Opinion

October 15, 2019 @ 12:53 am By JD Alois  |  

Last week, Crowdfund Insider reported on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) enforcement action against Telegram and the issuance of Gram tokens. The move by the SEC is a doozy and telling. First, Telegram sold about $1.7 billion in a SAFT (simple agreement for future… Read More

October 14, 2019 @ 5:00 am By JD Alois  |  

Facebook’s attempt to launch a global non-sovereign currency was doomed from the beginning for many reasons. While Facebook will continue to put a smiley face on Libra, in its current form, it is just not happening. And this is not just about Facebook’s penchant to… Read More

October 11, 2019 @ 4:16 pm By JD Alois  |  

Alon Goren has been involved with the Fintech industry for a very long time. From the very early days of regulated crowdfunding (JOBS Act of 2012) to the emergence of crypto and the advent of digital assets, Goren has pretty much seen it all. Several… Read More

October 10, 2019 @ 7:50 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Besides injections of Tethers and high-profile proclamations of imminent six-figure Bitcoin valuations, rumours of institutional money shortly avalanching into crypto also fuelled Bitcoin’s parabolic bull run in late 2017. Similar claims of institutional crypto thirst were in the media made this summer, and a price… Read More

October 9, 2019 @ 1:42 am By Cali Haan  |  

An advocacy group representing mainstream stock exchanges and clearinghouses from around the globe, the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE), has asked the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) not to ban cryptocurrency derivatives products aimed at retail investors. In a consultation paper issued by the FCA… Read More

October 8, 2019 @ 10:14 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) officially closed comments on its concept release regarding regulatory harmonization of securities offerings exemptions on September 24, 2019. But as in past cases, comments have continued to trickle in and we would not be surprised if more follow. That… Read More

October 7, 2019 @ 9:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

Last week, the Alberta Securities Commission (ASC) adopted a “Blanket Order” for “Startup Crowdfunding Registration and Prospectus Exemptions.” In effect, the ASC was seeking to improve access to capital for smaller firms – a good thing- but the move also highlights the disparity between the… Read More

October 3, 2019 @ 12:09 pm By JD Alois  |  

One by one, the big online brokers have fallen into line to eliminate commission on US stocks, ETFs and options trading. Yesterday, after TD Ameritrade and Charles Schwab announced zero commission, E*Trade (NASDAQ: ETFC) did the same. Today, shares in E*Trade have changed little as… Read More

October 2, 2019 @ 9:08 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Banking advisors to the US Federal Reserve have warned that Facebook’s proposed private currency network, Libra, will disrupt conventional banking and could function as a “shadow banking” system if not properly regulated. They also warned that, “In extremis, alternative currencies could usurp the prudential authority… Read More

October 2, 2019 @ 2:38 pm By JD Alois  |  

Earlier this week it was announced by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that it had settled with Block.one, creator of EOS, regarding allegations of issuing unregistered securities during an initial coin offering (ICO) that raised a record-breaking $4 billion. The fine assessed by the… Read More

October 2, 2019 @ 10:27 am By JD Alois  |  

It has been widely reported that the founding members of the Libra Association, Facebook’s stablecoin initiative, have scheduled a meeting to take place in Geneva, Switzerland on October 14th. As the crypto advocates gather, one has to wonder what is on the agenda. First reported… Read More

October 2, 2019 @ 8:11 am By JD Alois  |  

Yesterday, Charles Schwab announced it would eliminate trading commissions on US-listed equities, ETFs and options (keeping a small per contract charge). As Crowdfund Insider predicted, other online brokerages are copying Schwab’s actions as TD Ameritrade (NASDAQ:AMTD) has now done the same. Starting October 3rd, clients… Read More

October 1, 2019 @ 12:06 pm By JD Alois  |  

Yesterday, a prominent group of digital asset exchanges joined in announcing a new “Crypto Rating Council” that sets a score on a crypto asset to better establish whether or not it is a security. While the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has dripped out guidance… Read More

September 29, 2019 @ 6:03 pm By JD Alois  |  

Earlier this month, Innovate Finance CEO Charlotte Crosswell delivered an Open Letter to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson demanding the Enterprise Management Incentive (EMI) be updated to a cap of £100 million from the current £30 million. Simultaneously, the missive asked the government to increase… Read More

September 26, 2019 @ 7:45 pm By JD Alois  |  

Digital Assets are the Future of Securities It is a truism that digital assets are the future of public securities. The ink on paper certificates have had a good run but the digitization of finance is upon us and securities must be digitized. The advent… Read More

September 25, 2019 @ 1:11 pm By JD Alois  |  

The deadline for comments on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s “concept release” on regulatory harmonization was yesterday. But even while the official deadline hit on September 24th, we expect that more comment letters from interested parties will be trickling in over the next few days… Read More

September 24, 2019 @ 5:46 pm By JD Alois  |  

SeedInvest, one of the largest investment crowdfunding platforms in the US, has posted a comment letter pertaining to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) concept release on regulatory harmonization. The comment letter is expected to be “one of multiple” letters with this first one addressing… Read More

September 24, 2019 @ 1:41 pm By JD Alois  |  

Funding Circle (LSE:FCH), a leading peer to peer (marketplace) lending platform serving SMEs, has posted a comment letter regarding the Securities and Exchange Commission (SECs) concept release on regulatory harmonization. Funding Circle is the largest peer to peer lender in the UK – the country… Read More

September 23, 2019 @ 2:45 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed its latest complaint targeting another allegedly fraudulent initial coin offering (ICO). According to a release, the SEC has charged Jonathan C. Lucas, the former founder and CEO of Fantasy Market, an online adult entertainment marketplace, with orchestrating… Read More

September 22, 2019 @ 9:57 pm By JD Alois  |  

Several weeks ago, Crowdfund Insider reported on letters being mailed by the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to individuals regarding possible taxes owed on crypto trading gains. These “CP2000” letters are largely driven by mandatory reporting from cryptocurrency exchanges. As CI has been told, many of… Read More