Politics, Legal & Regulation

Policy and regulations impacting innovations in Finance.

Capital Markets Subcommittee Schedules Hearing on SEC

The Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises, part of the House Financial Services Committee, has scheduled a hearing to take place next week entitled; “Continued Oversight of the SEC’s Offices and Divisions”. The hearing will examine the mission, operation, and activities of certain… Read More

The Renaissance of the Retail Investor: Fixing America’s Wealth Disparity

This is important.  In the United States, the wealth disparity is growing – not closing. While there are multiple reasons why this wealth gap has occurred, the growing dominance of big money over smaller investors has clearly exacerbated this societal challenge.  Unfortunately, policy officials have… Read More

California Dept of Business Oversight Posts Marketplace Lending Data Covering 2010-2015

The California Department of Business Oversight (DBO) has issued a summary report of aggregate data provided by the companies that responded to the DBO’s online survey sent to 14 marketplace lenders engaged in online consumer and/or small business lending (or other types of financing such as merchant cash advances)…. Read More

Finland Updates Investment Crowdfunding Rules, The Act Will “Improve New Financing Options, Particularly in Bottleneck Situations Affecting the Growth of SMEs”

The government of Finland has submitted its proposal to update the regulatory environment for raising capital online. According to a recent release by the Ministry of Finance, the new Act will ease the regulation of investment-based crowdfunding and clarify the rules for loan-based crowdfunding. The “Crowdfunding… Read More

Jobs Act in 2016: House Subcommittee on Capital Markets Discusses Proposals to Aid SMEs

  The Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises, part of the House Financial Services Committee, reviewed several proposed acts of legislation crafted to help smaller business and grow the economy today (April 14).  Chaired by Congressman Scott Garrett, the hearing was labeled “The… Read More

House Financial Services Committee Approves Bill to Place the CFPB on a Budget

The House Financial Services Committee approved a bill that would require the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) on a budget. A relatively new federal agency, the CFPB was created under the Dodd-Frank Act – legislation that was crafted in response to the financial crisis. Committee… Read More

Bank of England Holds Rates Steady, Points to Mixed News on Near-Term Prospects for Global Growth

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England has decided to hold steady with a 0.5% Bank Rate. The MPC also voted unanimously to maintain the stock of purchased assets financed by the issuance of central bank reserves at £375 billion. The BOE… Read More

House Financial Services Committee to Discuss “Fix Crowdfunding Act” & Other Bills to Boost SME Access to Capital

The Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises, part of the House Financial Services Committee, has scheduled a hearing for tomorrow (Thursday, April 14 @10AM ET) that has been labeled, “The JOBS Act at Four: Examining Its Impact and Proposals to Further Enhance Capital Formation”.  The… Read More

Busted for Crowdfunding? It’s Rehab Time on Capitol Hill This Week!

  In my last article on Crowdfund Insider, entitled: “JOBS Act Crowdfunding Begins on May 16, 2016: Don’t Get Busted for Solicitation!,” I warned of one of the hidden dangers for companies embarking on a Title III equity crowdfunding campaign – which goes live on… Read More

Reserve Bank of India Expected to Post P2P Lending Regulatory Concept Paper End of this Month

In the first bi-monthly Monetary Policy Statement, 2016-17 Dr. Raghuram G. Rajan,  Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, stated that a conceptual document will be posted on their website by the end of the month.  According to the statement from last week; Peer to Peer… Read More

Brief: Another Step Forward for California Crowdfunding Bill

Reportedly the crowdfunding legislation for the state of California took another positive step forward this week. The Small Business California’s Crowdfunding bill (AB 2178) passed the Assembly Banking Committee on a vote of a 11 to 1. Next step is for the Assembly Judiciary Committee… Read More

Title III Crowdfunding Fix: House Financial Services Committee Schedules Hearing to Build on JOBS Act Success

The House Financial Services Committee, chaired by Representative Hensarling, has scheduled a hearing for Thursday, April 14, at 10AM, for a Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises Subcommittee gathering to examine four different legislative proposals designed to improve and promote capital formation.  The Committee has… Read More

Two Senate Democrats Delay SEC Appointees Hester Peirce & Lisa Fairfax

In a surprise turn of events, President Obama’s choices to fill two vacancies at the Securities and Exchange Commission have been delayed by Senators Warren and Schumer.  Hester Peirce, a Republican, and Lisa Fairfax, a Democrat, were both expected to pass through the Senate Banking… Read More

Request for Comments: Department of Treasury Asks for Feedback on Proposal to Have Crowdfunding Platforms Become More Like Broker-Dealers

Last week Crowdfund Insider reported that the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), an arm of the Department of Treasury, had published a proposed rule change that will impact the nascent investment crowdfunding industry. The proposed change will require funding portals to adhere to the Bank Secrecy… Read More

Out of Alignment: The Dysfunctional Definition of an Accredited Investor & The Often Overlooked “Entity” Issue

As many of you know there is a heated ongoing debate as to whether the current definition of “accredited investor” should be revised and, if so, how it should be revised. The overwhelming majority of recent articles, and even proposed legislation, surrounding this topic focus… Read More

The UK Wants to Lead the World in Digital Payments & Regulators are there to Help

The UK has already staked a claim in the broader category of Fintech having created the concept of Peer to Peer Lending and fostering the most vibrant equity crowdfunding ecosystem in the world. None of this could have been accomplished without the explicit assistance of… Read More

Complying with AML Laws: Challenges for the Fintech Industry

  “Silicon Valley is coming.  There are hundreds of startups with a lot of brains and money working on various alternatives to traditional banking.” This warning came not from a pundit or Silicon Valley lobbyist, but from Jamie Dimon, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer… Read More

What’s the Plan? Financial Conduct Authority Publishes 2016-2017 Business Plan

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), UK’s securities regulator, has published its business plan for the coming year. The FCA is in a period of transition as interim CEO Tracey McDermott, will be transitioning out as her replacement Andrew Bailey takes the helm of the agency… Read More

Delaware Moves Forward with Equity Crowdfunding Legislation

In a bipartisan push that matches the Governor’s commitment to boost access to capital for smaller firms, Delaware will file legislation next week that will allow state residents the ability to invest in SMEs via online crowdfunding platforms. The bill is sponsored by Representative Bryon… Read More

A New Bill Looks To Fix The Current “S Corp” Rules For Easier Crowdfunding; Why It Needs To Do More

A new Bill (H.R. 4831) was recently introduced by Representative J. French Hill which looks to amend the rules of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”) concerning  “subchapter S” qualified corporations (“S Corps”), and the limited number of permitted S Corp shareholders, to… Read More

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