April 1, 2018 @ 8:40 am By JD Alois  |  

CBOE Global Markets, operator of the Chicago Board Options Exchange – the largest U.S. options exchange, has sent a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) encouraging the regulator to move forward with cryptocurrency based Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) or Exchange Traded Products (ETPs). CBOE… Read More

April 1, 2018 @ 6:02 am By JD Alois  |  

MailChimp added its name to the growing list of digital services and platforms banning cryptocurrency and initial coin offering promotions this past week. Mailchimp sends over one billion emails every single day sending more list managed emails than anyone (according to the Chimp). Most certainly… Read More

April 1, 2018 @ 3:31 am By JD Alois  |  

Canada’s leading investment crowdfunding platform, FrontFundr, is seeking female investors to help them grow. Frontfundr is in the midst of a self-crowdfunding campaign seeking a minimum raise of $750,000 (and a max of $1.5 million). Frontfundr is offering common stock in the company at a… Read More

March 31, 2018 @ 1:30 pm By JD Alois  |  

Mailchimp one of the most popular mail management platforms in use today, has given the boot initial coin offering (ICO) promotions and cryptocurrencies in genera. Mailchimp is just the latest addition to a growing list of digital platforms or social media sites, such as Google,… Read More

March 30, 2018 @ 6:05 pm By JD Alois  |  

Last time we checked in back at the end of December, there were 36 FINRA approved Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF) portals in operation. Today, that number has increased to 38 as two more entrants have entered the Reg CF space. As for portals that have… Read More

March 30, 2018 @ 3:25 pm By JD Alois  |  

Coinbase has filed a Form D 506c with the Securities and Exchange Commission for its Index Fund. The fund was announced earlier this month as a path for investors to gain diversified exposure to the fast evolving digital asset class. The Form D shared little… Read More

March 30, 2018 @ 12:48 pm By JD Alois  |  

StartEngine, one of the largest investment crowdfunding platforms in the US, has now topped $4 million in their self-crowdfunding campaign. The online capital formation platform announced their Reg A+ securities offering went live last October. Using a pre-money valuation of $65 million, StartEngine is seeking… Read More

March 30, 2018 @ 8:38 am By JD Alois  |  

While the Bank of Montreal (BMO) has not made any public pronouncements we are aware of, the Canadian Bank has apparently decided cryptocurrency is too dodgy for their customers. This week a poster on Reddit shared a BMO Bulletin (#632) entitled Blocking Cryptocurrency Transactions for… Read More

March 30, 2018 @ 8:17 am By JD Alois  |  

Swiss Blockchain startup Proxeus has added the first two members of its Advisory Board:  Dr. Christian Katz, former CEO of the SIX Swiss Exchange, and Aaron McDonald, cofounder and CEO of blockchain studio Centrality. Katz is described as a prominent figure in the Swiss financial… Read More

March 29, 2018 @ 8:05 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has posted an update regarding the ongoing case against AriseBank and their initial coin offering which has been deemed a scam by the regulator. This same ICO was pumped by famous boxer Evander Holyfield. In fact, a press release was issued… Read More

March 29, 2018 @ 2:03 pm By JD Alois  |  

The US Small Business Administration (SBA), Office of Advocacy, is out with a report reviewing the status of small business crowdfunding. According to the SBA, equity crowdfunding was particularly popular among very young firms. Nearly a third of firms were six months or younger when… Read More

March 29, 2018 @ 8:34 am By JD Alois  |  

UK based Britbots, a investment platform dedicated to promoting robotics companies, and Sapphire Capital Partners, a specialist manager of tax-efficient funds, has shared that their second British Robotics Seed Fund has attracted substantial investor interest and has been well subscribed. The fund is expected to… Read More

March 29, 2018 @ 8:19 am By JD Alois  |  

Crowdcube, a leading equity crowdfunding platform, has announced a new initiative to boost deal flow by supporting startups and growth businesses outside London. The goal is to double equity crowdfunding deals in under 5 years by partnering with six supporters of regional SMEs. Luke Lang,… Read More

March 29, 2018 @ 7:54 am By JD Alois  |  

Trillion Fund, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), changed its business model in September 2015, deciding that it could no longer offer investments to retail investors in renewable energy projects. The decision was driven in part of the UK Government’s decision to… Read More

March 29, 2018 @ 7:41 am By JD Alois  |  

  Fintechs Investly and Landbay have received the backing of British tennis champion Andy Murray, according to investment crowdfunding platform Seedrs. Murray has backed these two early-stage firms as part of his relationship with Seedrs, today investing with undisclosed amounts. The platform shares that Murray’s… Read More

March 29, 2018 @ 7:28 am By JD Alois  |  

Spotcap, an SME focused online lender based in Berlin, recently held a roundtable on the future of finance. Individuals from prominent firms joined with the Fintech lender to assess progress made so far. Representatives from Deutsche Bank, Figo, GP Bullhound, McKinsey along with Spotcap debated… Read More

March 28, 2018 @ 11:05 pm By JD Alois  |  

OPEN, a blockchain payments infrastructure for apps, has received the backing of Tim Draper’s Draper Dragon Digital Asset Fund, according to the company. Draper is a huge investor in the crypto space. While the amount of the investment was not shared, Draper’s Dragon Fund typically… Read More

March 28, 2018 @ 4:41 pm By JD Alois  |  

Lawrence Summers has resigned from the Board of Directors of LendingClub (NYSE:LC), according to a release from the leading online lending platform. Summers is departing the Board at the conclusion of LendingClub’s annual shareholder meeting following a six year stint helping to guide the firms strategy. Summers… Read More

March 28, 2018 @ 4:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

Aperture is a new platform that is focusing on the real estate marketplace putting a new spin on property crowdfunding. While not the first blockchain based real estate startup, Property Coin (PCX) is in the midst of a security token offering that is claiming first… Read More

March 28, 2018 @ 12:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

PeerIQ is out with their quarterly synopsis regarding all things online lending.  One of the interesting comments is on the growing acceptance that traditional financial firms won’t be Uberized, they will be Amazoned instead. PeerIQ says that Bank Fintech partnerships and M&A continues to be… Read More