Opinion

April 4, 2016 @ 10:33 am By Anthony Zeoli  |  

A new Bill (H.R. 4831) was recently introduced by Representative J. French Hill which looks to amend the rules of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”) concerning  “subchapter S” qualified corporations (“S Corps”), and the limited number of permitted S Corp shareholders, to… Read More

April 3, 2016 @ 3:11 pm By Weiyangx  |  

  A decade ago, bank salespersons were seen at almost every street corner in Taipei. Apart from credit cards, they also offered unsecured micro-loans to ordinary people. As long as you didn’t have a criminal record and could provide your basic information such as ID… Read More

April 3, 2016 @ 11:42 am By JD Alois  |  

The CrowdfundingHub, based in the Netherlands, has published a report on the state of the crowdfunding industry in 27 different European countries. The organization worked with 30 different individuals across Europe to produce the report. The release, coordinated with an event that took place last… Read More

April 1, 2016 @ 6:12 pm By JD Alois  |  

As Albert Einstein so eloquently commented on the human ability of being duped; “Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former.” Yes, most of us have fallen prey to good intentions gone bad at one point… Read More

March 31, 2016 @ 9:49 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Bank of England has released the monthly statistics regarding lending and according to the BOE lending to non-financial SMEs grew by £0.7 billion compared to an average monthly increase of £0.2 billion over the previous 6 months. Certainly an improvement.  Louise Beaumont, an executive… Read More

March 31, 2016 @ 6:01 pm By Robin Sosnow  |  

The “democratization of investment” in historically closed industries have been the buzzwords of choice since the JOBS Act was signed into to law in 2012. But only since March 25, 2015, when the SEC voted to adopt the proposed rules implementing Title IV, was access… Read More

March 30, 2016 @ 3:26 pm By Therese Torris  |  

The French Minister of Economy, Emmanuel Macron was the guest star of the 3rd annual meeting of the French crowdfunding association. He expressed his commitment to the crowdfunding economy, shared his views on the regulation of innovation, and, to prove his point, announced several significant… Read More

March 29, 2016 @ 1:20 pm By Amy Wan  |  

  In translating the JOBS Act into final regulations, the SEC sought to protect investors in myriads ways: limiting certain opportunities to accredited investors, implementing caps on the annual amount certain investors may invest, and requiring certain disclosures, among other things. Understandably, the bulk of… Read More

March 28, 2016 @ 4:00 am By Samuel Guzik  |  

  It’s been five months or so since the SEC published its long awaited investment crowdfunding rules.  Though Congress dictated that this task be completed by the end of 2012, the SEC missed the mark by nearly three years.  Now, with rules in hand, and… Read More

March 27, 2016 @ 8:47 pm By JD Alois  |  

A growing number of platforms are offering credit to their consumers as it appears just about everyone is getting into the online lending business these days. Square (NYSE:SQ), in launching loans from Square Capital provided by Celtic Bank in Utah, has provided another incremental service… Read More

March 25, 2016 @ 12:34 pm By Shane Smith  |  

  Recently, two London School of Economics professors published this fascinating paper on equity crowdfunding. Some industry players were quick to suggest that it provided proof that all investors make informed decisions based on objective investment criteria. I take issue with those interpretations. Examining a few… Read More

March 25, 2016 @ 11:25 am By Lao Zhuo, Weiyangx  |  

The property prices in China’s major cities has surged in recent months, first in Shenzhen, then Shanghai and Beijing. The rapid appreciation of property is drawing people’s attention back to the concept of real estate crowdfunding. Four types of real estate crowdfunding Real estate crowdfunding… Read More

March 22, 2016 @ 6:08 pm By JD Alois  |  

A new bill seeking to improve access to capital for small business is making its way through Congress right now. The “Micro Lending Safe Harbor Act”, sponsored by Congressman Tom Emmer, has captured some solid endorsements as both the National Small Business Association and the Small Business… Read More

March 22, 2016 @ 11:37 am By JD Alois  |  

IW Capital is a private equity firm that seeks to invest in promising early stage companies while taking advantage of the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) tax exemption. The EIS (along with the Seed Investment Enterprise Scheme) mitigates a certain amount of investment risk and has… Read More

March 21, 2016 @ 7:46 pm By JD Alois  |  

The lawsuit against the SEC targeting the updated exemption called Reg A+ will take another step forward next month as oral arguments are scheduled to be heard in the US Court of Appeals, District of Columbia. The case known as Monica J. Lindeen, Montana State… Read More

March 21, 2016 @ 11:20 am By Amy Wan  |  

  Recently, JD Alois wrote a warning to investors about fraudsters attempting to impersonate officials from the Securities and Exchange Commission. This week, we’re warning borrowers and sponsors about scam artists that claim to work for or with crowdfunding platforms. Fraud in the lending or real… Read More

March 20, 2016 @ 11:31 am By JD Alois  |  

Engine, an advocacy group based in San Francisco that promotes policy that supports all of the cool technology bubbling up from the most creative community in the world, has added their $0.02 to the debate regarding the definition of an Accredited Investor. The discussion regarding… Read More

March 20, 2016 @ 10:47 am By Robert Riedl  |  

Well, the Federal Reserve has spoken again and though we are all listening, sometimes it’s hard to tell what all those carefully crafted paragraphs actually mean.  So here’s a quick snapshot of the top three things that you, as a small business owner, should know…. Read More

March 19, 2016 @ 9:00 am By JD Alois  |  

In a post on Medium earlier this week, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy revealed details of a plan to boost and encourage innovation in the largest economy in the world. Partnering on the project with Chief Deputy Whip Patrick McHenry, a Representative who was vital… Read More

March 18, 2016 @ 8:18 pm By Louise Beaumont  |  

  The global alternative finance industry has undergone staggering growth in recent years. In 2015 combined market activity in the UK grew 84% from £1.74bn the year before to £3.2bn. Around 20,000 SMEs raised approximately £2.2bn in funding through online channels, representing a year-on-year growth… Read More