Featured Headlines

March 11, 2018 @ 1:42 pm By Xu Gao  |  

  Fintech Remarks and Proposals from 2018 Two Legislative Sessions March 3rd saw the opening of “2018 NPC & CPPCC: annual legislative and political advisory sessions” in China. Here are some fintech related remarks and proposals that we summarized from this year’s sessions. (Source: 01Caijing)… Read More

March 10, 2018 @ 3:02 pm By Philip Liu  |  

On March 7, 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a public statement warning that cryptocurrency coin exchanges were possibly operating as unlawful online trading platforms¹.  The SEC staff noted that “many online trading platforms appear to investors as SEC-registered and regulated marketplaces when… Read More

March 10, 2018 @ 1:12 pm By JD Alois  |  

As we reported last week, the European Commission has announced its intent to pursue a Fintech Action Plan designed to boost Fintech innovation across continental Europe. The recognition that enabling innovations in finance are of strategic importance. This is a vital step in keeping Europe… Read More

March 8, 2018 @ 11:23 pm By JD Alois  |  

This past week, the National Crowdfunding and Fintech Association of Canada (NCFA) held its annual event in Toronto that saw over 500 participants join to discuss Fintech from around the world. FFCON18 Velocity covered the wide ranging spectrum of current topics in the realm of… Read More

March 8, 2018 @ 6:59 am By JD Alois  |  

The European Commission has published their Fintech Action Plan representing a strategic approach to boosting “technology-enabled innovation in financial services”.  As a first “major deliverable,” the Commission published new rules designed to help crowdfunding platforms to expand across the EU’s single market. The Commission is also… Read More

March 7, 2018 @ 1:43 pm By Dixie L. Johnson, Brian R. Michael, Ehren Halse, Kyle Sheahen, and Matthew B. Hanson  |  

  For initial coin offering (ICOs or token offerings, SAFT, etc.) issuers, investors, token holders, and anyone else operating in the cryptocurrency market, the message of recent days is clear: the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has shifted into high gear. News reports indicate that… Read More

March 7, 2018 @ 11:28 am By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC),  Divisions of Enforcement and Trading and Markets, has published a statement on “online trading platforms,” or cryptocurrency exchanges, that trade in tokens minted by initial coin offerings (ICOs) and digital assets in general. The SEC stated: “The platforms often… Read More

March 6, 2018 @ 8:01 am By JD Alois  |  

NextSeed is one of a handful of FINRA approved Reg CF crowdfunding portals that is successfully providing access to growth capital for small businesses across the US. It is the only platform in operation that focuses solely on debt financing as most other platforms are… Read More

March 4, 2018 @ 6:35 pm By JD Alois  |  

    The very first initial coin offering (ICO) took place in June of 2013 when Mastercoin raised around $5 million in Bitcoin. That was the same year that Title II of the JOBS Act launched allowing general solicitation (SEC lingo for advertising) under Regulation… Read More

March 3, 2018 @ 2:02 pm By Xu Gao  |  

China Issues its First Personal Credit Rating License On February 22, the People’s Bank of China published an announcement about setting up personal credit rating agencies. According to the document, Baihang Credit Rating Co., Ltd., was granted the first personal credit rating license in China,… Read More

March 2, 2018 @ 5:41 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Milken Institute is out with a comprehensive report this week that drills down into existing legislative action by Congress that addresses the emerging Fintech industry. This is the first report of its kind and provides a solid perspective on what Congress has accomplished to… Read More

March 2, 2018 @ 8:48 am By JD Alois  |  

What is money? In The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith defines money by the roles it plays in society, in particular, how well it serves as: –  A store of value with which to transfer purchasing power from today to some future time; –  A… Read More

March 1, 2018 @ 12:37 pm By JD Alois  |  

The fact the Securities and Exchange Commission has been issuing subpoenas to initial coin offering (ICOs) issuers has been rumored for quite some time. Recently, multiple publications, including Crowdfund Insider, revealed this fact. The SEC has been warning of this sort of activity for many months… Read More

February 28, 2018 @ 11:35 pm By JD Alois  |  

The environment for initial coin offerings (ICOs) in the US has changed dramatically in the past few months. In July of 2017, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued the DAO report that identified the token offering as a security indicating at least some of the… Read More

February 28, 2018 @ 7:32 am By JD Alois  |  

Online capital formation and more traditional funding methods continue to converge as Seedrs, a leading UK investment crowdfunding platform, has provided access to the Augmentum Fintech initial public offering (IPO) on the London Stock Exchange. The £100 million IPO saw more than £500,000 of investment… Read More

February 27, 2018 @ 3:03 pm By JD Alois  |  

Switzerland has become known as a center of excellence for the cryptocurrency industry. In fact, many initial coin offerings (ICO) call Zug, Switzerland home – even if they are not really based there. The Swiss regulators (FINMA) have recognized the emergence of digital currencies as… Read More

February 26, 2018 @ 9:32 am By Philip Liu  |  

Two months into 2018, it feels a little like the calm before a regulatory storm in terms of cryptocurrency regulation.  A series of pronouncements and announcements from the SEC toward the end of 2017 and beginning of 2018 gave industry insiders more clarity on what… Read More

February 25, 2018 @ 5:05 pm By JD Alois  |  

Bank of America, one of the largest banks on the planet, published its 10-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) this past week. The Annual Report for most publicly listed institutions is a routine event with few people digging into the document except for… Read More

February 25, 2018 @ 7:22 am By JD Alois  |  

Earlier this year, Amit Singh, an attorney and shareholder in the west coast law firm of Stradling, compiled data for Reg CF and Reg A+ issuers for 2017. These two securities exemptions represent two of the three rules that enable crowdfunding in the US and… Read More

February 24, 2018 @ 8:07 am By JD Alois  |  

The New York Federal Reserve has published a staff report pertaining to “The Role of Technology in Mortgage Lending”. Authored by Andreas Fuster, Matthew Plosser, Philipp Schnabl, and James Vickery, the research asserts that Fintech is improving the mortgage lending market by making it more efficient… Read More