February 17, 2025 @ 5:02 pm By JD Alois  |  

Varo Money, a federally chartered digital bank, is raising growth capital. According to a Form D filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Varo is seeking $55 million. As of the date of the filing, Varo has raised almost $29 million with around $26 million… Read More

February 17, 2025 @ 4:43 pm By JD Alois  |  

The French crowdfunding market experienced a significant decline in 2024, dropping by 17.1% compared to results generated in 2023. In total, €1.7 billion was raised, according to a report published by France Fintech in collaboration with Forvis Mazars. The peak amount of funds raised for… Read More

February 17, 2025 @ 11:03 am By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission has posted a request for candidates interested in serving on the SEC’s Investor Advisory Committee (IAC). The IAC was the creation of the Dodd-Frank Act and aims to support individual investors by providing guidance to the Commission. In the posting,… Read More

February 17, 2025 @ 10:38 am By JD Alois  |  

Climate rules, approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission, have been put on pause by the new leadership at the SEC. Former Chairman Gary Gensler has been replaced by more business and investor-friendly Acting Chair Mark Uyeda, who has moved quickly to address the shortcomings… Read More

February 17, 2025 @ 9:38 am By JD Alois  |  

France Fintech has posted a report on the Fench real estate crowdfunding sector, sharing a significant decline in this sector of online capital formation. According to the research completed in partnership with Forvis Mazars, for the second year in a row real estate crowdfunding has… Read More

February 14, 2025 @ 2:22 pm By JD Alois  |  

Fraktion is a tokenization and securities crowdfunding enabler that is powered by Tezos.  The France-based company recently announced Seed funding of €1.1 million, backed by Tezos as well as Cabrit Capital, Vox Capital, and other angel investors. Fraktion is focusing on real-world assets, specifically real… Read More

February 14, 2025 @ 1:59 pm By JD Alois  |  

The EU-UK Financial Regulatory Forum met this past week in London. The entity aims to pursue regulatory cooperation while preserving financial stability and protecting participants. The event was co-chaired by HM Treasury, and the Director General for Financial Services and the European Commission Director General… Read More

February 14, 2025 @ 11:00 am By JD Alois  |  

SyndicateRoom, an online investment platform that was recently acquired, has distributed an email touting a portfolio company that has experienced an 11X increase in valuation. SyndicateRoom offers access to private firms via a portfolio model. The company tracks the most successful professional investors to help… Read More

February 13, 2025 @ 4:14 pm By JD Alois  |  

Price Controls Rarely Work. The Free Market is a Better Option. There have been multiple proclamations from various policymakers regarding the need to cap credit card rates. Unfortunately, forcing credit card issuers to cap interest rates charged to users will accomplish little good while harming… Read More

February 13, 2025 @ 12:49 pm By JD Alois  |  

In a recent email, EuroCrowd announced it was adopting a new operational structure for the group. EuroCrowd is the leading voice in Europe supporting the securities crowdfunding sector. Several years ago, the ECSPR, or European Crowdfunding Service Providers regulation, was adopted by the EU. This… Read More

February 13, 2025 @ 12:40 pm By JD Alois  |  

Zeta, a banking tech platform, is sharing a new valuation for $50 million in funding. Zeta says pre-money valuation hit $2 billion compared to their prior valuation fo $1.15 billion at their last priced round. The prior round in 2021 was led by Soft Bank, but… Read More

February 13, 2025 @ 12:31 pm By JD Alois  |  

ClearBank is powering Capital on Tap’s embedded banking solution. Capital on Tap is a cards platform that focuses on SMEs. According to a note from ClearBank, Capital on Tap will now be offering savings accounts and loans from their chosen banks. The new savings accounts… Read More

February 13, 2025 @ 11:38 am By JD Alois  |  

Today, the UK Office for National Statistics reported GDP for Q4 2024 at 0.1%. Although rather tepid, it topped the expectations of no growth or an economic contraction. In Q3 2024, GDP delivered no growth in the UK. The data indicated that the services sector… Read More

February 12, 2025 @ 4:14 pm By JD Alois  |  

The leadership chairs at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) are moving once again. First, it was reported that Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent was acting Director. Then Russell Vought, the head of the OMB, became acting CFPB director last week. Yesterday, it was revealed that former FDIC Board… Read More

February 12, 2025 @ 12:05 pm By JD Alois  |  

Stifel (NYSE: SF) has partnered with MoneyLion (NYSE: ML) on a new service called Stifel Discover. The service is an information feed that shares Stifel’s research and thought leadership through Stifel’s Wealth Tracker app. MoneyLion operates a “content-as-a-service platform” called mFeed, and Stifel Discover is… Read More

February 12, 2025 @ 11:30 am By JD Alois  |  

Private Credit is a growing market in the US and globally. A recent estimate places the US market at over $1.25 trillion. While still relatively small in comparison to bank lending and the bond market, private credit is an asset class that is gaining popularity… Read More

February 12, 2025 @ 10:01 am By JD Alois  |  

Private credit and non-bank lending have been increasing for years now. A recent report indicates that “dry powder” has reached $159.38 billion in the US – the largest amount ever. Historically, it has been the banks that provided loans for businesses and consumers. Still, the… Read More

February 11, 2025 @ 4:34 pm By JD Alois  |  

KingsCrowd, a prominent data and service provider for the securities crowdfunding sector, has filed a Form C with the Securities and Exchange Commission, indicating its intent to raise money on StartEngine. According to the Offering Memorandum, KingsCrowd is seeking a minimum amount of $10,000 and… Read More

February 11, 2025 @ 3:53 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Chairman of the US Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, was testifying before the Senate Banking Committee today. While typically targeting the Fed’s dual mandate of pursuing full employment and low inflation, the hearing provides an opportunity for the Members to query the Chair on other… Read More

February 11, 2025 @ 3:28 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) says it will hold a digital assets forum which will engage with some top digital asset firms. The CFTC in a release said that Ripple, Crypto.com, MoonPay, Coinbase and Circle have all committed to participate in the event. Final… Read More