Featured Headlines

January 31, 2019 @ 8:52 pm By Scott Andersen  |  

On January 22, 2019, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) released its examination priorities for 2019.  At the top of the list was online funding platform compliance with the securities laws. With an uptick in the offer and sale of securities offerings online with Rule… Read More

January 31, 2019 @ 3:04 am By Erin Hobey  |  

The NEM.io Foundation, fresh from celebrating its 2M block, announced a much-needed reboot of its operating structure and as part of a newly transparent mission for 2019 after checking the books and seeing “little to no accountability for funds.” Led by newly elected president Alex Tinsman,… Read More

January 31, 2019 @ 1:21 am By Therese Torris  |  

At the Paris Fintech Forum, Charles Egly, Co-founder & CEO, Younited Credit highlighted his company’s latest achievements and the recent strategic development of its Credit-as-a-service offering. Among the achievements, Younited Credit announced that it passed the €1 billion mark in consumer credit origination. Among direct… Read More

January 30, 2019 @ 1:00 am By Therese Torris  |  

The Paris Fintech Forum gathers more than 2,500 participants this week in Paris at the old stock exchange to meet hundreds of Fintechs and listen to more than 200 CEOs, heads of government and regulation agencies, as well as luminaries such as Ms Christine Lagarde,… Read More

January 29, 2019 @ 10:37 am By JD Alois  |  

CipherTrace is out with a report on cryptocurrency scams and fraud. It is widely known that crypto suffers from rampant acts of theft and cons as these digital assets have become the targets of global criminals seeking an easy payday or simply to launder illicit… Read More

January 28, 2019 @ 4:36 pm By JD Alois  |  

FINRA recently posted their annual Risk Monitoring and Examination Priorities Letter. As part of the letter, FINRA stated they would be evaluating how firms conduct suitability analyses as well as communications and AML requirements for both Reg D 506c and Reg A+ offerings. These two exemptions… Read More

January 28, 2019 @ 1:00 am By Zoë Adamovicz  |  

We often hear that “code is law”. It means that all transactions happening on decentralized networks are final and immutable. It does not mean, however, that code derives from the law. The legal frameworks we operate within are not God-given. They are social agreements that… Read More

January 26, 2019 @ 2:00 pm By Xu Gao  |  

Winners of the 2018 Global Fintech Venture Competition Announced in Beijing The winners of the 2018 Global Fintech Venture Competition were officially announced at the 3rd China Fintech Conference on January 20, 2019. The 2018 Global Fintech Venture Competition was initiated by Tsinghua IFR, jointly… Read More

January 25, 2019 @ 4:31 pm By JD Alois  |  

iFunding was an early entrant into the real estate crowdfunding sector. Once Title II of the JOBS Act became law (Reg D 506c), it opened up a new world of online promotion for securities offerings and real estate almost immediately became one of the hottest… Read More

January 24, 2019 @ 8:41 am By JD Alois  |  

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has shut down a security token offering (STO) for a “regulatory breach.” MAS said the issuer in question failed to comply with advertising restrictions. Specifically, the STOs legal advisors promoted the offering on LinkedIn calling attention to the offering…. Read More

January 24, 2019 @ 8:00 am By Therese Torris  |  

French SME crowdlending platform Credit.fr has announced the acquisition of Homunity, a real estate crowdlending platform. The acquisition is a welcome move in a fragmented marketplace. The acquisition of Homunity, France’s leading independent real estate crowdfunding platform, enables Credit.fr to strengthen its position in the… Read More

January 23, 2019 @ 5:10 pm By JD Alois  |  

Kadena is now offering blockchain as a service, free of charge, on the AWS marketplace. The new offering should make the tech far more accessible to a diverse group of potential users. AWS has more than a million enterprise users and is one of the… Read More

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