February 10, 2015 @ 3:40 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

While Camden Town Brewery is riding a wave of beer-brewing success, the London-based brewery is starting to hit a obstacle to continued growth: their original built-from-scratch building in the railway arches next to Kentish Town West overground station. It’s become too small to help the… Read More

February 9, 2015 @ 3:51 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

Pharrell Williams is probably “Happy” that his song picked up this year’s Grammy for Best Pop Solo Performance, and Sam Smith may be telling his lucky stars, “Stay With Me” for his awards in four categories: Best New Artist, Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Song and Record… Read More

February 6, 2015 @ 8:00 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

  AqarFunder, the first online real estate crowdfunding platform in Egypt, welcomes investors to a bright future for real estate crowdfunding—one that includes a 15-25 percent total return. The Cairo-based company, with an office near the banks of the Nile, leverages technology to connect private… Read More

February 4, 2015 @ 9:07 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

Adrenaline may get the job done, but unfortunately, it doesn’t pay the bills that often come afterwards. After the initial shock of having an 18-meter tsunami destroy his family’s soy sauce factories in Japan and kill an employee, the future of Michihiro Kono’s company, founded… Read More

February 3, 2015 @ 3:07 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

Looking to perfect your prose in heartfelt notes tied to long-stemmed roses and boxes of chocolate for a certain, upcoming heart-shaped holiday? Kickstarter is celebrating the literary spirit of Valentine’s Day. Throughout February, the crowdfunding platform will host a series of events celebrating publishing and journalism,… Read More

February 3, 2015 @ 3:07 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

Virginia’s House of Delegates on Monday passed Del. Scott Taylor’s crowdfunding bill, which creates an exemption from some of stipulations of the Securities Act for businesses in Virginia raising money from investors in the Commonwealth, reports the Augusta Free Press. Crowdfund Insider also featured the… Read More

February 2, 2015 @ 2:46 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

LendInvest, the world’s largest peer-to-peer marketplace for real estate mortgages, will soon add a new home: the London Stock Exchange, along with planned growth into residential mortgages, writes the Financial Times. And when LendInvest lists on the stock exchange next year, it will be the… Read More

January 30, 2015 @ 8:49 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

  Hong Kong could shine along the lines of the U.S. and London as a solar finance hub, if it weren’t for the city’s financial laws, writes Bryane Michael, senior fellow at the University of Hong Kong law faculty’s Asian Institute for International Financial Law,… Read More

January 29, 2015 @ 10:15 pm By Midori Yoshimura  |  

  RateSetter, one of the UK’s largest peer-to-peer lending platform, recently began officially courting a new country’s market: Australia. In is first international expansion, the company launched into Australia in October 2014, and remains the “first and only company in Australia to provide peer-to-peer lending… Read More

January 29, 2015 @ 7:29 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

Didn’t receive an invitation to INVST? If not, it’s OK—you can also apply for one. Invested.in, a crowdfunding technology company, recently launched INVST, an invite-only investment platform for fund managers, third-party marketers and accredited investors. The company is designed to utilize the wisdom of tech… Read More

January 28, 2015 @ 9:19 pm By Midori Yoshimura  |  

  Bitsquare, a fully peer-to-peer decentralized Bitcoin exchange that handles BTC/USD, recently announced it will crowdfund toward a 120 BTC goal (about $28,000), notes BTC Geek. Bitsquare will be crowdfunding using Lighthouse, which was recently released into public beta by Mike Hearn, making it one… Read More

January 28, 2015 @ 8:35 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

Chinese credit rating agency Dagong recently released its first internet finance blacklist and early warning list, according to a company statement. Dagong stated, “the number of peer to peer platforms that appeared to have various risks such as blocked withdrawals, platform closure and flight is… Read More

January 27, 2015 @ 7:18 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

A “last-minute business opportunity” is why an 18-karat white gold bracelet, diamond weight approximately 19 carats, was taken off its owner’s wrist and housed in a highly secure vault or with Citibank or Malca-Amit—temporarily. But jewelry and diamonds are only one type of high-class goods… Read More

January 26, 2015 @ 7:02 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

London’s fintech (financial technology) community is making waves, according to an article in Startups. Three-quarters of the fintech community there believe that London is a better incubator than global tech hubs like Silicon Valley, according to a recent survey of technology influencers conducted by Seven… Read More

January 25, 2015 @ 11:31 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

Chinese online ventures rushing into the online lending industry may need to prepare themselves for a Groupon-style fall, suggested Soul Htite, co-founder of the world’s largest online loan broker, Lending Club, in a recent Bloomberg interview. Htite is also the CEO of peer-to-peer lender Dianrong.com,… Read More

January 24, 2015 @ 2:08 pm By Midori Yoshimura  |  

Imagine playing a part in TV competition shows like “Top Chef” or “Project Runway”—but without having your best charred octopus recipe critiqued in front of a live studio audience, or your model’s dress described as “something a Teletubby would wear to a party.” Instead, you’d… Read More

January 24, 2015 @ 9:01 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

  Crowdcredit, founded by Tomoyuki Sugiyama, a former bond trader in Lloyds Bank’s Tokyo branch, is Japan’s first lending platform focused on only cross-border peer to peer lending, as P2P-Banking.com notes. The company, based in Tokyo, invests Japanese capital in credit markets in various Latin American countries, such… Read More

January 21, 2015 @ 7:25 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

The signature scent of January is optimism: We will avoid processed food, learn Mandarin Chinese and log at least nine miles before dinner (likely wild salmon atop a quinoa-kale salad). But New Year’s resolutions become realities after taking the first step, whether it’s learning how… Read More

January 20, 2015 @ 8:20 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

Denmark’s most beloved orchestra is known for being accessible—you may have seen the viral video of its musicians performing “Tango Jalousie” after eating the world’s hottest chili peppers, or perhaps caught them playing in a Copenhagen shopping mall. Now, the Danish National Chamber Orchestra (DNCO) has… Read More

January 19, 2015 @ 12:15 pm By Midori Yoshimura  |  

2015 may be well under way, but Plant Growth Net Zero Aqualife, a completely organic, non-GMO, self-sustained shrimp farm, is still counting down: 12 more days before its Crowdfunder / Return on Change crowdfunding campaign closes on Jan. 31, 2015. The San Diego-based company seeks… Read More