment strategies and the positive impact they are having on the companies he supports.

Read Next: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin Trade Mixed Amid Soaring Demand For BTC ETFs: Analyst Forecasts King Crypto Surge To $600K By 2025, Matching 300 Ounces Of Gold

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Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin Trade Mixed After Turbulent Week: Analyst Says King Crypto Can Rise To $76K Level If It Reclaims This Crucial Support

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Leading cryptocurrencies remained range-bound over the weekend, with bears continuing to provide tough resistance to the markets drive for sustained gains.CryptocurrencyGains +/-Price (Recorded 8:30 p.m. EDT)Bitcoin BTC/USD +1.24%$61,759Ethereum ETH/USD +0.72%$2,941.17Dogecoin DOGE/USD -1.06%$0.1424

What Happened: Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency by market cap, meandered in the $61,000 zone, after witnessing a sharp correction from $63,000 last Friday. The apex crypto finished last week with losses of more than 4%.

The sideways movement was reflected in the speculative interest for the coin, as Open Interest (OI) in Bitcoin futures saw a tepid 0.32% increase in the 24-hour period.

About $56 million in positions was wiped out in the last 24 hours, with nearly equal amounts of longs and shorts liquidated.

Ethereum and king of memecoins, Dogecoin, had a more difficult time, shedding 6% and 12% over the week.

The Cryptocurrency Fear & Greed Index flashed "Greed" ahead of a new trading week, suggesting that investor sentiment remained unchanged from the last week.

Top Gainers (24 Hour)Loading… Loading… CryptocurrencyGains +/-Price (Recorded 8:30 p.m. EDT)Core (CORE)+10.47%$1.75Arweave (AR)+4.68%$42.53THORChain (RUNE)+4.60%$6.14

The global cryptocurrency market cap stands at $2.27 trillion, expanding marginally by 0.6% over the past 24 hours.

Like the crypto market, stock market futures traded sideways on Sunday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average Futures fell 12 points, or 0.03%, as of 9 p.m. EDT. Futures tied to the S&P 500 dipped 0.02%, while Nasdaq 100 Futures added 0.03%.

Investors await the key April's consumer price index data on Wednesday for cues regarding the Federal Reserve's next moves. In addition, the market will look for insights from Fed Chair Jerome Powell and Fed Vice Chair Philip Jeffersons speeches due this week.

See More: Best Cryptocurrency Scanners

Analyst Notes: Noted cryptocurrency analyst and trader, Ali Martinez flagged the importance of $64,290 as a support level for Bitcoin.

"If Bitcoin can reclaim $64,290 as support, it is likely to rise towards $76,610," Martinez forecasted. "However, if it fails to surpass $64,290, BTC might retest support at $51,970."

Prominent on-chain analytics firm Santiment noted that the bearish sentiment in the market was high, as negative commentary on most coins trumped positive chatter.

Photo by Fernando Cortes on Shutterstock

Read Next: Decoding Donald Trumps Crypto GambitLoading… Loading… Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

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Texas Boy Survives after Being ‘Sucked Up’ by Tornado: Absolute Miracle

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A 7-year-old boy survived being thrown by a deadly tornado in Abilene, Texas in whats being described as an absolute miracle. During an interview with KWTX-TV, the Lambert family shared they were hiding in their closet when a tornado struck their neighborhood and destroyed their home. As reported by CBN News, storm chaser Freddy McKinney came to Lambert’s rescue while he was filming the tornado over the house. Wes and Kasey Lambert, together with their daughter Allie and son Lane, took shelter in a closet.

We could hear the nails coming out of the boards and metal being ripped, but thats all we could hear, Kasey Lambert recalled, noting the storm seemed to be moving away from them, so they escaped and ran down the street.As they ran, they saw McKinney as he was filming.

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, McKinney could be heard on film. There are people. There are people. Get in the car, get in the car. Kasey Lambert, who was carrying Allie, called out for help.

At some point, Kasey lost her grip on Lane after being hit by a piece of debris.

Lane got sucked up in the tornado, Bradye McQueen, Kasey Lamberts cousin, noted. They couldnt hold him down. It sucked him up, and he flew like 25 feet. They thought he was gone.

Fortunately, Lane was found on top of a pile of insulation at another part of the destroyed house. He was found with a dislocated shoulder and had severe cuts to his face, likely from a brick.

Each member of the Lambert family, including their dog, received medical treatment and was released from the hospital in one piece.

It is an absolute miracle, Kasey Lambert said. It was strong enough that we shouldnt have been able to walk away.

Following the incident, a GoFundMe page was launched to financially assist the Lamberts as they recover.

Photo Credit: Getty Images/Mike Hollingshead

Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.

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Diamond giant slashes price of lab-grown gems by nearly 40%

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Diamond giant De Beers slashed the price of its lab-grown rocks by nearly 40%, citing their plummeting wholesale prices, the London-based company said Friday.

The man-made gems, which have gained in popularity with frugal diamond buyers, were reduced in price to $500 a carat from $800 — a 37% discount.

De Beers, which makes the lab-grown rocks under the Lightbox brand and is also the largest producer of natural diamonds, said the lower cost will be a permanent reduction.

For many years, De Beers had fought the trend towards LGDs, disparaging their quality. But in 2018 it shocked the industry when it launched Lightbox and two years later opened a $94 million manufacturing facility in Gresham, Ore.

De Beers’ bottom line has taken a hit over the past couple of years as LGD sales grew exponentially, while sales of natural diamonds declined.

In January, the company reduced the price of natural diamonds by 10% to revive sales.

The price difference between natural and lab-grown diamonds at retail is growing fast, accelerating consumer awareness that they are fundamentally very different products, Sandrine Conseiller, chief executive of De Beers brands said in a statement.

We believe that it is vital that jewelry consumers understand that lab-grown diamonds are a distinct product category, as they do not have the same enduring value as natural diamonds.

Others say De Beers’ price cut is in line with what most retailers are charging for LGDs.

De Beers is falling into line with the market, said Ria Papasifakis, head of products for New York City-based Ritani, at 25 W. 48th St.

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Ritanis LGD sales are steady and are a big part of the privately-held companys sales, Papasifakis said.

Demand for LGD pendants and earrings have only increased in recent months, the jeweler said.

Ritani charges about $500 per carat for an LGD compared with about $15,000 per carat for a natural diamond.

The two types of diamonds are impossible to tell apart with the human eye and can only be detected with special equipment.

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