July 12, 2016 @ 3:42 pm By JD Alois  |  

Fundrise deserves much credit for being a trailblazer in the real estate crowdfunding sector of finance. Officially launched in 2012, the concept of Fundrise was crafted before the JOBS Act even existed. Entrepreneurs and brothers, Ben and Dan Miller, conceived a plan to allow residents… Read More

July 12, 2016 @ 10:57 am By JD Alois  |  

Cloud Lending Solutions and Fujitsu have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on a new partnership to provide services in Japan and other ASEAN countries. The arrangement is pretty significant for Cloud Lending as it provides an established partner to promote and develop online banking… Read More

July 12, 2016 @ 9:56 am By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced three new members of the Investor Advisory Committee (IAC).  The new members are: John Coates, John F. Cogan Jr. Professor of Law and Economics at Harvard Law School, and Research Director of the Center on the Legal… Read More

July 12, 2016 @ 9:34 am By JD Alois  |  

As the regulatory interest rises, Fintech firms are preparing to deal with the additional scrutiny and possible new rules. Online lending SaaS solution, Cloud Lending, has hired Ileana Falticeni as its new Vice President of Compliance and Regulations to help manage the impending regulatory risk…. Read More

July 12, 2016 @ 8:38 am By JD Alois  |  

RealCrowd, a real estate crowdfunding platform, has listed a new offer by real estate investment firm Mara Poling. The “Mara Poling Total Return Fund”, hopes to raise $20 million to acquire $50 million in multi-family property assets. The offer is for accredited investors only. Mara… Read More

July 12, 2016 @ 8:12 am By JD Alois  |  

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published a Competition Report, alongside their annual report this year. Incorporated in HM Treasury’s 2015 Productivity Statement, the FCA was asked to produce a standalone annual competition report to show how well they are delivering on their competition objective…. Read More

July 11, 2016 @ 7:26 pm By JD Alois  |  

The SEC filed an administrative proceeding today regarding a Cease & Desist instituted against SecondMarket and Bitcoin Investment Trust (BIT).  The entire affair relates back to an event in 2013, where BIT, a Delaware trust whose sole assets were bitcoins, began offering shares on the… Read More

July 11, 2016 @ 4:04 pm By JD Alois  |  

Revolut (as in Revolutionary), a new application to instantly send and spend money globally, has captured solid VC support.  In 2015, Crowdfund Insider reported the company had raised £1.5 million from Balderton Capital as the founder and CEO Nikolay Storonsky explained, “Revolut has an ambition to… Read More

July 11, 2016 @ 3:24 pm By JD Alois  |  

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robo-advising are hot sectors in the Fintech space. Kavout is a company that wants to provide powerful AI tools for all investors and, for the time being, these tools are free. Alex Lu, CEO and co-founder of Kavout, explains that hedge… Read More

July 11, 2016 @ 9:34 am By JD Alois  |  

Last spring, Finstar Financial Group announced the appointment of Paul Muhr, previously a Vice President at Citi and before that at Goldman Sachs. Today, Finstar is announcing three new hires as it prepares for additional investment in the Fintech sector. Finstar has hired Eugene Timko as… Read More

July 11, 2016 @ 8:30 am By JD Alois  |  

The House Financial Services Committee, Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit, has scheduled a hearing on the marketplace lending sector of online lending.  Entitled, Examing the Opportunities and Challenges with Financial Technology (Fintech): The Development of Online Marketplace Lending,” the meeting will take place… Read More

July 10, 2016 @ 10:08 am By JD Alois  |  

The number of corporate accelerators has grown dramatically in recent years with Fintech playing a central role. Corporate accelerators now number 131 globally with 13 launching this year. But this number represents a dramatic slow down versus last year when 46 accelerators launched. This is… Read More

July 10, 2016 @ 9:25 am By JD Alois  |  

The budding Marijuana industry has attracted a legion of “ganjapreneurs” seeking the chance to cash in on the US movement to legalize and legitimize Cannabis. ArcView Group, a “hub for investment, data and progress” estimates the industry will drive around $7 billion in revenue during 2016…. Read More

July 9, 2016 @ 2:54 pm By JD Alois  |  

In 2014 the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) enacted new rules for the regulation of crowdfunding platforms operated by firms authorized by the FCA. At that time, the agency committed to carrying out a full post-implementation review of the crowdfunding market and regulatory framework in 2016…. Read More

July 9, 2016 @ 9:23 am By JD Alois  |  

The SEC Investor Advisory Committee (IAC) has scheduled a meeting for Thursday, July 14, 2016.  The agenda for the IAC meeting is scheduled to include remarks from the SEC Commissioners; a discussion of the state of sustainability reporting; a discussion regarding investment company reporting modernization;… Read More

July 8, 2016 @ 4:11 pm By JD Alois  |  

Lendix, a top SME marketplace lending platform in France, has received regulatory approval from the CNMV and is now ready to set up shop and operate in Spain. The announcement was not unexpected as Lendix had raised € 12 million earlier this year for their international… Read More

July 8, 2016 @ 11:52 am By JD Alois  |  

As announced earlier today, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has requested feedback from interested parties regarding the regulatory environment for debt and investment-based crowdfunding. The process is part of an anticipated periodic review of this new form of finance. Original rules were enacted in 2014…. Read More

July 8, 2016 @ 10:28 am By JD Alois  |  

Alan Christopher Colton, who was previously convicted of fraud, received a two-year suspended prison sentence and a £100 fine earlier this week, according to the Times.   Colton, and his company 88 Delicious, a flavored Vodka brand, had previously offered shares in the company on Crowdcube… Read More

July 8, 2016 @ 8:43 am By JD Alois  |  

The UK Peer to Peer Finance Association (P2PFA) has released a comment on the forthcoming review of crowdfunding rules by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The P2PFA called the post-implementation review of crowdfunding rules an opportunity to ensure an appropriate balance of regulation protecting investors… Read More

July 8, 2016 @ 8:28 am By JD Alois  |  

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has announced a “call for input” in preparation for an expected review of existing crowdfunding regulations in the UK. The FCA will be revisiting rules surrounding investment based crowdfunding including both debt and equity. In early 2015, the FCA conducted an… Read More