Opinion

September 11, 2018 @ 10:50 am By JD Alois  |  

At the meeting of EU financial ministers in Vienna last week, Austria’s Minister of Finance Hartwig Löger said that Europe is working on rules and regulations for crypto assets to support the development of the sector. The meeting included all of the economic and financial affairs… Read More

September 11, 2018 @ 8:55 am By JD Alois  |  

Speaking at the FCA Annual Public Meeting today, Financial Conduct Authority Chief Executive Andrew Bailey delivered a wide-ranging speech on the state of the FCA.  Within prepared remarks, Bailey briefly mentioned innovation in financial services, and specifically cryptoassets. Bundling up “operational resilience” and the consequences… Read More

September 9, 2018 @ 9:30 pm By Steven McClurg and Katie Talati  |  

As the second largest world economy, China is important to examine when considering the crypto market. For most of us, the world revolves around markets, news, and innovation within the United States. However, many may be missing moves made by the Chinese government as it… Read More

September 9, 2018 @ 3:13 pm By JD Alois  |  

Multiple reports have indicated that 29 firms have made the cutoff for the first batch of virtual banking licenses in Hong Kong. Announced in September 2017, the push for digital banks in Hong Kong was designed to “bring Hong Kong into a New Era of… Read More

September 7, 2018 @ 4:08 pm By Stephanie Vaughan  |  

Blockchain, as we all know, is the technology behind cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, and now it is all set to revolutionize the music industry.  Other industries across domains have started leveraging Blockchain technology to explore functions such as transparency, automation of execution, direct payments in… Read More

September 6, 2018 @ 7:00 pm By Alexander Dunaev  |  

Wonga enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame. The company achieved £300 million of revenue in 2012, just six years after it was founded. Managing growth of this nature is enormously challenging and one doesn’t need to look far to spot similar issues at other warp… Read More

September 5, 2018 @ 10:45 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Smiling former PayPal CEO Bill Harris returned to the CNBC talkshow Fast Money in August to slam Bitcoin use cases, characterize the network and its proponents as “a cult” and predict the eventual devaluation of Bitcoin to “close to zero.” But the veteran payments businessperson… Read More

September 5, 2018 @ 6:04 pm By JD Alois  |  

A recent draft of legislation by the European Parliament pertaining to European Crowdfunding Service Providers (ECSP) indicates an interest in rolling in initial coin offerings (ICOs) along with more traditional securities. While still just a draft, the document shows a clear interest in empowering online… Read More

September 5, 2018 @ 4:51 pm By JD Alois  |  

A report from earlier today indicates that Goldman Sachs has decided to shelve its plans to launch a cryptocurrency trading desk. At least in the near term, Goldman is holding off on its crypto ambitions, according to Business Insider. The news immediately threw cold water… Read More

September 5, 2018 @ 1:29 pm By JD Alois  |  

This past spring, Arizona became the first US state to create its very own bespoke Fintech Sandbox thus replicating a successful program initially launched in the UK. Since the UK regulatory authorities launched their Sandbox, many countries have done the same. Arizona House Bill  2343 allows… Read More

September 5, 2018 @ 10:27 am By JD Alois  |  

This past week, HMRC released numbers on the relatively new Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA) that enables savers to invest in debt based crowdfunding offerings. The UK government indicated that IFISA participation had topped £290 million during the 2017/18 tax year, or 8 times more than… Read More

September 4, 2018 @ 9:33 pm By Brian Dally  |  

The idea of banking has been around for thousands of years. Archaeologists traced its origins back to ancient Mesopotamia, where tablets show that individuals recorded lending transactions. Then, as civilization created value for items like grain, rare jewels and, eventually, coinage and cash, banking practices… Read More

September 4, 2018 @ 7:54 am By JD Alois  |  

As in most parts of the world, smaller businesses drive the bulk of job growth in the UK. Over 99% of all UK businesses are SMEs employing 0-249 people and 96% (approximately 5.5 million) are micro-businesses employing up to 9 people, accounting for 33% of… Read More

September 3, 2018 @ 5:00 pm By Steven McClurg  |  

The recently announced $3 billion Bitmain IPO has left many crypto enthusiasts excited for the possibility of a legitimate publicly-traded crypto business. However, when a company creates an exit for a high margin cash flowing business, it usually indicates diminishing growth or margins.  This could… Read More

September 3, 2018 @ 6:23 am By Aubrey Hansen  |  

One of the most significant impediments to mass cryptocurrency adoption is the lack of trust and security in the industry. Users have witnessed or experienced themselves a plethora of malicious attacks and illegitimate business practices on trading exchanges which leave them less prone to being… Read More

September 2, 2018 @ 3:02 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Enterprise Investment Scheme Association (EISA) has scheduled a series of events around the UK to share information on two very important programs:  the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS). These two programs help to incentivize investors to back early stage… Read More

August 31, 2018 @ 10:26 am By JD Alois  |  

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) published its annual report this week and buried within the massive tome are many indications as to the banks perspective on Fintech. One item of note is the fact the RBI is currently studying the possibility of issuing a… Read More

August 31, 2018 @ 9:36 am By JD Alois  |  

The current definition of an accredited investor is profoundly flawed and a travesty of rule making. Everyone knows it. As it stands today, an accredited investors must earn at least $200,000 (jointly $300,000) or have a net worth of $1 million beyond a primary residence…. Read More

August 30, 2018 @ 6:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

Here is an interesting thread I was following recently on Twitter. As we all know, Ethereum is planning to change from Proof of Work (PoW) to Proof of Stake (PoS). There is no need to dive into the pros/cons .. shoulda coulda debate now, but… Read More

August 29, 2018 @ 5:10 pm By JD Alois  |  

Speaking at the 36|86 Entrepreneurship Festival in Nashville today, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Jay Clayton addressed the all important topic of entrepreneurship and access to capital. During his tenure at the SEC, Clayton has consistently expressed his intent to improve the ability of smaller… Read More