Featured Headlines

September 4, 2018 @ 9:33 pm By Brian Dally  |  

The idea of banking has been around for thousands of years. Archaeologists traced its origins back to ancient Mesopotamia, where tablets show that individuals recorded lending transactions. Then, as civilization created value for items like grain, rare jewels and, eventually, coinage and cash, banking practices… Read More

September 4, 2018 @ 6:13 pm By JD Alois  |  

Varo Money, a digital only challenger bank, has received preliminary approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) for a national banking charter. This is a very big deal in the world of Fintech, as Varo may end up being the first… Read More

September 3, 2018 @ 5:00 pm By Steven McClurg  |  

The recently announced $3 billion Bitmain IPO has left many crypto enthusiasts excited for the possibility of a legitimate publicly-traded crypto business. However, when a company creates an exit for a high margin cash flowing business, it usually indicates diminishing growth or margins.  This could… Read More

September 3, 2018 @ 7:32 am By JD Alois  |  

The long rumored initial public offering (IPO) of UK based Funding Circle appears to be on track and moving forward with a listing on the London Stock Exchange later this year. In a blog post today, Funding Circle stated; “Today we have announced the next… Read More

September 2, 2018 @ 10:56 am By Xu Gao  |  

Xiaomi Intends to Set Up a Virtual Bank According to a report from HKEJ on August 20, the Fintech branch of Xiaomi Group – Insight Technology (Dongjian Keji)- is intending to apply for a Hong Kong virtual banking license, hoping to submit documents before the end… Read More

August 31, 2018 @ 9:36 am By JD Alois  |  

The current definition of an accredited investor is profoundly flawed and a travesty of rule making. Everyone knows it. As it stands today, an accredited investors must earn at least $200,000 (jointly $300,000) or have a net worth of $1 million beyond a primary residence…. Read More

August 30, 2018 @ 6:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

Here is an interesting thread I was following recently on Twitter. As we all know, Ethereum is planning to change from Proof of Work (PoW) to Proof of Stake (PoS). There is no need to dive into the pros/cons .. shoulda coulda debate now, but… Read More

August 29, 2018 @ 5:10 pm By JD Alois  |  

Speaking at the 36|86 Entrepreneurship Festival in Nashville today, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Jay Clayton addressed the all important topic of entrepreneurship and access to capital. During his tenure at the SEC, Clayton has consistently expressed his intent to improve the ability of smaller… Read More

August 28, 2018 @ 9:15 pm By JD Alois  |  

Last week, the Virtual Commodity Association (VCA) officially launched and quickly scheduled a meeting for September. The inaugural members included several well-known names in the virtual currency sector. Bittrex, Bitstamp, bitFlyer USA and Gemini Trust Company were announced as founding members. At the same time, Maria… Read More

August 28, 2018 @ 7:10 am By JD Alois  |  

Seedrs, a leading European investment crowdfunding platform, has formed a partnership with US based investment platform Republic. The details of the arrangement have just been revealed but rumors of a pending arrangement have percolated for months. This is not the first UK / US pan-Atlantic… Read More

August 27, 2018 @ 8:13 pm By Samuel Guzik  |  

President Trump:  It’s High Time for a few More Tweets to SEC Chairman Jay Clayton Any good litigator can tell you that the difference between success and failure is often the ability to ask the right questions – at the right times – and asking… Read More

August 27, 2018 @ 11:02 am By JD Alois  |  

Last week, it was announced that Indiegogo, via its partnership with broker dealer Microinvest, was launching a security token offering (STO) for Aspen Digital. The “Aspen Coins” represent a single share in common stock offered under the Reg D 506c exemption for the St. Regis Aspen… Read More

August 26, 2018 @ 6:00 pm By Steven McClurg  |  

The SEC Rejects Bitcoin ETF Proposals. The SEC has rejected nine more Bitcoin ETF proposals, one of them from a fairly well-established ETF distributor, ProShares.  The ProShares filing was due for comments on Thursday, but the SEC promptly responded a day early, as well as… Read More

August 25, 2018 @ 4:10 pm By Stephanie Vaughan  |  

Postsecondary education in America is at a crossroads. With 44 million Americans who owe $1.5 trillion in student loan debt, delinquency and defaults ruining the financial future of millions of individuals, and students on the financial hook for paying for something that might not deliver… Read More

August 24, 2018 @ 10:03 am By JD Alois  |  

In a significant move by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and Singapore Exchange (SGX), the government entities announced its intent to offer digital assets including tokenized securities and virtual currencies. MAS and SGX will develop “Delivery versus Payment (DvP) capabilities” by using different blockchain… Read More

August 24, 2018 @ 7:30 am By Onki Kwan  |  

The vision Behind Regulation Crowdfunding Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF) allows any business to raise up to $1.07 million without a public registeration with the Securities Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The idea behind Regulation Crowdfunding is to enable small businesses and startups to leverage the advertising power… Read More

August 22, 2018 @ 11:07 pm By Christopher Sands  |  

Lawyers are being pulled into crypto startups at an astonishing rate.  On nearly a daily basis, we are seeing high quality founders / projects seeking to hire lawyers in the space.  Over the last month, our General Counsel network has seen no less than ten… Read More

August 21, 2018 @ 10:49 pm By JD Alois  |  

Last week, CI reported on a class action lawsuit filed against Unikrn and their initial coin offering (ICO). The company raised approximately $30 million in an ICO in late 2017. Unikrn was founded by Rahood Sahul, who is no neophyte when it comes to tech and venture capital…. Read More

August 20, 2018 @ 8:24 pm By JD Alois  |  

The initial coin offering (ICO) frenzy is a starting to move beyond its toddler years. After a slow start, ICOs rocketed into public awareness with high profile funding rounds and ridiculous scams accompanied by heightened speculation on unregulated crypto exchanges. Crowdsales generated offerings in the… Read More

August 19, 2018 @ 5:46 pm By Steven McClurg  |  

2017 was a landmark year for crowdfunding. The JOBS Act passage coincided with blockchain, opened the door for a record in capital raised through ICOs (initial coin offerings) for early stage companies as well as Wantrepreneurs with an idea and a whitepaper.  ICOs were launched… Read More