Featured Headlines

October 31, 2016 @ 9:00 am By Samuel Guzik  |  

On October 26, 2016, the SEC’s three Commissioners convened at their headquarters to adopt new rules intended to modernize what had historically been a little used path of raising capital for startups, early stage businesses and community-based enterprises: the so called intrastate exemption. It had… Read More

October 30, 2016 @ 7:48 pm By JD Alois  |  

Wangdaizhijia (or wdzj.com), an alternative finance news and data platform in China, has published two interesting reports on the state of internet finance in the largest altfi market in the world. The first document focuses on peer to peer lending. The second publication is on… Read More

October 28, 2016 @ 12:14 pm By JD Alois  |  

    The CrowdfundingHub has published a report on the rise of equity crowdfunding across Europe. The  document provides a snapshot perspective on sector growth noting that more evolved markets have gained investor trust but risks remain. Pointing to data provided by the Cambridge Centre… Read More

October 27, 2016 @ 8:16 am By Erin Hobey  |  

  Pittsburgh-based Small Change was approved as a Reg CF funding portal by FINRA, an approval the platform believes to be a first for a real estate funding portal.  Small Change is a real estate crowdfunding platform launched by urban evangelist Eve Picker targeting “transformational” real estate projects by connecting developers with investors. How?… Read More

October 26, 2016 @ 9:37 am By Xu Gao  |  

China Blockchain Development Forum Established in Beijing On October 18th, the China Blockchain Development Forum and first developer conference opened in Beijing. Apart from launching a white paper about blockchain technology and application, the forum is also aimed at standardizing the development process and creating… Read More

October 26, 2016 @ 8:00 am By Joe Green and John Coyle  |  

A Reply on the Use of SAFEs in Crowdfunding On September 22nd, Crowdfund Insider published a post summarizing the arguments presented in our new essay entitled “Crowdfunding and the Not-So-Safe SAFE“ (forthcoming in Virginia Law Review Online). Our essay raises a number of concerns about… Read More

October 25, 2016 @ 7:51 am By JD Alois  |  

The Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF), has announced a new study focused on blockchain utilization and development.  CCAF has quickly become the global leader in alternative finance research with its annual reports targeting different regions around the world. CCAF has now undertaken their first… Read More

October 25, 2016 @ 7:13 am By Therese Torris  |  

La Banque Postale, one of the top 10 French banks, announced that it was taking a 10% equity stake in WeShareBonds, a new French alternative SME financing platform, at an undisclosed valuation. The deal validates WeShareBonds and the French crowdlending sector. La Banque Postale is… Read More

October 24, 2016 @ 1:22 pm By JD Alois  |  

Bruce Davis is a founder and Joint Managing Director at Abundance, a peer to peer investing platform focused on renewable energy projects. He is also part of the original team that launched Zopa – the very first peer to peer lending platform to set up… Read More

October 23, 2016 @ 12:59 pm By Anthony Zeoli  |  

Almost a year ago, the SEC proposed certain amendments to the current Rule 147 which were intended to help foster, and increase the viability of, Intrastate crowdfunding. While little has been heard about these amendments since their release (except from Intrastate proponents like me of… Read More

October 20, 2016 @ 10:51 pm By Marc Snover  |  

I have been immersed in the equity crowdfunding industry since late 2015 and have tried to collect as many different perspectives on the industry from as many experts as possible. And while it is hard to predict the ultimate fate of an industry that had… Read More

October 19, 2016 @ 7:28 pm By Samuel Guzik  |  

Still Time to Fix the Fix Crowdfunding Act One of the cardinal rules of investing is  diversification – a critical ingredient for long-term portfolio growth.  This rule applies with equal, if not greater, force when investing in “Title III Regulation CF Crowdfunding” securities – open… Read More

October 18, 2016 @ 10:15 pm By Therese Torris  |  

LendIt Europe gathered over 900 attendees from 50 countries on the banks of the Thames river to network and hear about the latest trends in online direct lending. The tone of the conference was clearly set by the UK keynote speakers. The UK being 4… Read More

October 18, 2016 @ 10:38 am By Xu Gao  |  

CreditEase is Confronted with Another Tuition Loan Fraud Earlier this month, Chinese p2p lending platform CreditEase was confronted with another tuition loan fraud. TOEIC English, a TOEFL training institution which launched a collaborative tuition loan product with CreditEase, was found shuttered with no reason. Students… Read More

October 17, 2016 @ 1:25 pm By JD Alois  |  

Republic, the Reg CF crowdfunding platform related to AngelList, has had its first successful funding round.  Youngry, described as the ESPN for entrepreneurship, successfully completed its equity crowdfunding offer topping its goal by 130%. Youngry successfully raised $65,920 from 143 investors in its 75 day crowdfunding… Read More

October 17, 2016 @ 11:21 am By Georgia Quinn  |  

Let me begin by saying god bless Congressman Patrick McHenry. He is out there on the front lines actually trying to make a difference and help entrepreneurs and small businesses get off the ground and succeed. Of course, no good deed goes unpunished, and a… Read More

October 16, 2016 @ 12:36 pm By JD Alois  |  

Late last year, FlashFunders co-founder and CEO Vincent Bradley stated in an interview; “The recent passing of Title III is a clear sign that the SEC believes this industry is a viable solution for companies to raise capital. By creating further regulatory processes in regards to… Read More

October 13, 2016 @ 10:52 pm By JD Alois  |  

Reg CF investment crowdfunding (Title III of the JOBS Act) has only been actionable since May of this year. At the end of May, there were 10 FINRA/SEC approved Regulation CF platforms with only a handful listing live investment opportunities. The approved platforms at the… Read More

October 12, 2016 @ 10:18 pm By JD Alois  |  

Ruth Hedges is from the early days of crowdfunding in the United States. Part of an original group of committed individuals who advocated on behalf of updating antiquated securities regulations, Hedges is a founding member of the Crowdfund Intermediary Regulatory Advocates (CFIRA); the group originally… Read More

October 11, 2016 @ 10:20 pm By JD Alois  |  

  The answer is keep it simple, and  keep it transparent. The above statement came from Lord Adair Turner in a speech delivered at LendIt Europe this week. He was reflecting upon how peer to peer lending can avoid situations of systemic risk as exemplified… Read More