Politics, Legal & Regulation

November 20, 2015 @ 9:25 am By JD Alois  |  

Kevin Laws, Chief Operating Officer of AngelList, delivered an “illuminating” presentation at the SEC Government Business Forum on Small Business Capital Formation yesterday. AngelList, a leader in the equity crowdfunding sector, has become an important catalyst in the online finance space innovating and expanding its… Read More

November 19, 2015 @ 11:19 pm By Spencer Li  |  

When the State Council of China issued its guidelines for the internet finance industry in July, the single most talked about guideline among platform operators is the government’s encouragement of banks to provide custodian services for investor funds used for platform transactions. Many have interpreted… Read More

November 19, 2015 @ 1:58 pm By Erin Hobey  |  

Jon Medved, the prominent globetrotting entrepreneur and charismatic founder of OurCrowd, caught up with ABC’s Business Correspondent Ticky Fullerton as part of a segment on new reforms on crowdfunding for small businesses and startups in Australia. Complimenting PM Malcom Turnbull’s deep understanding of tech and innovation… Read More

November 19, 2015 @ 8:30 am By JD Alois  |  

A partnership between the Crowdfunding Hub, European Network of Crowdfunding Professionals and FG lawyers (Dutch boutique law firm with a special focus on alternative finance and fintech), has launched pan-European research to identify the liability risk in respect to the various forms of crowdfunding. Entitled… Read More

November 18, 2015 @ 2:40 pm By JD Alois  |  

The final rules for Title III of the JOBS Act that legalize a new securities exemption allowing retail investors to participate in equity crowdfunded offers has hit the pages of the Federal Register. According to the SEC, 180 days after publishing issuers may utilize the… Read More

November 18, 2015 @ 2:25 pm By JD Alois  |  

Today is one of those days when SEC Commissioner Mary Jo White must march up to Capitol Hill and justify the SEC’s actions over proceeding months while requesting a budget increase to cover the cost of the Agency’s growing responsibilities. Chair of the Financial Services Committee,… Read More

November 18, 2015 @ 9:30 am By JD Alois  |  

The ongoing battle between the States and the Securities and Exchange Commission took another step forward this week as the Commission responded to the States claims.  States securities regulators in both Montana and Massachusets, supported by the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA), have persistently… Read More

November 17, 2015 @ 7:31 pm By JD Alois  |  

Later this week, on Thursday, the SEC Government-Business Forum on Small Business Capital Formation will take place at SEC headquarters.  An annual affair, the event has grown into a vibrant discussion regarding the challenges of SMEs to gain access to capital and the regulatory challenges… Read More

November 17, 2015 @ 7:39 am By JD Alois  |  

The EU’s VAT Committee has published its review of the liability to VAT of crowdfunding activities. The Committee stated that “where platforms provide services free of charge40 they remain outside the scope of application of the VAT Directive”.  But where services generate a fee, such… Read More

November 16, 2015 @ 9:04 pm By JD Alois  |  

SEC Commissioner Luis Aguilar posted his statement of departure earlier today reaffirming his intent to leave the agency he has served as a Commissioner since 2008.  He departs as having the 8th longest tenure as Commissioner and one of only three appointed by two different… Read More

November 15, 2015 @ 10:38 pm By JD Alois  |  

In Australia today, start-ups and small businesses cannot practically access retail investors due to significant upfront and ongoing compliance costs and red tape. This is according to Kelly O’Dwyer, the Minister for Small Business and Assistant Treasury. O’Dwyer delivered this statement to the Financial Services… Read More

November 13, 2015 @ 4:40 pm By JD Alois  |  

New Jersey has become the latest state to sign into law legislation designed to provide access to capital for startups and entrepreneurs similar to the federal JOBS Act of 2012.  This comes less than 2 weeks after final rules were revealed for Title III of… Read More

November 13, 2015 @ 3:54 pm By JD Alois  |  

Securities Commissioner Kara Stein visited Harvard Law School last week to present as part of a guest lecture series where she discussed securities regulation and capital markets. Stein posed the important question: “…how do we continue having the highest quality markets in the world, even… Read More

November 13, 2015 @ 9:33 am By JD Alois  |  

Bondora, a peer to peer lending platform with pan-European aspirations, has shared their opinion on the regulatory environment in Europe. According to Bondora, “regulating alternative finance is a fraught issue across Europe”.  But there is an exception to this rule. The UK, and the Financial… Read More

November 12, 2015 @ 8:13 pm By Erin Hobey  |  

  “I think Fintech, particularly as it applies to lending, has the capacity to completely transform how consumers and small business use credit. The best platforms are true innovators, underwriting consumers and small businesses in new ways using data that was simply unavailable ten or… Read More

November 10, 2015 @ 2:08 pm By Erin Hobey  |  

This morning, P2P-Banking.com guest writer Josep Nebot, Co-founder and Representative Director of the P2P lending platform Arboribus writes about the current situation of P2P lending in Spain. Before founding Arboribus, Nebot worked as a lawyer and an International Cooperation for Development business consultant in Spain and South America. In… Read More

November 10, 2015 @ 8:00 am By JD Alois  |  

Steve Wallman spent a good portion of the 90’s at the Securities and Exchange Commission.  Appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1994, Wallman’s official bio at the SEC notes that his tenure was marked by the creation of the first Advisory Committee on Capital Formation… Read More

November 9, 2015 @ 8:00 am By Nicholas Tommarello  |  

I spent a lovely weekend reading (and re-reading) all 685 pages of the final SEC rules of Title III the Jobs Act. Ah, the joy of memorizing regulations! We helped Congress pass the JOBS Act back in 2012, to help everyone — no matter how wealthy — invest as… Read More

November 8, 2015 @ 7:22 am By JD Alois  |  

Karen Mills, former Administrator of the Small Business Administration and current Senior Fellow at Harvard University, co-authored a study on credit markets and SMEs back in 2014.  She recently presented at LendIt Europe on the state of Marketplace / Peer to peer lending. While at… Read More

November 8, 2015 @ 6:30 am By JD Alois  |  

Five different Canadian provinces joined together this past week to publish the final form of Multilateral Instrument 45-108 Crowdfunding which is the prospectus exemption and registration framework for crowdfunding portals.  As expected, Ontario, Manitoba, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick will join together to allow… Read More