Politics, Legal & Regulation

January 3, 2013 @ 9:15 pm By PolicyMic  |  

If you are somebody who follows the development of Web 2.0 pretty ardently, you must know about crowdfunding and more specifically, Kickstarter. (If not, I would suggest you go to the Kickstarter website and look around. It can be a mesmerizing experience.) What people who… Read More

January 3, 2013 @ 1:22 am By TechCrunch  |  

One of the most powerful positions in the U.S. goverment may be up for grabs if Republicans follow through on a growing opposition to House Speaker John Boehner (CrunchGov Grade: B). Opposition for his re-election tomorrow from members of his own party began pouring in after an… Read More

December 27, 2012 @ 7:47 am By Kristin Voinovich  |  

I read an exceptional article back in November written by Daniel Gorfine and Ben Miller.  Daniel is Director of Special Projects & Legal Counsel for the esteemed Milken Institute and Ben is Co-Founder of Fundrise – a direct investment platform for local real estate and… Read More

December 26, 2012 @ 12:00 pm By NYTimes  |  

When the Jobs Act became law in April, supporters proclaimed a new era for small businesses seeking to raise money. The “game changer,” as President Obama put it in the Rose Garden as he signed the bill, was a provision to allow small companies to… Read More

December 23, 2012 @ 9:40 am By JD Alois  |  

Growthfunders the UK Based Equity crowdfunding portal launched an E-petition this week to push Her Majesty’s Government to help kickstart the UK economy. The entire text of the missive is below:   We need to fill the void in the capital market with an innovative… Read More

December 23, 2012 @ 7:17 am By The Independent  |  

Zopa are expecting a doubling in the market for peer-to peer lending in 2013 as consumers and small businesses in particular turn their back on the traditional high-street banks. Disillusionment is one reason for this and so, it seems, are the terrible returns on savings… Read More

December 21, 2012 @ 3:08 am By BusinessWeek  |  

The interests of Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C., are separated by a lot more than a six-hour flight. A year ago, Josh Mendelsohn decided to change that by co-founding Engine Advocacy, a group representing technology startups. “Legislation that’s bad for startups pops up without any… Read More

December 19, 2012 @ 5:09 pm By Peter Schroeder, The Hill  |  

Republicans on the House Oversight Committee are chiding the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for providing laggard responses to their requests. In the letter to SEC Chairman Elisse Walter, the GOP lawmakers accused the SEC of “unacceptable” behavior in responding to committee requests for information… Read More

December 18, 2012 @ 10:47 pm By JD Alois  |  

In a letter forwarded to outgoing SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro, Senator Bennet advances the need to not pose an “undue burden on small business”.  This reflects the balance between disclosure from the prospective crowdfunding business and the need for appropriate information regarding due diligence from… Read More

December 18, 2012 @ 7:53 am By CleanTechnica  |  

Last week, Senator Lois Walk re-introduced the shared renewable energy self-generation bill, SB43, which could help to advance community solar projects within California. Despite strong backing from consumer groups, environmental groups, one of the top three utilities in the state, and the Department of Defense, the… Read More

December 18, 2012 @ 4:42 am By Mondaq  |  

At the recent Technicity conference in Toronto, Brad Duguid, Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development and Innovation, expressed support for introducing equity crowdfunding in Ontario.  Recognizing the need to keep innovators on the north side of the border, Minister Duguid explained that “it’s really important that… Read More

December 17, 2012 @ 9:14 pm By Ecopreneurist  |  

Those involved directly in the crowdfunding industry and businesses that have been eagerly awaiting the new crowdfunding regulations recently heard a bit of news causing a lot of cringing, heartburn and further disappointment in a system that already had a lot to prove. The Securities… Read More

December 17, 2012 @ 7:45 am By JD Alois  |  

As reported in the Telegraph, Andrew Haldane a Bank of England Senior Director is on record stating; “I see opportunity knocking for finance,” he added. “Hopefully, the growth of peer-to-peer lenders and those involved in crowdfunding will help solve the problems we have with lending… Read More

December 14, 2012 @ 11:02 pm By JD Alois  |  

  As posted on the FINRA web site on December 7th following the scheduled meeting of the FINRA Board of Governors, Richard Ketchum issued a summary of the rule proposals as approved by the board.  One of the proposals specifically addressed crowdfunding. Included amongst several other… Read More

December 14, 2012 @ 10:50 pm By St. Louis Business Journal  |  

Last week I pointed out that despite all of the hype around crowd funding for startups, it’s still illegal to crowdfund in exchange for equity. Well, it still is, but there has been a small development in the saga of the JOBS Act since then. In a… Read More

December 14, 2012 @ 9:07 pm By JD Alois  |  

Consumers Lose Millions to Scammers and Ponzi Schemes; New Effort Combines Education, Local Outreach WASHINGTON — Better Business Bureau and the FINRA Investor Education Foundation today launched a new consumer website, BBB Smart Investing, which is designed to help investors make smarter investing decisions while avoiding… Read More

December 13, 2012 @ 11:41 am By Sara Hanks, CrowdCheck  |  

Well, as we’ve already pointed out, it will not be legally or logistically possible for the SEC to have its crowdfunding regulations in place by December 31.  Some commentators have speculated that we might get the proposals December.  Or January.  All I can say with respect… Read More

December 13, 2012 @ 11:32 am By CFIRA  |  

Washington, D.C. – December 11, 2012 – Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) urged Chairman Mary Schapiro of the Securities Exchange Commission to request that rules governing crowdfunding activities be issued quickly. Merkley and Bennet were lead sponsors on the CROWDFUND Act, which was… Read More

December 13, 2012 @ 3:11 am By WSJ.com  |  

Small-business groups, crowdfunding sites, brokerage firms, securities lawyers and other stakeholders weighed in on equity crowdfunding on the Financial Industry Regulation Authority’s website between July and August, during an open comment period. The posts range from entrepreneurs’ pleas to keep regulations light, in order to free up… Read More

December 13, 2012 @ 1:03 am By Investment News  |  

As it installs a new chairman on Friday, the Securities and Exchange Commission has succeeded in doing something that’s rare in Washington these days – generating bipartisan agreement. Both Democrats and Republicans are now calling on the agency to speed up rule-making legislation – known… Read More