JD Alois

SEC Chair Gary Gensler Grilled by House Financial Services Committee, Questioned on Digital Assets Approach, Lack of Emphasis on Access to Capital

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Gary Gensler took a bit of a beating yesterday during a House Financial Services Committee hearing. The gathering also included all other commissioners which provided an opportunity to hear opposing perspectives held by the Republican minority. The hearing memo… Read More

Crowdcube: Crowdfunding OG Tops £150,000 for Music Streaming Firm Disco on Platform He Co-Founded

Darren Westlake, co-founder and former CEO of Crowdcube, has topped £150,000 in a funding round listed on the platform he launched. Westlake is steering clear of financial services, though, as his new startup is music-based. Crowdcube is one of the largest investment crowdfunding platforms in… Read More

Visa Sued by DOJ, Accused of Operating a Monopoly in Debit Markets

The US Justice Department has filed a civil suit in federal court alleging that Visa (NYSE:V) is monopolizing debit network markets in violation of the Sherman Act. The DOJ claims that Visa is using its dominance to thwart competition and impede innovations. The DOJ complaint… Read More

Digital Bank bunq Launches Stock Trading

Digital bank bunq has launched stock trading. Based in the Netherlands, bunq holds a full banking license and regulated by the Dutch Central Bank. While announcing trading, bunq is now reporting over 14.5 million users. According to a company statement, bunq is currently providing a curated… Read More

Caroline Ellison Gets Two Years in the Slammer for FTX Collapse

Caroline Ellison, once the CEO of Alameda Research, the hedge fund affiliated with FTX, has received a two-year sentence for her involvement in the failure of the once-popular crypto exchange. FTX collapsed into bankruptcy following a “run on the bank“-like event as investors pulled money… Read More

DTCC, Digital Asset Say Tokenization Pilot a Success

The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) and Digital Asset report that their digital security pilot has succeeded. The two entities partnered on the US Treasury (UST) Collateral Network Pilot. This project sought to utilize distributed ledger technology (DLT) applications to support market connectivity across… Read More

TrustToken, TrueCoin Charged with Defrauding Investors by SEC

TrustToken and TrueCoin have been charged with fraud by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The news comes on the same day that SEC Chairman Gary Gensler is being grilled on Capitol Hill at a hearing of the House Financial Services Committee. Without admitting or… Read More

Accounting Platform LiveFlow Reports $13.5 Million Series A

Accounting platform LiveFlow says it has closed on a $13.5 million Series A funding round. LiveFlow is a Fintec that powers an accounting automation platform that aims to assist accounting firms and finance departments. The funding round was led by Valar Ventures. Terms of the… Read More

VCs Provided UK Startups with $10.1 Billion Through August 2024 – Report

UK startups received $10.1 billion in venture capital (VC) funding from January through August 2024 according to a report. The funding was committed to 673 individual deals. GlobalData reports that this is an improvement by 14.8% in funding year over year. At the same time,… Read More

British Business Investments Provides £15 Million to Liberty Leasing

Liberty Leasing will receive £15 million from the British Business Investments. Liberty Leasing received a £15 million facility in 2021 so this brings the total committed to £30 million. Liberty Leasing is a specialist financing firm that caters to smaller businesses in the construction, engineering,… Read More

UK: Payments Association Calls for National Payments Plan

The Payments Association in the UK is calling for a national payments plan. The Payments Manifesto 2025 seeks to create conditions to support growth and innovation in payments. The Payments Association says it has urged UK authorities to “undertake a swift and well-defined review which… Read More

European Investment Crowdfunding Platform SeedBlink Announces Raise Hub, Aims to Streamline Startup Funding

SeedBlink, a European securities crowdfunding platform, has launched a new service called Raise Hub. According to a note from the firm, Raise Hub is designed to streamline the process for European startups on their funding journey. Raise Hub provides information on various financing options, access… Read More

Mangopay to Power Payments for Troc Vélo

European payments provider Mangopay has been enlisted by Troc Vélo to power transactions on its platform. According to a statement by the firm, Mangopay’s solutions will help Troc Vélo streamline second-hand purchases between individuals.  Troc Vélo is described as the leading platform for buying and… Read More

Republicans Tell SEC to Rescind Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB) 121 that Targets Digital Asset Custody

Representative Patrick McHenry, Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, and Senator Cynthia Lummis have sent a letter demanding the Securities and Exchange Commission rescind Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB) 121.  The bicameral letter has been signed by 42 members of Congress. Both Lummis and McHenry… Read More

Online Lender Biz2X to Offer Embedded Services with Watermelon Ecosystem based in Dubai

Online lender Biz2X says it has partnered with Watermelon Ecosystem. The platform provides services for restaurateurs and other F&B entrepreneurs in the MENA region. Biz2X will power business financing for businesses that use the Watermelon platform. Merchants selling inventory and other goods or services on… Read More

Digital Asset Bank Sygnum Approved Under Lichtenstein Crypto License, Gains Access to EU

Switzerland-based digital asset bank Sygnum has received approval to operate under the Token and Trusted Technology Service Provider license from Liechtenstein’s financial services regulator, the Financial and Markets Authority (FMA). The license positions the bank to operate under the European Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulations…. Read More

DTCC Reports Topping 2500 Alternative Investment Clients

The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) says it has topped 2500 clients that are leveraging their Alternative Investment Product (AIP) . The AIP service is a centralized trading and reporting platform that connects the alt investments industry to exchange data. The service includes money settlement… Read More

After Big Summer, CapitalRise Closes on £8.22 Million Loan for Luxe Develepment

CapitalRise is reporting that it has closed on an £8.22 million senior development loan in Wimbledon. The real estate investment platform says this most recent facility follows a robust summer that generated record activity on the property finance platform. As for the Wimbledon project, the financing… Read More

Tether Invests in Sorted Wallet, Targets Africa, Asia

Tether has announced a $1.5 million investment in Sorted Wallet in a move that is being described as boosting their presence in Africa and Southern Asia. Sorted Wallet is said to be a platform that serves the under/non-banked segment of the population. The application is… Read More

Real Estate Investment Platform Groundfloor Raises Money on Republic

Groundfloor, a real estate investment platform, is partnering with Republic to raise growth capital. According to the offering page, Groundfloor is seeking up to $5 million using Reg CF. Investors will be purchasing Series B-3 preferred stock. A minimum of $100 is required with a… Read More

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