Politics, Legal & Regulation

March 22, 2017 @ 9:40 pm By JD Alois  |  

The House Financial Services Committee, Subcommittee on Capital Markets, met for the first time in 2017.  A new Chairman, Congressman Bill Huizenga, managed the proceedings for the first topic of the year regarding the “Impact of the JOBS Act After Five Years”. The Hearing involved the… Read More

March 21, 2017 @ 10:18 pm By JD Alois  |  

Austrade, the Australian government trade commission for exporters and information for companies wanting to do business with Australia, is in China this week. A delegation of Aussie representatives are in Shenzhen and Shanghai sizing up Fintech opportunites.. Austrade says the emergence of China’s vibrant Fintech… Read More

March 21, 2017 @ 4:16 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) and Austrade have signed a new collaboration agreement designed to improve the flow of Fintech innovation between the UK and Australia. Austrade is the Australian government’s ministry of Trade, Tourism and Investment. The agreement is said to be used… Read More

March 21, 2017 @ 9:45 am By JD Alois  |  

Senator Mike Crapo and Senator Sherrod Brown, have asked the public to pitch ideas as to how to boost economic growth. Crapo, a Republican, is the Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee. Brown is the ranking Democrat on the same committee. In an act of… Read More

March 21, 2017 @ 1:26 am By JD Alois  |  

Here is the explanatory memorandum on the Australian crowdfunding legislation that is expected to soon become law. Labeled by the Aussies as “Crowd-sourced funding” or CSF, the rules are designed to provide financing for innovative firms and additional opportunities for retail investors.  The memo, embedded… Read More

March 20, 2017 @ 2:30 pm By JD Alois  |  

In Europe, the cultural and creative sectors (CCS) are not very familiar with crowdfunding. In order to better understand and evaluate the potential of crowdfunding for creatives and cultural organizations, the European Commission has launched Crowdfunding4Culture. The initiative seeks to pinpoint what actions public authorities should take… Read More

March 20, 2017 @ 11:47 am By Amy Wan  |  

On Monday, March 6, 2017, Congressman Patrick McHenry gave keynote remarks at the Lendit Conference in New York City. Among the themes of his speech, McHenry talked about the need for financial inclusion, citing a statistic that counties with less than 100,000 in population saw… Read More

March 20, 2017 @ 7:49 am By JD Alois  |  

Earlier today we reported that the Australian Senate had approved crowdfunding legislation (Crowd-sourced funding) that will allow firms to raise up to A$5 million (about $3.9M USD) online. Fintech Australia, the industry’s advocacy group embraced the approval as the bill will most likely soon become… Read More

March 20, 2017 @ 12:32 am By JD Alois  |  

Fintech Australia lauded the Australian Parliament’s vote to support the Corporations Amendment (Crowd-Sourced Funding) Bill of 2016. The advocacy group said the approval of the equity crowdfunding law will provide a major avenue for companies to raise capital and create new jobs. Fintech Australia CEO… Read More

March 20, 2017 @ 12:08 am By JD Alois  |  

As expected, the Australian Senate has voted on the “Corporations Amendment (Crowd-Sourced Funding) Bill of 2016″. The legislation will legalize equity crowdfunding. The bill was approved with a single amendment altering the cooling off period from 48 hours to 5 days. Australia has attempted to… Read More

March 19, 2017 @ 8:05 pm By JD Alois  |  

  Today, exactly 5 years ago, thousands of US Citizens asked the Senate to push forward and pass the JOBS Act of 2012 into law.  The letter, embedded below was signed by a diverse group of stakeholders, including: 534 investors 18 incubators 2,726 Entrepreneurs and… Read More

March 19, 2017 @ 10:31 am By JD Alois  |  

Utah, like a majority of the other states, is attempting to enact an instrastate crowdfunding exemption. The bill has been meandering between the House and the Senate since the beginning of the year. Co-sponsored by Representative Brian M. Greene and Senator Wayne A. Harper, the bill… Read More

March 17, 2017 @ 8:23 am By JD Alois  |  

Finding and allocating money public projects including urban improvements is hard. Constituents never want to see their taxes increase and inevitably some people support certain projects. Others, not so much. Randy Hillier, MPP for Lanark-Frontenac & Addington in Ontario, believes he has the solution. Hillier… Read More

March 16, 2017 @ 11:17 pm By JD Alois  |  

Speaking at the LSE Global Fintech Investor Forum, City Minister Simon Kirby drew a line in the sand and defended UK dominance in Fintech innovation. As Brexit repercussions and encroaching challengers in Asia seek to capture the Fintech crown, Kirby declared “British Fintech is going to… Read More

March 16, 2017 @ 12:44 pm By JD Alois  |  

As expected, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has published a draft licensing manual regarding the creation of a Fintech Charter. The draft is a supplement to the agency’s existing Licensing Manual and explains how Fintech firms may apply for special purpose bank charters…. Read More

March 15, 2017 @ 2:55 am By JD Alois  |  

Early stage companies need funding to launch and grow. That is a fact. But early stage companies are the riskiest of firms and thus unable to attract debt or bank financing. The solution is to ask friends, families and, perhaps, angel investors to provide equity… Read More

March 14, 2017 @ 1:30 pm By JD Alois  |  

Originally scheduled to take place tomorrow (March 15, 2017), the Hearing entitled “The JOBS Act at Five: Examining Its Impact and Ensuring the Competitiveness of the U.S. Capital Markets”, hosted by the Subcommittee on Capital Markets, part of the House Committee on Financial Services, has been… Read More

March 13, 2017 @ 11:31 am By JD Alois  |  

Crowdfund Insider reported on the forthcoming House Financial Services Committee hearing on the JOBS Act last week and today the list of witnesses has been revealed. The hearing entitled, “The JOBS Act at Five: Examining Its Impact and Ensuring the Competitiveness of the U.S. Capital… Read More

March 13, 2017 @ 9:23 am By JD Alois  |  

Less than a week after Japan inked an agreement to partner with the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK, the Financial Services Agency (FSA) in Japan has announced a cooperation framework with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). Similar to other existing arrangements by MAS,… Read More

March 12, 2017 @ 9:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

Innovate Finance, the group that champion’s Fintech innovation in the UK and around the world, has shared the opinion of their Policy and Research Team on the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Phillip Hammond’s Spring Budget. Innovate Finance said they were pleased with the announcement that technical… Read More