May 21, 2024 @ 9:46 am By JD Alois  |  

Fintech SumUp says it has launched direct debits for UK merchants. According to a company statement the service is now available for merchants that have a Business Account with SumUp. The SumIUp Business Account is managed via smartphone and enables merchants to spend, save, and… Read More

May 21, 2024 @ 9:35 am By JD Alois  |  

The British Business Bank has posted new data for the third iteration of its Recovery Loan Scheme, which allows smaller firms to raise up to £2 million. Businesses can use the loans for any purpose, including cashflow management, investment, and growth. The terms of the… Read More

May 20, 2024 @ 5:41 pm By JD Alois  |  

Mainvest, a FINRA-regulated funding portal, is ceasing operations. According to the platform’s website, the firm has raised over $30 million for issuers since its inception. A pop-up on the Mainvest website also states that payment processing is currenlty unavailable: “Due to the ongoing dispute between… Read More

May 20, 2024 @ 5:18 pm By JD Alois  |  

Following a highly critical independent review and calls for his registration, FDIC Chairman Martin Gruenberg has decided to resign from the agency. Rumblings about poor management at the regulatory agency have been rife for some time now. Gruenberg issued the following statement: “It has been my… Read More

May 20, 2024 @ 5:01 pm By JD Alois  |  

Recently, CI covered the rise in venture capital money going into digital assets. There has been renewed interest in risk capital going into crypto firms. In Q1 2024, crypto startups experienced an increase of 40.3% increase in venture funding and a 44.7% jump in deal… Read More

May 20, 2024 @ 11:09 am By JD Alois  |  

The Crowdfunding Professional Association (CfPA) has issued a Policy Platform containing eighteen recommendations for the investment crowdfunding industry. The CfPA believes the recommendations will help to fuel the growth of online capital formation using the Reg CF securities exemption. Brian Christie, the 2024 President of… Read More

May 20, 2024 @ 10:53 am By JD Alois  |  

The UK government has announced that the AI Safety Institute will open an office in San Francisco. This is said to be the first overseas office in San Francisco and is described as a “pivotal step” that will help the UK engage with the emerging… Read More

May 17, 2024 @ 12:25 pm By JD Alois  |  

WatchHouse, a specialty coffee shop that aims to top entrenched players, has raised over £7.189 million on Crowdcube. This is the second funding round on the crowdfunding platform. WatchHouse previously raised over £2.8 million in 2022; thus, the total in online funding now surpasses £10… Read More

May 17, 2024 @ 10:06 am By JD Alois  |  

io.finnet has launched a new digital asset custody solution catering to institutions. The company says that “”io.vault” has signed up several institutional players including Ibanera and Evo Exchange. io.vault aims to support clients in the OTC sector, DeFi platforms, crypto exchanges, active trading funds, and… Read More

May 16, 2024 @ 6:33 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced it is looking for candidates for the  Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee (SBCFAC). The SBCFAC crafts recommendations to submit to the Commission advocating on behalf of smaller firms in need of capital. This includes feedback on… Read More

May 16, 2024 @ 2:34 pm By JD Alois  |  

Following approval in the House earlier this month, the US Senate has voted on and approved HJ Res. 109, which overturns the SEC’s Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB) 121 under the Congressional Review Act (CRA). When the House approved the resolution. Chairman of the House Financial… Read More

May 16, 2024 @ 11:15 am By JD Alois  |  

The US Supreme Court has published its opinion on Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) v. Community Financial Services Association of America (CFSA), affirming the constitutionality of the agency’s funding mechanism. The decision was 7-2. Justice Alito wrote the dissenting opinion. Justice Gorsuch joined in dissenting…. Read More

May 16, 2024 @ 10:34 am By JD Alois  |  

SeedBlink, a European securities crowdfunding platform, says it is pursuing the third edition of its Tech Investor Academy (TIA) for Bulgarian and European investors. Starting on June 10th, the educational project aims to help investors better utilize their money by teaching portfolio optimization, legal frameworks,… Read More

May 16, 2024 @ 9:38 am By JD Alois  |  

The Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) in France is telling investors to “exercise the utmost vigilance with regard to proposal investments made to the public residing in France by the digital asset trading platform BYBIT.” BYBIT operates elsewhere, including in Dubai where it received a… Read More

May 15, 2024 @ 7:07 pm By JD Alois  |  

A report shared at the most recent meeting of the SEC’s Small Business Capital Formation Access Committee (SBCFAC) on women and minority-owned businesses participating in Reg CF (Regulation Crowdfunding) provides an update on exits for firms utilizing the securities exemption. Authored by Melody Change, PhD,… Read More

May 15, 2024 @ 6:04 pm By JD Alois  |  

According to a corporate statement, Insurtech Cover Genius has raised a $80 million Series E funding round. Spark Capital led the round, which was supported by existing investors Dawn Capital, King River Capital, and G Squared. Cover Genius said that it has experienced 107% year-over-year… Read More

May 15, 2024 @ 4:57 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Hashgraph Association (THA) has revealed a partnership with the Qatar Financial Centre to launch a Digital Assets Venture Studio. The goal is to support regulatory compliant DeFi solutions and digital assets leveraging Hashgraph. The Venture Studio will commit $50 million to startups over the… Read More

May 15, 2024 @ 10:34 am By JD Alois  |  

Nets, part of Nexi Group – a Paytech, has formed a partnership with Klarna to offer buy now pay later (BNPL) services. Nets is an AI-powered global payments network and shopping assistant. Klarna works with over half a million global retailers to facilitate transactions and… Read More

May 15, 2024 @ 10:27 am By JD Alois  |  

LendInvest, a Fintech offering financing for property developments, has boosted its BTL (Buy to Let) product and mortgages for homebuyers. According to the company, it has expanded its BTL product range with 80% LTV, and reduced rates by up to 15bps across itsrange, with rates… Read More

May 14, 2024 @ 1:13 pm By JD Alois  |  

Stating they are one of the very few VC firms that are truly global, Accel is reporting that it is raising a $650 million fund to support early-stage ventures in Europe and Israel. Accel opened its London office in 2000 as one of the first… Read More