May 14, 2017 @ 7:01 pm By JD Alois  |  

Tennis star and Seedrs advisor Andy Murray has invested in three early-stage UK businesses. The Seedrs listed companies include Den, Morpher and Landbay. Murray’s Seedrs originated portfolio now stands at over 20 companies, according to the platform.  As has been the case in the past, Murray… Read More

May 14, 2017 @ 5:44 pm By JD Alois  |  

Earlier this month I was running CNBC in the background and a commercial came up that caused me to pause. On the screen was a besuited old white male pitching the next great investment. Coming off a bit like a used-car salesman, I learned later… Read More

May 14, 2017 @ 4:09 pm By JD Alois  |  

Commencement Capital LLC has launched a Reg A+ offer for the NY Residential REIT. The REIT is seeking a minimum of $1 million and up to $50 million, the maximum amount currently allowed under the securities exemption. The offer is open to both accredited and… Read More

May 13, 2017 @ 10:56 am By JD Alois  |  

GLI Finance (LSE:GLIF) has announced a change in senior management. Russell Harte, Chief Operating Officer, will be leaving GLI on July 1st, 2017. Aaron Le Cornu, most recently CFO of Elian, will then replace Harte as Chief Operating Officer. Le Cornu’s role will include both GLI… Read More

May 13, 2017 @ 10:29 am By JD Alois  |  

Kromtech Security Researchers say they discovered a “massive trove of data” from both businesses and investors on the online lending platform Funding Circle. The data only referenced US based customers and did not impact other markets where Funding Circle originates loans. Reportedly, no data was… Read More

May 12, 2017 @ 6:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

The New York Department of Financial Services has filed a lawsuit in US District Court in Manhattan against the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). The action was taken to challenge the OCC’s initiative to issue national Fintech Charters. Reuters reported the NYDFS legal… Read More

May 12, 2017 @ 11:48 am By JD Alois  |  

Yielders, and Islamic crowdfunding investment property platform, is out with a note saying non-Muslims now make-up over a third of users on the site. Yielders is a UK-based Fintech platform that offers ethical and Sharia compliant property investment through crowdfunding. The company said that a growing… Read More

May 12, 2017 @ 10:20 am By JD Alois  |  

The merger between the Crowdfund Intermediary Regulatory Advocates (CFIRA) and the Crowdfunding Professional Association is reportedly on hold. A merger between the two entities was publicly announced by a CFPA representative at an event in Washington, DC earlier this month. The announcement was followed by an email… Read More

May 12, 2017 @ 8:29 am By JD Alois  |  

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has signed a co-operation agreement with the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) in Hong Kong. The intent of the agreement is to encourage collaboration that supports Fintech innovation. According to the document, the FCA and SFC will co-operate on information… Read More

May 11, 2017 @ 10:25 am By JD Alois  |  

Beauhurst is out with a quarterly report on the status of equity crowdfunding in the UK. According to their numbers, the first quarter of 2017 saw 82 deals raise in excess of £47 million.  How does this compare versus year prior quarter? Good question. It… Read More

May 11, 2017 @ 6:28 am By JD Alois  |  

SoFi has decided to become a bank. The Fintech firm that has spent so much time telling the world they were not a bank has decided to join the ranks of their erstwhile adversaries and apply for a bank charter. If you can’t beat-em, join-em…. Read More

May 11, 2017 @ 5:52 am By JD Alois  |  

In his first appearance as the Chair of Securities and Exchange Commission, Jay Clayton delivered a brief statement to the members of the Advisory Committee on Small and Emerging Companies (ACSEC).  At the meeting, which took place today (May 10, 2017), Clayton told all in… Read More

May 11, 2017 @ 5:49 am By JD Alois  |  

The first peer to peer lender to launch in the UK back in 2005 has finally received full authorisation from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Zopa, a trailblazer in the global online lending sector, announced that it has been granted full authorisation for peer-to-peer lending… Read More

May 11, 2017 @ 4:36 am By JD Alois  |  

The Australian government crafted updated “Crowd-Sourced Equity Funding” (CSEF) earlier this year.  The new rules will commence on September 29, 2017. But the bill was described as flawed by some as it only allowed  public companies to participate.  In Australia, the vast majority of companies… Read More

May 10, 2017 @ 9:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

  Desiree Vargas Wrigley is the founder of two companies, GiveForward and Pearachute. GiveForward is the well-known donations based crowdfunding platform that was recently acquired by YouCaring. The combined platforms have helped to raise over $800 million for medical expenses and other charitable causes. Vargas Wrigley… Read More

May 10, 2017 @ 4:35 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has initiated an inquiry into to best identify the financing needs of small businesses, especially those owned by women and minorities. The agency says that public information on this lending market is inconsistent and incomplete. The Request for Information… Read More

May 10, 2017 @ 11:48 am By JD Alois  |  

At the SEC’s meeting of the Advisory Committee on Small and Emerging Companies (ACSEC), a presentation was delivered on the slowdown in US IPOs and what could possibly be done to increase the moribund IPO market. In the past ten years, the number of public… Read More

May 10, 2017 @ 11:27 am By JD Alois  |  

Lemonade, a new spin on providing insurance, has announced it has received regulatory approval in California and is now available for homeowners to purchase insurance online. The Insurtech firm is now operating in three states including New York and Illinois. Lemonade said that launching in… Read More

May 10, 2017 @ 10:34 am By JD Alois  |  

Robert L. Malin, Managing Director and Head of Equity Capital Markets at WR Hambrecht + Co, delivered a presentation today at a meeting of the SEC’s Advisory Committee on Small and Emerging Companies (ACSEC) on the emerging Reg A+ market.  Hambrecht is a broker dealer… Read More

May 10, 2017 @ 9:12 am By JD Alois  |  

Kreditech, a Hamburg, Germany based Fintech company targeting the digital banking space, has received a €110 Million equity investment from PayU – a leading payments provider. The investment is the largest ever for a German Fintech firm. PayU has now acquired a significant minority stake in… Read More