Featured Headlines

April 17, 2023 @ 10:47 am By JD Alois  |  

As was anticipated last week, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) has revealed its savings option paying users an APY of 4.15%, thus creating a compelling option for its customers to hold cash with the neobank/tech firm. According to Apple, Apple Card users will have the option to have… Read More

April 17, 2023 @ 9:49 am By JD Alois  |  

On Wednesday, April 19, 2023, the House Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Fintech, and Inclusion, will hold a hearing on stablecoins. The hearing is being joined by draft legislation that may end up providing a viable path to regulate this new form of payments and transfers…. Read More

April 14, 2023 @ 12:19 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) re-opened comments on a proposed rule during a meeting of the Commission that in many respects raised more questions than provided answers. The proposed amendments to the definition of “exchange” under Exchange Act Rule 3b-16 were initially proposed in… Read More

April 14, 2023 @ 8:05 am By Matthew G. White  |  

Recent headlines have highlighted significant risks associated with investments in cryptocurrency. For instance, in recent months, we have seen the price of various cryptocurrencies plummet, creating a “crypto winter” (though prices have recently been swinging back up, demonstrating the volatility risk associated with cryptocurrency). As… Read More

April 13, 2023 @ 11:35 am By JD Alois  |  

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is just about ready to launch its savings feature for users of its digital wallet – effectively becoming a neobank. While digital banks are chartered entities that provide banking services, neobanks provide bank-like features in partnership with a chartered bank – in this… Read More

April 13, 2023 @ 10:44 am By JD Alois  |  

In the UK, early-stage private firms are supported with innovative tax exemptions designed to make investing in risky ventures more appealing. As everyone knows, a robust entrepreneurial and startup ecosystem is crucial for a growing economy. UK policymakers have made investing in private firms more… Read More

April 12, 2023 @ 11:44 am By JD Alois  |  

It is that time of year again taxes are due in the US. The only groups that like tax season are the ones that benefit – state, local, and federal government – and tax preparers that earn their keep by navigating the byzantine process of… Read More

April 12, 2023 @ 10:29 am By JD Alois  |  

Brassica, a Fintech that holds Wyoming Trust Charter, has raised $8 million in Seed funding having emerged from stealth. Leveraging proprietary technology, Brassica aims to provide scalable “investment infrastructure as a service” via “Web 2.5.” The funding was led by Mercury Fund, with the participation… Read More

April 11, 2023 @ 4:35 pm By JD Alois  |  

Bitfinex Securities El Salvador S.A. de C.V., has been granted the “first ever” license as a Digital Asset Service Provider under El Salvador’s new Digital Assets Issuance Law or Ley de Emisión de Activos Digitales – which became law in January 2023. Bitfinex Securities El Salvador… Read More

April 10, 2023 @ 12:12 pm By JD Alois  |  

CI has once again reviewed the roster of FINRA-regulated funding portals to gauge the growth or decline of these platforms that provide online capital formation. Funding Portals were created under the JOBS Act of 2012 and typically list securities under Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF). This… Read More

April 10, 2023 @ 9:27 am By JD Alois  |  

FTX Exemplified hubris, incompetence, and greed. FTX CEO John J. Ray, III has filed his first interim report on the failure of FTX as the bankruptcy proceedings continue. Once one of the largest crypto exchanges in the world, led by high-profile founder and CEO Sam… Read More

April 6, 2023 @ 7:56 pm By Gabriella Kusz  |  

For more than a decade, cryptocurrency has been referred to by some as a digital “Wild West.” Those who use that terminology refer to the lack of regulation that applies to the crypto space. They are also typically implying that wandering into the realm of… Read More

April 6, 2023 @ 1:29 pm By JD Alois  |  

DeFi, or decentralized finance, took fire from the US Department of Treasury today as part of an ongoing policy attack targeting the crypto industry. Treasury published the “2023 DeFi Illicit Finance Risk Assessment,” the first report on DeFi that outlines the risk of the popular… Read More

April 5, 2023 @ 1:35 pm By JD Alois  |  

European Crowdfunding Service Providers Regulation (ECSPR) has been active for some time now. The new rules allow for securities platforms to solicit investors across all EU member states. Firms may raise up to €5 million in an online offering, thus improving upon the previous national… Read More

April 5, 2023 @ 8:16 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged Charlie Javice, the founder of the defunct student loan assistance company previously known as Frank, “with fraud in connection with the $175 million sale of the company to JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. (JPMC) in 2021.” The SEC’s… Read More

April 3, 2023 @ 5:38 pm By JD Alois  |  

Acorns, an online investment platform providing access to securities, crypto, and banking services, has acquired UK-based Fintech GoHenry. GoHenry is a digital investment platform that targets younger investors, aiming to get them started on securing their financial future early in life. GoHenry is also a… Read More

April 3, 2023 @ 5:12 pm By JD Alois  |  

Investment crowdfunding, under the Reg CF exemption, is experiencing a “roller coaster ride,” according to the most recent quarterly update provided by Crowdfund Capital Advisors (CCA). According to the report, Q1 2023 saw the lowest capital committed since Q4 2020 – so several years ago… Read More

April 2, 2023 @ 4:00 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

We recently connected with Dan Benjamin, Co-Founder and CEO of Dig Security, which raised its $34 series A in September 2022 after emerging from stealth in May 2022. Dan has held leadership roles at Microsoft and Google, and during that time noticed customers encountered a… Read More

March 30, 2023 @ 11:11 am By JD Alois  |  

Do Kwon is expected to stand trial in Montenegro before facing charges in other interested jurisdictions. Kwon is the founder and CEO of Terraform Labs, the crypto company that created TerraUSD and LUNA. TerraUSD was an aspiring algorithmic stablecoin pegged to the US dollar. The… Read More

March 29, 2023 @ 7:10 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

SMEs are at the heart of our economy and financial institutions need to do more to help them. It has been found that they play a central role in financial inclusion, representing around 90% of businesses globally and more than 50% of employment worldwide, according… Read More