Tagged: perspective

What’s in a Name: STOs vs. ICOs

The initial coin offering (ICO) frenzy is a starting to move beyond its toddler years. After a slow start, ICOs rocketed into public awareness with high profile funding rounds and ridiculous scams accompanied by heightened speculation on unregulated crypto exchanges. Crowdsales generated offerings in the… Read More

How Poor Treasury Management is Killing ETH

2017 was a landmark year for crowdfunding. The JOBS Act passage coincided with blockchain, opened the door for a record in capital raised through ICOs (initial coin offerings) for early stage companies as well as Wantrepreneurs with an idea and a whitepaper.  ICOs were launched… Read More

ICO Tokens & the SEC: You Can’t Even Give Them Away …. No, Seriously

Summary:    The SEC has issued a Cease & Desist Order and sanctions against a token issuer and its founder.  Among several findings, the SEC determined that the “Bounty Program” run by the issuer constituted a securities offering.  The Order states “a ‘gift’ of a… Read More

Report: Coinbase Says it was Signing Up 50,000 A DAY Last Year. Meanwhile Crypto Tanks

Even while crypto is tanking inciting fears of crypto doom, Coinbase marches onward ignoring the daily vacillations of the market. In a report from Bloomberg today, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong shared that during 2017 they were signing up a whopping 50,000 each and every day. He… Read More

PeerIQ CEO Ram Ahluwalia on OCC Fintech Charter: Consumers Win if it is Implemented Correctly

At the end of July, the US Department of Treasury published a wide-sweeping document on Fintech innovation in the US and what must be done to boost innovation in financial services. While much of the document addressed much needed regulatory reform and overlapping state and… Read More

Perspective: FCA Regulatory Shift on P2P May Help Bolster Sector & Build Trust with Investors

The Financial Conduct Authority will Update Rules for Loan Based Crowdfunding. Crowd2Fund CEO Chris Hancock Shares His Perspective. The growth and success of P2P lending, and its positive effect on the UK economy, cannot be disputed. Initially starting out as curiosity during the depths of… Read More

FinCEN Director Kenneth Blanco Addresses Tough Topic of Cryptocurrency, Attorney Joshua Klayman Adds Insight to Topics Discussed

This week, at an event in Chicago that focused on legal questions swirling around the emerging cryptocurrency industry, FinCEN Director Kenneth Blanco delivered a much anticipated speech regarding his agency’s thoughts on digital assets and virtual currencies. FinCEN is part of the US Department of… Read More

Petition the SEC: Raise the Crowdfunding Limit to $20 Million

“small businesses are still shut out from equity crowdfunding due to the current regulatory constraints.” Recently, a group of prominent small business advocates and crowdfunding industry insiders sent a letter to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Jay Clayton. The group, which included representatives of… Read More

Darren Marble: Bullish on the Emerging Security Token Offering Market in the US

Darren Marble, CEO and founder of CrowdfundX, a firm that provides a modern spin on financial marketing for the new world of Fintech and online capital formation,  recently commented on the trends and observations in the U.S. security token market. In the write up, Marble made various… Read More

Why Real Estate Deals, Not Startups are the Big Success Story of Equity Crowdfunding

Equity crowdfunding for startups was supposed to be a game-changer. The excitement began in 2013 when Title II of the JOBS Act gave individuals who met certain requirements for income or net worth—called accredited investors—the ability to invest in some types of assets that had… Read More

Attorney Brian Korn: Fintech Charters Will NOT be Effective Unless Federal Preemption is Available to Holders

After years of discussion, and multiple attempts by traditional finance to block a Fintech Charter offered by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), in a surprise move the OCC announced this week it would begin accepting applications from Fintechs to gain a… Read More

Representative Huizenga Seeks Industry Fairness, But Needs More Info on Crypto

  House Representative Bill Huizenga of Michigan told Bloomberg July 27th that American regulations may need to be modernized to support crypto industries and ensure that retail investors get a piece of the action. “We’ve seen so much more of the capital getting locked up into… Read More

Chamber of Digital Commerce & Token Alliance Publish Digital Token & ICO Guidelines, Addresses Challenge of Utility Tokens

The Chamber of Digital Commerce’s and their Token Alliance, an initiative of more than 350 blockchain and token experts from around the globe, has published a set of guidelines to help shape the responsible growth of the token and initial coin offering (ICO) markets. The document called Understanding Digital Tokens:… Read More

JOBS Act 3.0: Breaking Down Highlights of The  “JOBS and Investor Confidence Act of 2018”

Earlier this month the House Financial Services Committee unveiled a new bill aimed at fostering increased private investment. The “JOBS and Investor Confidence Act of 2018,” as the bill is titles, is actually a compilation of 32 individual bills. While the complete list of the… Read More

US Chamber of Commerce Adds its Voice to Promoting Fintech Innovation: Advocates for ICOs, Warns that Fragmentation & Regulatory Confusion is Pushing Companies Abroad

Washington DC Capitol At Night Red Light

The US Chamber of Commerce is a powerful association and lobbying group in Washington, DC. They represent over 3 million businesses in the US from the really big ones to the corner shops. And as we all know, small business is the life blood of… Read More

Fixing the JOBS Act Beyond JOBS Act 3.0: Follow the Money

  Often repeated, but not always followed, is the advice: follow the money. Sometimes basic problems – and their solutions – are more readily understood (and solved) with this simple mantra. Effective capital markets are no exception. They demand faithful adherence to this principle. Lose… Read More

A Transfer Agent’s Blockchain Manifesto

When the blockchain mania began many commentators and market participants were quick to point out the revolutionary aspects of this technology and began sounding the death knell of the traditional securities industry. They claimed that there would no longer be any need for regulation or… Read More

Risk Analyst, Bitcoiner and ICO Nemesis Tone Vays Extends Olive Branch to “BCash,” Warns ICO Bubble Could “Destroy” US Economy

Former Wall Street risk analyst, avid Bitcoiner and ICO-detractor Tone Vays telecast his compelling “Inevitable ICO Bubble” talk to a crowd at the Seattle Bitcoin Meet Up last Thursday, during which he extended an olive branch to the creators of the contentious Bitcoin ‘fork,’ Bitcoin… Read More

The Time Has Come to Regulate the Tech Titans: A Tiered Approach to Regulation in Favour of Competition, Innovation and Consumer Rights

With tech titans the most valuable companies on the planet, the notion of self-regulation is no longer appropriate or fit for purpose. Is now the time for governments to step in to protect consumers and ensure a more competitive environment? The role of the technology… Read More

The Financial Conduct Authority Annual Report: “The FCA has been a consistent champion of Fintech and Regtech”

The leading financial regulator in the United Kingdom released their annual report this week. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) tackled a wide spectrum of issues in the report including the forthcoming separation from Europe. But the FCA also addressed their ongoing intent to foster an… Read More

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