June 10, 2025 @ 8:20 am By JD Alois  |  

The Private Intermittent Securities and Capital Exchange System (PISCES) is scheduled to launch later this year. In a statement, the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) announced that the new marketplace would be introduced through a sandbox to test its design. The sandbox is now open,… Read More

June 9, 2025 @ 9:22 pm By JD Alois  |  

Frontfundr is the dominant platform in the Canadian investment crowdfunding sector. On May 29th, the platform celebrated ten years of online capital formation. In a public statement, Frontfundr shared that since its inception, it has helped raise a total of $285 million. This amount entailed… Read More

June 9, 2025 @ 11:08 am By JD Alois  |  

Regtech or Suptech holds enormous potential. The ability of regulators to tap into data and automate compliance can reduce the cost for regulated firms while speeding up the process for entities entrusted with ensuring that financial services firms fulfill their regulatory obligations. Today, change is… Read More

June 9, 2025 @ 9:41 am By JD Alois  |  

Online investment platform OurCrowd is reporting that its Artificial Intelligence (AI) fund has now invested in 20 different firms. While OurCrowd enables smaller investors to support single issuers, frequently investing alongside well-known VCs, the platform holds a growing number of funds providing immediate diversity for… Read More

June 9, 2025 @ 3:00 am By JD Alois  |  

Artificial intelligence (AI) is all the rage today, with expectations that all sectors of industry will be transformed as software takes over both mundane and complex tasks. While there remains an element of concern as to how AI could develop, perhaps becoming “self-aware,” the reality… Read More

June 6, 2025 @ 4:33 pm By JD Alois  |  

Circle Internet Group (NYSE:CRCL) ended the week on a high note for its initial public offering (IPO). Shares in Circle were initially priced at $31/share, but it seems underwriters may have left some money on the table as shares closed today at $107.53 each, rising by… Read More

June 6, 2025 @ 3:23 pm By JD Alois  |  

Wise (LSE:WISE), a leading UK-based Fintech, published annual results this week, showing a 23% increase in cross-border volume to £145.2 billion, driven by customer growth and greater adoption of the Wise account. Wise started as a platform for transferring money globally, aiming to be a… Read More

June 6, 2025 @ 1:26 pm By JD Alois  |  

Mexican Insurtech Crabi has raised $13.6 million in a funding round led by Kaszek and Ignia. Other investors include 30N, Redwood, Carao, Azuro, Newtopia, and certain unnamed insiders. Crabi is pursuing an insurance model for Autos, which is said to be AI-driven. Crabi noted that… Read More

June 6, 2025 @ 9:52 am By JD Alois  |  

Perhaps this is emblematic of the global venture market, but in France, the funding of startups “collapsed” during the month of May. According to a report in JDN, just €199 million was committed to tech startups in May – the lowest number since March 2020. This represents a… Read More

June 6, 2025 @ 9:34 am By JD Alois  |  

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is erasing its ban on crypto-based Exchange Traded Notes (ETNs) as government policy aims to support digital asset innovation. ETNs are different from ETFs in the US. A breakdown of the assets is available here. In a release, David… Read More

June 6, 2025 @ 8:43 am By JD Alois  |  

Circle Internet Group (NYSE:CRCL) blew the doors off its listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) yesterday. While the pricing was set at $31/share, higher than initially anticipated, Circle quickly topped expectations as it closed regular trading at $83.23 – a 168% increase over… Read More

June 5, 2025 @ 7:01 pm By JD Alois  |  

In general, celebrities and influencers are typically most beneficial when others are telling them what to do and how to act. Otherwise, they really should be ignored. This is even more important when it comes to policy and financial advice. Well, the UK Financial Conduct… Read More

June 5, 2025 @ 5:42 pm By JD Alois  |  

As the GOP devolves into finger-pointing and name-calling, the prediction markets are benefiting from the entire melodrama. As the whole world knows now, Elon Musk and President Trump are no longer best buddies. The epicenter of the breakup is the Big Beautiful Bill, the tax… Read More

June 5, 2025 @ 10:40 am By JD Alois  |  

Venture capital is investing in data centers as part of an infrastructure play targeting the Artificial Intelligence (AI) sector. While private markets ebb and flow with one sector hot today, and cold tomorrow, AI has a pretty huge runway, and private investors are taking advantage… Read More

June 5, 2025 @ 10:27 am By JD Alois  |  

As recently reported, Crowd Street is shifting its focus away from its real estate investment platform roots to further leverage its tech stack and provide access to a broader range of alternative private investments. Crowd Street seeks to become the premier self-directed private market investment platform on the… Read More

June 5, 2025 @ 10:14 am By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission is poised to revise its treatment of foreign private issuers. While recognizing that they do not want to deter foreign issuers from US markets, there seems to be an agreement that the playing field needs to be leveled, as disparities… Read More

June 4, 2025 @ 6:57 pm By JD Alois  |  

Circle Internet Group, a leading stablecoin issuer that is well-positioned to benefit from the future of digital money, is expected to float its shares on the NYSE this week. Shares of Circle have been priced above its expected range at $31 a share, delivering a… Read More

June 4, 2025 @ 4:05 pm By JD Alois  |  

Prediction markets have emerged as a novel asset class where investors may “bet” on the outcome of events. While somewhat similar to traditional securities markets, these platforms are not regulated by securities regulators but fall under the purview of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC),… Read More

June 4, 2025 @ 3:25 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is asking for feedback on the treatment of Foreign Private Issuers. The public comment period will remain open for 90 days following publication of the concept release in the Federal Register. In brief, issuers who are based outside the… Read More

June 4, 2025 @ 10:41 am By JD Alois  |  

The landscape of ETFs (Exchange-Traded Funds) has expanded significantly in recent years. Typically ETFs hold lower fees and greater liquidity than mutual funds, creative sponsors now offer a plethora of strategies with some being rather sophisticated. Covered call ETFs that focus on specific stock sectors… Read More