July 22, 2017 @ 12:21 pm By Cole Lyons  |  

Deloitte has recently released a report concerned with how finance will look in the years to come, titled “Crunch time – Future of Finance in a Digital World: An Indian Perspective.” In this report, Deloitte takes into account how rapidly digital adoption has improved within… Read More

July 18, 2017 @ 1:50 pm By Victoria Silchenko, Ph.D.  |  

This article is my attempt at providing a definitive guide to the complex, and so far, self-regulated, landscape of ICOs. Warning: mature content. What on Earth is ICO? Just as how in the ancient movie “Eyes Wide Shut” the password “fidelio” gave access to a… Read More

July 13, 2017 @ 2:42 pm By JD Alois  |  

Real estate and crowdfunding is a perfect match. Real estate has always been a very popular investment class but unless you had big money, or tons of time on your hands, it was pretty hard to get into. Sure, you can invest in traditional REITs… Read More

July 9, 2017 @ 12:37 pm By Jonathan Nieh  |  

Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF), which allows for true equity crowdfunding by small businesses and start-ups, has been in effect for over a year now. The amount of capital raised since Reg CF was launched last year has been steadily increasing as well as the number… Read More

July 6, 2017 @ 2:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

There is a bill circulating in Congress that may dramatically impact Reg A+ utilization – the crowdfunding rule that currently allows issuers to raise up to $50 million in a scaled disclosure environment. Sponsored by House Representatives Kyrsten Sinema and Trey Hollingsworth, the bill (HR… Read More

July 4, 2017 @ 8:07 am By JD Alois  |  

The Enterprise Investment Scheme Association (EISA) has launched a regional program to assist UK entrepreneurs and SMEs. The EISA will host a series of events across the UK regarding regional funding information and advice workshops, including the vast benefits of applying for EIS/SEIS approval. At the… Read More

June 26, 2017 @ 11:41 am By JD Alois  |  

Not too long ago the SEC came out with an Investor Bulletin, emanating from the Office of Investor Education and Advocacy, regarding the utilization of SAFEs as an investment vehicle on crowdfunding platforms. The SEC stated; “Some issuers have been offering a new type of… Read More

June 14, 2017 @ 10:50 am By JD Alois  |  

OTC Markets is out with a report that indicates small-cap companies are overlooking important ways they can boost investor interest in their stock.  The study, which was conducted between March and May 2017, surveyed 117 CEOs and CFOs of companies under $2 billion in market… Read More

June 10, 2017 @ 10:15 am By Cole Lyons  |  

Sepaking at the recent WSJ D.Live Asia event in Hong Kong, Ping An CIO Jonathan Larsen said Ping An is launching a new fund to invest in early stage Fintech ranging from $10 million to $30 million, according to a report from Dow Jones (here)…. Read More

June 9, 2017 @ 5:16 pm By Duncan Keene  |  

Traditional banking is facing tough times ahead. It’s easy to see why. The UK has lost 40% of its banks and building societies since 1989, considering usage of online banking has more doubled since 2007. After all, who wants to queue for an hour to see… Read More

June 8, 2017 @ 3:47 pm By JD Alois  |  

Some crowdfunding platforms are accepting money from international investors. First, to clarify, is is allowable under US regulations but there are caveats to the rules. In the US, there are three different securities exemptions where you can publicly promote your offerings online: Reg D (506c),… Read More

June 5, 2017 @ 9:25 am By Joshua G. Hamilton, James H. Moon & Bret M. Geckeler  |  

Crowdfunding regulations were enacted with the goal of providing small businesses access to capital without imposing arduous registration and disclosure burdens.[i]  In that regard, the regulations have shown significant promise. Commentators have rightfully highlighted the substantial benefits to both issuers and investors based on their… Read More

June 4, 2017 @ 8:32 pm By Soren Godbersen  |  

In recent years, a growing number of online platforms have begun to offer direct investments in residential properties, allowing individual investors to access this asset class much more readily and at lower minimums. Some platforms offer investments in apartment buildings (multifamily properties, in industry lingo),… Read More

June 1, 2017 @ 5:20 pm By Kathleen Minogue  |  

In Part 1 of this series on How To Fix Crowdfunding Education, I made the case for beginning all crowdfunding education by teaching the core fundamental that cuts across all forms of crowdfunding: participation. Part 2 addresses a key step we must take to make… Read More

May 29, 2017 @ 1:17 pm By Barry James  |  

It may be counterintuitive but the research has been done and the results are now in – and it’s as we’ve been saying for almost five years. Fraud in crowdfunding is not just almost non-existent –  so much so as to be hard to measure,… Read More

May 28, 2017 @ 3:41 pm By Adrienne Gonzalez  |  

In their 2016 Year in Giving report, GoFundMe CEO Rob Solomon wrote; “When disaster or violence struck, ordinary people took it upon themselves to help heal the world by starting GoFundMes to provide relief and comfort to those who needed it.” The report highlights some… Read More

May 23, 2017 @ 11:46 am By JD Alois  |  

NextSeed CEO Youngro Lee shares what is working & what is not under Reg CF. NextSeed was the very first, crowdfunding portal to receive FINRA approval. But the investment crowdfunding platform was honing its skills and processes under the Texas intrastate crowdfunding exemption before Reg… Read More

May 20, 2017 @ 4:30 pm By Scott Andersen & George S. Georgiades  |  

With the one year anniversary of Crowdfunding under Regulation Crowdfunding occurring on May 16th, business executives and compliance officers at registered Crowdfunding Portals (CFPs) should be actively preparing for their first regulatory examination by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).   FINRA’s 2017 exam cycle… Read More

May 19, 2017 @ 3:15 pm By Therese Torris  |  

Twino, one of the leading Baltic lending marketplace, has produced in conjunction with KPMG Baltics a report called Alternative Lending Index which assesses the potential of alternative finance in 23 European countries based on a set of economic credit data. While the report does not… Read More

May 17, 2017 @ 12:59 pm By JD Alois  |  

Oliver Wyman is out with a report on the emerging Insurtech sector. Oliver Wyman is a global management consultancy operating in 30 different countries. For this specific report, they partnered with Policen Direkt Group in Germany, an insurance technology firm. The authors believe that the… Read More