December 5, 2018 @ 1:40 pm By JD Alois  |  

Most innovation occurs in smaller businesses and most job creation takes place within these small firms. This is a truism for all developed countries and in recent years governments around the world have sought to foster an innovation-driven economy. The European Union (Brexit aside) is… Read More

December 5, 2018 @ 10:18 am By JD Alois  |  

Monzo, an emerging heavy-weight in the hot digital banking sector, has shared that 36,006 individuals crowdfunded £20 million in just 2 days, 2 hours and 45 minutes. The offer was hosted on Crowdcube and received intense interest as competition in the UK banking sector heats… Read More

December 5, 2018 @ 9:58 am By JD Alois  |  

Zopa to Offer “Feel Good Money” Digital Bank Peer to peer lender Zopa has received authorization from both the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) to operate its much anticipated digital challenger bank. Initially, Zopa will operate with a bank license… Read More

December 5, 2018 @ 7:39 am By JD Alois  |  

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has decided to launch an in-depth investigation into the acquisition of Sweden based iZettle by PayPal. As CI previously reported, the CMA stated that PayPal could face insufficient competition in the UK after acquiring its market-leading rival iZettle. PayPal… Read More

December 5, 2018 @ 7:14 am By JD Alois  |  

GrainChain, a blockchain startup for documenting agricultural yield and handling payments, has received an equity investment from Overstock (NASDAQ: OSTK) subsidiary Medici Ventures. According to a note from the company, Medici has invested $2.5 million purchasing a 10% ownership stake in the firm. Medici has… Read More

December 5, 2018 @ 6:45 am By JD Alois  |  

Peer to peer property lender CrowdProperty is now disclosing their performance metrics using Brismo’s (formerly known as AltFi) standardized reporting methodology. CrowdPropert states that it is the first property development platform to incorporate the Brismo process which is described as an independent standard. Commenting on the… Read More

December 4, 2018 @ 10:15 pm By JD Alois  |  

InSitu Biologics is reporting that it has topped $2 million using the Reg A+ crowdfunding exemption. The company anticipates reaching $10 million in equity capital as the campaign continues into 2019. InSitu Biologics is a biotech firm that claims positive initial results in pre-clinical studies… Read More

December 4, 2018 @ 5:40 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) has published their guidelines pertaining to a new Fintech license. which will be available beginning in 2019. FINMA will be issuing and regulating accepted Fintech companies. The goal of the new licensing structure is to boost Fintech innovation by… Read More

December 4, 2018 @ 3:51 pm By JD Alois  |  

Greenrush, a “national online cannabis shopping destination,” has announced a Series B funding round on RenGen Labs. Greenrush provides “on-demand eCommerce and delivery to its 50,000+ customers in more than 150 cities across 5 states and growing.” RenGen was formerly known as Saftlaunch, an initial coin offering (ICO) platform that has since morphed… Read More

December 4, 2018 @ 3:17 pm By JD Alois  |  

Paying for college can be complex and stressful, and that stress follows most people well past graduation – but it doesn’t have to, says David Klein, CEO and co-founder of CommonBond. The Fintech reports that it is executing on its mission having now provided lower cost lending to more than 100,000 Gen… Read More

December 4, 2018 @ 2:49 pm By JD Alois  |  

Crowdcube, the UK’s largest investment crowdfunding platform, has announced a new service, “Thrive for Fintech.” Crowdcube explains that Thrive is a “series of support programmes for companies raising on Crowdcube, where [they] partner with leading VCs, and top-tier law and accounting firms to help companies… Read More

December 4, 2018 @ 11:17 am By JD Alois  |  

Speaking at Blockland Cleveland yesterday, Congressman Warren Davidson, from Ohio’s 8th District, discussed forthcoming legislation that may dramatically impact the initial coin offering (ICO) industry in the US. Representative Warren said the draft legislation seeks to create a token that can trade but will not… Read More

December 4, 2018 @ 9:22 am By JD Alois  |  

Multiple federal agencies have come together to encourage banks to innovate when it comes to compliance. The statement is part of a governmental working group that has been created to collaborate between some of the financial regulatory entities. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency… Read More

December 4, 2018 @ 7:49 am By JD Alois  |  

Seeking to create a united voice for the fast-moving blockchain industry, four prominent blockchain firms have joined together to create a new advocacy association, “Blockchain for Europe.” The new association hosted a policy summit last week that brought together industry stakeholders alongside the four largest… Read More

December 4, 2018 @ 1:00 am By JD Alois  |  

Global investment platform OurCrowd has announced it will host its 5th annual Global Investor Summit this coming March in Jerusalem, Israel. The event expects attendee registration to top 15,000 making it the largest investment crowdfunding conference in the world. The theme for 2019 will be… Read More

December 3, 2018 @ 9:06 pm By JD Alois  |  

London based Chambers, one of the legal industries most prestigious ranking entities, has just published their list of top ranking attorneys in the cryptocurrency and blockchain sector. Chambers seeks to identify the “best law firms globally, whether they are multi-national or boutique.” Law firms and… Read More

December 3, 2018 @ 12:26 pm By JD Alois  |  

Chilango, a chain of “quick service” Mexican restaurants is extending their minibond offer beyond their originally announced December 2nd deadline. According to Chilango, the Burrito Bond 2, which kicked off in October, will be extended into 2019. Currently, Chilango is reporting that £2.4 million has… Read More

December 3, 2018 @ 10:38 am By JD Alois  |  

Former Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Barak is not a fan of cryptocurrencies.  According to a report in Globes, Barak considers crypto and Bitcoin one big Ponzi Scam. Barak served as the tenth Prime Minister from 1999 to 2001 and was the leader of the… Read More

December 2, 2018 @ 9:50 pm By JD Alois  |  

HBUS, the digital currency exchange that is a sister company to Huobi – one of the largest crypto exchanges in the world, has launched an interesting promotional campaign that strives to highlight the fast-evolving securities markets with a jab towards Coinbase. As part of the campaign, HBUS… Read More

December 2, 2018 @ 8:04 pm By JD Alois  |  

October was a big month for Reg CF campaigns, according to the StartEngine Index. In fact, October booked the most money raised using the crowdfunding exemption since the rule became actionable in May of 2016. According to StartEngine, $10.9 million in funding was raised. Until… Read More