June 22, 2018 @ 6:18 pm By Lowell Putnam  |  

Warby Parker, Casper, Bonobos, Allbirds, and Glossierare some examples of an ever-growing list of consumer brands that have significantly disrupted the retail industry, largely without appearing in brick-and-mortar stores. These brands have found success using a direct-to-consumer model, meaning that they sell and market directly to consumers via technology… Read More

June 21, 2018 @ 10:00 am By Erin Hobey  |  

The Swedish communications company Rebtel has secured $8 million in new funding to further expand its ecosystem of resources for “modern migrants,” adding digital banking services to its existing communication / telephony services and on-demand work offerings.  Rebtel’s primary service today comes in the form… Read More

June 20, 2018 @ 1:35 pm By Pascal Marco Caversaccio  |  

  It’s fair to say there’s been a huge swell of investor interest in Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) – from crypto enthusiasts and retail investors, increasingly through even to institutions. These ‘token sales’, involving  the sale of newly minted coins based on Ethereum, saw businesses… Read More

June 19, 2018 @ 2:29 pm By JD Alois  |  

Cryptocurrency and cybersecurity are at a crossroads. We have all read about huge exchange hacks pilfering gazillions of dollars worth or crypto. Of course, there are the wallet hacks too.  As the blockchain / cryptocurrency industry continues to professionalize, defensive measures designed to mitigate security… Read More

June 18, 2018 @ 12:24 pm By JD Alois  |  

The European Crowdfunding Network (ECN) is the leading independent advocate for Fintech innovation, including crowdfunding, in Europe. The ECN has earned a reputation of engaging with a broad group of industry participants, thought leaders and public officials to help guide the evolution of new forms… Read More

June 18, 2018 @ 7:32 am By JD Alois  |  

StartEngine, a leading investment crowdfunding platform in the US, has just closed its self-crowdfunding round hitting its goal of $5 million backed by 3400+ investors. The Reg A+ offer was first filed in September of 2017 as the platform sought to raise growth capital. In… Read More

June 17, 2018 @ 5:52 pm By JD Alois  |  

Security tokens are the future of investments, so it appears. The speculation fueled initial coin offering (ICO) industry is quickly morphing into a legitimate sector of finance as securities on blockchain seem poised to become the norm. At the first Security Token Summit held in… Read More

June 16, 2018 @ 11:08 am By Xu Gao  |  

Tiger Brokers and Nasdaq Reach Strategic Cooperation on US Stock Data Solutions On June 14th, Tiger Brokers and Nasdaq announced a strategic cooperation to jointly provide Chinese Fintech platforms access to the US stock market data. According to the agreement, Tiger Brokers will become the… Read More

June 14, 2018 @ 1:10 pm By JD Alois  |  

Ethereum Not a Security Speaking at the Yahoo Finance conference in San Francisco today, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Director of Corporate Finance William Hinman tackled the topic of morphing initial coin offerings (ICOs) and whether an ICO could start life as a security and… Read More

June 13, 2018 @ 6:38 pm By JD Alois  |  

The JOBS Act of 2012 was create with the recognition of the importance of providing funding to early stage ventures and entrepreneurs. Access to capital can be really hard. This is even more true if you happen to live outside of prominent hotbeds of innovation… Read More

June 12, 2018 @ 8:50 am By JD Alois  |  

  Just as North America is drawing a line in the sand, drawing a hard line that defines just about all initial coin offerings as securities, France appears to be heading in a different direction. Organized by the Autorités Des Marchés Financiers (AMF), France launched a consultation… Read More

June 11, 2018 @ 8:13 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) has published a notice addressing the issue of initial coin offerings (ICOs) and whether, or not, these tokens are securities. The document by the CSA leaves little room for utility tokens to actually exist – at least not in the… Read More

June 11, 2018 @ 6:08 am By JD Alois  |  

SAFEs or Simple Agreements for Future Equity are popular investment options for early stage startups that are not quite ready to peg a value on the company.  They are also commonly used on investment crowdfunding platforms. SAFEs typically represent an opportunity to purchase stock at… Read More

June 10, 2018 @ 6:31 pm By Cali Haan  |  

As part of a probe examining possible manipulation in Bitcoin markets, the regulator responsible for overseeing futures and commodity trading in the US has subpoenaed four American cryptocurrency exchanges to produce volumes of trade data, WSJ reported Friday June 8th. Top cryptocurrencies have since turned red as this… Read More

June 9, 2018 @ 1:58 pm By JD Alois  |  

While Goldman Sachs’  (NYSE:GS) most prominent foray into Fintech started with online lending, Marcus is poised to become so much more in the digital banking arena. As previously reported, Marcus zoomed into online lending fueled by consumer deposits due to an acquisition from several years… Read More

June 9, 2018 @ 8:07 am By Xu Gao  |  

NIFA Releases China’s First National Fintech Identity Verification Platform Early this week, the National Internet Finance Association of China (NIFA) released China’s first Fintech identity verification platform. This was a response to the requirements of various Fintech industry practitioners and regulatory authorities. In the future,… Read More

June 7, 2018 @ 10:12 am By Cali Haan  |  

Cryptocurrency used to fundraise for business ventures are regulated securities, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are not, and relevant laws will reman, the same, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairperson, Jay Clayton, said yesterday on CNBC. The point made by Clayton draws a hard line for any… Read More

June 6, 2018 @ 10:07 pm By JD Alois  |  

The number of Reg CF crowdfunding platforms in the US continues to slowly grow with several recent additions. Last time we reviewed the number of FINRA approved investment platforms in March, there were 38 regulated sites. So what has changed? First, to update on what… Read More

June 5, 2018 @ 12:10 pm By JD Alois  |  

    The Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF), at the Judge School of Business at Cambridge University, has launched their annual research initiative pertaining to the global alternative finance industry. While in years past CCAF has staggered the research, this year they are commencing… Read More

June 4, 2018 @ 4:20 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

On Monday, CEO of UK Fintech startup Revolut, Nik Storonsky, announced the company is now making plans to apply for a banking license in the U.S.. Revolut has previously announced its intent to expand into the US, along with other companies globally, but this is… Read More