Strategy

April 13, 2023 @ 12:32 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Bitcoin (BTC) price has increased substantially during the first three months of this year. The flagship cryptocurrency is trading at around $30,000 at the time of writing. Although most industry participants are not sure whether we’re entering a bull market, it is clear that… Read More

April 13, 2023 @ 10:44 am By JD Alois  |  

In the UK, early-stage private firms are supported with innovative tax exemptions designed to make investing in risky ventures more appealing. As everyone knows, a robust entrepreneurial and startup ecosystem is crucial for a growing economy. UK policymakers have made investing in private firms more… Read More

April 12, 2023 @ 9:18 am By JD Alois  |  

Digital asset platform Paxos is out with a white paper entitled “How the Crypto Winter May Help Save the Digital Asset Economy.”  The thesis of the document is that all of the recent fraud and failure within the crypto industry will end up flushing out… Read More

April 11, 2023 @ 12:20 pm By JD Alois  |  

Bitcoin is pushing above $30,000 for the first time since June 2022. When Bitcoin moves, the crypto masses speculate as to why. The recent rise in value has largely been attributed to the terrible economy, fears within the Banking sector, and BTCs apparent safe haven… Read More

April 10, 2023 @ 10:40 am By JD Alois  |  

The demise of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) left a big hole in the early-stage/private firm ecosystem. SVB was a favorite bank of VCs and hence the companies they invested in.  The failure of SVBs has exacerbated the already challenging funding environment for private firms that… Read More

April 4, 2023 @ 8:15 am By Omar Faridi  |  

WonderFi Technologies Inc. Coinsquare Ltd. and CoinSmart Financial Inc. announced that they have entered into a business combination agreement “to combine their respective businesses.” The combined company will aim to “offer one of the largest regulated crypto asset trading platforms in the world and will… Read More

April 2, 2023 @ 6:30 pm By JD Alois  |  

Beginning on April 6, 2023, early-stage private firms will be able to tap into an improved Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS), one of several tax policies aimed at supporting entrepreneurship and early-stage firms in the UK. The popular program is a positive for both investors… Read More

March 26, 2023 @ 8:45 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Juniper Square, the provider of partnership enablement for the private funds industry, released a report tracking shifts in commercial real estate (CRE) investments “by property type over the past decade, as well as trends in transaction volumes, acquisitions, fundraising and more.” The 2022 CRE Market… Read More

March 21, 2023 @ 9:08 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Mastercard (NYSE: MA) recently acquired cloud-based cybersecurity company Baffin Bay Networks in order to better help businesses deal “with the increasingly challenging nature of cyberattacks.” Baffin Bay Networks, based in Sweden, “adds to Mastercard’s multi-layered approach to cybersecurity and helps to stop attacks, while mitigating… Read More

March 21, 2023 @ 6:27 pm By Omar Makkawy  |  

Currency devaluations and inflation erode investment returns, reducing a company’s valuation and the value of its total addressable market (TAM). However, several sectors have demonstrated resilience in such conditions and can actually generate substantial shareholder value in difficult economic times. A major example is Egypt… Read More

March 14, 2023 @ 10:08 am By JD Alois  |  

Last month, CI hosted a webinar to review the securities crowdfunding market of 2022 as well as expectations for 2023. While the consensus of the group was that online capital formation softened in the waning months of 2022, panelists participating in the webinar were more… Read More

March 2, 2023 @ 4:33 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

We recently caught up with Sarah Howell, SVP of Partner Programs at Infinant, a financial technology company that provides pioneering infrastructure to help banks build embeddable financial products above their legacy banking technology. Sarah Howell shared her insights on the origins of the ecosystem strategy,… Read More

February 25, 2023 @ 10:35 am By Camyar Matini  |  

The Shanghai hard fork is projected to unfold this spring around March or April, with the anticipated upgrade affording the capability to withdraw Ethereum from staking for the first time. Ethereum staking rewards participating in network consensus, and in order to participate, one needs to… Read More

February 21, 2023 @ 11:34 am By Jeff Cunningham  |  

Happy New Year!  Welcome to a fresh start, a clean slate, 365 days of possibilities. Whether you are in a new business, doing familiar business a new way or simply picking up where you left off on December 31, the start of a new year… Read More

February 19, 2023 @ 5:39 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The decentralized web, or Web3, is often touted as the future of the internet. With its emphasis on community ownership and decentralized governance, it has the potential to create a more equitable and open online experience. However, despite its potential, the current state of business… Read More

February 7, 2023 @ 3:40 pm By JD Alois  |  

The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA), along with the SEC Office of Investor Education and Advocacy, and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), have published an Investor Alert cautioning individuals on Self Directed Individual Retirement Account (IRAs) that enable investors to select assets that may be… Read More

February 7, 2023 @ 10:52 am By JD Alois  |  

Business loan approval rates have increased – depending on who you are asking. According to a report, alternative lenders, institutional investors and small banks have increased credit but big banks and credit unions have pulled back This is according to online lender Biz2Credit and its… Read More

February 7, 2023 @ 10:40 am By Omar Faridi  |  

International fraud prevention company SEON has announced the acquisition of compliance and anti-money laundering (AML) specialist firm, Complytron. The acquisition instantly adds AML capabilities “to SEON’s fraud fighting toolkit and signals a new focus on holistic FinCrime prevention for the growing business.” As a result… Read More

February 6, 2023 @ 8:47 am By JD Alois  |  

CI recently published an update on Reg CF [Regulation Crowdfunding], an exemption that allows a business to raise up to $5 million in an online securities offering. Investors may be non-accredited or accredited. While the legislation creating Reg CF was signed into law in 2012,… Read More

February 1, 2023 @ 11:43 am By JD Alois  |  

S&P Global Market Intelligence is out with a research note that is predicting a “wave” of mergers and acquisitions in the Fintech sector as the economy slows. The firm states that an unforgiving stock market and declining cash reserves will compel US Fintechs to consolidate… Read More