Opinion

December 10, 2017 @ 3:30 pm By JD Alois  |  

On December 1st, the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) announced it would close 62 RBS branches and 197 NatWest branches. The shuttering of these bank branches is not unique to RBS and is indicative of the global Fintech revolution. This is not the first time… Read More

December 10, 2017 @ 11:23 am By JD Alois  |  

This past week saw a bit of reversal in South Korea’s stance on Initial Coin Offerings (ICO). In September, it was reported that Korea had decided to totally ban ICOs following a similar approach by China. But during a presentation at the National Assembly by… Read More

December 7, 2017 @ 9:58 am By JD Alois  |  

Another day, another record for the worlds most popular cryptocurrency. Bitcoin has been hurdling along toppling records in thousand dollar leaps. We last reported, two days ago, that Bitcoin had topped $12,000. In hindsight, that report (and amount) seems premature as Bitcoin seems rather determined… Read More

December 6, 2017 @ 4:06 pm By Amy Wan  |  

In the early days of Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs), basically for much of this year, one of the keys of a successful ICO raise was ability to snag a crypto-influencer onto one’s advisory board – or to get them to be an early investor in… Read More

December 6, 2017 @ 11:16 am By JD Alois  |  

The Bitcoin Foundation has been working diligently to mitigate language of pending legislation, “The Combating Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing, and Counterfeiting Act of 2017″ (S.1241), in the US Senate that would define anyone issuing, redeeming or cashing Bitcoin as a financial institution. Think about what that… Read More

December 5, 2017 @ 4:04 pm By Howard Marks  |  

It is clear that the SEC is going to do an enforcement action against a number of Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs), and the people who are selling utility tokens to investors for Bitcoin or Ether cryptocurrencies. Most ICOs are conducted by companies that have not… Read More

December 4, 2017 @ 2:53 pm By Barry James  |  

It was recently reported that the former chief economist of the World Bank wants Bitcoin banned, saying “Bitcoin is successful only because of its potential for circumvention, lack of oversight” You missed something crucial. Because of the ‘McKinsey’ factor. The operative rules (laws of nature from… Read More

December 1, 2017 @ 1:32 pm By Barry James  |  

Until now ‘Fintech’ has had a rather timid relationship with crowdfunding – and to put it bluntly many Fintech founders would have rather be seen dead in a ditch than crowdfunding a million dollars or two – even as a first step. Until now. Initial… Read More

November 30, 2017 @ 10:00 am By Erin Hobey  |  

    Launched in NYC in 2015, YieldStreet aims to allow people to invest in alternative investments that are backed by real collateral. With the ultimate mission of “prosperity for all,” YieldStreet has plans to help “millions” of investors attain financial independence. With a world-class advisory… Read More

November 29, 2017 @ 10:36 am By JD Alois  |  

The Tezos legal battle continues as the Restis Law firm in San Diego, along with Lite DePalma Greenberg, have filed a class action law suit in the state of California on behalf of GGCC, LLC against Dynamic Ledger Solutions (DLS), Tezos Stiftung (a Swiss Foundation), Kathleen Breitman… Read More

November 29, 2017 @ 9:00 am By JD Alois  |  

The price of Bitcoin (BTC) has been on an absolute hyperbolic ascent this past year. Yesterday, Bitcoin topped $10,000 and currently stands over $11,0000. One year ago, Bitcoin was priced at around $730. Think about that for a moment. IF you had purchased Bitcoin last… Read More

November 28, 2017 @ 9:08 am By Anthony Zeoli  |  

If you’ve been under a rock for the last year or so, you might not know that “initial coin offerings” or ICOs are the hottest thing in the financial market today. As if the fact that the overwhelming majority of ICOs aren’t regulated in any… Read More

November 26, 2017 @ 12:00 pm By Patrick A. Reardon  |  

On September 13, 2017, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Advisory Committee on Small and Emerging Companies held its final meeting.  The SEC will replace this Advisory Committee with the new statutorily established Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee. At this meeting, the Advisory Committee adopted… Read More

November 25, 2017 @ 8:07 am By JD Alois  |  

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has endured a stormy odyssey in its short tenure as the newest federal bureaucracy in Washgton, DC. Yesterday, the storm strengthened as outgoing Director Richard Cordray selected Leandra English to lead the CFPB as Acting Director. In a one-two punch,… Read More

November 24, 2017 @ 7:49 pm By JD Alois  |  

Many people are still sorting through the various proposals announced by Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond during the Autumn Budget statement from the past week. Parsing through the nuances of the many policy pronouncements is an annual affair. So what is in the Budget… Read More

November 22, 2017 @ 6:15 pm By JD Alois  |  

Joseph Otting, a former banker and CEO of OneWest Bank, was approved by the Senate in a party line vote last week to take over the helm at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). As Comptroller, Otting will be stepping into an… Read More

November 22, 2017 @ 9:44 am By JD Alois  |  

The Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond proposed an update to the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) in the Autumn budget presented at the House of Commons today. The measures will increase the annual limit for individuals to £2 million – provided that anything over £1… Read More

November 22, 2017 @ 7:13 am By JD Alois  |  

The much anticipated Autumn budget will be revealed by Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond soon. In advance of the speech at the House of Commons there has been much speculation and plenty of rumors as to what exactly will be included in the exceptionally… Read More

November 21, 2017 @ 10:04 pm By AdaPia d'Errico  |  

Both venture capital (VC) investing and real estate investing involve some level of risk assessment, they both have the potential for big returns, and investors have the opportunity to help someone else reach a desired goal. Despite this common ground, there are some distinct differences…. Read More

November 21, 2017 @ 12:42 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Cardozo Blockchain Project is an initiative from Cardozo Law School that seeks to address the legal issues and challenges related to Blockchain technology and the fast emerging Initial Coin Offering market. The project is directed by Prof. Aaron Wright but includes the input and… Read More