September 19, 2017 @ 8:14 am By JD Alois  |  

Hogan Lovells, a global law firm, is showcasing its recently launched Hogan Lovells “Engage”: Authorization Tool. The new Regtech application aims to guide Fintech startups through the process of authorization from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The tool is free to use on the Hogan Lovells… Read More

September 13, 2017 @ 2:12 pm By JD Alois  |  

There is a lot going on in the cryptocurrency driven Initial Coin Offering market today. In recent weeks, national regulators have acknowledged the existence of tokenized funding rounds along with the fact that many are really securities and thus regulated. The US Securities and Exchange… Read More

September 12, 2017 @ 3:56 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Reward-based crowdfunding giant Kickstarter announced on Tuesday it has officially opened to creators in Japan. The funding portal stated that artists, authors, filmmakers, musicians, designers, and creators of all types may now launch projects and find support from its backer community. “Japanese culture embodies a… Read More

September 5, 2017 @ 3:59 pm By Anthony Zeoli  |  

While Regulation (Title III) Crowdfunding continues to get all of the attention, the overwhelming majority of states currently have some form of “intrastate” retail crowdfunding laws already in effect; many of which offer significantly more favorable terms to issuers and investors than the federal rules…. Read More

September 3, 2017 @ 12:14 pm By Georgia Quinn  |  

Some time ago, I created a grid comparison that addressed the differences between the various iterations of investment crowdfunding. In the US, there are effectively three different securities exemptions, created by the JOBS Act of 2012, that allow issuing business to raise capital online by… Read More

September 1, 2017 @ 3:46 pm By AdaPia d'Errico  |  

Modern Portfolio Theory is based on the idea that certain types of investment risk can be mitigated through a strategic pattern of diversification and asset allocation. Diversification is important because it spreads risk across multiple types of investments within a single portfolio. By diversifying into… Read More

September 1, 2017 @ 12:11 pm By Barry James  |  

Crowdfunding is about to enter a new and more powerful phase. Having become ensnared in a tangle of aging regulation designed for a disconnected, opaque world of fast-talking strangers Crowdfunding – in all it’s forms but especially Equity (ECF) – has yet to live up… Read More

August 30, 2017 @ 9:19 am By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), office of Investor Education and Advocacy, is out with a note on the booming Initial Coin Offering market telling investors to beware. The ICO market has grown rapidly with estimates topping $2 billion in token sales this year alone…. Read More

August 29, 2017 @ 11:01 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

On Tuesday, UK-based equity crowdfunding platform Crowdcube announced it is now offering its Funded Club members (i.e. those who achieved their funding targets) free product workshops, along with exclusive fee arrangements in order to get products out to market. The funding portal revealed in a blog… Read More

August 25, 2017 @ 9:27 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

Crowdfunding platform Crowdfunder UK recently introduced its Funds Matchmaker, which offers advice on how to apply for funding and how to make funding projects stand out. “Crowdfunder works with partners such as Santander, Virgin, M&S and many councils across the UK to distribute money to… Read More

August 23, 2017 @ 7:24 am By Swati Chataverdi  |  

Imagine if the going rate for your iPad 2 was $100 trillion. Apart from costing five times the GDP of the United States, such a device would be almost impossible to manufacture in a sustainable manner. In the 1940s, however, the technology needed to power… Read More

August 21, 2017 @ 8:00 am By Jor Law  |  

So you were ready to do an initial coin offering (ICO), and then the Securities Exchange Commission released an investigative report concluding that DAO tokens were securities.  Seasoned securities attorneys have always known that token sales could implicate securities laws if the tokens were treated… Read More

August 16, 2017 @ 2:31 pm By Amy Pearl  |  

  “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” -Margaret Mead, Anthropologist This quote is often used to nudge small groups of activists into increased optimism. To remind us that sweeping… Read More

August 15, 2017 @ 11:31 am By Ryan Feit  |  

Some equity crowdfunding platforms are putting startups at serious risk.  Working with a platform that doesn’t structure your deal appropriately could jeopardize your ability to raise future capital or worse, force you to become a public reporting company. The emergence of equity crowdfunding is a… Read More

August 15, 2017 @ 10:16 am By JD Alois  |  

4thWay, a peer to peer lending comparison platform, is out with a note that cautions users on the utilization of six money comparison websites stating they display “wildly inaccurate information about peer-to-peer lending.” Neil Faulkner, co-founder and managing director of 4thWay, commented on the report; “When… Read More

August 10, 2017 @ 10:00 pm By AdaPia d'Errico  |  

Real estate investing is on the rise again. Online real estate investing is quickly becoming the preferred method of investing for many people. Forbes reported earlier this year that real estate crowdfunding was a $3.5 billion industry in 2016, up from $1 billion in 2014…. Read More

August 9, 2017 @ 3:58 pm By JD Alois  |  

Last month PwC and the Crowdfunding Center partnered on a report regarding women and crowdfunding. Referencing data collected by the Crowdfunding Center that analyzed 450,000 rewards based crowdfunding campaigns, the document entitled “Women Unbound: Crowdfunding – Unleashing Female Entrepreneurial Potential,” showed that women-led campaigns reached their… Read More

August 4, 2017 @ 6:09 pm By Amy Wan  |  

  On Tuesday, July 25, the SEC announced that Initial Coin Offerings, also called Token Sales, in many cases may be considered securities. Of course, this probably terrifies a large amount of the ICO community. So how do you actually legally raise an ICO? Your… Read More

July 30, 2017 @ 2:17 pm By JD Alois  |  

In the aftermath of the SEC statement on Initial Coin Offerings and their intent to crack down on issuers in breach of securities law we reached out to Morrison Foerster for commentary on the question as to when an ICO is in fact a security…. Read More

July 29, 2017 @ 9:26 am By Therese Torris  |  

French firms have formed an association to foster the sustainable growth of the cryptocurrency investment sector and weigh in on its governance. Among other things, they hope to build on progressive regulations such as the French decree that allowed crowdlending securities called minibons to be… Read More