Featured Headlines

March 1, 2021 @ 12:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

This past week the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) issued a consultation paper addressing standards for the previously approved pan-European crowdfunding regulation. As covered in the past, the European Union has passed legislation to enable online securities offerings across its member nations. After many… Read More

February 28, 2021 @ 5:22 pm By Xu Gao  |  

NUCC: Online Payment Transactions Reach ¥4.98 Trillion During the Spring Festival Holiday During the Spring Festival Holiday of 2021 (February 11th to February 17th), NetsUnion Clearing Corporation (NUCC) processed a total of 7.937 billion online payment transactions, equal to 4.98 trillion yuan. Compared with the… Read More

February 26, 2021 @ 9:34 am By JD Alois  |  

The long-anticipated report on the UK Fintech ecosystem and recommendations as to how to keep the robust market growing in a post-Brexit world has been published today. The Kalifa Review of Fintech seeks to provide a roadmap for the UK to maintain its prominence in… Read More

February 25, 2021 @ 2:37 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Tim Frost, CEO at YIELD App, which is a comprehensive Fintech app offering a wide range of DeFi services and new investment strategies, has shared his views and insights regarding the recent trading frenzy that was initiated by a group of armchair investors via Reddit… Read More

February 25, 2021 @ 9:07 am By JD Alois  |  

As anticipated, Coinbase has publicly filed an S-1 outlining its plans to complete an initial public offering (IPO) on the NASDAQ. Accrording to the filing, Coinbase intends to raise up to $1 billion and  trade under the ticker symbol of “COIN.” The filing shares that… Read More

February 24, 2021 @ 8:16 am By Omar Faridi  |  

We recently connected with Markus Jun, the founder and CEO of ICON Hyperconnect Public Representative, a leading block validator for the ICON network with $20 million in total staked value, and Hyperconnector, an official accelerator partner of the ICON Foundation & ICX Station Seoul. Markus… Read More

February 23, 2021 @ 11:52 am By JD Alois  |  

During testimony provided at the US Senate Banking Committee hearing today, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell commented on the possibility of launching a “digital dollar” calling it a high-priority project for them. Powell was testifying in front of the Senate Banking Committee as part of… Read More

February 22, 2021 @ 6:33 pm By JD Alois  |  

Last year, the European Union approved pan-European crowdfunding rules that will apply to all member states thus finally offering a harmonized approach to online capital formation. Crowdfunding advocates and European platforms had long recognized the unnecessary friction intrinsic to raising capital based on national regulations… Read More

February 21, 2021 @ 9:02 pm By André Jasch  |  

The European crowdfunding industry is merging into a harmonized market – with major implications for how companies raise capital and investors access investment opportunities. The opportunities and challenges arising from this were also at the center of the ECN Crowdfunding Convention 2020 (ECN CrowdCon). This… Read More

February 19, 2021 @ 10:44 am By Oliver Woolley  |  

Social media-hyped stocks took a beating on 18th February, with shares of game retailer GameStop (NYSE:GME) closing at around $40. The share price dove from an all-time high of $483 earlier this month, ending a wild ride for amateur investors still holding their position. The… Read More

February 17, 2021 @ 5:29 pm By JD Alois  |  

The House Committee on Financial Services will hold the first of three hearings on the Gamestop – Robinhood saga that saw hedge fund short sellers compelled to sell positions in a short squeeze driven by collaborative trading that was organized on Reddit. Entitled, “Game Stopped?… Read More

February 16, 2021 @ 7:41 pm By Lee A. Schneider  |  

Fellow DeFi adherents, let’s slow down on the outrage about GameStop (NYSE:GME) and the traditional finance system (TradFi).   Blockchain and DeFi offer lots of advantages over TradFi, but TradFi is not completely broken and DeFi is not necessarily vastly superior.  Two core characteristics make… Read More

February 15, 2021 @ 3:47 pm By JD Alois  |  

MoneyLion, a digital banking Fintech, is the next company to go public via a special acquisition company (SPAC). The deal was announced last Friday where MoneyLion will merge with Fusion Acquisition (NYSE:FUSE) at a transaction value of $2.4  billion and $2.9 billion in equity value… Read More

February 15, 2021 @ 8:27 am By Omar Faridi  |  

We recently caught up with Dr. Joshua Ellul, the Chairman of Malta Digital Innovation Authority and Director of Centre for DLTs, University of Malta. Dr. Ellul discussed how blockchain-based smart contracts are streamlining routine business processes. He also talked about his research interests which include… Read More

February 14, 2021 @ 10:33 am By JD Alois  |  

Last month, the Capital Markets Modernization Taskforce in Ontario, Canada, issued its final report as to how to improve capital formation and affiliated economic growth and prosperity. The Taskforce’s goal was to “address the issues of tomorrow’s capital markets with bold and innovative recommendations that… Read More

February 12, 2021 @ 10:17 am By Omar Faridi  |  

It’s been over a year since the COVID-19 outbreak brought the world to a halt, and we’re now may be just beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel, due to the increasing availability of testing facilities and the vaccine rollout. However,… Read More

February 12, 2021 @ 9:46 am By JD Alois  |  

loanDepot (NYSE:LDI) floated shares today on the NYSE following a significant decrease in its IPO price. The online mortgage lender listed shares at $14 each after previously filing an S-1 indicating its intent to float shares in a range of $19 to $21. The number… Read More

February 12, 2021 @ 9:37 am By JD Alois  |  

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez is going all-in on Bitcoin as he announced via Twitter that he has requested the city manager to research a vendor to facilitate Bitcoin payments as well as paying employees in Bitcoin. Crypto insiders quickly embraced the move with Anthony Pompliano… Read More

February 10, 2021 @ 10:10 pm By JD Alois  |  

Real estate has always held a certain allure for sophisticated investors as typically, over the long run, it appreciates in value and can also generate a  good amount of immediate cash flow – so both yield and capital gains. Until recently, unless you had big… Read More

February 10, 2021 @ 9:10 pm By JD Alois  |  

The US Department of Treasury hosted the U.S. Financial Sector Innovation Policy Roundtable the past two days. Policymakers and regulators, as well as members of the private sector, participated in the meeting to discuss policy issues surrounding Fintech and innovation “fostering economic recovery, competitiveness, and financial… Read More