Featured Headlines

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

June 4, 2018 @ 6:47 am By Shaswat K. Das and Richard S. Garabedian  |  

Over the past few years, continued advancements in the payments industry and financial services technology have significantly expanded the way money financial transactions are processed and managed.  Banks and payment and technology firms are accelerating efforts to innovate and adapt financial services alternatives to meet… Read More

June 2, 2018 @ 11:52 am By Xu Gao  |  

International Tuition Payment Platform Easy Transfer Receives Tens of Million Yuan in Series A Financing This week, Easy Transfer announced that it has won tens of millions yuan in Series A financing, which was led by Zhen Fund and followed by IDG Capital. It is… Read More

June 1, 2018 @ 12:01 pm By JD Alois  |  

EOS, described as an operating system on which scalable Decentralized Autonomous Communities, or “DACs,” can easily be built, launched, and governed, is ready to go. The company seeks to “empower communities to create the next era of disruptive organizations.” In a Tweet, EOS announced that… Read More

June 1, 2018 @ 8:26 am By Clayton Moore  |  

When Overstock (NASDAQ:OSTK) became the first major retailer to accept Bitcoin for payment in 2014, the move raised eyebrows. Four years later, cryptocurrencies still struggle with being seen as “fake” money, exacerbated by boom and bust headlines and regulatory uncertainty. The fastest path to legitimacy?… Read More

May 30, 2018 @ 11:00 pm By Samuel Guzik  |  

  If the Wall Street Journal is any indicator, so called Regulation A+ offerings, which sprung to life in June 2015, courtesy of Title IV of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the JOBS Act) and SEC rulemaking,  are (or should be) all… Read More

May 29, 2018 @ 11:58 pm By JD Alois  |  

Insurtech is seeking to upend and address the shortcomings of a sector of finance that many love to hate. Insurance is a unique product you pay for that you hope you never have to use. And too frequently, when you do need to use an… Read More

May 29, 2018 @ 9:26 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has received a court approved emergency asset freeze and the appointment of a receiver for Titanium Blockchain Infrastructure Services (TBIS) pertaining to an initial coin offering (ICO). Between November 2017 through at least January 2018, the ICO succeeded in raising as… Read More

May 28, 2018 @ 7:11 pm By Therese Torris  |  

President Macron at Viva Tech, the “French CES” The question to ask about Viva Tech, the French Tech show taking place in Paris, May 24th to 26th, is not “Who goes there?” but rather “Who doesn’t?” In its third edition, Viva Tech, launched in 2016… Read More

May 27, 2018 @ 6:00 pm By Cali Haan  |  

In April, a policy advisor in Fintech working at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco took a stab at establishing the value of a Bitcoin. His conclusion?  Bitcoin is overpriced, informed investors are likely taking profits now and we may be about to enter… Read More

May 26, 2018 @ 5:21 pm By Xu Gao  |  

Tsinghua PBCSF Global Finance Forum (2018) convened in Beijing On May 19, Tsinghua PBCSF Global Finance Forum (2018), which was hosted by Tsinghua University and organized jointly by the Tsinghua University PBC School of Finance (PBCSF), Tsinghua University National Institute of Financial Research (NIFR) and… Read More