Opinion

October 24, 2017 @ 2:27 pm By JD Alois  |  

Everyone has been talking about how the Wolf of Wall street bashed Initial Coin Offerings as “the biggest scam ever.” That is quite an accomplishment topping every fraud in modern history. Jordon Belfort, AKA the Wolf of Wall street, spent 22 months in the slammer… Read More

October 24, 2017 @ 9:59 am By JD Alois  |  

Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) has released a comment refernencing a speech by FDIC Chairman Martin Gruenberg on the importance of small banks and the regulatory burden. The ICBA says excessive regulations is forcing the reduction of community banks – a truism that has… Read More

October 23, 2017 @ 11:09 am By JD Alois  |  

Blaine McLaughlin, Chief Operating Officer of VIA Folio, believes issuers leveraging Reg A+ to crowdfund their business  “should think differently about generating investor interest if they are to achieve their fundraising goals.” McLaughlin was referencing, in part, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s statement that expectations have fallen short… Read More

October 23, 2017 @ 9:14 am By JD Alois  |  

“I just don’t believe this Bitcoin thing.” – Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Kingdom Holding Company Chairman Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal was interviewed on CNBC today where he discussed a plethora of political and financial topics. The one that appears to be capturing the most attention… Read More

October 18, 2017 @ 10:30 pm By Erin Hobey  |  

  Fausto Zanetton, the founder and CEO of Tifosy, is living a sports fan’s dream. He helps athletic clubs raise funds online by connecting them with their global fanbase.  He works with the some of the most revered clubs in the most celebrated stadiums in… Read More

October 18, 2017 @ 2:14 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has published principles for data sharing and aggregation regarding individual consumers. As data become ubiquitous there is a looming concern about who owns or controls personal information. In an age of rampant cybersecurity issues, setting guidelines for what banks… Read More

October 18, 2017 @ 8:03 am By JD Alois  |  

This is interesting. Mangrove Capital Partners, a venture capital group based in Luxembourg, has published a report indicating that Initial Coin Offerings are delivering huge returns for investors. Mangrove says investors have received  a return of 1320% on average. This is taking into consideration ICOs… Read More

October 16, 2017 @ 3:12 pm By JD Alois  |  

  Ron Suber has become one of the most recognizable voices in the global Fintech arena. Since officially departing the Fintech he helped to create, the former President of Prosper Marketplace has become an elder statesman for online lending and financial innovation in general. An… Read More

October 15, 2017 @ 5:01 pm By JD Alois  |  

Keith Noreika, acting Comptroller of the Currency, published an Op-Ed in the Hill on Friday that hammered the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) decision to push forward an updated rule on arbitration clauses for financial service firms. At the time the ruling was announced, CFPB… Read More

October 15, 2017 @ 4:17 pm By Joey Garcia and Joshua Ashley Klayman  |  

  On September 22, 2017, the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission (GFSC) issued a Statement on Initial Coin Offerings (ICO).   With the GFSC Statement, Gibraltar joined a growing number of jurisdictions that have provided token sale guidance, including, among others, the United States, Canada,  Singapore,  Hong… Read More

October 11, 2017 @ 8:54 am By JD Alois  |  

There are two ways that big business competes in the USA. You can provide a better product or service for your customers or you can work with elected and appointed officials to block innovative firms. Of course, the consumer loses out in all this, but… Read More

October 8, 2017 @ 6:35 am By JD Alois  |  

The US Department of Treasury has published a report on ways the government may streamline and reduce burdens of capital markets regulation. The report is an interesting compendium of the pressing need to reduce regulatory hurdles while pointing to policy initiatives that can improve access… Read More

October 6, 2017 @ 8:35 am By JD Alois  |  

Andrew Hauser, the Executive Director of Banking, Payments and Financial Resilience from the Bank of England, delivered a speech today explaining why “this time is different.” His statement reflected on detractors who criticize Fintech as more of the same. Sure, ATMs came along and they were… Read More

October 5, 2017 @ 10:02 pm By JD Alois  |  

Late last month, Christine Lagarde, International Monetary Fund Managing Director, delivered a speech in the UK envisioning a future without banks. Now Lagarde did not say banks will no longer exist but she stepped up to the precipice of the death of banking stating there… Read More

October 5, 2017 @ 2:26 pm By JD Alois  |  

Acting Comptroller of the Currency, Keith Noreika, delivered a speech to midsize bank risk officers today that struck a positive note. The head of the OCC said there was much room for optimism as the regulatory pendulum has shifted away from the monolithic belief that… Read More

October 5, 2017 @ 11:39 am By Erin Hobey  |  

“There are five times fewer small scale developers today than in the last housebuilding boom and not a single one of today’s top ten housebuilders was created before 1990. There is a clear monopoly in the sector,” clarified LendInvest Co-Founder & CEO Christian Faes. “What was clear… Read More

October 4, 2017 @ 11:19 pm By JD Alois  |  

Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton spent much of today visiting with the House Financial Services Committee. This was his first hearing before the Committee since he took the helm of the regulatory agency. Much of Clayton’s prepared remarks echoed his visit to the… Read More

October 3, 2017 @ 7:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority or FINRA is currently in the midst of a comprehensive review of its rules and practices. The internal project has been labeled FINRA 360 and is said to ensure that FINRA is operating as the most effective self-regulatory organization it can be…. Read More

October 3, 2017 @ 8:57 am By Erin Hobey  |  

Robo.cash, an automated P2P lending platform that includes a buyback guarantee, recently celebrated its own steady growth during 2017 Q2, noting that its total amount of investments now exceeds €1.8 million. In addition, nearly €400,000 in loans were added in August alone, while the  average invested… Read More

October 2, 2017 @ 6:01 pm By JD Alois  |  

Marco Santori, Fintech Team Leader at the law firm of Cooley LLP, has published a white paper tackling the issue of “Simple Agreement for Future Tokens” or SAFTs – the widely used structure for Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs). Santori proposes a path toward a compliant framework… Read More