Investment Platforms and Marketplaces

September 23, 2019 @ 10:06 pm By Cali Haan  |  

CME Group, also known as the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, has announced it is seeking regulatory approval to launch options on its Bitcoin futures contracts in Q1 2020. According to the relevant release: “CME Group, the world’s leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace, today announced it… Read More

September 23, 2019 @ 7:22 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Association of Online Investment Platforms (AOIP) visited both House and Senate staffers last week, along with a meeting at the US Department of Treasury. The goal of the trip was to review the status of current crowdfunding exemptions and what must be done to… Read More

September 23, 2019 @ 2:34 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

UK-based crowdfunding platform Crowd2Fund announced on Monday it has been formally granted its Advanced Assurance from HMRC for the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) tax relief. According to Crowd2Fund, the tax reliefs allow up to £12,000,000 can be invested into the growth of the crowdfunding platform… Read More

September 23, 2019 @ 9:47 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Blockchain Transparency Institute (BTI) has published its updated market surveillance report which revealed that US-based digital asset exchange Kraken and Coinbase are among the cleanest trading platforms in the crypto industry. On September 19, the BTI released its 5th market report that examines and… Read More

September 23, 2019 @ 7:10 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Bakkt, the highly anticipated cryptocurrency exchange backed by New York Stock Exchange owner Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), has officially launched.  The digital asset trading platform went live at 8 PM EST on September 22. Since its launch, 26 Bitcoin (BTC) in volume has been traded. Based… Read More

September 21, 2019 @ 4:21 pm By JD Alois  |  

Real estate investment platform Rich Uncles (BrixInvest LLC) was hit with a lawsuit this past week filed in the Superior Court of the State of California in Los Angeles. Rich Uncles uses non-listed REITs, typically using the Reg A+ securities exemption, to enable investors to… Read More

September 20, 2019 @ 8:46 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Esme Loans, NatWest’s standalone digital lending platform for SMEs and scale-up businesses, announced this week it has increased its credit appetite with the maximum loan amount moving to £250,000 from £150,000 to support more UK SMEs.  According to NatWest, Esme Loans has lent over £70million… Read More

September 20, 2019 @ 3:40 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

“Bank-As-A-Service” platform MatchMove has reportedly finalized an agreement with MoolahSense, a licensed peer-to-peer (P2P) lending firm. The deal involves a strategic stake, which will take effect immediately. CEO of MoolahSense Lawrence Yong noted: “We are excited to partner with MatchMove to launch a risk-mitigated ‘on-tap’… Read More

September 20, 2019 @ 3:35 pm By JD Alois  |  

Last night, Seedrs, a leading UK based investment crowdfunding platform, held its inaugural alumni awards in recognition of their growing number of successfully crowdfunded companies. Over the years Seedrs has supported more than 590 businesses raise much-needed growth capital. Simultaneously, the very public process has… Read More

September 20, 2019 @ 10:40 am By JD Alois  |  

Wefunder, the leading crowdfunding platform using the Reg CF securities exemption, has posted a comment letter on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s concept release authored by Wefunder co-founder and CEO Nick Tommarello. The SEC’s concept release is an ongoing consultation on the current regulatory environment… Read More

September 20, 2019 @ 9:17 am By JD Alois  |  

Peer to peer platform Robo.cash has published a report indicating growing interest from Germany regarding P2P lending. In a study conducted by the platform, the company said that in 2015 the monthly number of requests related to P2P lending in the country was less than… Read More

September 19, 2019 @ 4:47 pm By JD Alois  |  

LendingClub (NYSE: LC), has filled a vacant board of directors position with Michael Zeisser – a former executive with Alibaba. According to a release, Zeisser will serve on the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and the Compensation Committee. Zeisser has an interesting resume. Until April… Read More

September 19, 2019 @ 7:11 am By Cali Haan  |  

Officials from the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) have suspended three cryptocurrency exchanges licensed to operate in designated zones only but found to be operating in Metro Manila. Golden Millennial Quickpay, Liannet Technology Ltd and Asia Premier are all under suspension, “…until they transfer to… Read More

September 19, 2019 @ 3:28 am By JD Alois  |  

The UK Peer to Peer Finance Association (P2PFA) is reporting a record number of both borrowers and investors engaged in the peer to peer lending industry. According to the P2PFA, 150,000+ lenders invested in 321,483 loans during Q2 of 2019. During the three-month period from… Read More

September 19, 2019 @ 2:06 am By Cali Haan  |  

Coinbase’s current VP and General Counsel for Business Lines and Markets, Dorothy Dewitt, is leaving the exchange to become Director of Market Oversight at the Commodity Futures and Trading Commission (CFTC). Dewitt’s LinkedIn profile indicates she’s been working at Coinbase for 11 months. The CFTC, “polices…derivatives… Read More

September 18, 2019 @ 10:36 pm By JD Alois  |  

creditshelf Aktiengesellschaft has signed a purchase agreement for the acquisition of all shares in Valendo – part of the finleap Fintech ecosystem. According to a company release, the purchase price was in the “low seven-digit amount.” Payment will take place in two separate tranches. creditshelf… Read More

September 18, 2019 @ 8:44 pm By JD Alois  |  

StreetShares, a Fintech that provides small business loans, is now offering “Lending as a Service” (LaaS) so credit unions and smaller banks may provide a digital experience to originate loans. Announced at Finovate NYC, StreetShares says the new service can be up and running on… Read More

September 18, 2019 @ 5:21 pm By JD Alois  |  

ICO Securities Fraud The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has continued its long march of enforcement actions regarding initial coin offerings (ICO) and the platforms that supported them. According to the SEC, ICOBox and founder Nikolay Evdokimov conducted an “illegal $14 million securities offering of… Read More

September 18, 2019 @ 1:09 pm By JD Alois  |  

Opportunity Zones are new, tax-advantaged vehicles for investors to earn more on their money. Created by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, the first qualified opportunity zones (QOZs) first hit the market in early 2018. Designated by state authorities, there are now thousands… Read More

September 18, 2019 @ 10:36 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

Online lender BlueVine announced on Wednesday it has appointed Brad Brodigan as its new Chief Commercial Officer. BlueVine reported that through this role, Brodigan will be responsible for overseeing revenue-generating functions including sales, customer service, and partner management. According to BlueVine, Brodigan also brings more… Read More