August 14, 2019 @ 11:46 am By JD Alois  |  

StartEngine, one of the larger securities crowdfunding platforms in the US, has received an Alternative Trading System license (ATS). StartEngine has long shared its intent to pursue an ATS license as it seeks to provide a liquidity path for crowdfunded securities. Crowdfund Insider reported last… Read More

August 14, 2019 @ 11:00 am By JD Alois  |  

Earlier this month, leading UK investment crowdfunding platform Crowdcube rebranded after multi-year stint of a fairly consistent design. Crowdcube explained the move in a blog post declaring “crowdfunding 1.0 is dead.” To quote Crowdcube: “Today’s savvy entrepreneurs want Crowdcube 2.0; they want funding that fuels… Read More

August 14, 2019 @ 8:32 am By JD Alois  |  

“Another clear sign that cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum and XRP are not only part of mainstream finance, but also the future of money.” deVere Group CEO Nigel Green believes recent actions by UK tax authorities are signs that cryptocurrency is winning the battle of becoming… Read More

August 14, 2019 @ 8:14 am By JD Alois  |  

Singularity Studio, the for-profit spin-off of SingularityNET (SNET) – a non-profit Netherlands foundation building a decentralized blockchain AI platform, has signed a “Strategic Cooperation Memorandum” with PICC Finance Services. PICC is a subsidiary of the Fintech arm of the People’s Insurance Company of China Holding… Read More

August 14, 2019 @ 7:37 am By JD Alois  |  

Findora, a “cryptographically transparent public blockchain for building decentralized financial applications,” has enlisted the assistance of two prominent names. Balaji Srinivasan, former CTO of Coinbase, and Professor Dan Boneh, Head of Stanford Cryptography, have both joined Findora as Strategic Advisors. Professor Boneh said Findora’s vision… Read More

August 13, 2019 @ 10:55 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) has partnered with the World Economic Forum (WEF) to jointly launch a research project addressing Artificial Intelligence (AI) in financial services. CCAF is an academic research institute at Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, and is the… Read More

August 13, 2019 @ 8:04 pm By JD Alois  |  

Digital Banks are the New Shiny Global Fintech deals tallied 838 rounds worth $15.1 billion in the first six months of 2019 but the number VC backed Fintech deals dropped to the lowest number since Q4 of 2016, according to CBInsights quarterly Fintech report. While… Read More

August 13, 2019 @ 4:44 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Enforcement Division has announced charges against Reginald “Reggie” Middleton who allegedly engaged in fraud related to a digital securities offering. The courts have granted an emergency freeze on $8 million in assets of a reported $14.8 million that Middleton… Read More

August 13, 2019 @ 12:42 pm By JD Alois  |  

New Zealand appears to be the first country to officially approve paying employees in crypto. According to a Tax Bulletin published by the Commissioner of Inland Revenue, the New Zealand tax authority, crypto-assets may be used in remuneration as long as it adheres to certain… Read More

August 13, 2019 @ 12:10 pm By JD Alois  |  

Prime Trust, a custody and escrow platform that services both traditional and digital assets, has made an important hire. According to a note from the company, Prime Trust has appointed Amanda Ortega, previously a Deputy Banking Commissioner for the State of Wyoming, as Chief of… Read More

August 13, 2019 @ 11:45 am By JD Alois  |  

A recent research report has quantified blockchain investment activity during the past five years. According to TeqAtlas, from 2014 to the first half of 2019 approximately $32.3 billion has been invested into blockchain startups. In 2018, that number hit a record amount of $15 billion… Read More

August 13, 2019 @ 8:11 am By JD Alois  |  

Challenger bank Tandem has announced the impending launch of a new “crowd-designed” mortgage product for UK consumers.  In a release, Tandem said it plans to offer competitive mortgages to first-time buyers and “property ladder hopefuls” based on a range of financial data points. Tandem said… Read More

August 13, 2019 @ 7:30 am By JD Alois  |  

EstateGuru, a crowdfunding platform based in Estonia, is out with a release predicting it will claim €3-5 billion of the European real estate financing by 2025 EstateGuru adds that approximately 70% of SMEs lack access to credit and this is a major constraint to their… Read More

August 12, 2019 @ 6:12 pm By JD Alois  |  

Popular money transfer service Venmo is polishing its money movement cred today. In a blog post, Venmo claims it will transfer your money in “minutes.” Venmo states: “This may sound familiar- and it is. Last year we launched Instant Transfer via debit card, allowing users… Read More

August 12, 2019 @ 5:49 pm By JD Alois  |  

Seedrs co-founder and Executive Chairman Jeff Lynn has responded to a critical article published in the Sunday Times this past weekend. The article in question portrayed Seedrs as struggling claiming: “crowdfunding site halts trading as reserves dwindle,” as it reportedly pursues a new funding round…. Read More

August 12, 2019 @ 3:36 pm By JD Alois  |  

P2Binvestor (P2Bi) is an online lender providing access to capital for businesses which are typically not able to access traditional bank financing. The 5-year-old Fintech lender provides term loans and lines of credit based off of a borrowers assets – mainly accounts receivable. P2Bi explains… Read More

August 12, 2019 @ 12:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

tZERO has announced that its security tokens are now available to trade by non accredited invetors. Previously, only accredited investors could trade in the digital security. tZERO is a blockchain-focused subsidiary of Overstock (NASDAQ:OSTK). tZERO is both a trading and primary issuance platform focused on… Read More

August 12, 2019 @ 11:50 am By JD Alois  |  

Netfin Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: NFINU) has announced today that holders of the units sold in the Company’s initial public offering of 25,300,000 units completed on August 2, 2019 may elect to separately trade the Class A ordinary shares and warrants included in the units commencing… Read More

August 12, 2019 @ 10:03 am By JD Alois  |  

Hedera Hashgraph, a speedy blockchain that seeks to power enterprise services, has added IBM and Tata Communications to its Governing Council. Hedera reports that curretntly there are 39 multinational entities participating on the Council as it pursues the “next generation” distributed ledger technology (DLT). Council… Read More

August 12, 2019 @ 9:33 am By JD Alois  |  

  Technology is at its best when it is ubiquitous and unobtrusive. We want tech to be available wherever and whenever we need it but it should not be something that is hard to access. It must be simple to use. Today, most tech services… Read More