Tagged: perspective

January 12, 2018 @ 12:51 pm By JD Alois  |  

In the land of initial coin offerings (ICO), a world that is starting to look a bit like Xanadu, an estimated $4.9 billion was raised. This number was buttressed by several sources. WSJ.com reported in December that ICOs had topped $4 billion. Crunchbase augmented that… Read More

January 11, 2018 @ 5:21 pm By Joshua Klayman  |  

With thanks to Greg Murphy of Outlier Ventures for his contribution to this article. Now that 2018 is well underway, traditional debt and equity capital providers would be wise to re-examine many of their familiar forms of contracts to identify new risks – and realize… Read More

January 9, 2018 @ 10:30 pm By David M. Adlerstein and Joshua Ashley Klayman  |  

“Photography is more than a medium for factual communication of ideas. It is a creative art.” – Ansel Adams The past year has witnessed a flurry of remarkable “initial coin offerings,” or ICOs.  The pending KODAKCoin digital token sale jointly announced by Kodak and WENN… Read More

January 7, 2018 @ 8:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

Anytime I am around a securities attorney (which is quite often) inevitably the 33 Act or the 40 Act comes up in conversation. For normal people (non-attorneys) this legal speak can be confusing, riven by acronyms and stifled by dogma. Yet much of the regulatory… Read More

January 5, 2018 @ 3:42 pm By Joshua Klayman  |  

Oh the excitement!  Oh the frustration! Each day, more and more people are becoming aware of digital tokens generally, and an ever increasing number of them have begun the journey into purchasing some of those tokens.  But a lack of mechanical technological know-how may leave… Read More

January 3, 2018 @ 5:41 pm By Gary Schwartz  |  

Blockchain initial coin offerings (ICOs) have democratized capital formation for a new generation of application services. From startups to nation states, tokens are a revolutionary construct that allow for innovative function, value and liquidity. Over the past three years, ICOs have successfully funded the development… Read More

December 31, 2017 @ 9:28 pm By JD Alois  |  

Last month, we visited the roster of FINRA approved Reg CF funding portals which stood at 34. Today, that number has increased by 2 so now it stands at 36 in total. Last week, we discussed the three Reg CF platforms that departed this segment… Read More

December 27, 2017 @ 11:29 am By Jim Borzilleri  |  

The initial coin offering (or ICO) explosion accelerated by Ethereum smart contract technology has resulted in over $3 billion in raised capital in 2017 and garnered the attention of governments worldwide.  The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has taken note.  In their statement on… Read More

December 26, 2017 @ 9:13 am By Julien Courbe  |  

It would be nice if digital transformation were something that firms could buy, like Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). Unfortunately, there’s no one size fits all solution. What makes sense for one firm could be exactly wrong approach for another. But as we’re predicting that a lot of… Read More

December 22, 2017 @ 8:33 am By JD Alois  |  

Bitcoin is tanking. The world’s most popular cryptocurrency has entered a steep dive following a peak of around $20,000 per BTC, Bitcoin now stands under $13,000 representing a serious collapse following the sugar high rush of speculative euphoria in recent weeks. Most all other prominent… Read More

December 18, 2017 @ 2:23 pm By Joshua Ashley Klayman & Jay G. Baris  |  

  This article is written by the authors solely in their personal capacities, and the views expressed are the authors’ own and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employer or any other person.  This article does not constitute, and should not be relied… Read More

December 15, 2017 @ 12:00 pm By Barry James  |  

Appearing on the BBC’s news flagship Newsnight the head of the UK’s regulator, the  FCA’s  Andrew Bailey, has drawn mainstream attention to Bitcoin and the world of cryptocurrencies while admitting that they have yet to understand what he called an ‘odd commodity’. While  the BBC’s… Read More

December 7, 2017 @ 9:58 am By JD Alois  |  

Another day, another record for the worlds most popular cryptocurrency. Bitcoin has been hurdling along toppling records in thousand dollar leaps. We last reported, two days ago, that Bitcoin had topped $12,000. In hindsight, that report (and amount) seems premature as Bitcoin seems rather determined… Read More

December 6, 2017 @ 4:06 pm By Amy Wan  |  

In the early days of Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs), basically for much of this year, one of the keys of a successful ICO raise was ability to snag a crypto-influencer onto one’s advisory board – or to get them to be an early investor in… Read More

December 6, 2017 @ 11:16 am By JD Alois  |  

The Bitcoin Foundation has been working diligently to mitigate language of pending legislation, “The Combating Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing, and Counterfeiting Act of 2017″ (S.1241), in the US Senate that would define anyone issuing, redeeming or cashing Bitcoin as a financial institution. Think about what that… Read More

December 5, 2017 @ 4:04 pm By Howard Marks  |  

It is clear that the SEC is going to do an enforcement action against a number of Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs), and the people who are selling utility tokens to investors for Bitcoin or Ether cryptocurrencies. Most ICOs are conducted by companies that have not… Read More

December 4, 2017 @ 2:53 pm By Barry James  |  

It was recently reported that the former chief economist of the World Bank wants Bitcoin banned, saying “Bitcoin is successful only because of its potential for circumvention, lack of oversight” You missed something crucial. Because of the ‘McKinsey’ factor. The operative rules (laws of nature from… Read More

December 1, 2017 @ 1:32 pm By Barry James  |  

Until now ‘Fintech’ has had a rather timid relationship with crowdfunding – and to put it bluntly many Fintech founders would have rather be seen dead in a ditch than crowdfunding a million dollars or two – even as a first step. Until now. Initial… Read More

November 29, 2017 @ 9:00 am By JD Alois  |  

The price of Bitcoin (BTC) has been on an absolute hyperbolic ascent this past year. Yesterday, Bitcoin topped $10,000 and currently stands over $11,0000. One year ago, Bitcoin was priced at around $730. Think about that for a moment. IF you had purchased Bitcoin last… Read More

November 28, 2017 @ 9:08 am By Anthony Zeoli  |  

If you’ve been under a rock for the last year or so, you might not know that “initial coin offerings” or ICOs are the hottest thing in the financial market today. As if the fact that the overwhelming majority of ICOs aren’t regulated in any… Read More