Tagged: perspective

June 23, 2015 @ 9:52 am By JD Alois  |  

The German Crowdfunding Network joined a broad coalition of business advocates last month to plead with the German government to not raise taxes on capital gains. Typically politicians are always in search of revenue (new taxes) to spend on public projects and services. Some with merit,… Read More

June 22, 2015 @ 7:30 am By Samuel Guzik  |  

And Regulation A+’s Forgotten Crowdfunding Cousin Quietly Comes to Life in Congress Some History Lessons Though some may quibble over the details, June 19, 2015, was an historic day in U.S. regulatory history, at least as far as raising capital for small businesses is concerned… Read More

June 19, 2015 @ 5:27 pm By JD Alois  |  

Title IV of the JOBS Act finally become an actionable exemption today.  Rules 251 through 263 of Regulation A, under the Securities Act of 1933, were amended in an effort to fix a previously untenable securities rule.  Reg A+, as it is commonly known, has… Read More

June 17, 2015 @ 10:42 am By Anthony Zeoli  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Advisory Committee on Small and Emerging Companies met in early June to discuss various topics concerning, of course, small businesses. One of the primary topics the Committee addressed was the growing enactment and use of state-based crowdfunding (i.e. “Intrastate… Read More

June 12, 2015 @ 5:33 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Subcommittee on Capital Markets an Government Sponsored Enterprises, part of the Committee on Financial Services, has scheduled a hearing to discuss two bills. The first is the Small Business Credit Availability Act which has been crafted to amend the Investment Committee Act of 1940… Read More

June 10, 2015 @ 2:39 pm By Stephen Sheinbaum  |  

  Trends in the Use of Technology in Alternative Finance Calendar makers divide the general world’s timeline into “Common Era” and “before the Common Era”. For financial technology, the timeline should be divided into “Before PayPal” and the sea change which has happened since. When… Read More

June 9, 2015 @ 3:01 am By Anthony Zeoli  |  

Early last week the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) rolled out a multi-million dollar ad campaign promoting its online research tool called “BrokerCheck.” BrokerCheck is free online database intended to provide the investing public with an east way to research brokers and investment advisers before… Read More

June 5, 2015 @ 9:34 pm By JD Alois  |  

Senator Elizabeth Warren, an outspoken critic of all things associated with Wall Street, launched a blistering frontal assault against the current Chair of the SEC – Mary Jo White. It should be noted that Mary Jo White was selected by President Barack Obama to reinvigorate… Read More

June 4, 2015 @ 11:53 am By Georgia Quinn  |  

A CATO Institute event on the status of capital markets in the US provided a bright spot to an otherwise bleak and rainy day in New York City. Amidst the libertarian rhetoric and literature, two speakers stood out with certain observations and proposed remedies to… Read More

June 4, 2015 @ 7:37 am By JD Alois  |  

SEC Commissioner Daniel Gallagher has completed the final update of his “crazy quilt” chart of regulations that smother financial services firms.  It is a wonder that anyone working in the financial sector does anything else but review and comply with mandatory rules.  And these are… Read More

May 30, 2015 @ 5:20 pm By JD Alois  |  

How time flies. The SEC is mandated by law to convene a forum on Small Business Capital Formation once a year. The practice has become an annual event that combines both hope and frustration.  The SEC is not required to act on any of the… Read More

May 27, 2015 @ 7:30 am By Anthony Zeoli  |  

For years now, big bank lenders have warned the public about the dangers of dealing with “shadow” (i.e. non-bank) lending institutions. The term itself conjures up images of shady back-room deals where you’re handed money in a paper bag and told to pay it back… Read More

May 26, 2015 @ 8:15 am By Samuel Guzik  |  

On the eve of the 2015 Memorial Day weekend, Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin set the stage for what I expect will be the final chapter in the continuing saga of what has popularly been referred to as Regulation A+,  a newly created avenue… Read More

May 21, 2015 @ 9:15 am By Dara Albright  |  

The thing that excites me most about today’s crowdfinance-inspired path of capital formation is its unprecedented ability to mitigate shareholder risk and groom more productive businesses. It does this by allowing companies to gauge consumer demand and presell products prior to it outlaying any manufacturing,… Read More

May 20, 2015 @ 12:00 pm By Casper Arboll  |  

  Crowdinvesting has contributed to the development of new organizational forms that in particular affects entrepreneur – investor relations. In this new reality, it is normal for startups to have an average of 125 investors. A potential burden for small founder teams, but also a… Read More

May 19, 2015 @ 11:35 am By Sandi Gilbert  |  

Six Canadian provinces jumped into the equity crowdfunding space in a big way on May 14, 2015. British Columbia, Saskatchewan,  Quebec, Manitoba, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia announced a new prospectus exemption for early stage companies to raise capital. When I first read the press release,… Read More

May 19, 2015 @ 9:36 am By Mor Assia  |  

With a compound annual growth rate of 88% since 2011, crowdfunding, particularly equity crowdfunding, is taking off. The decentralization of finance gives individuals more choice and control as to where they invest their money, and simultaneously offers startups access to new sources of capital. So… Read More

May 17, 2015 @ 10:19 pm By Barry James  |  

Is this a defining moment? For many I suspect it will be – although to judge by the comments, some of them who clearly think that the trust that the banks squandered long ago is still in place, other who clearly see the old order… Read More

May 14, 2015 @ 11:21 am By JD Alois  |  

One of the most vocal advocates for small business and rational rule making is leaving the Securities and Exchange Commission.  Daniel Gallagher, an SEC Commissioner for the past four years, has reportedly told multiple people he is ready to move on after a vocal tenure… Read More

May 13, 2015 @ 12:05 am By Barry James  |  

EU Poised to Tax Crowdfunding Campaigns Potentially Killing Off Source of SME Funding Will Crowdfunders from the US and across the world be caught in the crossfire as the EU quietly prepares to declare war on the Internet’s behemoths? The European Union is considering the… Read More