Politics, Legal & Regulation

November 3, 2013 @ 12:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

Representative David Schweikert,  a Republican from Arizona, has issued the following statement on the House floor today expressing disappointment with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission’s (SEC) proposed rules to implement the bi-partisan Crowdfunding provisions of the Jump Start Our Business Startups or JOBS Act which… Read More

October 31, 2013 @ 2:09 pm By Charles Luzar  |  

Yesterday the United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs held a hearing entitled “The JOBS Act At A Year And A Half: Assessing Progress And Unmet Opportunities.” It was set to be a particularly interesting hearing because of the panel, which included… Read More

October 30, 2013 @ 7:07 pm By JD Alois  |  

During the US Senate Banking Committee testimony today the Securities and Exchange Commission had their Director from the Division of Corporate Finance, Keith Higgins, deliver their message on JOBS Act implementation.  Higgins reviews the various Titles of the legislation concluded that while there is much… Read More

October 30, 2013 @ 4:29 pm By JD Alois  |  

Rick Fleming, Deputy General Counsel for the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) – a group which represents state and provincial securities regulators, presented at the US Senate Committee on Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs today.  The NASAA views their members as the first line… Read More

October 30, 2013 @ 3:27 pm By JD Alois  |  

Sherwood Neiss, one of the leading figures in the crowdfunding industry, testified before the US Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs today in which the merits and challenges of crowdfunding were reviewed.  Neiss, who is a founder of Crowdfund Capital Advisors as well… Read More

October 30, 2013 @ 8:00 am By JD Alois  |  

The European Crowdfunding Network (ECN) – a stalwart proponent of crowdfunding – has put together a fabulous overview of the regulatory environments for crowdfunding across Europe, North American and Israel – 29 countries in all.  The publishing team included the vital support of Tanja Aschenbeck-Florange… Read More

October 29, 2013 @ 5:16 pm By JD Alois  |  

Crowdfunding due diligence service provider Crowdcheck has published a 25 page document addressing the SEC proposed regulations regarding Title III of the JOBS Act – otherwise known as crowdfunding. Crowdcheck describes the SEC approach as “Merrill Minus” as opposed to “Kickstarter Plus” and states that… Read More

October 28, 2013 @ 3:19 pm By JD Alois  |  

First Time Public Funds Have Been Used to Support UK Business in this Manner.  Council Looks to Boost Economic Growth. A United Kingdom county council is investing in a small business through equity crowdfunding site Seedrs in a pilot project designed to support local entrepreneurs. Lancashire… Read More

October 28, 2013 @ 10:56 am By Charles Luzar  |  

As public comments on proposed equity crowdfunding rules begin to become available, here are a selection of interesting quotes from these comment letters. Of course, not all are 100% happy with the proposed rules coming out of the SEC. One very important feedback/comment I would… Read More

October 28, 2013 @ 9:16 am By Charles Luzar  |  

Adrian, Michigan is a town of approximately 22,000 people and lies on the Michigan border between Ann Arbor and Toledo, Ohio, in the heart of the rust belt. It’s a far cry from San Francisco, New York or Austin. Amy Cortese (pictured, right) visited the town… Read More

October 27, 2013 @ 9:18 am By JD Alois  |  

In a speech given this past Friday by SEC Commissioner Luis A. Aguilar, the most senior of the SEC’s current batch of commissioners discusses the importance of SEC enforcement and their mandate for investor protection.  Aguilar has been known as the “Enforcement Commissioner”.  He expresses… Read More

October 25, 2013 @ 8:04 am By JD Alois  |  

Assetz Capital, a fast growing Peer-to-Peer lender which has completed £5 Million in loans in their first 6 months, has commented on the FCA’s Consultation Paper on crowdfunding which was released yesterday.  Assetz notes the proposal could force out a significant number of providers but… Read More

October 24, 2013 @ 1:37 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Financial Conduct Authority is proposing to alter their approach to regulation regarding firms which operate investment crowdfunding platforms.  With the UK crowdfunding market standing at about £360 Million today, this new market and associated asset class is poised to boom exponentially.  The vast majority… Read More

October 24, 2013 @ 10:39 am By Samuel Guzik  |  

(This is First in a Series of Articles Focusing on the Road Ahead to Final Rules and Beyond) Like many others around the country and around the world, I was excited to hear that nearly 19 months after the JOBS Act was signed into law,… Read More

October 24, 2013 @ 9:15 am By JD Alois  |  

Amanda Boyle created BloomVC (Venture Capitalist) in 2011 to fill a funding gap for innovative ideas, community initiatives, and small business growth with the power of the crowd.  Located in the UK, Bloom is a rewards based crowdfunding platform. With the release of the FCA Consultation Paper… Read More

October 24, 2013 @ 8:59 am By JD Alois  |  

Consumers who want to invest in small or start-up businesses via crowdfunding platforms will receive clearer information about the business in which they are investing, under proposed new rules published today by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The changes relate peer-to-peer lending and equity investment… Read More

October 24, 2013 @ 8:48 am By JD Alois  |  

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the United Kingdom regulatory agency which has oversight on crowdfunding, has released their comments on regulating the crowdfunding industry.  This includes both debt based and equity based crowdfunding. On 1 April 2014, the FCA is taking over the regulation of… Read More

October 23, 2013 @ 4:00 pm By Charles Luzar  |  

“On the heels of another month of anemic job growth, I am encouraged that the SEC unanimously agreed to release equity crowdfunding rules for public comment.  Crowdfunding can unlock private capital and provide opportunities for entrepreneurs and everyday investors to spur economic growth.  To meet… Read More

October 23, 2013 @ 1:12 pm By Charles Luzar  |  

The SEC has released proposed rules for Title III retail equity crowdfunding. The 582 page document is going to take a while to digest, but we wanted to share immediately. In related news, publication of these rules to the Federal Register will mark the official… Read More

October 23, 2013 @ 11:46 am By Charles Luzar  |  

Here’s the meat of Chair Mary Jo White’s comments on equity crowdfunding proposed rules. Head to SEC.gov for the full statement. Also, be sure to check out the tweets from during today’s open meeting on equity crowdfunding rules. Good morning. This is an open meeting of… Read More