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Here are the top reads on deals and financial services from the past day,

Data breach: Bank of Montreal and online bank Simplii Financial have both suffered apparent data breaches and are warning that “fraudsters” claim to have accessed personal and account information belonging to tens of thousands of customers. Story (James Bradshaw, for subscribers)

Financial products: The breakthrough of robo-advisers is to offer a way to instantly turn the cash you want to invest into a properly diversified, well-tended portfolio. The three new balanced exchange-traded funds from Vanguard do pretty much the same thing. So have robos been outflanked? Story (Rob Carrick, for subscribers)

Regulation: Cryptocurrency proponents are calling for regulations governing Canada’s virtual-currency exchanges, the online marketplaces where users go to buy and sell bitcoin, ethereum and other digital tokens, as the nascent industry becomes increasingly mainstream. Story (Alexandra Posadzki, for subscribers)

Provincial election: For Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, it was the perfect opportunity to capitalize on anger over the province’s hydro rates − an issue that has riled voters like few others. Instead of offering something sensible, she proposed to buy back Hydro One. Analysis (Tim Kiladze, for subscribers)

Media: The Competition Bureau has refused to bless the sale of two French-language specialty channels by Corus Entertainment Inc. to Bell Media Inc., dealing a blow to Corus’s effort to rein in debt by selling off assets. Story (Tim Shufelt)

Technology: Four weeks after highlighting a groundbreaking software sale to a major U.S. bank, Real Matters Inc. announced on Monday that the contract was cancelled, news that knocked back the technology company’s share price. Story (Andrew Willis, for subscribers)

FINANCIAL SERVICES WRAP

Fintechs: The advent of financial technologies and the companies that provide them present numerous opportunities for all financial sector participants and their customers. But, as we all know, there is no such thing as a free lunch. With these rewards come several risks that, if not properly identified, understood and managed, pose threats to consumers, financial institutions and the soundness of the financial system as a whole. Opinion

Corporate lending: Think the big U.S. bank have abandoned coal? Think Again. An environmental group’s analysis shows the five largest U.S. banks have started lending to coal companies again now that they’re out of bankruptcy. New York Times

WHAT WE’RE READING ELSEWHERE

Pension funds: Public Sector Pension Investment Board, one of Canada’s largest and fastest growing pension systems, is doing more direct deals as part of a strategy intended to transform its approach to private equity and infrastructure investing. Over two-plus years, PSP Investments has deployed billions of dollars to a series of global transactions, shining a light on the characteristically low-profile institution. PE Hub

Hedge funds: It pays to work at a hedge fund in Asia, at least according to data collected through Institutional Investor’s brand new All-Asia Buy-Side Compensation report. Asian hedge fund managers are some of the best paid in the world, out-earning peers in the U.S. and Europe. Institutional Investor

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