SEC Chairman Elisse Walter states crowdfunding coming soon in a speech titled  Making the Markets Safe for Informed Risk-Taking.   As part of the SEC Speaks series of presentations the comment was just a portion of the speech which you may view in its entirety here.
Companies raising private capital are largely concerned with a handful of sophisticated angel investors or venture capital firms. Soon, crowdfunding will bring the potential for a broader range of investors to provide private capital, although their investments will be and should be limited.Â
But soon is a relative term. Â Next week? Â Next year? Â Many industry participants are waiting for the regulatory overlords to finally declare it is legal to crowdfund. Â This aspect of the financial industry must be thoughtfully regulated but lingering delays are damaging to the many portals gearing up to offer equity investments to the masses. Â The original deadline was January 1st of this year.
In the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and elsewhere, equity based crowdfunding has already taken hold. Â These countries are advancing and revolutionizing the financial industry now … An industry which is in dire need of change.