Blockchain
Spring Labs Closes $23 Million Series A Investment Round to Transform How Financial Institutions Share Information
Spring Labs, the company developing the Spring Protocol — a blockchain-based platform designed to transform how information and data are shared globally — today announced that the company has raised $23 million in Series A funding. The round was led by GreatPoint Ventures with significant participation from existing investors, including August Capital, as well as General Motors Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of General Motors, RRE Ventures, Galaxy Digital, Multicoin Capital, The Pritzker Group, and CardWorks.
“We’re pleased to announce our Series A with strong participation from existing and new strategic investors, enabling us to accelerate the development of new products as well as the Spring Protocol itself,” said Adam Jiwan, CEO and Co-Founder of Spring Labs. “Additionally, we’re excited to expand our relationship with GM Financial, which has demonstrated its commitment to innovation and collaboration over the past year, playing an active role in the evaluation of products and use cases on the Spring Protocol.”
Via the GM Ventures investment, GM Financial joins more than 20 other leading financial services institutions in co-developing the first applications to be built on the Spring Protocol – all part of the company’s continued effort to better serve and protect customers and dealers.
As other forms of credit mature and evolve, such as the adoption of chip-enabled credit cards, auto financing fraud has become a path of less resistance, having increased by a rate of nearly 5x from 2011 to 2018. Fraud-related losses in auto-lending cost the industry between four and six billion dollars per year, with a large portion of that fraud resulting from the abundance of synthetic identities, a form of fraud wherein identity thieves establish credit accounts using a mix of genuine and fake customer information, such as a real customer’s name, but a fake address.
As a result, the first products being built on the blockchain-based Spring Protocol are Spring Verify for enhanced identity verification, Spring Defense for fraud monitoring and mitigation, and Spring Protect for loan stacking prevention. These products are designed to improve customer on-boarding processes by reducing costs while improving data availability, security and granularity. The products will deliver valuable anonymous data to lenders in a variety of verticals, including unsecured consumer lending, small business lending, credit card issuance, secured auto lending, and more.
“GM financial is excited to deepen its relationship with Spring Labs, and we look forward to the launch of the Spring products as we believe they have the potential to better protect our customers from fraudulent activity,” said Mike Kanarios, Chief Strategy Officer at GM Financial.
In addition to significant product, technology, and partnership traction, Spring Labs has continued to grow its team including two notable recent additions. Joel Eckhause, former CRO and COO of Renew Financial has been appointed as the company’s first Chief Operating Officer. In addition, David Kravitz, a former long-time cybersecurity advisor with the NSA, has joined the company as Director of Research.
Following its investment, GreatPoint Ventures Founder and Managing Partner Andrew Perlman will join the company’s Board of Directors.
“Spring Labs has assembled a world class team and developed highly innovative technology that has the potential to transform how information is shared not only within financial services but also in a host of other industries,” said Perlman. “We have observed the company’s development since inception and are thrilled to lead this investment round.”
SOURCE Spring Labs
Blockchain
Blocks & Headlines: Today in Blockchain – January 30, 2025 (Dogecoin, U.S. Army, DeepSeek, Web3)
Introduction
The blockchain and cryptocurrency industry continues to evolve, with major advancements in institutional adoption, regulatory modernization, and innovative applications. Today’s roundup covers Dogecoin’s new blockchain strategy, the U.S. Army’s use of blockchain for tracking aid, notable blockchain startups, domain challenges for Web3 companies, the first AI blockchain agent, and Luxembourg’s legal updates for custody chains. Let’s break down the biggest headlines shaping the future of blockchain technology and decentralized finance.
Dogecoin Unveils Strategic Blockchain Movement
Expanding Beyond a Meme Coin
Dogecoin, often viewed as a lighthearted cryptocurrency, is making serious strides toward blockchain utility with a new strategic initiative aimed at expanding its use case beyond simple transactions. The Dogecoin Foundation has announced plans to integrate layer-2 solutions, smart contracts, and interoperability features, potentially positioning DOGE as a serious competitor in the decentralized finance (DeFi) space.
This move signals a shift in the perception of Dogecoin, which has long relied on community-driven momentum. With the new strategy, DOGE could become an integral part of the growing Web3 ecosystem.
Source: Crypto Briefing
U.S. Army Utilizes Blockchain for Aid Tracking in Ukraine
Military Adopts Emerging Tech for Transparency
The U.S. Army is leveraging blockchain, big data, and generative AI to track billions of dollars in aid sent to Ukraine. This marks a significant step in blockchain’s adoption by governments and defense agencies to enhance transparency and prevent fraud.
By using blockchain for immutable record-keeping, military officials aim to improve logistics tracking, reduce inefficiencies, and ensure secure auditing of aid distribution. This could set a precedent for future government adoption of blockchain-based verification systems.
Source: Breaking Defense
10 Blockchain Startups to Watch in 2025
Innovation Driving the Next Wave of Web3
A new report highlights ten emerging blockchain startups poised to disrupt industries from finance to supply chain management. These companies are working on scalable smart contracts, decentralized identity solutions, and improved cross-chain interoperability.
Among the standout names are startups focusing on privacy-preserving transactions, institutional DeFi tools, and real-world asset tokenization, reinforcing blockchain’s growing role in mainstream finance and enterprise adoption.
Source: Yahoo Finance
Web3 Companies Struggle with Domain Name Challenges
Decentralization vs. Traditional Domain Ownership
As blockchain companies push forward with Web3 adoption, many are encountering significant hurdles in securing relevant domain names. Unlike traditional domains governed by ICANN, blockchain-native domains such as .crypto and .eth exist outside standard regulatory frameworks, leading to disputes and accessibility issues.
Industry experts are calling for greater collaboration between blockchain projects and domain registrars to ensure seamless Web3 adoption while maintaining online accessibility for users.
Source: Domain Name Wire
Klaus Agent Becomes the First Blockchain AI to Use Custom DeepSeek Model
AI and Blockchain Converge
The Klaus Agent, an AI-powered blockchain agent, has integrated the DeepSeek AI model to enhance decision-making, smart contract automation, and decentralized application (dApp) intelligence. This innovation represents a major step in merging artificial intelligence with blockchain networks, allowing for more sophisticated automation in DeFi, NFT trading, and DAO governance.
As AI and blockchain continue to converge, the potential for autonomous smart contract execution and predictive analytics is expected to grow, leading to more efficient decentralized systems.
Source: GlobeNewswire
Luxembourg Modernizes Custody Chain Laws for Blockchain
A Legal Framework for Tokenized Assets
Luxembourg, a key financial hub in Europe, has updated its custody chain regulations to accommodate blockchain-based assets. These changes are designed to facilitate institutional adoption of tokenized securities and digital asset custody solutions.
By providing a clear regulatory framework, Luxembourg aims to attract fintech firms, investment funds, and digital asset custodians, further strengthening its position as a leader in blockchain finance.
Source: National Law Review
Conclusion
The latest blockchain developments underscore the rapid evolution of the industry, from Dogecoin’s strategic shift to military adoption of blockchain for transparency. As AI and blockchain begin to merge, and governments refine regulations, we are witnessing a pivotal moment in decentralized technology.
With institutional interest growing and regulatory frameworks taking shape, blockchain and Web3 technologies are moving closer to mainstream acceptance. Stay tuned for the next Blocks & Headlines briefing as we continue to track the most significant trends shaping the future of decentralized finance and digital assets.
The post Blocks & Headlines: Today in Blockchain – January 30, 2025 (Dogecoin, U.S. Army, DeepSeek, Web3) appeared first on News, Events, Advertising Options.
Blockchain
Fintech as a Service Business Research Report 2025: Global Market to Reach $1.1 Trillion by 2030 from $387 Billion in 2024 – SMB Adoption of Fintech Services Spurs Market Expansion Opportunities
Fintech as a Service (FaaS) Market
Blockchain
From Apes to Humans: ApeChain Joins Humanity Protocol’s zkProofer Network to Scale Proof of Humanity
The post From Apes to Humans: ApeChain Joins Humanity Protocol’s zkProofer Network to Scale Proof of Humanity appeared first on News, Events, Advertising Options.
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