April 16, 2018 @ 1:09 pm By JD Alois  |  

Speaking at Vanderbilt University Law School this past week, Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chairman J. Christopher Giancarlo made some interesting comments. Giancarlo, a Commodore Alum, spoke about the digitization of finance (Fintech) and the subject of virtual currencies. Giancarlo reflected on time spent with… Read More

April 16, 2018 @ 11:53 am By JD Alois  |  

Splash Wines, family-run direct-to-consumer wine marketing company, recently announced that first quarter 2018 profits increased by 139% over the same period in 2017. While still small, profits jumped from $19,854 to $47,033 on revenues of $2.1 million. Splash also said it beat its expectations for… Read More

April 16, 2018 @ 9:56 am By JD Alois  |  

Traditional banks can be pretty horrible. Slow to embrace technology and tending towards a fee rich platform instead of a service that looks out for consumers, it is a truism that “people do not need banks, they need banking services” (as Bill Gates once said)…. Read More

April 16, 2018 @ 8:50 am By JD Alois  |  

Dow Jones VentureSource is out with their quarterly report and their numbers indicate a decline in venture capital funding during the first quarter of 2018. According to the report, investment declined by 16% in the number of funds and delivered a 29% drop in capital… Read More

April 16, 2018 @ 3:00 am By JD Alois  |  

There is a new entry in the UK crowdfunding market. Stakeholderz, the creation of executive recruitment firm Intramezzo, is an equity crowdfunding platform with a mission to bring together early stage tech ventures with experienced directors who can not only help fund the company but… Read More

April 15, 2018 @ 6:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

Goldman Sachs Bank USA has acquired Clarity Money a Fintech founded by CEO Adam Dell. Clarity Money is an app based service that helps consumers better manage their personal finances with machine learning and intuitive design to provide actionable insights. The robo-advisor claims over one million… Read More

April 15, 2018 @ 2:41 pm By JD Alois  |  

Renwick Haddow, a UK national, was extradited from Morocco to the US for committing fraud that saw over $36 million stolen from investors. The extradition is just part of a long criminal saga by Haddow. Last year, the SEC joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the… Read More

April 15, 2018 @ 2:20 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has scheduled a roundtable to discuss thinly-traded exchange-listed securities, both equities and exchange-traded products. The roundtable will take place on April 23 at the SEC’s headquarters at 100 F Street, NE in DC. The roundtable is open to the public and… Read More

April 14, 2018 @ 1:28 pm By JD Alois  |  

Malta, a Mediterranean country that wants be known as Blockchain Island, has published a “Financial Instrument Test” as it seeks to clarify questions regarding initial coin offerings (ICOs) and when a digital asset is a security and when it is not. The Malta Financial Services… Read More

April 14, 2018 @ 8:01 am By JD Alois  |  

Long Blockchain Corp., a company that was formerly known as Long Island Tea Corp., has been kicked out of NASDAQ. The delisting notice was received earlier this week following an previous notice from NASDAQ staff in mid-February that the company was in the queue to… Read More

April 13, 2018 @ 8:19 pm By JD Alois  |  

  The Crypto Invest Summit, a cryptocurrency and blockchain investment conference, has announced that popular “crypto-trader” Ran Neu-Ner will bring his show live to the forthcoming event scheduled to take place on May 1st and 2nd. The inclusion of the show is nice addition to… Read More

April 13, 2018 @ 5:27 pm By JD Alois  |  

Orchard Platform is being sold. This is according to a report in Bloomberg that cites individuals aware of the details regarding the pending transaction. Orchard is currently partnering with Bloomberg on online lending data. Kabbage is a leading online lender that has targeted the SME… Read More

April 13, 2018 @ 2:54 pm By JD Alois  |  

A subsidiary of Yahoo Japan is getting into the cryptocurrency space with an investment in the parent company of BitArg Exchange, CMD Lab. A post on the Tokyo based exchange home page stated; “Today, the Company decided to accept capital participation from Z Corporation, a… Read More

April 13, 2018 @ 9:27 am By JD Alois  |  

One of the fastest growing social networks and messaging apps in the world, Telegram, has been hit with a ban from Russian authorities. Roskomnadzor, the Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media, posted on their site; “The procedure for restricting… Read More

April 13, 2018 @ 8:40 am By JD Alois  |  

  Fintech Oval Money, a Robo-advisor founded by Benedetta Arese Lucini former CEO of Uber Italy, reports it has raised a total of £1.3 million in funding. Earlier this year, Oval listed on Crowdcube where it raised £632,000, according to the campaign page. Oval reports… Read More

April 12, 2018 @ 4:54 pm By JD Alois  |  

LendingClub (NYSE: LC), has selected  Bahman Koohestani to serve as the company’s Chief Technology Officer. Koohestani was most recently with Clarivate Analytics, where he served as Chief Technology Officer. Prior to Clarivate Analytics, Bahman was Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of shopping site NexTag where… Read More

April 12, 2018 @ 4:37 pm By JD Alois  |  

SEC Commissioners Michael S. Piwowar and Hester M. Peirce have delivered a letter to Chairman Michael Crapo of the Senate Committee on Banking and Chairman Jeb Hensarling of the House Financial Services Committee pertaining to a legislative push to increase the cap on Reg A+… Read More

April 12, 2018 @ 1:46 pm By JD Alois  |  

The grande dame of peer to peer lending in the UK, Zopa, is raising £50 million at a valuation of £400 million, according to several reports.  SkyNews states this most recent funding round will be led by current investors including Wadhawan Global Capital out of… Read More

April 12, 2018 @ 1:04 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) “stormed” Washington, DC this past week as community bankers from across the country urged much needed regulatory reform. The ICBA pronounced the “excessive and unnecessary regulation is stifling their ability to meet the needs of local communities.” As part… Read More

April 12, 2018 @ 2:00 am By JD Alois  |  

Cash is king no more. Today’s society is all about mobility and the digitization of all forms of finance. How consumers spend and manage their money has changed dramatically in recent years and that pace of change is accelerating. Revolut is a new breed of… Read More