August 25, 2019 @ 7:30 pm By JD Alois  |  

OpenFinanance, a registered Alternative Trading System (ATS) for digital assets, recently opened up trading for tokenized hedge fund Protos (PRTS). The company states this is the first-ever tokenized hedge fund to trade on an ATS. The security is available for accredited US investors as well… Read More

August 25, 2019 @ 11:39 am By JD Alois  |  

Congresswoman Maxine Waters, the Chairwoman of the influential House Financial Services Committee, has issued a statement on her Bipartisan trip to Switzerland to learn more about Facebook’s plan to launch a stablecoin dubbed Libra. Facebook has incorporated Libra in the crypto-friendly jurisdiction of Switzerland like… Read More

August 24, 2019 @ 11:11 am By JD Alois  |  

“Be the bank,” is what SMBX tells its users, encouraging investors to provide access to debt capital for small businesses that typically struggle to get a loan from old finance. SMBX, a blockchain-powered platform that recently received FINRA approval to operate as a Reg CF… Read More

August 23, 2019 @ 10:33 am By JD Alois  |  

Beginning September 14, 2019, European Union rules regarding “Strong Customer Authentication” (SCA), part of PSD2, kick in. These rules, which also impact the UK, involve the way in which banks or payment services providers verify their customers’ identity and validate specific payment instructions. Mandated API… Read More

August 23, 2019 @ 6:59 am By JD Alois  |  

Digital bank Revolut has added to its executive team with several new hires harkening from traditional finance. According to Revolut, the Fintech bank has hired Philip Doyle as Director of Financial Crime Risk, Wolfgang Bardorf as Treasurer and Stefan Wille as Deputy Chief Financial Officer…. Read More

August 22, 2019 @ 8:15 pm By JD Alois  |  

Former Overstock (NASDAQ:OSTK) CEO Patrick Byrne was visiting with the studios of Fox News today following his abrupt resignation earlier today from the company he founded. Byrne is widely recognized as a pioneer in the blockchain sector having launched several companies, including tZero, targeting the… Read More

August 22, 2019 @ 4:41 pm By JD Alois  |  

Real estate investment platform Groundfloor has announced a new feature that the “wealthtech” company is claiming is an industry first. Groundfloor is now providing non-accredited investors access to fractionalized real estate loans so investors may better manage risk – something previously only available to accredited… Read More

August 22, 2019 @ 1:17 pm By JD Alois  |  

In a “Dear Shareholders” letter, Overstock (NASDAQ:OSTK) CEO and blockchain visionary Patrick Byrne submitted his resignation as both CEO and board member effective immediately. In afternoon trading, shares in Overstock are up by around 7%. The move by Byrne came following the fallout from comments… Read More

August 22, 2019 @ 11:55 am By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Investor Advisory Committee (IAC) has requested an extension on comments regarding the current Concept Release for regulatory harmonization pertaining to securities exemptions. The Concept Release, akin to a consultation, was launched in June as an attempt to simplify securities… Read More

August 22, 2019 @ 8:39 am By JD Alois  |  

Old finance continues to leverage one of its most valuable assets: lots of money. While traditional banks may struggle to innovate and adapt they continue to do what they do best which is to spend money on emerging tech to hedge against a sectorial shift…. Read More

August 22, 2019 @ 1:23 am By JD Alois  |  

Huobi DM, now offers instant settlement for Bitcoin contracts, according to a company release. Huobi says this is a market first. Huobi DM (derivative market) is part of the larger Huobi Group – a digital asset ecosystem that claims to be one of the largest… Read More

August 21, 2019 @ 5:59 pm By JD Alois  |  

Faster payments and electronic transfers is a hot sector of Fintech. For quite some time, traditional banks sat on the sidelines watching Fintechs push into their business. Today, they are stepping things up but questions remain as to whether or not old finance has the… Read More

August 21, 2019 @ 2:46 pm By JD Alois  |  

Securitize, an online platform for the issuance and management of blockchain-based securities, has been approved as a registered Transfer Agent. According to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Securitize filed the Form TA-1 on July 22nd and was approved on July 31st. By becoming… Read More

August 21, 2019 @ 12:23 pm By JD Alois  |  

Arival, a digital bank that seeks to be crypto-friendly, has apparently only raised $210,000 of a funding round of $3 million on SeedInvest. The securities offering is being cross-listed on Crowdcube which indicates a larger amount of £348,912 being raised on a hurdle of £700,000…. Read More

August 21, 2019 @ 8:28 am By JD Alois  |  

Several weeks ago, the co-founder of crowdfunding platform SyndicateRoom and past CEO Gonçalo de Vasconcelos announced his departure from the company. At the time, de Vasconcelos indicated his interest in pursuing another startup. He remains a non-executive director of SyndicateRoom so he is still engaged… Read More

August 21, 2019 @ 2:43 am By JD Alois  |  

A new report published by Tech Nation and Dealroom indicates the UK is experiencing a robust market for investment in early-stage firms. In fact, the UK is going gangbusters in comparison to the year prior. The report states that the UK tech sector has attracted… Read More

August 20, 2019 @ 8:51 pm By JD Alois  |  

ICO Rating, a Russia based initial coin offering and research firm, has paid a fine to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding allegations that it failed to disclose payments received from issuers for publicizing their digital asset securities offerings. According to a statement from… Read More

August 20, 2019 @ 5:51 pm By JD Alois  |  

CrowdEngine, a white-label securities crowdfunding platform, has enlisted InvestReady to provide investor accreditation status and verification service. CrowdEngine will integrate InvestReady’s services as part of its portfolio of offerings. CrowdEngine can power online capital formation, including token offerings, both domestically and internationally. In the US,… Read More

August 20, 2019 @ 12:01 pm By JD Alois  |  

In the US, the definition of an “Accredited Investor” is an individual who earns over $200,000 a year or has $1 million in net assets minus their primary residence. If you are married, that number moves higher. Yet, as it stands today, this definition does… Read More

August 20, 2019 @ 9:55 am By JD Alois  |  

tZero’s Crypto App has added Ravencoin (RVN) to its virtual currencies available to buy and sell. Ravencoin is the 3rd crypto added following Bitcoin and Ethereum. tZero is a subsidiary of Overstock (NASDAQ:OSTK). Ravencoin currently has a market cap of around $145 million and trades… Read More