Tagged: perspective

December 26, 2018 @ 8:01 am By JD Alois  |  

EY has published their second annual “Fast Growth Tracker” report that surveys founders and entrepreneurs in the UK. The brief report provides an interesting perspective into the UK innovation economy that is vital to economic growth and prosperity. An interesting finding from the report is… Read More

December 23, 2018 @ 10:09 am By Max Lyadvinsky  |  

Equity crowdfunding platforms have democratized the way that individuals and organizations raise and invest capital, by lowering the previously high barrier to entry for investment. And, ever since these platforms emerged, expectations have been high about the effects that this new utilitarian form of investment… Read More

December 21, 2018 @ 11:59 am By JD Alois  |  

This week, CI reported about a problem for Regulation A issuers (or Reg A+ as it is called). Speaking with Mark Elenowitz, a Wall Street veteran and CEO of Tripoint Global and Bank, he explained a nagging problem for issuers using the security exemption who… Read More

December 20, 2018 @ 6:50 am By JD Alois  |  

Blockchain or distributed ledger technology (DLT) has been a red-hot topic in the financial services industry the past few years. The one-two punch of Bitcoin excitement and the Ethereum fueled revelation of smart contracts and decentralization, caused many to label blockchain internet 3.0. But is… Read More

December 18, 2018 @ 11:17 am By Doug Ellenoff  |  

This summer, with little fanfare, the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) announced some interesting and, in our view, directionally enlightened ideas on potential changes to state securities laws as they relate to secondary market trading. If you aren’t familiar with NASAA, it is a… Read More

December 17, 2018 @ 6:57 am By JD Alois  |  

The European Crowdfunding Network (ECN) has just published an Open Letter directed towards EU member states and the ongoing debate regarding pan-European crowdfunding rules. Proposed rules would impact, and perhaps improve, the marketplace for both debt and equity crowdfunding. The ECN believes the European Crowdfunding… Read More

December 14, 2018 @ 4:30 pm By JD Alois  |  

Yesterday, CI reported that Fintech Robinhood had partnered with another firm to provide checking and savings accounts with a 3% annual interest. That, in itself, is pretty amazing as traditional banks are in the habit of not paying any interest at all in real terms… Read More

December 14, 2018 @ 9:32 am By Onki Kwan  |  

Recently, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has been actively pursuing all players in the initial coin offering (ICO) space, including companies that have raised money with ICOs, an exchange, people promoting ICOs, and most recently, an ICO investment fund. The SEC’s recent actions are… Read More

December 13, 2018 @ 10:23 am By JD Alois  |  

The CEO of crypto exchange Panxora (formerly operating as First Global) says he is “unhappy” with the US regulatory model. The comments come following the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (CFTC) request for information on “crypto-asset mechanics” including Ethereum (Ether) and Bitcoin Gavin Smith says he is… Read More

December 5, 2018 @ 12:00 pm By Scott Schirick  |  

November was a busy month for the SEC’s burgeoning regulation of digital assets. In the first action of its kind, the Commission brought enforcement proceedings against the founder of digital asset trading platform EtherDelta for operating as an unregistered securities “exchange.” Ten days later, the… Read More

December 4, 2018 @ 11:17 am By JD Alois  |  

Speaking at Blockland Cleveland yesterday, Congressman Warren Davidson, from Ohio’s 8th District, discussed forthcoming legislation that may dramatically impact the initial coin offering (ICO) industry in the US. Representative Warren said the draft legislation seeks to create a token that can trade but will not… Read More

November 26, 2018 @ 6:30 pm By Christian Hsieh  |  

At the tail end of 2017, all eyes turned to the cryptocurrency industry when Bitcoin’s price soared to reach nearly $20,000 per coin. Articles were written, hands were shaken, and early investors in the digital currency had a very good holiday season indeed. But that… Read More

November 26, 2018 @ 10:46 am By JD Alois  |  

On November 16th, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced its first enforcement actions against initial coin offerings (ICOs) that did not file for an appropriate securities exemption following the SEC’s DAO report. The SEC settled claims with both Paragon and AirFox with each ICO issuer… Read More

November 23, 2018 @ 10:30 am By Aubrey Hansen   |  

Three years into the smart contract revolution that should have brought us international, completely free and trust-independent markets, the time has come to see how far we’ve gotten and what remains from the grand idea. During its early beginnings, the Ethereum project was often introduced… Read More

November 17, 2018 @ 4:44 am By Aubrey Hansen   |  

Proving who we are used to be a pretty straight-forward affair, or as Popeye the Sailor Man used to say: I am what I am and that’s all that I am. The increasing digitization of our lives, however, doesn’t tolerate this naive attitude any longer. … Read More

November 16, 2018 @ 3:24 pm By JD Alois  |  

Earlier today, CI reported on the first enforcement actions taken by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) pertaining to post-DAO initial coin offerings (ICOs). The case is precedent setting and sets a clear path for enforcement officials to proceed with other ICO issuers who raised… Read More

November 14, 2018 @ 10:00 pm By Samuel Guzik  |  

SEC Regulation A (commonly referred to as Regulation A+) was implemented by the SEC in 2015 pursuant to major Congressional legislation, the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the JOBS Act). It allows companies to raise up to $50 million in a 12 month… Read More

November 13, 2018 @ 9:31 pm By JD Alois  |  

A report published a few days backed, addressed the question of which country is tops when it comes to Fintech innovation. For some time now, Singapore and the UK have both aspired to sit on the Fintech throne each providing unique characteristics to their entrepreneurial… Read More

November 13, 2018 @ 4:38 pm By Jen Nash  |  

Last year’s explosion in cryptocurrencies (in both price and awareness among the public) has made the financial world sit up and take notice. The promise of blockchain technology disrupting industries, democratizing finance through decentralization and potentially making investors wealthy—was the driving force behind the rise… Read More

November 12, 2018 @ 7:10 pm By JD Alois  |  

Investing in early-stage firms is highly risky. As this publication has stated time and again, many, if not most, early-stage firms will fail or simply bounce along failing to achieve the founder’s expectations of great financial success. Investment crowdfunding platforms typically list mainly startup or… Read More