Opinion

November 1, 2015 @ 9:10 am By JD Alois  |  

  Kiran Lingam, a securities attorney and Fintech investor, previewed the SEC’s meeting on Title III equity crowdfunding last week.  In an article entitled 11 Big Questions Heading Into Tomorrow’s SEC Crowdfunding Vote, he outlined pressing issues regarding proposed rules and what it meant for issuers and… Read More

November 1, 2015 @ 7:41 am By JD Alois  |  

Equity Crowdfunding Platform Quire Prepares to Leverage New Title III Crowdfunding Rules Quire, originally operating under the name Alphaworks, is part of the Betaworks ecosystem.  Betaworks is a startup factory and seed stage VC company that is associated with some big VC names. Betaworks, founded… Read More

October 30, 2015 @ 5:10 pm By Sherwood Neiss and Jason Best  |  

When we showed up in Washington, D.C., Karen Kerrigan, of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council, became a champion for our cause to legalize debt and equity crowdfunding. Karen, and the SBE Council, is the closest thing small businesses and entrepreneurs have to a lobby… Read More

October 30, 2015 @ 1:43 pm By JD Alois  |  

SEC Commissioner Michael Piwowar cast the lone dissenting vote regarding final rules for Title III equity crowdfunding and proposed updates to Rule 147 which impact intrastate crowdfunding. Piwowar, the lone Republican appointee following the departure of Commissioner Gallagher, expressed his concern that Title III rules… Read More

October 30, 2015 @ 1:24 pm By JD Alois  |  

  Fundrise co-founder and CEO Ben Miller has released a letter commenting on final rules for retail equity crowdfunding which were revealed today by the SEC. Fundrise is a leading real estate crowdfunding platform that trailblazed non-accredited investing with their utilization of the old Regulation… Read More

October 30, 2015 @ 12:32 pm By Georgia Quinn  |  

What took place this morning is nothing short of revolutionary. For the first time in the history of the Securities and Exchange Commission (82 years), retail investors (ordinary people without income, wealth or sophistication qualifications) will be able to invest in private businesses en mass…. Read More

October 30, 2015 @ 11:13 am By JD Alois  |  

Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Mary Jo White opened up the meeting on Title III crowdfunding and rules impacting intrastate crowdfunding today with an explanatory statement on the agencies rule making process.  The much-anticipated announcement incorporated several changes  which will be well received by the… Read More

October 30, 2015 @ 8:41 am By JD Alois  |  

Anticipating the forthcoming vote and final rules on Title III, retail crowdfunding, later today by the SEC, John Berlau from the Competitive  Enterprise Institute believes the Commission will provide much needed regulatory relief; Today’s equity crowdfunding rules from the Securities and Exchange Commission implementing Title… Read More

October 30, 2015 @ 1:00 am By Therese Torris  |  

Insights from the European Crowdfunding Convention 2015 The European Crowdfunding Network (ECN) has been holding its 4th Convention in Paris. The main topic of the first day was the Capital Markets Union and its implications for crowdfunding. The European equity funding gap The Capital Markets… Read More

October 29, 2015 @ 2:34 pm By JD Alois  |  

Antonio Weiss, Counselor to the Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew, spoke earlier today at the Information Management Network Conference in New York City. The topic of his speech was the marketplace / P2P lending industry and the recent interest by Treasury officials and their… Read More

October 29, 2015 @ 10:00 am By JD Alois  |  

Vocal proponent of smaller enterprise, Louise Beaumont, believes UK SMEs continue to suffer under the realm of traditional banks.  Beaumont is Head of Public Affairs at GLI Finance, a firm that is in the innovative finance space providing new forms of finance. The Bank of… Read More

October 29, 2015 @ 8:41 am By Kiran Lingam  |  

At long last (3 years, 6 months, 25 days since signing of the JOBS Act to be exact), we will get Title III equity crowdfunding rules tomorrow potentially opening up a new novel avenue for small businesses to raise capital. When the original rules were… Read More

October 29, 2015 @ 6:00 am By Matt Burton  |  

Last week, Mike Cagney, the CEO of SoFi, gave an interview in the San Francisco Business Journal in which he made some fairly controversial comments. It instantly made the rounds in the industry and has become  a topic of much debate. I recommend reading the… Read More

October 28, 2015 @ 9:00 am By Samuel Guzik  |  

I will not be discouraged by failure; I will not be elated by success.” Joseph B. Lightfoot The bigger than life headline yesterday? The long-awaited news that the SEC’s five Commissioners would be convening this coming Friday to vote on, and presumably approve final Title III… Read More

October 27, 2015 @ 1:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

Equity crowdfunding platform Quire partnered with mattermark a few weeks back on a survey asking individuals if they would be interested in investing in early stage companies.  The results are telling. Today, the vast majority of the population has been excluded from investing in startups… Read More

October 27, 2015 @ 11:00 am By Erin Hobey  |  

  “We think that the research will provide useful metrics on which sound policy can be built and measured.  Ideally, policy should encourage opportunity and entrepreneurship.” Working at the intersection of entrepreneurship and marketing communications, Professor Robert Rosenberg of the University of Chicago Booth School of… Read More

October 24, 2015 @ 9:49 am By JD Alois  |  

Last week Tracey McDermott, Acting Chief Executive at the Financial Conduct Authority, delivered a speech addressing a pressing issue in the world of financial regulation.  It was driven upon the fact that most policy makers create new rules following periods of crisis. This is soon followed… Read More

October 23, 2015 @ 1:42 pm By Therese Torris  |  

Part II: Seen & Heard at Lendit Europe If you missed attending Lendit Europe, you missed a great event. You can catch up on a selection of presentations on Lendit . For short skimming, we’ve selected a few thought-provoking quotes from day 2. You may also… Read More

October 22, 2015 @ 12:38 pm By Erin Hobey  |  

In a Deloitte report entitled “Bitcoin at the crossroads,”  Managing Director Jon Watts opines that Bitcoin need not yet be regulated, offering three reasons why global policy makers and regulators may want to consider giving Bitcoin more time to develop. Regulation could in fact slow innovation, an innovation with a… Read More

October 22, 2015 @ 8:05 am By JD Alois  |  

Uber is a poster child for the collaborative economy and the new breed of unicorns cropping up. The profound success of Uber and their disruptive approach to public transport has flipped the taxi-cab industry upside down – for the better. Sure, they are marching in… Read More