Opinion

May 5, 2022 @ 10:53 am By JD Alois  |  

COVID, war, inflation, rising interest rates … the global economy is being hammered from multiple directions right now. After years of calm sailing, a global pandemic marked a dramatic change in markets that have endured a growing list of geopolitical and economic challenges. Like all… Read More

May 4, 2022 @ 10:29 pm By JD Alois  |  

This past March, Chairman Gary Gensler announced the Securities and Exchange Commission was aiming to require disclosure on climate impact for registered firms. The Fact Sheet may be viewed here. Climate-related information would be required in firms’ registration statements and annual reports, including information about… Read More

May 3, 2022 @ 11:20 am By JD Alois  |  

Last year was a big one for the SPAC [special purpose acquisition company] market. Reportedly, 613 SPAC offerings were floated on an exchange easily topping 420 traditional initial public offerings. Since the beginning of 2022, SPAC offerings have slowed to around 62 so far. SPACs… Read More

May 2, 2022 @ 2:38 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Blend Network CEO Yann Murciano has discussed the challenges of building a property “power team.” Yann recently focused on the “all-important” challenge of simplifying and streamlining “overly time-consuming processes and operations.” When speaking with property developers, one of the “most common” complaints that Blend Network… Read More

May 1, 2022 @ 4:27 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission is currently pursuing new rules under the auspices of ESG: Environmental, Social, and Governance. In March of 2022, SEC Chairman Gary Gensler explained they were aiming to require disclosure for firms on issues such as climate impact. He explained: “The… Read More

April 30, 2022 @ 6:26 pm By JD Alois  |  

Crypto donations from around the world have aided both the Ukraine government as well as certain private firms like digital news sites covering the ongoing war with Russia. Crypto transfers can be low-cost and moved quickly (depending on the digital asset) and charitable transfers to… Read More

April 29, 2022 @ 10:39 am By JD Alois  |  

Robinhood (NASDAQ:HOOD) reported earnings this week and they were dismal. Besides negative numbers on both the top and bottom lines, Robinhood reported that Monthly Active Users (MAUs) dropped by a whopping 10% going from 15.9 million in March 2022 from 17.7 million in March 2021…. Read More

April 29, 2022 @ 9:18 am By JD Alois  |  

This week the Times published an article on the Future Fund and its performance, slamming it for “over 30 failures.” Managed by the British Business Bank, the Future Fund was one of several COVID support programs designed to backstop firms impacted by the pandemic. The… Read More

April 28, 2022 @ 3:52 pm By JD Alois  |  

    A couple of weeks back, CI held a webinar with two investment platforms, Rialto Markets and Republic,  which both sell securities online. The topic of discussion was deal quality and the different types of securities issuers pitch when pursuing an investment crowdfunding offering…. Read More

April 26, 2022 @ 8:08 pm By JD Alois  |  

As was noted last week, this past January the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed amendments to the Exchange Act and the definition of an Exchange as well as Regulation ATS (Alternative Trading System). While described in relatively benign terms, the language of the proposed… Read More

April 24, 2022 @ 8:00 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

We recently caught up with Marcus New, CEO and Founder of pre-IPO marketplace InvestX. InvestX delivers access, liquidity, and innovation to the private equity asset class via investments in late-stage private equity on a  trading platform, InvestX GEM. InvestX aims to empower broker-dealers and advisors… Read More

April 20, 2022 @ 6:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

In late January, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed amendments to the Exchange Act and the definition of an Exchange as well as Regulation ATS (Alternative Trading System). The proposal was opened to comments with a deadline of this week (April 18). The SEC… Read More

April 18, 2022 @ 8:01 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Tech sometimes moves at “a dizzying pace.” When it comes to innovation in financial activities, often referred to as Fintech, the world is “seeing major advances,” according to an update from the IMF. For banks, Fintech “disrupts” core financial services and “pushes them to innovate… Read More

April 18, 2022 @ 7:45 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Technology is too often a “blindfold” when it should be a “microscope,” Oxford Risk has warned. Wealth managers or advisers risk failing investors on suitability “by not using technology appropriately to measure ESG preferences and being caught up in the ‘green rush’,” according to behavioral… Read More

April 16, 2022 @ 12:10 pm By JD Alois  |  

Congressman Tom Emmer, a member of the House Committee on Financial Services, has distributed a tweet calling the definition of an Accredited Investor “absurd.” The SEC’s accredited investor regulations are absurd. Gatekeeping wealth creation is un-American. Americans are smart enough to make their own financial… Read More

April 12, 2022 @ 10:31 am By JD Alois  |  

Why should you use a traditional bank over a Fintech – either a neobank (non-chartered financial service provider) or a digital bank (chartered). Good question. Old banks tend to have lots of physical locations and lots of employees that are expensive to keep on staff…. Read More

April 11, 2022 @ 4:47 pm By JD Alois  |  

  Last week, on the anniversary of the JOBS Act of 2012, Republican members of the Senate Banking Committee pitched a new legislative initiative to support entrepreneurship, access to capital, and helping retail investors. The JOBS Act of 2012 legalized online capital formation. The JOBS… Read More

April 10, 2022 @ 7:30 pm By Alexandr Khomich  |  

AI solutions development In the 21st century, artificial intelligence for business is like the invention of electricity over a century ago. Nowadays, AI technologies are also revolutionizing the work of all sectors of the economy. The main thing is to properly implement AI in your… Read More

April 7, 2022 @ 7:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Republican Staff of the House Financial Services Committee has produced a report revisiting the JOBS Act of 2012 and the decade since the legislation became law.  Perhaps the best-known outcome of the legislation was to legalize online capital formation – or crowdfunding – but… Read More

April 6, 2022 @ 5:48 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Republicans on the Senate Banking Committee have submitted draft legislation on the 10th Anniversary of the JOBS Act, called JOBS Act 4.0. The JOBS Act of 2012 was the law that created online capital formation or investment crowdfunding. Three exemptions were legalized that enabled… Read More