Featured Headlines

April 9, 2019 @ 3:51 pm By JD Alois  |  

The House of Representatives has introduced the Token Taxonomy Act of 2019 (H.R. 2144) legislation – a bill that is designed to enable a digital asset that is a utility token unregulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The bill states: “… to exclude… Read More

April 9, 2019 @ 8:19 am By JD Alois  |  

OurCrowd portfolio company, Hong Kong-based Klook, has raised $425 million in funding in a Series D round led by Softbank Vision Fund. Klook is a travel activity and services booking platform. Klook said it raised $225 million in Series D+ funding increasing the company’s total… Read More

April 8, 2019 @ 12:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

Last week, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) moved forward on clarifying their position regarding digital assets. First, a No-Action Letter (NAL) was released pertaining to the issuance of a token by TurnKey Jet. In a tightly defined issuance, Turnkey was deemed not to be… Read More

April 8, 2019 @ 9:00 am By Erin Hobey  |  

Fresh from its new partnership with Nationwide, BlueVine, a provider of online working capital financing for small and medium-sized businesses, is adding term loan financing to its suite of online financing solutions. The BlueVine Term Loan seeks to provide small and medium-sized business owners fast… Read More

April 7, 2019 @ 6:23 pm By Yoav Dror  |  

We need to get with the times. Your good old leather wallet now comes in a non-physical, electronic alternative. We need to brace ourselves for the use of digital wallets and the mass benefits they have to offer the world of finance. Digital wallets may… Read More

April 6, 2019 @ 12:37 pm By JD Alois  |  

Late last month, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announced the issuance of the very first virtual banking licenses. While many jurisdictions around the world are pursuing policies that encourage Fintech innovation and digital banking what was unique about the HKMA’s announcement was the rapidity… Read More

April 5, 2019 @ 10:03 am By Jelena Keatley  |  

Millennials are blamed for the destruction of many industries that were initially incepted by the baby boomer generation. These industries include but are not limited to, the housing market, restaurant chains, 9-5 office jobs, and even plastic straws (with good reason). However, millennials aren’t quite… Read More

April 4, 2019 @ 7:30 am By JD Alois  |  

Canada may be a smaller market but it has a robust, highly sophisticated economy and a vibrant Fintech sector. Toronto, the financial center of the country, is home to dozens of Fintechs including payment firms, online lending, AI, wealth management, blockchain and more. Yet while… Read More

April 3, 2019 @ 11:22 am By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has published a statement on the “Framework for ‘Investment Contract’ Analysis of Digital Assets” The public statement announcing the Framework was co-signed by Bill Hinman, Director of Division of Corporation Finance and Valerie Szczepanik, Senior Advisor for Digital Assets… Read More

April 3, 2019 @ 11:05 am By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Division of Corporate Finance, has issued its first No-Action letter pertaining to the issuance of a token that is considered not to be a regulated security. The response was engendered by a request by attorney James Curry, on behalf… Read More

April 2, 2019 @ 6:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

Recently Crowdfund Insider was in communication with Securities Attorney Joe Nesler who posts regularly on his law firm’s web site pertaining to issues regarding crypto and securities law. A post by Nessler from last November touched upon reporting requirements under 12g and digital assets. CI… Read More

April 1, 2019 @ 6:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

SyndicateRoom is a top investment crowdfunding platform in the UK – one of the “big three”. The platform was co-founded by former schoolmates Gonçalo de Vasconcelos and Tom Britton who met while completing their  MBA at Cambridge Judge Business School. The idea was simple enough:… Read More

March 31, 2019 @ 5:25 pm By JD Alois  |  

Indiegogo, the second largest rewards-based platform in the US, has quietly exited equity crowdfunding. Indiegogo entered the securities realm in November of 2016. The platform partnered with Microventures, a Texas-based broker-dealer, to create First Democracy VC – a FINRA approved funding portal. At the time… Read More

March 30, 2019 @ 4:01 am By Xu Gao  |  

Parent Company of Shuidi Crowdfunding Receives nearly ¥500 million B-round Funding led by Tencent Shuidi, the parent company of Shuidi Crowdfunding and Shuidi Mutual Insurance, announced this week that it had received a nearly ¥500 million B-round financing. This investment was led by Tencent, and… Read More

March 28, 2019 @ 2:51 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Bouqs Company is a new spin on an old business model. In the US, flower delivery is currently dominated by just a few players we all know that effectively use the same business model. Just Google flower delivery and you can tally them up…. Read More

March 28, 2019 @ 7:42 am By JD Alois  |  

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has announced the first three virtual bank licenses. Applications were opened at the end of 2018 as aspiring digital banks moved quickly to complete the process. The HKMA said the three licenses were granted to: Livi VB Limited, SC Digital… Read More

March 27, 2019 @ 9:30 am By Therese Torris  |  

At the InnoFinance Summit 2019 on March 26, 2019, the German Crowdfunding Association  (Bundesverband Crowdfunding) introduced its new “Transparency Seal”. The Transparency Seal is a self-regulatory label awarded by the association to member platforms which respect a set of quality and customer protection standards. With this… Read More

March 27, 2019 @ 5:46 am By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged Direct Lending Investments (DLI), LLC with “a multi-year fraud.” According to the SEC, the ongoing fraud resulted in approximately $11 million in “over-charges of management and performance fees to its private funds, as well as the inflation… Read More

March 26, 2019 @ 9:32 am By JD Alois  |  

Lending Express is a Fintech on a mission to become the leading site for SME lenders – globally. Lending Express has offices in both the US and Israel, which has a hot Fintech sector. To date, the site has helped to fund over $125 million… Read More

March 25, 2019 @ 6:17 pm By JD Alois  |  

The French National Assembly recently passed the PACTE law (Loi PACTE). The omnibus bill entails a variety of acts of legislation designed to boost the French economy. Championed by the French government it is expected to become law within the coming months – perhaps as… Read More