September 29, 2017 @ 10:07 am By JD Alois  |  

InvestHK is out with a laudatory statement regarding the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s decision to “upgrade” its FIntech Supervisory Sandbox with new features.  FinTech Sandboxes have also been announced by the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) and the Insurance Authority. These actions mean that pretty… Read More

September 29, 2017 @ 8:47 am By JD Alois  |  

The Financial Services Agency (FSA) in Japan has put their seal of approval on eleven different cryptocurrency exchanges that facilitate the transfer and exchange of Bitcoin, Ethereum and other digital currencies. This is according to a report in Reuters highlighted the fact that Japan recognized… Read More

September 29, 2017 @ 6:47 am By JD Alois  |  

South Korea has announced it will ban all Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) following a similar action taken  by China. According to a report in Reuters, The Financial Services Commission all ICOs will be halted and trading in cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, must be… Read More

September 28, 2017 @ 10:43 pm By JD Alois  |  

Yesterday, the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) published guidance on the Initial Coin Offering (ICO) market. The cautionary note told investors to be diligent when reviewing ICOs for a potential investment while noting security offerings are a regulated activity. FinTech Australia called ASICs move… Read More

September 28, 2017 @ 4:22 pm By JD Alois  |  

LendingClub (NYSE: LC) has sponsored and contributed to its second securitization deal following the the last successful self sponsored deal this past June. The “Consumer Loan Underlying Bond” (CLUB) Credit Trust 2017-P1 (CLUB 2017-P1) issued $323.1 million in prime notes backed by consumer loan assets originated via… Read More

September 28, 2017 @ 3:30 pm By JD Alois  |  

As part of the loan or mortgage origination process an applicant must complete form “4506-T”  for the IRS. This gives the lender the right to access a summarized version of their tax transcript, which is used to confirm data points in qualifying their application. Today this… Read More

September 28, 2017 @ 3:08 pm By JD Alois  |  

Soma, said to be the very first Finnnish blockchain startup, is in the midst of an Initial Coin Offering (ICO).  The ICO, which started on September 26th, has reportedly raised over $240,000 in the first 48 hours. Soma is described as a decentralized platform which… Read More

September 28, 2017 @ 10:42 am By JD Alois  |  

  Orchard Platform, the nexus of loan originators and institutional investing, has updated their ongoing graphical view of the online lending  world or “Lendscape”.  As the online lending universe has moved from peer to peer lending, to marketplace lending to all forms of online lending,… Read More

September 28, 2017 @ 9:28 am By JD Alois  |  

The investment crowdfunding market is changing in Australia and it is changing for the better. While it has taken policymakers a bit of time to update existing rules, new regulations commence on September 29th ushering a new era of raising capital online. Labeled “crowd-sourced funding”… Read More

September 28, 2017 @ 8:03 am By JD Alois  |  

Stockholm based Sharpfin AB has topped its funding goal of SEK 1.65 million holding at SEK 2.3 million on Invesdor. This marks the first successful Swedish offer listed on Invesdor which is based in Finland. The company has extended the subscription period of its equity… Read More

September 28, 2017 @ 7:47 am By JD Alois  |  

Emerging peer to peer lender Robo.Cash has topped €2 million in loans with the advent of the 1000th investor.  According to Robo.Cash, investors are spread across most of Europe with lenders now coming from 28 different countries. The short term loans are coming from Spain and… Read More

September 28, 2017 @ 2:00 am By JD Alois  |  

The global crowdfunding ecosystem is still quite young. When you compare traditional forms of capital formation to emerging online models crowdfunding is very much in its infancy and will take many years to fully mature. Prognosticators abound as to the success, or failure of, alternative… Read More

September 27, 2017 @ 9:32 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) has just published their spin on the burgeoning Initial Coin Offering (ICO) market. John Price, ASIC Commissioner, stated; “We want to ensure innovative firms understand the regulatory framework they may be operating under and ensure they meet any… Read More

September 27, 2017 @ 2:13 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Finance Innovation Lab has revealed the appointment of six new Trustees, including a new Chair and Treasurer. The new appointments were s described as further strengthening the Lab’s leadership as it seeks to grow its work for a financial system that serves people and… Read More

September 27, 2017 @ 1:25 pm By JD Alois  |  

Funding Societies, Singapore’s and Southeast Asia’s SME crowdfunding platform, has announced the launch of its new chatbot “Miyu”. This is described as the first such chatbot created by a crowdfunding company in Southeast Asia. Miyu was jointly developed by two Singapore Management University interns at… Read More

September 27, 2017 @ 1:01 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Gibraltar Financial Services Commission (GFSC) has taken notice of the rising use of cryptocurrencies and tokenized offerings and instead of blocking them, the Commission will publish a new regulatory framework commencing in January 2018. The new rules will regulate the activities of firms, operating… Read More

September 27, 2017 @ 8:26 am By JD Alois  |  

The Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance, along with the City of Milan, have announced the opening of the “Milan Fintech District”, the country’s first hub dedicated to innovations in the financial industry. The hub is described as a dedicated place for start-ups, entrepreneurs, financial… Read More

September 27, 2017 @ 8:00 am By JD Alois  |  

Innovate Finance has announced the appointment of Danny Lopez and Iain Anderson as non-executive directors of the organisation. Lopez is the Chief Operating Officer of Blippar, a technology company specializing in augmented reality and artificial intellegence. Between 2011 and 2016 Lopez was the British Consul General to New York and was Director General of UK Trade & Investment in the United States. He played a… Read More

September 27, 2017 @ 7:34 am By JD Alois  |  

Spotcap, an online lender for SMEs, has announced Mohammed Hussan as the winner of its Fintech Fellowship 2017. The Fellowship awards one aspiring masters or MBA student with a £8,000 stipend towards their studies. The Fintech sector in the UK is one of the fastest growing sectors industry, adding more than… Read More

September 27, 2017 @ 7:23 am By JD Alois  |  

tZERO, a subsidiary of Overstock.com, (NASDAQ:OSTK),  has announced a new joint venture (JV) to launch an Automated Trading System (ATS) for the trading of Tokens issued via Initial Coin Offerings. The JV is in partnership with RenGen LLC and Argon Group and the trading platform… Read More