JD Alois

Expanding Access to Capital Act (HR 2799) Goes to a House Floor Vote This Week

The Expanding Access to Capital Act (HR 2799) will go to a floor vote this week. If approved, the legislation will then make its way to the Senate for potential approval. The bill is sponsored by Congressman Patrick McHenry, Chairman of the House Financial Services… Read More

Bitcoin Hits New All Time High

Is it the Bitcoin ETFs? The Halving? The debt debacle in the US? Whatever it is, Bitcoin has hit a new all-time high. According to Coinbase, Bitcoin briefly breached $69,000 – the highest valuation ever. Currently trading at around $68,000 some prognosticators are predicting that… Read More

Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt to Reveal Spring Budget, Fintechs Share Opinions

Tomorrow (March 6, 2024), the Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt will reveal the Spring Budget. Will there be tax cuts? Will ISAs be expanded?  Will the inheritance tax go away? We will know soon enough. As there is an election looming, you can expect… Read More

OurCrowd AI Fund: Investment Platform OurCrowd to Partner with NVIDIA on Artificial Intelligence Fund

OurCrowd, a global online investment platform providing smaller investors access to private securities offerings, is partnering with NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) as part of its sector fund, the OurCrowd AI Fund. NVIDIA is the hottest artificial intelligence firm around today, as just about everyone needs their technology… Read More

EuroCrowd Announces Partnership with Italian Startup Association InnovUP

EuroCrowd, the pan-European assocation that represents investment crowdfunding platforms across the continent, has announced a partnership with InnovUP,  or the Italian Innovation & Startup Ecosystem association. According to a note from EuroCrowd, the partnership means that EuroCrowd will help represent Italian platforms. This is said… Read More

The Small Business Investor Alliance Strongly Supports Expansion of Accredited Investor Definition

Last week the SEC’s Small Business Capital Formation Access Committee met and one of the topics reviewed was the definition of an Accredited Investor. Once again, the Committee determined that the current definition is too restrictive, voting on expanding the definition to make it more… Read More

Former COO of Wirecard Jan Marsalek Was a Russian Spy, Now Lives in Russia

A payments provider and once one of the most successful Fintechs in Germany, Wirecard collapsed into a pile of allegations of fraud and misconduct. Wirecard, at one time part of the DAX and valued in the billions of dollars, became a huge embarrassment for regulators… Read More

Common Stock vs. Preferred Shares in Crowdfunding: Investors Should Understand Common Equity in Crowdfunded Offerings

  Numerous types of private securities are being sold to investors via online investment platforms. Investment crowdfunding has opened up a new market for all investors – including non-accredited investors. While debt is less risky than equity, in general, the returns may be limited if… Read More

As of Today, You Can Keep Up to $1 Million in Your Apple Savings Account

As of today (March 1, 2024), if you have an Apple Card, you may hold up to $1 million in your Apple Savings account. While there is no minimum amount needed to open an account, if you go over the $1M hurdle, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) will… Read More

Access to Capital: British Business Bank Says Bank Lending Declined in 2023, Equity Capital Down Too

Research conducted by the British Business Bank reports that bank lending dropped in 2023, delivering an amount similar to 2016. At the same time, equity capital in smaller firms cratered to levels near those in 2020. When looking more closely at private equity financing, 2023… Read More

Investment Crowdfunding Trends in the US: Report

  Crowdfund Capital Advisors (CCA) has published a new report that investigates trends in online capital formation under Reg CF (Regulation Crowdfunding). CCA was co-founded by the creators of the JOBS Act – the legislation that legalized investment crowdfunding. While the bill was signed into… Read More

Senator Tim Scott Wants Capital Markets to be More Inclusive, Expand Definition of an Accredited Investor, Make the SEC More Accountable

Senator Tim Scott, the ranking member on the Senate Banking Committee, wants to make the capital markets more inclusive. In a recent op-ed, Senator Scott said his new Empowering Main Street in America Act framework would “enhance financial education programs to increase market understanding and participation,… Read More

Honeycomb Credit Raised Money in Reg D Offering at the End of 2023

Honeycomb Credit, a FINRA-regulated Funding Portal, raised equity capital at the end of 2023. According to the Form D filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Honeycomb sold $8.844 million in shares of the firm. Of note, Honeycomb raised new money in the amount of… Read More

AI for Finance: Microsoft Introduces Copilot for Finance

The artificial intelligence (AI) revolution is continuing at a rapid pace. Today, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), the largest software firm in the world, has announced AI-powered Copilot for Finance. This is part of Microsoft 365 and claims to “transform modern finance.” To quote Microsoft: “Finance departments are… Read More

UK Cryptoasset Business Council Adds Clear Junction as Member

Cross-border payments firm Clear Junction has joined the UK Cryptoasset Business Council (UKCBC). The UKCBC advocates on behalf of the digital assets/crypto sector in the UK. According to a note from the UKCBC, crypto is at a key inflection point due to MiCA, and ETFs,… Read More

House Financial Services Committee is Investigating the FDIC Regarding Allegations of “Misconduct”

The House Financial Services Committee has announced that it is investigating the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) in regard to allegations of “misconduct.” The Committee does not outline exactly what types of misconduct may be occurring but references reports of widespread malfeasance.   🚨 CALLING… Read More

All Fine at Coinbase After Some Accounts Dropped to Zero Causing Fear for Users

Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN) is back on its feet today after suffering a situation that displayed zero balances in some account holders. Comments on X indicated that server capacity was stretched, probably due to the Bitcoin bull run, which has driven interest for investors. In a statement… Read More

UK Fintech Volt Approved to Operate as a E-Money Platform

Volt is the next Fintech to be approved by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to be approved as an E-money service provider. Currently, Volt provides real-time payments. Frequently, once a platform is an E-money institution (EMI) they may offer additional financial services. Volt states… Read More

Congressman Patrick McHenry Reintroduces the Financial Services Innovation Act

Congressman Patrick McHenry, the Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, has reintroduced the Financial Services Innovation Act. The legislation was previously introduced by McHenry but did not garner sufficient traction to move to the House floor for a vote. This bill aims to establish… Read More

Apple BNPL Users Will Have their Payment History Reported to Experian

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) released a buy now pay later (BNPL) product a year ago. Expectations are for a more extended credit option to appear soon as Apple continues its ongoing expansion into financial services. Today, Experian has shared that Apple BNPL users will now have their… Read More

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