Opinion

January 8, 2017 @ 5:30 pm By Timothy Li  |  

The following are my top ten Fintech predictions for the coming year. While 2016 has been a momentous period in Fintech innovation there is more to come. 10 – Sensors Internet of Things (IoT), Wearables, Smart Home and Connected Car will bring massive change to… Read More

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

France is doing some chest pounding at CES this week. The country’s delegation is the 3rd largest in attendance after the US and China. Led by Michel Sapin, Minister for the Economy & Finance, and Axelle Lemaire, Minister of the State for Digital Affairs &… Read More

January 4, 2017 @ 4:43 pm By JD Alois  |  

Financial regulations are often enacted with little concrete definition, to say nothing of quantification, of their costs and benefits. Regulators and economists have little understanding of causal mechanisms that may provide benefits and incur costs. Worse, they often think they know cause and effect, either… Read More

January 3, 2017 @ 5:00 pm By Robin Sosnow  |  

  Overcoming Equity Crowdfunding’s $1 Million Maximum Annual Capital Raise Amount Raising Startup Capital through Side-by-Side Equity Crowdfunding (Reg CF) and Regulation D Offerings With the JOBS Act’s advent in 2012, equity crowdfunding was born. The JOBS Act was designed to revolutionize the way businesses… Read More

January 3, 2017 @ 12:05 pm By Erin Hobey  |  

The following table from P2P-Banking.com shows loan originations in P2P lending marketplaces during December 2016, with Funding Circle (114.1M) significantly leading Ratesetter (68.2M euro), Zopa (60.2 M euro) and LendInvest (24.9M euro). Lendix reports an all time record month at 7.7 million euros in loan origination…. Read More

January 2, 2017 @ 4:49 pm By JD Alois  |  

Last year due to time constraints I was unable to publish my list of Crowdfunding/Fintech predictions for 2016. This year I am back once again, for better or worse, peering deep into my crystal ball with a list of prognostications for the coming year. The… Read More

December 31, 2016 @ 4:50 pm By JD Alois  |  

The European Commission has announced the appointment of a group of individuals to advise on sustainable finance. The initiative is part of the ongoing Capital Markets Union (CMU) which took a serious blow following the Brexit decision.  The intent of the expert group is to… Read More

December 30, 2016 @ 9:11 am By JD Alois  |  

Former SEC Commissioner Daniel Gallagher visited the studios of CNBC yesterday to share his perspective on the SEC under the Trump administration.  Gallagher is one of the names being bandied about as the Republican pick for the SEC Chair.  Another possibility is another former Commissioner… Read More

December 29, 2016 @ 8:19 am By Erin Hobey  |  

Cofounded by Fermin Bueno and Andres Fontao who also cofounded Startupbootcamp FinTech LATAM, Finnovisita sees itself as an impact organization that accelerates fintech entrepreneurship in Spanish speaking countries, builds bridges between startups and financial institutions and facilitates the transformation of advanced financial services and the… Read More

December 29, 2016 @ 7:30 am By Samuel Guzik  |  

The beginning of a new year is typically accompanied by renewed hope and positive expectations. 2017 is no exception.  As a staunch advocate of promoting the interests of small business generally, and smart regulation of capital formation, in particular, 2017 stands out to me as… Read More

December 28, 2016 @ 7:23 am By Scott Andersen  |  

FINRA recently completed a settlement expelling from FINRA membership UFP, LLC, a registered funding portal that operated under uFundingPortal.com.   The matter marks both early and decisive action by FINRA against a registered funding portal operating under Regulation Crowdfunding.  It establishes that FINRA takes seriously… Read More

December 27, 2016 @ 11:00 am By JD Alois  |  

  Michael Markowski is making a bold prediction stating Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) will be the first company to breach the $1 trillion mark in valuation.  It is only this year that Microsoft topped $1 trillion in total lifetime revenues.  Microsoft is in the race for securing… Read More

December 27, 2016 @ 5:01 am By Emma Peck  |  

2016 brought with it many positive developments for startups in terms of capital access and tax policy. Investment crowdfunding finally went live, a number of bills to facilitate capital formation passed the House, and the startup community galvanized around a tax bill that would make… Read More

December 23, 2016 @ 8:19 am By Christian Catalini  |  

With a market capitalization of approximately $12 billion and with the price of Bitcoin reaching towards its 2016 high, Bitcoin is both the most established and the most secure cryptocurrency. Its ascendancy has triggered both a great deal of enthusiasm and a fair share of… Read More

December 22, 2016 @ 2:04 pm By Thomas LeTrent and Aaron Schwartz  |  

Market credibility and an emphasis on better transparency will be two key factors for marketplace lending in 2017. 2017 will be a pivotal year for the marketplace lending (MPL) space as the market will seek stabilization in both confidence and venture funding, following a challenging… Read More

December 20, 2016 @ 6:29 am By Erin Hobey  |  

This time of year is a natural time of reflection for most, and the fintech industry isn’t an exception.  This week SyndicateRoom co-founder Tom Britton posted his year review comments, summarizing 2016 as a year of radical change, “politically, economically and socially.” “Brexit, Trump, the Italian… Read More

December 19, 2016 @ 7:00 am By David Burton  |  

Capital formation and entrepreneurship improve economic growth, productivity and real wages. Existing securities laws impede entrepreneurial capital formation. To promote prosperity, Congress and a reconstituted Securities and Exchange Commission need to systematically reduce or eliminate state and federal regulatory barriers hindering entrepreneurs’ access to capital…. Read More

December 18, 2016 @ 6:40 pm By JD Alois  |  

During the past 15 years, the number of emerging growth companies entering the capital markets through IPOs has plummeted relative to historical norms. This trend has transcended economic cycles during that period and has hobbled U.S. job creation. In fact, by one estimate, the decline… Read More

December 17, 2016 @ 5:02 pm By Jason Best & Sherwood Neiss  |  

  Brazil has a number of similarities to the rest of the world when it comes to funding startups, small or medium enterprises (SMEs). These business owners either have to fund their businesses themselves, seek capital from close friends or family, Angels, VCs, or for… Read More

December 15, 2016 @ 4:59 pm By JD Alois  |  

Regulation A, or Reg A+ as everyone now calls it, has been heralded as the future of small IPOs by some. The updated securities exemption was created by Title IV of the JOBS Act and came into effect during 2015. Allowing smaller companies to raise… Read More