Tagged: perspective

Understanding Today’s Capital Raising Options (Infographic)

They say that there is no such thing as bad press but I am not so sure that I agree with that statement. While this may be the case for the Kardashians, I don’t think the same holds true for the crowdfunding/P2P lending industries. In… Read More

Alphaworks is Now Quire as Crowdfunding Platform Focuses on Community

Alphaworks, the equity crowdfunding sibling of Betaworks, has rebranded as Quire, launching a redesigned site adding new features for users. Alphaworks has launched several, highly curated, equity offers in past months. The platform allows the crowd to join alongside professional investors / VCs to invest… Read More

Report: Rebuilding IPOs in Europe

The European IPO report recently published a report that was delivered to the European Commission as part of the discussion on the Capital Markets Union. Three associations came together as part of this IPO task force to create the document advocating change in the EU…. Read More

The Future of Cities: Crowdfunding Can Tackle Urban Density & Issues of Inequality Simultaneously

In the 19th century, there were 11 cities with over 1 million inhabitants.  Today there are over 500 cities around the world where the population stands above 1 million.  There are over 7 billion souls on this planet and this number is predicted to grow… Read More

Crowdfunder UK Partners with Virgin on Startup Loans: Real Innovation or a Tricky and Limited Combination ?

Is this the start of a new trend – or even a new phase – in crowdfunding? Might it be another step in rewards crowdfunding ‘coming of age’ in the UK? It’s certainly getting noticed as the route of choice to seed a startup. In… Read More

Are We in a Peer to Peer Bubble?

I’ve always said that you can gauge the success of an industry by the growth and enthusiasm of its annual convention. It’s also a great barometer of market peaks and bubbles – especially when you have the chance to really get into the psyche of… Read More

Larry Summers: Conventional Finance Has Let Us Down

“Regulators should allow new firms to operate, generate data on the outcomes created by novel business models before writing new rules.” Larry Summers, former Secretary of the Treasury under President Clinton and Director of the National Economic Council under President Obama, delivered a rousing speech… Read More

SEC Commissioner Gallagher: International Financial Stability Board “The Height of Regulatory Hubris”

In a world of growing governmental over-reach it is rare to find a regulator who wants to do less not more.  But it makes sense. Budgets are made, and funding allocated, based on predicted needs of tomorrow not the reality of last year. Legislators make rules… Read More

Crowdfunding and Global Challenges

    I recently published a report with Mary Milner addressing how crowdfunding models can be used to address global challenges across multi-national networks.   What is fascinating is how rapidly the nature of conversations about crowdfunding is changing among top policy makers, corporate leaders and… Read More

The Escape Velocity of Online Marketplaces for Credit

In the world of finance, the traditional banking industry is the big celestial body at the center of things. Circling that orbit are the spheres of money transfer, payments, wealth management, banking and marketplace lending (also called peer-to-peer finance). Disruption to financial services has been… Read More

GLI Finance Publishes “Alternative Finance Manifesto”. Explains How to Keep New Finance Growth Momentum

The UK has become one of the hottest markets for FinTech startups in the world. In fact the George Osborne has made the FinTech industry a tentpole in his policy initiatives. At the Innovate Finance launch last year the Chancellor declared “I want the UK to… Read More

Here Comes the Sun: Sunlight (Not Shadow) Banking Heralds the Future

  Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants…” Former US Supreme Court Judge Louis Brandeis The old guard is trying to define marketplace lending as part of a murky “shadow banking” industry.  Banking analyst Richard Bove concluded in a recent Rafferty Capital Markets… Read More

Alphaworks: Reg A+ Not the Home Run People Were Hoping For..

  Alphaworks, the crowdfunding offshoot of innovation factory betaworks, recently published a series of postings on Regulation A+: How it came to be and what they anticipate it to become going forward. Broken up into three different segments, the first part reviewed the origin and history surrounding… Read More

Jamie Dimon: “Silicon Valley is Coming..”

Jamie Dimon is probably the most respected banking CEO on Wall Street today. And he should be.  He was the guy that really didn’t need the bail-out money but took one for the team when asked to do it by the Secretary of the Treasury…. Read More

Time for Regulators to Step-Up: Canada Needs Crowdfunding Regulations to Match US Reg A+ 

Regulators, particularly securities regulators, are normally a conservative and risk averse lot, generally preferring fraud prevention to economic efficiency.  However sometimes they can come up with some brilliant pieces of economically empowering regulation, particularly when pushed by the political powers that be and when faced… Read More

Perspective: Ignore the Hype – Regulation A+ is NOT Crowdfunding

After the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued its final rules for the new Regulation A (Reg A+), many in the media heralded the changes as the dawn of a new financial paradigm: investment crowdfunding.  Companies we work with wondered if Reg A+ was the… Read More

Regulation A+ : A Practical Perspective

By now, the startup world has heard the news. Finance blogs are ablaze, and twitter feeds are lighting up with word that capital just became a whole lot easier to access. Entrepreneurs from coast to coast are leaning back in their chairs, greedily steepling their… Read More

SEC Commissioner Daniel M. Gallagher Speaks to the Crowdfunding Ecosystem – It’s Time to Listen and Act

Having just read SEC Commissioner Daniel M. Gallagher’s remarks at Vanderbilt Law School last Friday,  he may not be the only champion of smart regulation for small business capital formation.  But he is surely one of the most visible and important voices in this area. … Read More

Commissioner Gallagher: Title III Crowdfunding is “1970s East Germany”

SEC Commissioner Daniel Gallagher gave a speech yesterday at the Vanderbilt Law School in Nashville. While the text of the speech is not yet available, Bloomberg has quoted  the Commissioner on Title III of the JOBS Act as being smothered by red-tape.  Effectively he is highlighting… Read More

Fundrise CEO Ben Miller: New Reg A+ is a “Goldilocks” Change in Regulatory Environment

Fundrise, one of the first crowdfunding platforms in the United States, was an early innovator when it comes to real estate crowdfunding.  Founded by brothers Ben & Dan Miller, the pair started using old Regulation A to offer shares in small real estate deals. This… Read More

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