January 23, 2019 @ 8:16 am By JD Alois  |  

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) issued a consultation today on the emerging “cryptoasset” sector of finance.  The UK is well known for its thoughtful regulatory approach when it comes to innovative new financial services and the final outcome will be watched with interest around… Read More

January 22, 2019 @ 12:00 pm By Zhuling Chen  |  

Make way for the next generation of blockchain crowdfunding Alongside the rise of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) saw explosive growth in 2017, with more than 1,500 ICOs raising a combined total of over $28 billion in the last two years alone…. Read More

January 21, 2019 @ 10:03 pm By Erin Hobey  |  

2018 was another great year for Invesdor, according to management. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Helsinki with a branch office in Stockholm, the award-winning Nordic market leader in digital fundraising and investing connects European growth companies with global investors. Named Best Nordic Fintech Startup 2018 and regulated… Read More

January 20, 2019 @ 6:01 pm By JD Alois  |  

SIM Swap fraud is a pressing problem not only in the crypto world but identity fraud in general. A fairly new scam, the con is hatched when a criminal takes over an individual’s mobile phone by cloning the hardware. Once the perpetrator controls the mobile… Read More

January 19, 2019 @ 1:19 pm By Xu Gao  |  

Visa Will Establish Asia’s Second Innovation Center in Beijing It is always not easy for payment Giant Visa to enter the Chinese market. Yet, it still does not give up. According to Yu Xueli, president of Visa (Greater China), Visa is planning to set up… Read More

January 18, 2019 @ 3:00 pm By Mark Elenowitz  |  

In 2012 the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act was signed into law by President Barack Obama. It required the SEC to write rules and issue studies on capital formation, disclosure, and registration requirements. There were three main areas that the investment community took notice… Read More

January 17, 2019 @ 3:47 pm By JD Alois  |  

Last month, CI covered the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) Americas Report. Overall, alternative finance grew 26% with the US dominating the sector as the largest market in the region. But digging into Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), this market grew by a huge 94%… Read More

January 16, 2019 @ 9:07 am By JD Alois  |  

MicroVentures, an equity crowdfunding platform, has just announced the elimination of all fees associated with issuers using Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF). MicroVentures says “gone are the days of high commissions and equity compensation for funding portals.” A quick visit to their site and you may… Read More

January 16, 2019 @ 8:40 am By JD Alois  |  

CI has recently covered two European reports on the emerging crypto-asset or digital asset marketplace. Both the European Securities Markets Authority (ESMA) and the European Banking Authority (EBA) have had their say on what the European Commission should do. A few days later, the European… Read More

January 15, 2019 @ 8:18 pm By JD Alois  |  

Last week, it was picked up by Crunchbase that Wefunder, a Reg CF crowdfunding portal, has closed on a $1.7 million Series A funding round. Depending exactly how you measure it, Wefunder is a top portal providing access to capital for mainly smaller firms. Wefunder… Read More

January 14, 2019 @ 9:48 pm By Anthony Zeoli  |  

While most people were busy with last minute Christmas shopping, on December 20th of last year, Representatives Warren Davidson and Darren Soto were busy finalizing and introducing the proposed new “Token Taxonomy Act” (HR 7356). The proposed Token Taxonomy Act seeks to modify both existing… Read More

January 13, 2019 @ 9:29 pm By Filipe Castro  |  

Are stablecoins the future of cryptoassets? In the quest to develop a digital token with the decentralization aspects of bitcoin and none of the associated volatility has sparked interest from many. From talented tech teams, economists and VCs it seems stablecoin projects have the potential… Read More

January 12, 2019 @ 9:02 pm By Xu Gao  |  

Tsinghua PBCSF Releases “2018 Global Insurtech Report by Subsector” Early this month, the China Insurance and Pension Research Center of the National Finance Research Institute of Tsinghua University released the “2018 Global Insurtech Report by Subsector“. The report provides case studies of Insurtech companies in… Read More

January 11, 2019 @ 9:23 am By JD Alois  |  

US Marketplace HBUS Rebrands to Huobi Matching Asian Platform HBUS, the US strategic partner of digital asset platform Huobi Group, has rebranded its retail trading marketplace to Huobi thus matching the Asian platform. The flagship operation Huobi Global will continue to operate under the same… Read More

January 10, 2019 @ 10:23 pm By JD Alois  |  

Last month, the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) published their annual report on alternative finance covering the Americas. “Reaching New Heights” covered online alternative finance data in North, South, and Central America as well as the Caribbean. CI wrote about the report when it first came… Read More

January 9, 2019 @ 6:54 pm By Richard van Hooijdonk  |  

Technology has infiltrated our lives, and the wave of digital disruption has impacted various industries. The finance sector is no exception. Since the industry is becoming more complex, relying on traditional methods is no longer enough. In fact, it can do your business more harm… Read More

January 8, 2019 @ 2:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

Fintech Predictions for 2019. Financial innovation continues to evolve at a rapid pace. Startups launch and shutdown with regularity. Traditional financial firms experiment and partner with more agile firms. It’s all about the digitization of finance where services are ubiquitous and instantaneous – all available… Read More

January 7, 2019 @ 6:00 pm By Lorna Smith  |  

Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) are booming in offshore financial centres. In 2017, only a small minority of cryptocurrency transactions were taking place offshore but just a year later, according to a study by PriceWaterhouseCoopers and CryptoValley, the Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands (BVI) and Singapore… Read More

January 6, 2019 @ 5:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

Reg CF (or Regulation Crowdfunding as it is inconveniently called) is a securities exemption that enables companies to raise up to $1.07 million online via a regulated funding portal or broker-dealer. The concept of a funding portal was created alongside the exemption which was part… Read More

January 5, 2019 @ 4:20 pm By JD Alois  |  

Lithuania wants to be the leading Fintech hub in Europe. Beginning in 2013, the small Baltic nation decided to take action and become one of the EU’s “hottest destinations for Fintech.” Mantas Katinas, MD of Invest Lithuania – the public entity leading the Fintech charge in… Read More