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Blockchain, A Four-Time Waltz: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Libra & the CBDCs – The Need for a New Balance

We have deliberately chosen to limit our presentation, for pedagogical reasons, to the four fundamental periods represented by the emergence of Bitcoin, Ethereum, Libra and CBDCs (Central Bank Digital Currency) because no other event (derived or similar project) has had such an impact on the… Read More

So Far, Not a Single ICO has been White-Listed by the Autorite des Marches in France

The “Loi Pacte” was approved by the French government earlier this year. the new law included multiple policy moves designed to improve the overall competitiveness of the French economy. As part of the legislation, France created bespoke rules for initial coin offerings. Under French law,… Read More

UK: New Peer to Peer Lending Rules Kick in on December 9th: “A Watershed Moment for P2P”

New peer to peer lending rules come into effect on Monday, December 9th. The new rules were the result of a review by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The UK largely created the entire sector of peer to peer lending. One of the most… Read More

Kapilendo is Issuing its First Digital Bond Using Stellar Blockchain

“Banking partner for SMEs” Kapilendo is issuing its first blockchain-based digital bond. According to the Germany based crowdfunding platform, FR L’Osteria SE, a “gastronomy concept” is issuing a tokenized bond using blockchain tech. Kapilendo is a debt-based crowdfunding platform that caters to Mittelstand companies by… Read More

Citi Ventures MD Ramneek Gupta: “Fintech will soon become a native component of how companies operate”

Innovations in financial services continue to rapidly evolve. Some early leaders have dimmed as markets have changed while new approaches on Fintech have emerged. What is clear to all, the digitization of finance is occurring at a steady pace. Technology is best when it is… Read More

Doug Ellenoff Comments on SEC Concept Release on Regulatory Harmonization: “The SEC has considerable rule making authority to make the changes it believes necessary”

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced a significant review of the securities exemption ecosystem in June of this year. During the past few decades, the Commission, with some help from Congress, has updated and added to the many rules that regulate private securities offerings…. Read More

Kelly Loeffler, CEO of Bakkt Digital Asset Exchange, Appointed to US Senate Seat in Georgia [u]

Kelly Loeffler, the CEO of Bakkt – a digital asset exchange and a subsidiary of ICE, has been selected by the Governor of Georgia to fill an open seat in the US Senate. Thank you @GovKemp for this important opportunity to serve our state and… Read More

China: WeiyangX Fintech Review

The People’s Bank of China Releases Financial Stability Report with Special Focus on Online Lending The People’s Bank of China (PBC) released the 2019 China Financial Stability Report lately, which gives a comprehensive review of the soundness of China’s financial system since 2018. While incremental… Read More

Switzerland Acts to Improve DLT/Blockchain Ecosystem with Improved Legal Certainty, Crypto Valley Association Welcomes the Move

The Swiss Federal Council has moved to improved the legal certainty regarding the framework for the utilization of blockchain or distributed ledger technology (DLT).  During a meeting on November 27th, the Federal Council adopted language designed to mitigate risk while removing barriers for DLT utilization…. Read More

Report Outlines Ontario’s Policy to Remove Regulatory Burdens in Capital Markets, Boost Fintech Innovation

This week, the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) published a report on how it intends to dramatically reduce the regulatory burden in Canada’s most economically robust province. The report was completed after a 12 month review period and supported by the Ontario Ministry of Finance. Governments… Read More

How Can We Reduce Barriers for Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs?

On November 12, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee, met in Washington, DC to discuss several important issues that impact small businesses in the US. As one would expect, the discussion included the ongoing challenge of providing access to… Read More

Distributed Cybersecurity Firm Gladius Dissolves Operations without Complying with SEC Order to Reimburse Investors

Gladius, a “distributed” cybersecurity firm, has reportedly dissolved its operations without complying with the orders from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to reimburse the project’s investors. Alex Godwin, the company’s co-founder and CTO, confirmed the dissolution of the firm through a message sent… Read More

Bigger is Better: Digital Brokerage Charles Schwab Buys TD Ameritrade for $26 Billion

As predicted last week, online broker Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW) has announced the purchase of TD Ameritrade (NASDAQ:AMTD) in a deal worth $26 billion. According to Schwab, the all-stock transaction represents a 17% premium of TD Ameritrade’s average share price as of November 20, 2019. Shares… Read More

China: WeiyangX Fintech Review

The People’s Bank of China Releases China’s Green Finance Development Report (2018) In order to introduce China’s achievements and experience in green finance, the People’s Bank of China (PBC) has worked with relevant authorities and organizations to compile the annual China’s Green Finance Development Report… Read More

Glenn Austin: Chief Financial Officer at Dash Core Group Explains Why the Cryptocurrency Is Not Considered a Privacy Coin

We recently caught up with Glenn Austin, the chief financial officer at Dash Core Group (creator of DASH or Digital Cash), a major digital currency platform. Austin, a former VP at Morgan Stanley Investment Management who has worked at other big Wall Street names like… Read More

Bigger is Better or Race to the Bottom? Schwab May Acquire TD Ameritrade

Two titans in the online brokerage space are preparing to merge, according to multiple reports. Schwab and TD Ameritrade are poised to combine operations in a deal that could be finalized as soon as today for an estimated $26 billion purchase. The move to consolidate… Read More

UK Jurisdiction Taskforce Issues Statement on Status of Cryptoassets and Smart Contracts

A UK Jurisdiction Taskforce (UKJT) has published a document entitled “Legal Statement on cryptoassets and smart contracts.” The members of this Taskforce include a blend of both public and private entity participants. The UK has established itself as the leading jurisdiction when it comes to… Read More

Wethaq Completes Pilot of First Fintech Sukuk, Uses R3 Corda

Wethaq Capital has announced that it has issued the first pilot Sukuk on its securities market platform for the Islamic capital markets under the supervision of the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA). Wethaq is operating under an innovation testing license issued by the DFSA. Mohammed… Read More

ICO Issuers that Sold Unregistered Securities May Not Be Able to Pay Penalties Assessed by the SEC. What Happens Now?

Last week, Crowdfund Insider referred to several Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) enforcement actions that addressed the sale of unregistered securities by issuers of initial coin offerings (ICOs). Penalties assessed by the SEC are now coming due for several prominent enforcement actions brought by the… Read More

Reg CF Funding Portals: 50 in Total with Several Exits and Several Additions. Is Reg CF Ready to Scale?

Periodically, Crowdfund Insider revisits the Reg CF sector of online capital formation. Reg CF or “Regulation Crowdfunding” may have garnered most of the attention from popular media but really there are three individual crowdfunding exemptions including Reg A+ and Reg D 506c. Under Reg A+… Read More

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