Opinion

March 15, 2017 @ 5:00 pm By Erin Hobey  |  

“Having trusted, independent research is critical to cutting through some of the noise from a fast-changing space like alternative finance…We cut across to give a big picture view which isn’t typically available in other research.” It’s official, alternative finance platforms have been granted an extension… Read More

March 15, 2017 @ 2:55 am By JD Alois  |  

Early stage companies need funding to launch and grow. That is a fact. But early stage companies are the riskiest of firms and thus unable to attract debt or bank financing. The solution is to ask friends, families and, perhaps, angel investors to provide equity… Read More

March 14, 2017 @ 12:08 pm By Spencer Li  |  

One of the fundamental differences between Chinese and US lending platforms can be found just by examining the home pages of their websites. Most, if not all, US platforms’ landing pages are targeted at borrowers and exhibit mainly information around borrowing whereas, on those of… Read More

March 13, 2017 @ 10:34 am By Robin Sosnow  |  

  “Them that’s got shall get / Them that’s not shall lose / So the Bible said”… and is it still news? Raising significant amounts of capital has never been easy for anyone. For some, it has been a higher hurdle than for others. The… Read More

March 12, 2017 @ 9:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

Innovate Finance, the group that champion’s Fintech innovation in the UK and around the world, has shared the opinion of their Policy and Research Team on the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Phillip Hammond’s Spring Budget. Innovate Finance said they were pleased with the announcement that technical… Read More

March 12, 2017 @ 6:05 pm By JD Alois  |  

Entrepreneurship and the creation of small business is vital to the economic growth of the country and the welfare of the nation. This is a simple, indisputable fact. Yet too frequently, small business and entrepreneurs get pushed to the side as policymakers and regulators focus… Read More

March 10, 2017 @ 12:17 pm By JD Alois  |  

LendItUSA, the annual event that jumps between New York City and San Francisco everu 12 months, opened up to larger audiences and an industry sector that endured a challenging year. The online lending sector received a two-punch assault in 2016; a battle that left the… Read More

March 8, 2017 @ 1:25 pm By JD Alois  |  

Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond delivered the final Spring budget today. Many policy questions persist as the UK separates itself from the European Union: Will the UK be able to maintain its leading economic status in Europe? Will the UK hold onto its dominance… Read More

March 7, 2017 @ 10:21 am By JD Alois  |  

Comptroller of the Currency Thomas J. Curry delivered a speech yesterday (March 6, 2017) at the annual LendIt conference where he discussed his recent proposal for a Fintech Charter. The OCC Fintech Charter, as it is described, is designed to bring innovative financial firms under… Read More

March 6, 2017 @ 10:20 am By Amy Wan  |  

It seems that at least once a week nowadays, I get a call asking whether an initial coin offering (ICO) is regulated at all, and the question came to a head at a recent Legal Hackers LA discussion on smart contracts by Daniel Rice. The… Read More

March 6, 2017 @ 7:30 am By JD Alois  |  

LendInvest, an online property finance marketplace, is demanding the government to revise its treatment of small and medium-sized property investment and development companies. Noting that four in five SMEhouse builders have disappeared since last housebuilding boom, LendInvest is calling on the government to recognize the… Read More

March 6, 2017 @ 7:14 am By JD Alois  |  

Stuart Law, CEO and co-founder of P2P lender Assetz Capital, expects a boost for the peer to peer lending sector in the upcoming budget. Specifically, Law believes a small business tax rise and IFISA rule change could boost the online lending sector. “In just a few… Read More

March 5, 2017 @ 9:00 am By Niels Turfboer  |  

As an industry, fintech has grown to the point that we can now start analysing its development. Many commentators have divided Fintech’s lifespan into ‘waves’. The first wave is centred around disruption, the second around collaboration, and the third wave – although more disputed –… Read More

March 3, 2017 @ 1:59 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), under the auspices of the Division of Economic and Risk Analysis (DERA), published a white paper on Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF) earlier this week. The report, written by Vladimir Ivanov and Anzhela Knyazeva, is basically a point in time… Read More

March 3, 2017 @ 8:08 am By JD Alois  |  

The Innovative Finance ISA or IFISA has been heralded by many in the P2P lending sector as a boon for the industry. Investors now have the ability to participate in P2P loans while benefiting from the tax deferred nature of ISAs. Yet the Financial Conduct… Read More

March 1, 2017 @ 8:13 am By JD Alois  |  

SyndicateRoom, a leading equity crowdfunding platform, has been championing IPO reform for some time now.  Gonçalo de Vasconcelos, CEO and co-founder of SyndicateRoom, welcomed the announcement earlier today that the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published a consultation paper addressing existing shortcomings in the IPO… Read More

February 28, 2017 @ 12:00 pm By Gillian Roche-Saunders  |  

This morning every P2P platform received a Dear CEO letter from the FCA, stating that platforms should not facilitate loans to a party who lends those monies onwards, unless that party is authorised for accepting deposits.  The issue here is really with the underlying lenders… Read More

February 23, 2017 @ 11:47 am By JD Alois  |  

Former SEC Commissioner and Trump administration advisor Paul Atkins chatted with CNBC today about the forthcoming Dodd-Frank replacement. Dodd-Frank was the pinnacle legislation crafted during the ashes of the Great Recession designed to address shortcomings within the financial services industry. While its intent may have… Read More

February 22, 2017 @ 9:28 pm By Therese Torris  |  

The French Crowdfunding Association (Financement Participatif France) released today the 3rd edition of its annual industry Barometer. For the first time, the data was compiled by auditing and consulting firm KPMG, which lends to the Barometer additional weight. The association was represented, among other board… Read More

February 21, 2017 @ 8:58 pm By JD Alois  |  

  Sara Hanks is well known in the alternative finance/crowdfunding space. Hanks is CEO and founder of CrowdCheck –  a due diligence, disclosure and compliance services for online capital formation. She is a Board member of CFIRA and is the current Chair of the SEC’s… Read More