Tagged: doug ellenoff

August 26, 2020 @ 11:03 am By JD Alois  |  

As widely anticipated, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) updated the definition of an Accredited Investor expanding the rule by adding certain sophistication criteria. The current definition defines an individual who earns over $200,000 a year ($300,000 if married) as accredited. If an individual has… Read More

August 7, 2020 @ 10:41 am By JD Alois  |  

Legaltech firm LawCloud is now offering its legal document library for free to all of its users in an effort to help small businesses impacted by COVID, according to a note from the company. Some of the free legal documents include Employment Agreements, Non-Disclosure Agreements… Read More

June 10, 2020 @ 5:23 pm By JD Alois  |  

In May, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee met to discuss pending decisions by the SEC regarding an update to the exempt offering ecosystem. The SEC Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee was established by the SEC Small Business… Read More

March 25, 2020 @ 7:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

On March 4th the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) published a proposal to amend multiple securities exemptions. If enacted, the proposed amendments would be the largest changes to securities law since the passage of the JOBS Act, and will strengthen the small business and startup… Read More

March 4, 2020 @ 4:56 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed meaningful changes to multiple securities exemptions today. The pending rule change came following a closed meeting of the Commission without a public agenda. The proposals may dramatically impact platforms that facilitate online securities offerings and benefit smaller companies… Read More

December 2, 2019 @ 9:13 am By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced a significant review of the securities exemption ecosystem in June of this year. During the past few decades, the Commission, with some help from Congress, has updated and added to the many rules that regulate private securities offerings…. Read More

September 23, 2019 @ 7:22 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Association of Online Investment Platforms (AOIP) visited both House and Senate staffers last week, along with a meeting at the US Department of Treasury. The goal of the trip was to review the status of current crowdfunding exemptions and what must be done to… Read More

September 16, 2019 @ 11:10 pm By JD Alois  |  

Reg CF [Regulation Crowdfunding], the smallest of the three crowdfunding exemptions created by the bi-partisan JOBS Act of 2012, became officially actionable in May of 2016. In that time, hundreds of issuers have raised money on FINRA regulated “funding portals” taking advantage of the internet… Read More

September 12, 2019 @ 11:29 am By JD Alois  |  

Yesterday, the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Investor Protection, Entrepreneurship, and Capital Markets held a hearing entitled “Examining Private Market Exemptions as a Barrier to IPOs and Retail Investment.” The hearing saw a debate on the merits of private securities exemptions, such as Reg D, Reg… Read More

September 10, 2019 @ 7:29 pm By JD Alois  |  

Tomorrow (September 11), the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Investor Protection, Entrepreneurship, and Capital Markets, will hold a must-see hearing on “Examining Private Market Exemptions as a Barrier to IPOs and Retail Investment.”  The Subcommittee is Chaired by Representative Carolyn Maloney. The Hearing incorporates multiple pending… Read More

July 22, 2019 @ 3:41 pm By JD Alois  |  

Blockstack has kicked off the first qualified Reg A+ token offering. Blockstack has reportedly worked closely with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to get the offering approved. Multiple issuers have been attempting to use the JOBS Act exemption to facilitate security token offerings due… Read More

June 26, 2019 @ 9:29 am By JD Alois  |  

The Association of Online Investment Platforms (AOIP) has published a series of policy recommendations encouraging Congress to act and improve the online capital formation marketplace by fixing existing flaws in crowdfunding rules. The AOIP is a newer advocacy group formed in the last year. The… Read More

June 19, 2019 @ 10:50 am By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission is seeking comments on the current securities exemption structure. In a release yesterday, the SEC asked the public to provide feedback on “ways to simplify, harmonize, and improve the exempt offering framework to expand investment opportunities while maintaining appropriate investor… Read More

April 21, 2019 @ 6:51 pm By JD Alois  |  

Previously doing business as iDisclose, LawCloud – a Legaltech firm based in New York City, has signed a licensing agreement with the law firm of Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP (EGS). LawCloud provides several legal services including software that automates a portion of the legal… Read More

April 8, 2019 @ 12:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

Last week, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) moved forward on clarifying their position regarding digital assets. First, a No-Action Letter (NAL) was released pertaining to the issuance of a token by TurnKey Jet. In a tightly defined issuance, Turnkey was deemed not to be… Read More

January 30, 2019 @ 12:52 pm By JD Alois  |  

Legaltech iDisclose is rebranding as LawCloud, according to a release by the firm. While the regulatory disclosure side of the business will continue to operate under the iDisclose brand, LawCloud has been deemed more appropriate to the company’s aspirations. LawCloud CEO Michael Knox said that the… Read More

January 28, 2019 @ 4:36 pm By JD Alois  |  

FINRA recently posted their annual Risk Monitoring and Examination Priorities Letter. As part of the letter, FINRA stated they would be evaluating how firms conduct suitability analyses as well as communications and AML requirements for both Reg D 506c and Reg A+ offerings. These two exemptions… Read More

December 18, 2018 @ 11:17 am By Doug Ellenoff  |  

This summer, with little fanfare, the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) announced some interesting and, in our view, directionally enlightened ideas on potential changes to state securities laws as they relate to secondary market trading. If you aren’t familiar with NASAA, it is a… Read More

November 19, 2018 @ 8:00 am By JD Alois  |  

Last week, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced enforcement actions against two initial coin offerings (ICOs): Paragon (Paragon Coin Inc.) and AirFox (CarrierEQ Inc. dba Airfox). As the SEC recounted in their Administrative filing: Airfox: “Between August and October 2017, AirFox offered and then… Read More

October 23, 2018 @ 12:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) hit the popular media screen during 2017 with stories of outrageous sums of money being raised online – sometimes under questionable circumstances. In total, according to EY, $4.1 billion was raised for the top ICOs during 2017. In 2018, that number… Read More