Featured Headlines

March 29, 2023 @ 2:00 am By JD Alois  |  

CrowdProperty, a real estate investment platform, reports that it has topped 3000 homes financed. According to the funding platform, it has provided financing for 3010 houses worth £680,000,000, originating over £375,000,000 of financing facilities and lending more than £299,000,000 to date. CrowdProperty is authorized and… Read More

March 28, 2023 @ 11:21 pm By JD Alois  |  

Crowdcube, a top UK and European securities crowdfunding platform, has announced a partnership with Octopus to provide access for investors to Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs). In a company statement, Crowdcube said that the collaboration with Octopus will allow for lower minimum hurdles to invest in… Read More

March 28, 2023 @ 1:30 pm By JD Alois  |  

Apple’s buy now – pay later service (BNPL) is finally available. Apple Pay Later was announced quite some time ago – but then Apple tends to make certain everything is perfect (or nearly) before launching anything. In a release, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) said that starting today,… Read More

March 27, 2023 @ 10:43 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

We recently connected with Dr. Amrit Kumar, COO at Altlayer, which focuses on building key infrastructure for Web 3.0, an evolving set of standards that aims to support the Internet of the future. Dr. Amrit Kumar (currently at Altlayer) previously co-founded Zilliqa Research, where he… Read More

March 27, 2023 @ 6:45 pm By JD Alois  |  

Birchal, long the leading online capital formation platform in Australia, reports that during its fiscal Q3 2023 quarter it dominated the “crowd-sourced funding” market in the country. Birchal says that it captured 100% market share during the quarter to date, making it the only Australian… Read More

March 26, 2023 @ 2:02 pm By JD Alois  |  

OurCrowd, one of the largest digital marketplaces providing access to capital for private firms as well as investment opportunity for smaller investors, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the government of Uruguay. Under the agreement, OurCrowd will partner with the Ministry of Industry,… Read More

March 24, 2023 @ 5:58 am By JD Alois  |  

Moody’s is out with a report on the banking crisis, lauding policymakers for their rapid response. At the same time, the research firm states that stress in the banking sector can spread to other sectors while outlining three different possible paths for contagion. The banking… Read More

March 23, 2023 @ 11:57 am By JD Alois  |  

The Wall Street Blockchain Alliance (WSBA) has published a set of “Crypto Industry Principles” that are described as “foundational statements of best practices” for the digital asset sector. WSBA is a non-profit advocacy group that supports the utilization of blockchain technology in financial markets. The… Read More

March 22, 2023 @ 5:51 pm By JD Alois  |  

Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN) has posted a statement indicating it has received a Wells Notice from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). A Wells Notice is effectively a heads-up that the SEC is conducting an investigation for any potential infractions. While not a definitive indicator of a looming… Read More

March 22, 2023 @ 4:52 pm By JD Alois  |  

Eight Influencers Charged for Promotion of Digital Assets: Lindsey Lohan, Jake Paul, DeAndrew Cortez Way (Soulja Boy), Austin Mahone, Michele Mason (Kendra Lust), Miles Parks McCollum (Lil Yachty) Shaffer Smith (Ne-Yo), Aliaune Thiam (Akon).   The Securities and Exchange Commission has posted another digital asset… Read More

March 21, 2023 @ 9:13 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

There’s new regulation requiring individuals using digital payment apps to report their earnings – over $600 – directly to the IRS. This change significantly impacts business owners, side hustlers, and gig economy workers. These individuals must file Form 1099-K, creating an extra step during tax… Read More

March 21, 2023 @ 6:27 pm By Omar Makkawy  |  

Currency devaluations and inflation erode investment returns, reducing a company’s valuation and the value of its total addressable market (TAM). However, several sectors have demonstrated resilience in such conditions and can actually generate substantial shareholder value in difficult economic times. A major example is Egypt… Read More

March 20, 2023 @ 5:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

In 2020, rules were approved by the European Union to facilitate cross-border online capital formation for issuers raising up to €5 million. For platforms, they must seek approval from the relevant authority in their home member state. While the process has been a bit slow,… Read More

March 19, 2023 @ 7:10 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

We recently caught up with Ofir Shabtai, CTO of Shield, an Israel-based Regtech firm. Banks are crawling toward hybrid cloud solutions. Given this key trend, Ofir Shabtai from Shield talked abut how to balance the modern need for the cloud with the security of on-premise… Read More

March 16, 2023 @ 7:09 pm By JD Alois  |  

FedNow, the US Federal Reserves – a near real-time transfers platform that will soon be made available to all banks in the United States, will enable individuals and businesses to move their money in a frictionless manner. In development for years, FedNow is currently scheduled… Read More

March 16, 2023 @ 6:20 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

We recently connected with Oren Barzilai, CEO at EquityBee, the startup employees’ stock options funding solution. Oren Barzilai from EquityBee talked about what led to them compiling their latest report on startups. Barzilai also discussed how common stock options have become at startups. In addition… Read More

March 16, 2023 @ 3:29 pm By JD Alois  |  

Stripe, a leading Fintech in the payments and transaction sector, has raised $6.5 billion (€6.15 billion) at a $50 billion (€47 billion) valuation. The “Series I” round took a significant haircut from its last round. In 2022, Stripe raised money at a $74 billion valuation. … Read More

March 15, 2023 @ 12:06 pm By JD Alois  |  

Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt delivered the Spring Statement today, making several big announcements, including a huge change in retirement planning. Hunt said that the Conservative government’s approach to the economy is “on the right track” while noting they “remain vigilant” and will take… Read More

March 14, 2023 @ 5:55 pm By JD Alois  |  

Prior to the US government’s decision to backstop all deposits, under the management of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), bank accounts were ONLY insured up to$250,000. While this amount has not been much of a problem in the past, last week, the world changed,… Read More

March 14, 2023 @ 5:01 pm By JD Alois  |  

Tasneem Dohadwala, Founding Partner of VC Excelstar Ventures, has shared her thoughts on the demise of several banks and the federal government’s decision to guarantee all deposits. Some observers have criticized the “government bailout” while others have noted that if the Feds had not taken… Read More