May 20, 2016 @ 5:28 pm By JD Alois  |  

Jason Best took a few minutes to discuss the Title III crowdfunding rules with CCTV this past week.  Best is co-founder of Crowdfund Capital Advisors and one of the first advocates of the JOBS Act and the need to modernize securities law. Best points to… Read More

May 20, 2016 @ 11:00 am By JD Alois  |  

    The SEC Advisory Committee on Small and Emerging Companies met yesterday at the SEC HQ on Capitol Hill. The main topic of discussion was the definition of an Accredited Investor. SEC Chair Mary Jo White was joined by her two remaining Commissioners, Michael… Read More

May 19, 2016 @ 6:51 pm By JD Alois  |  

Propellr, an accredited investment crowdfunding platform focusing on the real estate sector, has now registered as a broker-dealer.  Simultaneously, via a small group of existing investors, Propellr has raised $1.6 million in convertible debt.  Proceeds from the new funding will be utilized for business expansion… Read More

May 19, 2016 @ 3:49 pm By JD Alois  |  

Coin, the one smart card that set out to rule them all, has called it a day in attempting to dominate credit card transactions.  In a release published yesterday, FitBit (NYSE:FIT) announced they had acquired the “wearable payment assets of Coin”.  The deal includes all intellectual property… Read More

May 19, 2016 @ 12:33 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Pew Research Center has published a report on the sharing economy – that sector of tech fueled commerce and services that more and more individuals use.  Entitled “Shared, Collaborative, and On Demand: The New Digital Economy,” the research by Pew states the shared economy… Read More

May 19, 2016 @ 10:19 am By JD Alois  |  

Reflecting the evolving landscape of finance, media and events company Next Bank is rebranding as “Next Money.”  The move is to “better reflect its expanded focus across the entire financial services industry.” The entity also announced it had acquired Bank Innovators Council, an organization that… Read More

May 19, 2016 @ 9:23 am By JD Alois  |  

FrontOffice Nordic AB (FRNT MTF B) has become the first crowdfunded company to list on a public exchange in Sweden. Earlier this year FrontOffice raised about €600,000 from 183 investors on FundedByMe.  The company went on to apply for a listing on the Nordic Growth Market… Read More

May 19, 2016 @ 8:30 am By JD Alois  |  

UK peer to peer lender Zopa is moving into auto loan refinancing targeting a £12 billion used car loan market.  The new product is as significant expansion for the UKs largest P2P lender by loan volume as it seeks to diversify its offerings. Zopa is… Read More

May 18, 2016 @ 5:53 pm By JD Alois  |  

Lending Club (NYSE:LC) will remember May as the month from Hell as the hits just keep on coming. Following the forced resignation of founder and CEO Renaud Laplanche on May 9th due to loan irregularities, Lending Club has received a series of bad news. From… Read More

May 18, 2016 @ 3:48 pm By JD Alois  |  

Youngro Lee, CEO and co-founder of NextSeed, visited with Bloomberg this week to talk about his platform launching under the Title III / Reg CF rules. Asked if the new rules will be a “game-changer”, Lee states, “I think it can be.” NextSeed has been… Read More

May 18, 2016 @ 9:05 am By JD Alois  |  

  The Institute of Financial Services Zug IFZ, is out with its annual report on alternative finance. According to their numbers, the Swiss market jumped by 73% in 2015.  Much of the growth was driven by lending which experienced an increase of 127%. Currently there… Read More

May 18, 2016 @ 8:17 am By JD Alois  |  

Independent App developer, Pocket App, officially closed its funding round on Seedrs today having raised 111% of its  goal for a total of £837,115.  According to Pocket App, 436 investors purchased equity in the young company. Investors also benefited from various perks including discounts on… Read More

May 17, 2016 @ 2:18 pm By JD Alois  |  

The company that wants to upend the insurance industry, Lemonade, has announced its Board of Directors and shareholders has approved a decision to become a Certified B-Corporation. These for-profit companies are certified by the non-profit B Lab and must meet high standards of social and… Read More

May 17, 2016 @ 11:08 am By JD Alois  |  

The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published its anticipated report on the retail banking sector. The document, entitled, “Retail Banking Market Investigation: Provisional Decision on Remedies,” is a 405 page document delivering a deep dive into the challenges of traditional banks. The CMA outlines… Read More

May 17, 2016 @ 7:04 am By JD Alois  |  

Lending Club (NYSE:LC) CEO Scott Sanborn has sent an open letter to investors regarding data integrity and the recent revelations regarding changes in loan data which occurred this past March. The lack of effective controls caused the downfall and ouster of co-founder and former CEO… Read More

May 16, 2016 @ 2:04 pm By JD Alois  |  

The marketplace lending industry is getting hammered of late.  The after-shock reverberations following the resignation of Lending Club co-founder and CEO Renaud Laplanche continues to be a hot topic of conversation. Today, Fitch has come out with a report stating “investor confidence in marketplace lending… Read More

May 16, 2016 @ 10:41 am By JD Alois  |  

As Title III / Reg CF crowdfunding rules kick in, opinions are varied as to how successful or not the new securities exemption will be. While more than a few industry insiders have pointed to the limitations of Reg CF and the over 600 pages… Read More

May 16, 2016 @ 8:59 am By JD Alois  |  

FundedByMe has opened a self-crowdfunding round seeking to raise a minimum €1 million.  The offer comes after FundedByMe received regulatory approval to become a publicly traded company by the Swedish Companies Registry Office. CEO and co-founder Daniel Daboczy stated; “With the force of more than 500… Read More

May 16, 2016 @ 7:42 am By JD Alois  |  

On the very day Title III / Reg CF crowdfunding kicks off in the United States, Jeff Lynn, CEO and co-founder of Seedrs – a leading UK based investment crowdfunding platform, called the securities exemption unworkable. Seedrs has previously stated its intent to expand into… Read More

May 16, 2016 @ 7:27 am By JD Alois  |  

GLI Finance has announced a proposed purchase of “certain interests in entities within the Sancus and BMS sub-groups of the Company.” GLI has entered into a conditional agreement and states it does not require shareholder approval to proceed with the acquisition but wanted to give… Read More