Opinion

February 7, 2019 @ 10:42 am By JD Alois  |  

It was recently reported that Facebook has acquired Chainspace, a London-based blockchain startup described as a scalable distributed ledger and smart contract platform. The Chainspace website claims to deliver on “modern expectations of processing power, making it the platform of choice for complex real-world applications.”… Read More

February 7, 2019 @ 9:38 am By Erin Hobey  |  

Last week the NEM.io Foundation made a major move toward transparency and “reboot” of its operating structure after checking the books and seeing “little to no accountability for funds.” “When the new council opened the books on 2018, we saw a lot of talented people… Read More

February 7, 2019 @ 7:01 am By Erin Hobey  |  

OpenInvest, lanched in 2015 by Phil Wei and Conor Murray, the investment platform is a public benefit corporation (PBC) that wants to use tech to “bring honesty and transparency to financial services.”The platform seeks to give investors the opportunity to “align their values” with their… Read More

February 7, 2019 @ 3:38 am By Cali Haan  |  

Veteran cryptographer Bruce Schneier has strongly attacked “trust automation” value claims by blockchain advocates in a piece published in Wired this week called, “There’s No Good Reason to Trust Blockchain Technology.” He also called cryptocurrencies “useless” to anyone but spectators and criminals: “Honestly, cryptocurrencies are useless…. Read More

February 7, 2019 @ 2:17 am By Max Lyadvinsky  |  

A successful startup needs successful venture capital (VC) backing, right? Well, not always. The status quo of startup funding is beginning to shift as smaller, more nimble outfits backed by crowdfunding campaigns have proven that they, too, can reach stratospheric heights. Moreover, the founders of… Read More

February 6, 2019 @ 6:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

Overstock (NASDAQ:OSTK) has issued a release that touts the accomplishments of its blockchain focused securities platform tZero. Overstock is, of course, a discount e-commerce platform – not exactly a business that one would expect to seek to disrupt the financial services industry. But founder Patrick… Read More

February 6, 2019 @ 8:38 am By JD Alois  |  

Just about every financial regulator has had their say about cryptocurrency and a recommended regulatory approach. While some have drawn a line in the sand, others continue to evaluate before crafting bright-line rules. Understandably, it has taken some time for policymakers to get up to… Read More

February 6, 2019 @ 12:15 am By David V Duccini  |  

There’s a Fintech revolution happening in Minnesota. Since passing its own version of intrastate crowdfunding legislation in 2015 and quietly opening its doors in 2016 the state has taken the regional lead in raising more money for more businesses under its “MNvest” exemption as well… Read More

February 5, 2019 @ 9:14 am By Erin Hobey  |  

The German digital insurance platform Friendsurance, which serves nearly 150,000 customers and works together with 175 insurance companies, now offers its digital bancassurance solutions under the new brand name Friendsurance Business. The expansion was made in  response to the increased demand from banks and insurance… Read More

February 4, 2019 @ 3:26 pm By JD Alois  |  

Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) will announce Q4 fiscal 2019 financial results and Q1 fiscal 2020 guidance on its earnings call scheduled for February 14th. The Valentines Day event has removed some of the surprise as Nvidia revealed reduced guidance last week. “Q4 was an extraordinary, unusually turbulent, and… Read More

February 4, 2019 @ 12:00 pm By Onki Kwan  |  

Kik Interactive Inc. (“Kik”), a company based in Canada, raised close to $100 million selling Kin tokens during the initial coin offering (ICO) boom of 2017, making it one of the most successful ICOs. It first sold tokens to accredited investors through a SAFT (Simple… Read More

February 4, 2019 @ 10:20 am By JD Alois  |  

Cutting the Red Tape. We elect and appoint public officials to represent our best interests. Far too often, these policymakers take this mandate as a carte blanche to enact new laws and craft more rules. Unfortunately, this approach can be misguided as well-intentioned politicians and… Read More

February 3, 2019 @ 3:23 pm By Aubrey Hansen   |  

You’ve worked tirelessly on your latest project, and eventually, find yourself sitting with what could be a breakthrough invention. Months, or even years, of hard work have come to fruition, and now you’ve reached the promised land of sorts. Your first instinct may be to… Read More

February 1, 2019 @ 2:43 pm By JD Alois  |  

Regulation Crowdfunding (or Reg CF), created by Title III of the JOBS Act, has been available for several years now. While not without its shortcomings, Reg CF has been leveraged by hundreds of issuers, typically smaller firms, raising over $100 million since May 2016. This past week, Crowdfund Capital… Read More

February 1, 2019 @ 11:23 am By JD Alois  |  

The Chamber of Digital Commerce is calling on the US to act when it comes to policy regarding blockchain (or distributed ledger technology – DLT) and digital assets. The Chamber has long been at the forefront of the policy debate when it comes to cryptocurrency… Read More

January 31, 2019 @ 8:52 pm By Scott Andersen  |  

On January 22, 2019, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) released its examination priorities for 2019.  At the top of the list was online funding platform compliance with the securities laws. With an uptick in the offer and sale of securities offerings online with Rule… Read More

January 31, 2019 @ 8:02 am By Erin Hobey  |  

The social crypto trading platform Blockport plans to launch a multi-stage security token offering (STO) starting in March 2019, with the goal to raise at least 15 million EUR for company expansion. STO Funds are earmarked for establishing operations in the U.S. and other countries,… Read More

January 30, 2019 @ 11:58 pm By JD Alois  |  

Yesterday, the US Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs outlined their top priorities for the 116th Congress. The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Mike Crapo, explained: “[we] will continue to identify and move bipartisan legislative solutions that promote economic growth; build a record for… Read More

January 30, 2019 @ 2:42 am By Cali Haan  |  

JP Morgan analysts have written that the main value of cryptocurrencies would be in situations of “dystopia” where investors have, “lost faith in all major reserve assets (dollar, euro, yen, gold) and in the payments system,” Business Insider reports. According to “a note dated January 24th,”… Read More

January 29, 2019 @ 9:30 am By JD Alois  |  

In a report this past weekend, Kik – a Canada based company, indicated its intent to battle an anticipated enforcement action by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). According to WSJ.com, Kik is willing to go to the mat with the Commission in the… Read More