Tagged: perspective

Hello Luxembourg: Fintech Map Displays Robust Financial Services Innovation Ecosystem

Luxembourg is a relatively small EU country that has long been home to a good number of financial services firms. In fact, with a population of just 615,000, it is one of the smallest countries in Europe but it also claims one of the highest… Read More

Dancing with Howey: Telegram’s Recent Public Notice on TON Blockchain

On Monday, Telegram, makers of the popular private messaging app Telegram, issued a public notice to, “clarify certain aspects of the TON Blockchain and Grams,” as the company, “continue(s) to prepare for a successful launch of the project.” TON is intended to function as a… Read More

On the Record: IMF Chief Economist Says CBDCs Won’t Supplant the US Dollar & Synthetic Hegemonic Currencies are “Improbable”

There has been a good amount of discussion regarding Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) – digital iterations of the Euro, Dollar etc. Many central banks are experimenting with the concept. Another thought-provoking idea is the creation of a “synthetic hegemonic currency” as proposed by the… Read More

Provenance Blockchain: A One-Stop Shop for Token Issuance and Compliance?

As the “public blockchain” space is being tempered now by market forces, regulation and reality, companies running or looking to set up an investing platform or manage token issuance may want to take a look at the Provenance Blockchain, a privately-developed DLT (distributed ledger technology… Read More

Have Your Say: The SEC is Accepting Feedback on Update to the Definition of an Accredited Investor

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is on the cusp of a significant update to the definition of an accredited investor (AI). Depending on the final rules, the Commission could broadly expand access to private securities offerings – a sector of the capital markets that… Read More

Perspective: Why Startup Boards are Here to Stay

Startups are a new concept, business is not. Disruptive ideas still need structural backing to become as revolutionary as many startups promise. This means maximizing traditional management models to realize the radical. Startup boards, however, are often overlooked and underappreciated. Most boards are made as… Read More

The Top Ten Fintech Predictions for 2020

To my Fintech friends, this is my 4th annual “Top Ten” Fintech prediction. I started this tradition at Crowdfund Insider back in January 2017. As we are saying goodbye to an incredible Fintech year of 2019, I see another seismic change in 2020 for our… Read More

Perspective: The State of Crowdfunding and Where it’s Headed in 2020

The concept of crowdfunding has been around since the dawn of civilization. Think about the priest passing around the bucket in church, communities coming together to help a member in need, or the example that is probably most familiar to us all – taxes! The… Read More

There are Now Three Reg CF Funding Portals that Have Been Suspended Due to Unpaid FINRA Fees

The number of FINRA regulated “funding portals,” investment crowdfunding platforms that have been approved to issue securities under Reg CF, has continued to move upward since the new entity was created under the JOBS Act of 2012. Today, there are well over forty funding portals…. Read More

SEC Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee Tells Commission to Harmonize Rules, Just Don’t Touch Reg D

Last week, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee published several letters regarding recommendations to the Commission pertaining to the concept release on regulatory harmonization. A specific letter was posted regarding updates necessary for Reg CF as well as a… Read More

Top China Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Headlines of 2019

For many reasons, China is regarded as one of the world’s make-or-break regions when it comes to the fate of “blockchain” technology and cryptocurrencies. Before Bitcoin trading was officially banned in China in late 2016, yuan-to-Bitcoin conversions (and vice versa) seemed to account for more… Read More

SEC Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation Issues First Report Reviewing Access to Funding for SMEs

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation, has published its inaugural report on the ability for small businesses in the US to access growth capital. The Advocate is a newly-formed sector of the SEC created by legislation… Read More

FinnoSummit Miami: LatAm Fintech Revolution Part 1 – Death of Point of Sale Terminals and the Rise of Mobile

After an eight hour journey with a stop in Dallas, I arrived early Monday morning (Dec 2nd, 2019) in Miami, a city with many faces. I sprung up early next morning and walked straight into Keynote sessions at the FinnoSummit by LendIt Fintech. As many… Read More

Take Care Using Cryptocurrency ATMs

The first ATM ever to dispense cryptocurrency materialized like a clunky Venus in her shell at a Waves cafe in downtown Vancouver in October 2013. The machine was reportedly installed by Bitcoiniacs in cooperation with a Nevada firm called Robocoin, a company Spectrum says once sourced Bitcoins… Read More

Derek Edward Schloss from the Security Token Academy Discusses State of the Tokenization Economy in the US

There is a lot of hype and hyperbole in the digital asset sector when it comes to securities or utility tokens. To date, the talk has far overshot the reality but that doesn’t mean that advocates aren’t on to something. Part of the discussion revolves… Read More

The Top 5 Crypto and Blockchain Trends to Watch Out for in 2020

After the parabolic bull run of 2017, the last two years were pretty much a bearish phase. New lows were created, bounces and new projects were spread thinly apart.  As we look forward to 2020, expectations of another massive crypto rally, interesting projects and the… Read More

70 Crypto Funds Close Doors as Institutional Interest Fails to Materialize

As the price of Bitcoins sailed parabolically from $3500 USD to $20 000 USD in the latter half of 2017, retail investors were advised to snap up cryptocoins quickly before “the institutions” stepped in and ruined opportunity forever. As mainstream media warned of a bubble,… Read More

Blockchain, A Four-Time Waltz: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Libra & the CBDCs – The Need for a New Balance

We have deliberately chosen to limit our presentation, for pedagogical reasons, to the four fundamental periods represented by the emergence of Bitcoin, Ethereum, Libra and CBDCs (Central Bank Digital Currency) because no other event (derived or similar project) has had such an impact on the… Read More

Report: Traditional Banks Retain Trust, But Challenger Banks Have Charm

A report by global consulting firm AT Kearney recently addressed the emergence of digital challenger banks. Published last week, and authored by Simon Kent and Danil Makarov, the research states that  challenger banks are “already mainstream” and if old school high street banks don’t wake… Read More

Report: the Banque of France will Begin Testing a Central Bank Digital Currency in 2020

The French France

The Banque of France will begin testing a Central Bank Digital Currency (or CBDC) in 2020, according to a report in Les Echos – the leading business publication of France. Quoting François Villeroy de Galhau, the Governor of the Banque of France, who was speaking… Read More

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