The group behind a large fintech fund has completed a separate effort to invest in blockchain projects.JAM Special Opportunity Ventures, an affiliate of Jacobs Asset Management, and FINTOP Capital said in a press release Monday that their JAM FINTOP Blockchain fund had raised about $110 million. The fund has more commitments that scale up to $30 million as its nears a $200 million cap.  The fund will initially focus on

A group is looking to form a de novo bank in Texas. Organizers of Texas Traditions Bank applied with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on Jan. 3 for deposit insurance. The bank would be based in Fulshear or Katy, just outside of Houston. The bank, which would have a minimum of $35 million of initial capital, would have a second branch in the Webster area, according to the application.A public notice tied

The group behind the proposed Nave Bank in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is planning a digital bank. Organizers said in an application with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. for deposit insurance that Nava Bank will look “to provide a unique, affordable offering, and value to customers that are presently unsatisfied, underserved or unbanked.” Nave would use “highly scalable and state of the art technology that is purely digital and with

Lana Chan is the latest bank analyst to cross over and join a bank. Chan, who was an equity analyst for BMO Capital Markets for 15 years, revealed on her LinkedIn profilethat she had become a strategic communications and investor relations consultant at Cathay Bank in Los Angeles. Prior to joining BMO, Chan was an analyst at Advest. Other analysts who have accepted banking jobs in the past include Bob Ramsey, who left

Organizers in New Canaan, Conn., have applied to form a bank. The application for New Canaan Bank was submitted to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on Dec. 28. A week earlier, organizers filed an application with the Connecticut Department of Banking. A notice posted by the state regulator listed six organizers: Frederick Afragola, Louis Garcia, Paul Kuehner, Joseph Rucci Jr., Thomas Ayoub and Anthony Domino Jr. Afragola, who would serve as the proposed bank's executive chairman, is the chairman

Customers Bancorp has hired a team of digital banking experts from Silvergate Capital to help the West Reading, Pa., company build out its commercial cryptocurrency business. The $19 billion-asset company said in a press release Thursday that it added seven bankers with experience in business development, technology, onboarding, payments and Bank Secrecy Act compliance. “We made the commitment to be one of the top financial institutions serving commercial cryptocurrency and digital asset

Provident Financial Services in Iselin, N.J., has a new bank CEO. The $13.4 billion-asset company said in a press release Thursday that Tony Labozzetta had taken on the expanded role on Jan. 1. He succeeded Chris Martin, who became executive chairman of Provident Bank. Labozzetta will remain the president for the company and the bank. He had also been the chief operating officer of Provident Financial and Provident Bank. Labozzetta joined Provident in

GreenState Credit Union in North Liberty, Iowa, has been blocked from buying a bank. The Nebraska Department of Banking and Finance officially denied an application by the $8 billion-asset credit union to acquire the $395 million-asset Premier Bank in Omaha, Neb. The regulator said the bank failed to provide supporting evidence backing the deal’s legality. “Premier has not carried its burden of proof in this proceeding to show that there is express