May 16, 2018 @ 10:49 am By JD Alois  |  

Marcus, a fast emerging digital only challenger bank, is poised to enter the UK market and then cross the channel to set up operations in Germany. This is according to multiple reports as the erstwhile online lender leverages its successful US tech in other markets…. Read More

May 16, 2018 @ 10:19 am By JD Alois  |  

Andrew Bailey, Chief Executive of the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), addressed the regulator’s business plan for the coming year in a speech this week. Touching upon innovations in financial services, Bailey stated; “Fintech and Big Data are transforming financial services. We will seek to… Read More

May 16, 2018 @ 9:07 am By JD Alois  |  

Lemonade, an emerging Insurtech firm that is attempting to address the pain points of traditional insurance by applying technology and user friendly practices, has published an “Open Source” insurance policy – most certainly a world’s first. The Policy is posted on Github and is open… Read More

May 15, 2018 @ 6:44 pm By JD Alois  |  

Shyft has announced that an Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Government of Bermuda. Bermuda has recently embraced the potential of facilitating blockchain technology and the issuance of cryptocurrency. Shyft said that Bermuda is a “pioneer” in tech leading the way for others. Simultaneously, Shyft announced… Read More

May 15, 2018 @ 7:08 am By JD Alois  |  

UK Peer-to-peer lending platform RateSetter has topped the milestone of returning £100 million in pre-tax interest payments to its investors. RateSetter reports accomplishing this without any individual investor losing a penny. Launched in October 2010, RateSetter now claims over 500,000 customers. From the investing side, more than… Read More

May 15, 2018 @ 6:43 am By JD Alois  |  

SharesPost is reporting it has received approval from both the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) to operate an Alternative Trading System or ATS. SharesPost will now move into the secondary trading market for security tokens minted by initial coin offerings… Read More

May 14, 2018 @ 10:33 am By JD Alois  |  

TruValue Labs, an artificial intelligence (AI) firm, has closed a $13.6 million Series A funding round led by Katalyst Ventures. Additional investors include the Hearst Financial Venture Fund, the Entrepreneurs’ Fund, Sun Hung Kai Strategic Capital Limited, William Campbell, former Chairman of JPM Chase Card Services,… Read More

May 14, 2018 @ 5:48 am By JD Alois  |  

Kapital Boost, a Sharia based peer to peer platform, and Global Entrepreneur Professional (or Genpro), have announced a new partnership to support the development of SMEs in Indonesia. The collaboration will see Kapital Boost providing funding to Genpro’s members who qualify and demonstrate strong growth… Read More

May 14, 2018 @ 5:38 am By JD Alois  |  

Latvian Fintech Mintos is reporting a profit in its brief three year old history. According to the company, the global online marketplace for loans has seen their revenue increase more than four-fold in 2017 to € 2.1 million generating a net profit for the year of €… Read More

May 14, 2018 @ 2:00 am By JD Alois  |  

Banco BNI Europa, a digital challenger bank based in Portugal, has partnered with Lendrock in Spain to provide financing to consumers looking to buy a car. Banco BNI said it will invest up to €15 million on this online financing platform that specializes in near… Read More

May 13, 2018 @ 8:17 pm By JD Alois  |  

Towards the end of April, SEC Commissioner Robert J. Jackson Jr. delivered a heartfelt speech in Cleveland about the decline of initial public offerings (IPOs) in the US. While there has been much debate regarding the cause of this decline (with some questioning whether it even… Read More

May 13, 2018 @ 5:31 pm By JD Alois  |  

This is an interesting spin on cryptocurrencies. There have been thousands of digital coins created but many have died, morphing into Zombie coins. So where do digital currencies go to die? This company thinks they can be reanimated and gain a second life. CoinJanitor, a… Read More

May 13, 2018 @ 5:26 pm By JD Alois  |  

Two recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have provided some insight into the progress of Fundrise’s eFunds. Last year, Fundrise launched two eFunds – both targeting “For Sale Housing” in two different markets: Washington, DC and Los Angeles. These new funds were… Read More

May 13, 2018 @ 4:43 pm By JD Alois  |  

Bloomberg is out with a report that some wealthy investors are “hoarding” Bitcoin in bunkers deep underground the amount is said to be hovering around $10 billion representing 7% of Bitcoin’s float. Xapo, the “Fort Knox of Bitcoin,” has raised $40 million from big name VC’s… Read More

May 13, 2018 @ 4:23 pm By JD Alois  |  

CoinList, an offshoot of AngelList, is positioning its platform to list a few, promising initial coin offerings (ICO) on an ongoing basis. The very first ICO listed became a blockbuster offering raising over $200 million in a blink of the eye. Filecoin listed the token… Read More

May 13, 2018 @ 3:06 pm By JD Alois  |  

LegionM has filed a new Form C with the Securities and Exchange Commission indicating its intent to launch a new crowdfunding campaign to raise additional funding.  LegionM was the second project to leverage Reg CF to hit the $1 million funding cap (since raised to $1.07M) LegionM… Read More

May 12, 2018 @ 10:08 am By JD Alois  |  

Last week, SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce delivered a powerful speech that shared her views on the mission of regulators broadly, and cryptocurrency innovation specifically. The speech has been widely lauded in the crypto space as it has been viewed as supportive of the potential for… Read More

May 11, 2018 @ 4:30 pm By JD Alois  |  

StartEngine posts a weekly blog update regarding the state of Reg CF (or Regulation Crowdfunding).  This is the smallest of the three crowdfunding exemptions and allows companies to raise up to $1.07 million. While the industry is still maturing, and expectations are for Congress to… Read More

May 11, 2018 @ 8:52 am By JD Alois  |  

In a report today, it was announced that Lewis Cohen, formerly of white shoe law firm Hogen Lovells, and Angela Angelovska-Wilson, recently the GC of Digital Asset, have formed their own law firm targeting the blockchain industry. The new firm, DLx Law, is designed to “align… Read More

May 11, 2018 @ 8:22 am By JD Alois  |  

Most securities initial coin offerings (ICOs) are being filed under Reg D 506c in the US. This enables an issuer to sell securities to accredited investors. Reg A+, an updated securities exemption, enables issuers to offer securities to both accredited and non-accredited investors. Reg A+… Read More