Politics, Legal & Regulation

February 27, 2017 @ 6:22 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has scheduled an “Evidence Summit” to be held at the SEC headquarters on F Street in Washington, DC on March 10th. Organized by the Office of Investor Advocate, the Summit will “discuss strategies for raising retail investors’ understanding of… Read More

February 26, 2017 @ 10:27 am By JD Alois  |  

President Donald Trump has been flexing the power of his office by enacting multiple Executive Orders (EO). The most recent from the Trump administration is, once again, addressing regulatory reform.  Trump has signed two other EOs tackling regulations that may impact the financial services sector…. Read More

February 24, 2017 @ 5:39 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) has launched a bespoke Fintech regulatory sandbox. The CSA described the Sandbox as an initiative that supports businesses seeking to offer innovative products, services, and applications. “The objective of this initiative is to facilitate the ability of those businesses to… Read More

February 23, 2017 @ 2:49 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has published information and guidance for investors and the financial services industry regarding the use of Robo-advisers, which are registered investment advisers that use computer algorithms to provide investment advisory services online. The Commission’s Division of Investment Management issued… Read More

February 23, 2017 @ 11:47 am By JD Alois  |  

Former SEC Commissioner and Trump administration advisor Paul Atkins chatted with CNBC today about the forthcoming Dodd-Frank replacement. Dodd-Frank was the pinnacle legislation crafted during the ashes of the Great Recession designed to address shortcomings within the financial services industry. While its intent may have… Read More

February 22, 2017 @ 10:34 am By JD Alois  |  

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the securities regulator in the UK, has signed a cooperation agreement with the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC).  The agreement is designed to provide support to innovative Fintech firms seeking entry into either market. The Agreement allows the FCA and the… Read More

February 22, 2017 @ 8:28 am By JD Alois  |  

The Bank of Canada is out with a paper that reviews the advent of digital currencies, IE Bitcoin, and how it may impact the more traditional type of fiat currency. Drawing a comparison to back in the day when private bank notes circulated alongside government issued… Read More

February 21, 2017 @ 8:58 pm By JD Alois  |  

  Sara Hanks is well known in the alternative finance/crowdfunding space. Hanks is CEO and founder of CrowdCheck –  a due diligence, disclosure and compliance services for online capital formation. She is a Board member of CFIRA and is the current Chair of the SEC’s… Read More

February 21, 2017 @ 6:12 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has partnered with NYU’s Salomon Center for the Study of Financial Institutions to host a symposium on the effects of investment crowdfunding on February 28th. The Commission’s Division of Economics and Risk Analysis (DERA) is leading the dialogue and… Read More

February 21, 2017 @ 12:45 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), launched an inquiry into consumers seeking access to their financial records.  At the time of the announcement, CFPB Director Richard Cordray stated; “Consumers should be able to use their financial records and account information and securely share access in… Read More

February 20, 2017 @ 4:41 pm By JD Alois  |  

Paul Niederer, former CEO of the Australian Small Scale Offerings Board (ASSOB) – the very first platform established to raise capital online, posted a comment letter in response to the proposed Australian Crowd-Sourced Funding Bill (crowdfunding for the rest of the world). Never one to… Read More

February 19, 2017 @ 12:24 pm By JD Alois  |  

As part of the SEC Advisory Committee on Small and Emerging Companies meeting last week, there were two presentations on the decline of IPOs in the US. The first was provided by the law firm Goodwin was shared earlier on Crowdfund Insider. Also in attendance… Read More

February 18, 2017 @ 11:32 am By JD Alois  |  

SEC Acting Chair Michael Piwowar was present to open the meeting of the Advisory Committee on Small and Emerging Companies (ACSEC) last week. Piwowar, a Republican appointee, took the opportunity to highlight several policy issues. While pointing to the importance of small business as the… Read More

February 17, 2017 @ 4:36 pm By JD Alois  |  

Why are more companies staying private? That’s a good question. Many moons ago, it was the ambition of most young promising companies to get big enough to “go public” and do an initial public offering (IPO). Becoming a listed company was viewed as a stamp… Read More

February 17, 2017 @ 2:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

SEC Acting Chair Michael Piwowar released a statement at the signing of the agreement between the Securities and Exchange Commission and the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) today. NASAA is the association that represents and lobbies on behalf of state and provincial securities regulators…. Read More

February 17, 2017 @ 1:48 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) have signed an information-sharing agreement regarding new rules to facilitate intrastate crowdfunding offerings and regional offerings take effect. NASAA is the lobbying group that represents state securities regulators. According to the… Read More

February 16, 2017 @ 9:24 pm By Georgia Quinn  |  

  First off, we all owe Tony a debt of gratitude for actually drafting this set of regulations. Legislative drafting is yeoman’s work especially when it comes to tax law. This new legislation solves for two extremely important problems in the U.S. economy and society…. Read More

February 16, 2017 @ 2:54 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission has scheduled their first Investor Advisory Committee (IAC) meeting for 2017. The meeting will be held at the SEC offices in Washington, DC on Thursday, March 9 from 9:00 AM to 11:55 AM. These meetings are open to the public and… Read More

February 15, 2017 @ 2:24 am By Anthony Zeoli  |  

Start-ups and small businesses represent the heart of the American economy and fostering this sector is integral to continued innovation and job growth in the U.S.  Access to capital however, is always a critical issue for these types of businesses and angel investors often represent… Read More

February 14, 2017 @ 11:55 am By JD Alois  |  

Ohio is next on the list to consider intrastate crowdfunding legislation. If the current bill passes (HB 10), Ohio will join 30+ states that have already signed legislation into law that allows for raising capital online for businesses based in their states. Today, issuers have… Read More