Opinion

May 22, 2015 @ 10:00 am By Erin Hobey  |  

“We are extremely excited by the possibilities of the next decade in the alternative finance market… OnDeck’s vision is to transform how money flows to small businesses by leveraging our platform to provide capital on demand for small business owners. The data flowing through a small… Read More

May 21, 2015 @ 9:15 am By Dara Albright  |  

The thing that excites me most about today’s crowdfinance-inspired path of capital formation is its unprecedented ability to mitigate shareholder risk and groom more productive businesses. It does this by allowing companies to gauge consumer demand and presell products prior to it outlaying any manufacturing,… Read More

May 20, 2015 @ 12:00 pm By Casper Arboll  |  

  Crowdinvesting has contributed to the development of new organizational forms that in particular affects entrepreneur – investor relations. In this new reality, it is normal for startups to have an average of 125 investors. A potential burden for small founder teams, but also a… Read More

May 20, 2015 @ 8:43 am By Erin Hobey  |  

In an article posted today in the Luxumburger Wort, Luxembourg Finance Minister Pierre Gramegna commented that FinTech is the engine driving new financial services business models, promoting the Grand Duchy as a location for the burgeoning ICT sector. “What Silicon Valley has in Tech, we have in Fin,”… Read More

May 19, 2015 @ 11:35 am By Sandi Gilbert  |  

Six Canadian provinces jumped into the equity crowdfunding space in a big way on May 14, 2015. British Columbia, Saskatchewan,  Quebec, Manitoba, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia announced a new prospectus exemption for early stage companies to raise capital. When I first read the press release,… Read More

May 19, 2015 @ 9:36 am By Mor Assia  |  

With a compound annual growth rate of 88% since 2011, crowdfunding, particularly equity crowdfunding, is taking off. The decentralization of finance gives individuals more choice and control as to where they invest their money, and simultaneously offers startups access to new sources of capital. So… Read More

May 16, 2015 @ 10:33 am By JD Alois  |  

There is a lot of discussion going on the merits of participating in BrewDog’s most recent Equity for Punks crowdfunding round.  The 4th go at raising capital from the crowd, this one is the most ambitious to date seeking a raise of £25 million from… Read More

May 15, 2015 @ 10:58 am By Erin Hobey  |  

“The [SyndicateRoom] model was a result of my experience. I was working with business angels when equity crowdfunding appeared. I loved the idea of a wider group getting access to investment in early stage companies, but I didn’t like how it was being done, and… Read More

May 14, 2015 @ 11:21 am By JD Alois  |  

One of the most vocal advocates for small business and rational rule making is leaving the Securities and Exchange Commission.  Daniel Gallagher, an SEC Commissioner for the past four years, has reportedly told multiple people he is ready to move on after a vocal tenure… Read More

May 13, 2015 @ 12:05 am By Barry James  |  

EU Poised to Tax Crowdfunding Campaigns Potentially Killing Off Source of SME Funding Will Crowdfunders from the US and across the world be caught in the crossfire as the EU quietly prepares to declare war on the Internet’s behemoths? The European Union is considering the… Read More

May 11, 2015 @ 12:17 pm By JD Alois  |  

While regulators and some politicians worry that investors may lose money, since investing happens to involve risk, the quote below is exactly why investment crowdfunding is dearly needed: “We went through bank after bank. They couldn’t justify giving out a loan to two guys starting a… Read More

May 8, 2015 @ 12:27 pm By Chen Hung-Yi  |  

  Crowdfunding is estimated to be commencing this May (2015) in Taiwan. To encourage the development of start-ups and SMEs, the financial authority in Taiwan, which is called Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC), will provide a regulatory structure for crowdfunding. Since the Security Act in Taiwan requires the… Read More

May 8, 2015 @ 8:36 am By JD Alois  |  

The UK has differentiated its economy, and much other policy, from the mainland Europe.  While many EU countries experience disappointing economic growth, the UK has performed better.  Policies and pronouncements from the Cameron government, now preparing for round two at Number 10 Downing, have resonated… Read More

May 7, 2015 @ 12:00 pm By Anthony Zeoli  |  

Normally when I write about updates on intrastate crowdfunding legislation it’s simply to let readers know that one, two, maybe even as many as three states have either enacted or proposed new legislation. Not this time, however, as the first quarter of 2015 has brought… Read More

May 7, 2015 @ 7:44 am By JD Alois  |  

As all of the UK awaits final election results, James Tuckett, Managing Director of investUP, has highlighted his top priorities to boost SMEs for the next UK government. Today there are over 5 million small companies in the UK, as with much of the world, small… Read More

May 6, 2015 @ 9:30 pm By JD Alois  |  

  Orchard describes its beginning as a small circle of friends, driven by the same interests, with a desire to make a difference in the alternative lending space.  But what was once a bit of a hobby is now a pretty enormous and incredible business. I… Read More

May 4, 2015 @ 12:45 pm By JD Alois  |  

The growing number of securities in early stage companies is indicative of new funding channels for young innovative firms. Matching investor to issuer has been a challenging task in the path as the process has largely been cut off from mass distribution and discovery as the market… Read More

May 4, 2015 @ 7:47 am By Ludwine Dekker  |  

Crowdfunding is coming of age. Crowdfunding is at turn point from being “alternative” towards being “normal”. This is a good development as it should unlock more funding as more people, who might still consider crowdfunding a bit exotic, will join. In addition, normalisation indicates that… Read More

May 4, 2015 @ 12:08 am By JD Alois  |  

Ning Tang, CEO and founder of CreditEase – the first peer to peer lending platform in China, recently shared “ten thoughts” about the evolution of P2P lending and online finance. CreditEase was founded in 2006 prior to P2P lending becoming a popular term, the CreditEase… Read More

May 3, 2015 @ 10:43 pm By JD Alois  |  

With the booming popularity of marketplace lending, Wall Street is “scoffing” no more.  An article in Bloomberg recently described P2P lending as a “seemingly wacky idea” instead of the natural evolution that it truly is. But where the article is spot on, is the growing… Read More