General News

April 24, 2019 @ 4:48 pm By JD Alois  |  

Small businesses create the majority of jobs in the US – just like many other developed economies. With jobs comes wealth and prosperity. If this job creation engine shuts down, as we have seen in the last recession, its a disaster. According to the US… Read More

April 24, 2019 @ 10:34 am By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has posted the agenda for the upcoming Fintech Forum scheduled to take place on May 31st. The event, entitled the 2019  Fintech Forum, will take place at SEC headquarters in Washington, DC. It will simultaneously be live-streamed on the… Read More

April 24, 2019 @ 9:52 am By JD Alois  |  

Bank of England Governor Mark Carney is on his way out. Originally, Carney was expected to step down in June of 2019. At the request of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Carney was asked to extend his term as the UK attempted to manage Brexit… Read More

April 23, 2019 @ 10:31 pm By JD Alois  |  

Venture capital deals in Europe during Q1 were pretty strong, according to the most recent Dow Jones Venture Capital Report. According to the publication, VC funding “surged” in Q1 22% – the second best quarter on record. In total, €6.79 billion was raised for 743… Read More

April 23, 2019 @ 2:20 pm By JD Alois  |  

Many crypto sector platforms are seeking to be approved as “alternative trading systems” or ATSs. An ATS can be very similar to an exchange with a different set of reporting requirements which are not quite as stringent. OTC Markets, a securities marketplace that many people… Read More

April 23, 2019 @ 12:32 pm By Erin Hobey  |  

The gay travel platform misterb&b has just surpassed $800K with the help of 1240+ investors, easily bypassing its minimum target last month, with its $1M Wefunder campaign target goal in site. Last year the 500 Startups alum celebrated an $8.5M Series A round, raising $13.5M USD… Read More

April 22, 2019 @ 11:08 am By JD Alois  |  

Last week, Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman sat down with CNBC to discuss the initial public offering market. Recently, multiple high profile issuers have completed an IPO or have indicated their intent to do so in the not so distant future. On the day Friedman was… Read More

April 22, 2019 @ 8:34 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

American tennis champ Serena Williams has reportedly invested in cryptocurrency platform Coinbase through her investment group, Serena Ventures. The group, which launched in 2014, has silently invested in more than 30 companies, including Coinbase. Williams stated she launched the company with a mission to give… Read More

April 21, 2019 @ 8:39 pm By Timothy Li  |  

It’s hard to believe that the most attended Fintech conference LendIt Fintech USA had its 7th birthday in the Mecca of Fintech, San Francisco this past week. Thousands of attendees from all over the world descended into San Francisco’s Moscone Center for this once a… Read More

April 20, 2019 @ 1:07 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Numerous cryptocurrency commentators, most of whom are “bag holders” themselves, have been fond of announcing in the press and on social media the inevitable and imminent outsize ballooning of the price of Bitcoin. This phenomenon was particularly common during Bitcoin’s parabolic run up at the… Read More

April 20, 2019 @ 12:07 pm By JD Alois  |  

Prime Trust, Fintech that provides custody and escrow services in a diverse portfolio of assets including crypto, has confirmed an investment led by crypto exchange OKCoin. In an email, Prime Trust confirmed what had been circulated on social media for some time. Prime Trust founder… Read More

April 19, 2019 @ 1:22 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Cambridge Centre for  Alternative Finance (CCAF), with the support of the Nomura Research Institute (NRI), has just published a new study entitled the Global Cryptoasset Regulatory Landscape Study. The report is a detailed analysis of the regulatory environment in multiple jurisdictions from around the… Read More

April 18, 2019 @ 11:52 am By JD Alois  |  

Recently, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) published its Small Business Lending Survey for 2018. Included within the report was an ongoing discussion of “non-bank lenders” or online lending platforms including direct and marketplace lenders. First, the FDIC acknowledges the profound importance of small business… Read More

April 16, 2019 @ 10:57 am By JD Alois  |  

The Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) has published its 4th annual European Alternative Finance report. The publication, entitled “Shifting Paradigms” – completed in partnership with the University of Agder in Norway, tracks the growth of alternative finance across Europe including the UK. According to… Read More

April 16, 2019 @ 8:10 am By JD Alois  |  

The European Centre for Alternative Finance (ECAF) based at Utrecht University School of Economics, has announced the 3rd European Alternative Finance Research Conference scheduled to take place in October in the Netherlands. ECAF said this year’s keynote speaker is Armin Schwienbacher (SKEMA Business School), an… Read More

April 15, 2019 @ 10:14 am By JD Alois  |  

The UK Crowdfunding Association (UKCFA) has scheduled a meeting with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as the group is concerned over the “quality of supervision,” according to a report in the Times. The UKCFA is an association that represents the leading equity crowdfunding platforms in… Read More

April 15, 2019 @ 9:11 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

Plug and Play announced on Monday it has opened a new office in Italy together with its newest corporate partners Esselunga, Lavazza, Tetra Pak, and UniCredit. The accelerator reported that office will service key partners in the region such as UniCredit, which is also joining… Read More

April 15, 2019 @ 7:13 am By JD Alois  |  

Research compiled by YouGov, Seedrs, and banking app Dozens, shares a dim view of financial sophistication in the UK. According to the report, a majority of UK adults are poorly informed about financial services and planning for their future. The study conducted by YouGov was… Read More

April 13, 2019 @ 4:00 pm By Xu Gao  |  

China Implements First National Standard for Insurance Sector On April 11th, China has implemented its first national standard for the insurance industry. The national standard incorporates 817 entries of professional terms, serving as a fundamental standard for various terms in the insurance sector, according to… Read More

April 13, 2019 @ 9:19 am By JD Alois  |  

Crowdsourcing Week recently held their inaugural BOLD Awards near Venice. Organizers selected winners in 12 categories plus three special awards. The event itself was organized and hosted by H-FARM, a startup business development and accelerator hub in Europe. Crowdsourcing Week’s CEO Epi Ludvik and Emil… Read More