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Financial empowerment trainings and workshops

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Financial empowerment trainings and workshops

BANGOR, Maine (PENQUIS) – As the new year begins many people have dreams of starting their own business or are thinking about turning a passion or hobby into a way to make money, but they are not sure how to start the process. Thankfully, there is a local resource available to help provide guidance right here in Penobscot, Piscataquis and Knox counties.

MaineStream Finance, a subsidiary of Penquis, is a nonprofit community development financial institution (CDFI) certified by the US Treasury, helping ALL Maine home-buyers, business owners, and consumers secure advice and financing to grow and thrive. MaineStream Finance offers a wide variety of workshops and classes on business, home buying, and financial empowerment for you and your co-workers. They deliver these services throughlending, savings products, classes, and one on one advisory support. MaineStream works closely with federal and state agencies, foundations, and local financial institutions, including banks, to help them meet Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) goals through financial education programs, loan capital, and volunteering opportunities for homeowners and small businesses.

Thinking of starting a business? Check out the Business 101 classes. These free workshops will provide an overview of the pros and cons of operating a microenterprise or small business. What a business plan is and why it is needed, plus resources for your business development. Topics include being an Entrepreneur, Business Success; Professionalism; Business Plans, Networking; Business Loans; Resources; Budgets; Credit; and Review of Upcoming Classes and Workshops. These workshops are FREE and offered via Zoom. The dates of the classes are: Monday, 1/27/25 & 2/3/25 @ 6 pm via Zoom; Tuesday, 2/18/25 & 2/25/25 @ 6 pm via Zoom, and Monday, 3/17/25 & 3/24/25 @ 6 pm via Zoom.

Are you interested in turning your passion or hobby into a business? Do you have a passion for creating or is your hobby sellable? Be sure to check out their free two-night Hobby workshop, where you will discuss what to think about before creating a new business. Areas that will be discussed: Questions to ask myself; Is there a market for my products and/or services; Business Plan; Recordkeeping; Regulations; Taxes; Marketing; Funding sources and more. The two-night workshop is FREE! The first two classes are on Monday, 1/27/25 & 2/3/25 @ 6 pm via Zoom, the next two nights run on Tuesday, 2/18/25 & 2/25/25 @ 6 pm via Zoom, and the final two classes run Monday, 3/17/25 & 3/24/25 @ 6 pm via Zoom.

To register for any of these classes or for more information to sign up visit: www.mainestreamfinance.org

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MaineStream Finance can also help turn childcare into a business and they provide business lending too. Does children’s laughter sound like music to your ears? The number of working parents–including single-parent families and families with both parents employed–is climbing, creating an ever-growing need for quality childcare. That need creates a tremendous entrepreneurial opportunity for people who love children and want to build a business caring for them. Child-care services range from small home-based operations to large commercial centers and can be started with an investment of as little as a few hundred dollars. You can stay very small, essentially just creating a job for yourself, and possibly others. Our team of business advisors can help you create a business plan, design, develop, provide assistance with the Child Care Provider Licensing process and more. Our business advising services are free.

Are you aware that Mainstream Finance does business loans? MaineStream Finance offers a variety of loan products throughout Maine to small businesses that may have trouble finding credit.

Amount: Minimum $500 – Up to $200,000 / Term: Up to 20 years.

Whether you are a startup or an existing business we can do financing to help you move your project forward. MaineStream Finance does what is called “Gap financing” so the difference between the amount of your down payment you have and what another lender has and can lend. This Gap amount could stop your project, we may be able to help finance that Gap to complete the project. We are also looking at startup businesses in need of financing to purchase equipment, inventory, training, a building, or an existing business. The team at Mainstream Finance will help a business develop a business plan and business financials as well as help you prepare the loan documents that you will need to apply for a loan and all of this is at no charge. The MaineStream Finance mission is to help small businesses grow in Maine.

To learn more about what MaineStream Finance has to offer go to their webpage at mainestreamfinance.org, or call 207-973-3500 or email the team at MSFInfo@penquis.org for more information.

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Finance

Simply Asset Finance reaches $2.6bn loan origination milestone in 2025

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Simply Asset Finance reaches .6bn loan origination milestone in 2025

Simply Asset Finance has reported that its total loan origination reached £2bn ($2.6bn) in 2025, following its growth and lending activity during the period.

During 2025, the company’s gross loan book increased to £543m and its customer base grew to 13,000.

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Additional digital platforms came online, and commercial loans were added to the range of available finance solutions.

Improvements in the company’s own technology and stronger results in various regions contributed to increased efficiency in lending operations and a broader local presence for SME clients.

In July, Simply Asset Finance introduced Kara, an AI-powered virtual agent.

Kara uses the company’s past data to enhance user interactions, streamline internal processes, and speed up decisions on lending applications.

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Simply Asset Finance CEO Mike Randall said: “Our growth this year has built on the momentum of 2024, and reaching £2bn is a clear milestone for the business. All our channels have driven that progress, with rising demand for specialist lending helping us expand our footprint and support even more SMEs across the UK.

“Despite a year of challenging economic conditions, small businesses have remained resilient and ready to invest. Kara has been central to meeting demand quickly and efficiently –  and we expect her value to our customers will only grow.

“As we head into 2026, we’re focused on carrying this momentum forward and working with even more brilliant businesses to unlock their potential.”

Last month, Simply Asset Finance became a Patron lender of the National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers (NACFB).

This partnership is aimed at supporting the broker community in the UK and increasing access to asset finance and leasing products through wider distribution. 

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The NACFB is known as an independent UK trade association for commercial finance intermediaries, promoting cooperation between lenders and brokers across the sector.

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Finance

Baker McKenzie Welcomes Finance & Projects Principal Matthias Schemuth in Singapore | Newsroom | Baker McKenzie

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Baker McKenzie Welcomes Finance & Projects Principal Matthias Schemuth in Singapore | Newsroom | Baker McKenzie

Baker McKenzie today announced that leading project finance lawyer Matthias Schemuth has joined the Firm’s Singapore office* as a Principal and Asia Pacific Co-Head of Projects in its Finance & Projects practice, alongside Partner Jon Ornolffson in Tokyo.

Matthias joins the Firm from DLA Piper, bringing more than 20 years of experience in the energy and infrastructure sectors across Asia Pacific. He advises sponsors, developers, commercial banks, multilateral lending agencies, and export credit agencies on the structuring and financing of large-scale projects. His practice also spans international banking, structured commodity and trade finance, with a strong focus on emerging markets. Matthias has been consistently recognised by Chambers Asia Pacific and Who’s Who Legal as a leading project finance practitioner.

James Huang, Managing Principal of Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow in Singapore, said: “We are excited to welcome Matthias to our team. His expertise and proven record in managing teams will be invaluable as we expand our regional and global finance offerings for clients.”

Emmanuel Hadjidakis, Asia Pacific Chair of Baker McKenzie’s Banking & Finance Practice, commented: “Asia Pacific is seeing strong momentum in infrastructure development, energy transition investments, and cross-border project financing, much of it centred in Singapore. Having Matthias on board will further enhance our ability to help clients seize opportunities in the region’s evolving energy and infrastructure markets.”

Steven Sieker, Baker McKenzie’s Asia Chief Executive, added: “Matthias’s appointment underscores Baker McKenzie’s continued commitment to investing in exceptional talent across key markets to support our clients in navigating today’s increasingly complex business and regulatory environment.”

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Matthias said: “I’m thrilled to join Baker McKenzie and contribute to its strong growth in Asia Pacific. The Firm’s global reach and local depth provide an unparalleled platform for delivering innovative projects and financing solutions to clients in this dynamic region.”

With more than 2,700 deal practitioners in more than 40 jurisdictions, Baker McKenzie is a transactional powerhouse. The Firm excels in complex, cross-border transactions; over 65% of our deals are multijurisdictional. The teams are a hybrid of ‘local’ and ‘global’, combining money-market sophistication with local excellence. The Firm’s Banking & Finance lawyers are ranked in more jurisdictions than any other firm by Chambers.  

Matthias’s hire continues the expansion of Baker McKenzie’s global team. His joining follows the recent arrivals of Carole Turcotte in Toronto; Tom Oslovar in Palo Alto; Jenny Liu in New York and Palo Alto; Helen Johnson, Mark Thompson, Nick Benson, Kevin Heverin, James Wyatt and Michal Berkner in London; Jan Schubert in Frankfurt; Todd Beauchamp and Charles Weinstein in Washington DC; Dan Ouyang, Winfield Lau, and Ke (Ronnie) Li in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong; and Alexander Stathopoulos in Singapore.

*Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow is the member firm of Baker McKenzie in Singapore

 

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Finance

3 finance stocks to buy on rising 10-year Treasury rates

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3 finance stocks to buy on rising 10-year Treasury rates
The Federal Reserve gave investors an early Christmas present by lowering interest rates by 25 basis points (i.e., 0.25%) marking its third rate cut this year. In the past, a change like this in the “long end” of the interest rate yield curve has triggered a predictable, investable pattern. Typically, this pattern would be bearish for finance stocks, particularly banks—investors would buy bank stocks when rates rose and sell them as rates fell….
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