Mahi Sall, Advisor, Fintech-Bank Partnerships, Payments and Financial Inclusivity
January 25th, 2023
Mahi Sall is the CEO & Founder of FinXpair, a Berlin-based strategic advisory boutique firm focu[...]
Canada’s First Bitcoin Fund Now Available on NEO Connect
Business Wire | NEO Connect and First Block | Sep 10, 2018
First Block Capital’s FBC Bitcoin Trust Gives Accredited Investors Ability to Hold Bitcoin Investments in Registered Accounts, including RRSPs and TSFAs
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NEO Connect is pleased to announce that the First Block Capital Bitcoin Trust (“FBC Bitcoin Trust”) is now available on its fund distribution platform. As the first investment product of its kind in Canada and the only open-ended Bitcoin fund approved by the Canadian regulators, the FBC Bitcoin Trust enables accredited investors to get exposure to Bitcoin. The FBC Bitcoin Trust, which is eligible for accredited investors only, now allows unit holders to put units in a self-directed registered account such as an RRSP or TFSA.
The FBC Bitcoin Trust is available on NEO Connect under the symbol FBCBT. NEO Connect distributes 46 funds from three asset managers across 15 dealer networks, with close to $600 million in total assets serviced. It is Canada’s first and only fund distribution platform that allows prospectus and private/offering memorandum (OM) funds to be purchased and redeemed the same ways as buying and selling ETFs.
“At First Block, we provide investment exposure to Bitcoin by removing the complicated barriers to investing directly in the cryptocurrency. As the market leader in providing investment vehicles based on blockchain and cryptocurrency in Canada, we are very happy to make our fund more accessible to the accredited investor community,” said Sean Clark, Co-Founder and CEO of First Block Capital.
“In this fast-changing world, NEO is the perfect partner with whom we have seized the opportunity to grow our fund within their proven and rapidly expanding fund distribution network.”
See:
-
Infographic – How to explain Bitcoin to your Grandparents
-
CRA surveyed businesses to find out why they’re taking bitcoin ATMs
Using NEO Connect, investment advisors can purchase and redeem the FBC Bitcoin Trust with the same ease and efficiency as they trade ETFs. They look up the symbol using their existing equities trading tools, choose the number of units they want and hit “buy”. The order executes at the end of the day at NAV, without any bid/ask spreads. The resulting position is automatically integrated into the client accounts – it’s that simple.
“Today, for the first time in Canada, accredited investors working with investment advisors can seamlessly take positions in Bitcoin through the FBC Bitcoin Trust,” added Jos Schmitt, President & CEO, NEO. “As the world evolves, we are very pleased our unique fund distribution platform can help the investment community access, with ease and efficiency, an ever-expanding spectrum of new and innovative asset classes. Once again, innovators are meeting on NEO.”
Continue to the original press release --> here
The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association of Canada (NCFA Canada) is a cross-Canada non-profit actively engaged with fintech, alternative finance, blockchain, cryptocurrency, crowdfunding and online investing stakeholders globally. NCFA Canada provides education, research, industry stewardship, services, and networking opportunities to thousands of members and subscribers and works closely with industry, government, academia, community and eco-system partners and affiliates to create a strong and vibrant crowdfunding and fintech industry. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: ncfacanada.org
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FCA | Release | Feb 3, 2023 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) required firms to amend or remove 8,582 promotions during 2022 - 14 times more than 2021, a report published today shows. Social media remains a major focus for the regulator’s work in combatting misleading promotions. The FCA has worked closely with several Big Tech companies to change their advertising policies to only allow financial promotions that have been approved by FCA-authorised firms, but more needs to be done by tech companies to protect consumers. The FCA has made significant improvements to the digital tools it uses to find problem firms and misleading adverts. These improvements have enabled it to work through a much larger number of cases compared with 2021. ‘Fin-fluencers’ have also been a growing concern for the regulator. Unauthorised individuals should not advise people on the merits of certain investments, as this will likely be subject to our regulations and it could lead to action being taken against them. The FCA has already acted against several social media influencers over the past year. In one case, the FCA found a director of a regulated firm using their personal profile to promote the advice of unauthorised traders ...
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Guest Post | Feb 3, 2023 Technology advancements have allowed us to improve processes and cover previously impossible areas. For example, the latest technological advances in security have enabled our homes to remain safer daily, stay one step ahead and keep our home and loved ones safe. In this blog post, we will explore the latest tech in home security so you can know which of these innovations might be helpful for your home. Garage door security Improving garage door security is relatively simple and can be achieved through a few key steps: Upgrade your garage door with a smart opener for added convenience. With a smart opener, you can easily control and monitor the status of your garage door from your smartphone. This allows you to check if the door is open or closed and close it remotely when needed. Regular checks are recommended to maintain the proper functioning of the garage door. If any issues arise, a local garage doors professional can be consulted. Add remote access controls: Many smart garage door openers can add remote access controls, such as key fobs, which allow authorized individuals to open and close the garage door without a physical key. Install ...
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Federal Judge Dismisses Unregistered Securities Class Action Suit Against Coinbase (Shares Jump 21%)
MarketWatch | Dean Seal | Feb 2, 2023 Shares of Coinbase Global Inc. rose 21% to $79.50 after a federal district judge dismissed a proposed class action accusing the crypto exchange of selling tokens that qualified as unregistered securities. The suit, filed in October 2021, alleged that nearly 80 of the digital assets traded on the Coinbase exchange fit the description of a security under federal law, and that Coinbase therefore violated the law by selling the tokens without proper registration. A New York federal judge ruled Thursday that the token buyers behind the suit have made contradictory allegations between their original complaint and a later amended complaint as to whether Coinbase actually held title to or sold the tokens, rather than just facilitate their trading on its exchange, in "an apparent attempt to evade dismissal." See: Coinbase is Cutting 950 Employees (20%) | Brother of Former Employee 10 months Sentence for Insider Trading The judge further found that the terms of Coinbase's user agreement, which state that only exchange users hold title over tokens they trade, "flatly contradict" the lawsuit's allegations. Finding that further amendments would be futile, the judge dismissed the case with prejudice. The dismissal marks a ...
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Read More
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Read More
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Read More
FCA | Release | Feb 3, 2023 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) required firms to amend or remove 8,582 promotions during 2022 - 14 times more than 2021, a report published today shows. Social media remains a major focus for the regulator’s work in combatting misleading promotions. The FCA has worked closely with several Big Tech companies to change their advertising policies to only allow financial promotions that have been approved by FCA-authorised firms, but more needs to be done by tech companies to protect consumers. The FCA has made significant improvements to the digital tools it uses to find problem firms and misleading adverts. These improvements have enabled it to work through a much larger number of cases compared with 2021. ‘Fin-fluencers’ have also been a growing concern for the regulator. Unauthorised individuals should not advise people on the merits of certain investments, as this will likely be subject to our regulations and it could lead to action being taken against them. The FCA has already acted against several social media influencers over the past year. In one case, the FCA found a director of a regulated firm using their personal profile to promote the advice of unauthorised traders ...
Read More
Read More
Guest Post | Feb 3, 2023 Technology advancements have allowed us to improve processes and cover previously impossible areas. For example, the latest technological advances in security have enabled our homes to remain safer daily, stay one step ahead and keep our home and loved ones safe. In this blog post, we will explore the latest tech in home security so you can know which of these innovations might be helpful for your home. Garage door security Improving garage door security is relatively simple and can be achieved through a few key steps: Upgrade your garage door with a smart opener for added convenience. With a smart opener, you can easily control and monitor the status of your garage door from your smartphone. This allows you to check if the door is open or closed and close it remotely when needed. Regular checks are recommended to maintain the proper functioning of the garage door. If any issues arise, a local garage doors professional can be consulted. Add remote access controls: Many smart garage door openers can add remote access controls, such as key fobs, which allow authorized individuals to open and close the garage door without a physical key. Install ...
Read More
Read More
Federal Judge Dismisses Unregistered Securities Class Action Suit Against Coinbase (Shares Jump 21%)
MarketWatch | Dean Seal | Feb 2, 2023 Shares of Coinbase Global Inc. rose 21% to $79.50 after a federal district judge dismissed a proposed class action accusing the crypto exchange of selling tokens that qualified as unregistered securities. The suit, filed in October 2021, alleged that nearly 80 of the digital assets traded on the Coinbase exchange fit the description of a security under federal law, and that Coinbase therefore violated the law by selling the tokens without proper registration. A New York federal judge ruled Thursday that the token buyers behind the suit have made contradictory allegations between their original complaint and a later amended complaint as to whether Coinbase actually held title to or sold the tokens, rather than just facilitate their trading on its exchange, in "an apparent attempt to evade dismissal." See: Coinbase is Cutting 950 Employees (20%) | Brother of Former Employee 10 months Sentence for Insider Trading The judge further found that the terms of Coinbase's user agreement, which state that only exchange users hold title over tokens they trade, "flatly contradict" the lawsuit's allegations. Finding that further amendments would be futile, the judge dismissed the case with prejudice. The dismissal marks a ...
Read More
Read More
Tristram Waye for Bitvo | Feb 2, 2023 After a substantial lift in crypto, it begs the question, was that the bottom? The answer, of course, is no idea. Because bottoms are not events but rather a process. After a challenging crypto winter, the relief is welcome, but the question of whether it’s over requires some evidence. This lift might be what is known as a bear trap. Bear traps entice buyers before heading back down. On the other hand, it might be the beginning of a new trading range for bitcoin and ether. So let’s have a look at some things that might tell us about where we are and how to use what we discover. See: Is Crypto Bouncing Back, or Bull Trap? Be careful picking market tops and bottoms Jesse Livermore: “One of the most helpful things anyone can learn is to give up trying to catch the last eighth —or the first. These two are the most expensive eighths in the world. They have cost stock traders in aggregate enough millions of dollars to build a concrete highway across the continent.” So on the upside, this means picking tops, getting on the short side too early ...
Read More
Read More
Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker | Anjali Das | Jan 23, 2023 The recent implosion of crypto firm FTX and its affiliates provides a case study for potential crypto exposure under traditional insurance policies in this series of four articles Silent Crypto for D&O and Corporate Liability Insurance (Part I), Silent Crypto Exposure for Accountants (Part II), Silent Crypto Exposure for Lawyers (Part III), and Crime and Custody Coverage for Crypto Assets (Part IV). See: White House Releases Comprehensive Framework for Digital Assets Highlighting 6 Key Priorities OCC Softens Stance on Banks' Cryptocurrency Activities: In the past few years, the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has issued a series of interpretative letters and guidance regarding the agency's loosening stance on banks engaged in cryptocurrency activities. First, OCC confirmed that banks may provide cryptocurrency custody services to customers by holding the "unique cryptographic keys associated with cryptocurrency. Second, OCC has indicated that banks also may hold reserves to support "stablecoin" transactions. Third, OCC has authorized banks to participate in cryptocurrency transactions based on blockchain or DLT, including independent node verification networks (INVNs). With advances in technology and the global financial markets, there is "increasing demand in ...
Read More
Read More
Accenture | Michael Abbott | Jan 10, 2023 A combination of well-established forces and recent developments is reshaping banking. Overview: In the absence of that revenue stream, banks shifted their focus from the totality of customers’ financial needs to isolated products that continued to generate fees. At the same time, fintech innovators burst onto the scene, awash with cheap capital and valuing scale over financial returns. Now that positive rates have returned, the constellation of banking products is drifting into a more familiar and predictable orbit. Rising rates catalyze product innovation: It will come in the form of offerings similar to that of Amazon Prime. 2023 will see a renewed focus on branches: Without in-person interaction most banks have struggled to maintain close relationships. Demistifying the metaverse: Just as mobile did, the metaverse is opening a new world of possibilities. It won’t be without risk—but banks were invented to manage risk. Culture and Talent: Talent will make ever-increasing demands on banks’ leadership. If it isn’t given its due, it will become a burning platform. See: Will Open Banking Launch in Canada This Year? Risk everywhere: As new risks emerge, banks that focus on helping customers solve their problems, rather than on collections, ...
Read More
Read More
Fortune via Yahoo Finance | Christiaan Hetzner | Feb 1, 2023 Hypersonic flight, 3D printed humanoid robots, groceries delivered by drones, molecular biomarkers for early detection of malignant tumors Report: That's the conclusion from her annual Big Ideas report published on Tuesday by her money management firm. This 153-page deep dive attempts to handicap the potential commercial opportunities awaiting those startups and incumbents quick to embrace promising new technologies set to supplant older, obsolete ones. Wood believes companies that succeed in disrupting existing industries will experience “super-exponential growth”, lifting their cumulative value by an average annual rate of 40% in the process to reach a staggering $200 trillion by 2030. To put that gargantuan figure into perspective, the International Monetary Fund estimated last April that the size of the entire world's economy would cross the $100 trillion mark in nominal GDP terms by the end of the year. See: a16z: Big Fintech Ideas to Tackle in 2023 Forecasting winners: Instead of emphasizing spreadsheets and valuation models that often focus on short-term fundamentals like a company’s forward-year cash flow or earnings per share, her ARK Invest research team prefers a top-down analysis of what macroeconomic problems inhibit social progress before examining ...
Read More
Read More
Chainanalysis | Feb 1, 2023 2022 was the biggest year ever for crypto hacking, with $3.8 billion stolen from cryptocurrency businesses. DeFi protocols by far the biggest victims of cryptocurrency hacks accounting for 82.1% of all cryptocurrency stolen by hackers — a total of $3.1 billion — up from 73.3% in 2021. And of that $3.1 billion, 64% came from cross-chain bridge protocols specifically. Bridges are an attractive target for hackers because the smart contracts in effect become huge, centralized repositories of funds backing the assets that have been bridged to the new chain — a more desirable honeypot could scarcely be imagined. If a bridge gets big enough, any error in its underlying smart contract code or other potential weak spot is almost sure to eventually be found and exploited by bad actors. See: Do Industry Operators, Researchers, and Regulators Agree On How Big Crypto Crime Is? Double edged sword: DeFi is one of the fastest-growing, most compelling areas of the cryptocurrency ecosystem, largely due to its transparency. But that same transparency is also what makes DeFi so vulnerable — hackers can scan DeFi code for vulnerabilities and strike at the perfect time to maximize their theft. The core ...
Read More
Read More
CNBC | Jordan Novet | Jan 31, 2023 Artificial intelligence research startup OpenAI on Tuesday introduced a tool that's designed to figure out if text is human-generated or written by a computer. Schools were quick to limit ChatGPT's use over concerns the software could hurt learning. Sam Altman, OpenAI's CEO, said education has changed in the past after technology such as calculators has emerged, but he also said there could be ways for the company to help teachers spot text written by AI. Working on solution: OpenAI's new tool can make mistakes and is a work in progress, company employees Jan Hendrik Kirchner, Lama Ahmad, Scott Aaronson and Jan Leike wrote in a blog post, noting that OpenAI would like feedback on the classifier from parents and teachers. Far from perfect: "In our evaluations on a 'challenge set' of English texts, our classifier correctly identifies 26% of AI-written text (true positives) as 'likely AI-written,' while incorrectly labeling human-written text as AI-written 9% of the time (false positives)," the OpenAI employees wrote. Our work on the detection of AI-generated text will continue, and we hope to share improved methods in the future See: How AI Is Disrupting The Web Development Industry ...
Read More
Read More
Variety | Todd Spangler | Jan 31, 2023 William Shatner fans bought up all the shares in the actor’s forthcoming feature-length documentary “You Can Call Me Bill” in less than a week — shelling out nearly $790,000 and topping the film’s crowdfunding goal. Legion M’s equity crowdfunding round for the Shatner documentary, exploring the life and career of the beloved 91-year-old actor, as of Monday had sold out from reservation holders before the company opened the offering to the public. Within four days, the project raised $789,655 from 1,338 investors. Distribution: The documentary has a production budget of $565,101, according to Legion M’s listing. After “You Can Call Me Bill” deducts expenses to third parties for accounting, legal, marketing and administrative fees, 100% of any revenue generated will be distributed proportionally to the film’s investors until they have recouped their initial investment. Any additional net revenue after that will be split, with 33% going to shareholders and 67% distributed to the producers of the film. With the Shatner doc, fans were able to invest directly in the Shatner documentary for a minimum of $100, subject to certain SEC restrictions, and they will recoup their money before any profits are shared ...
Read More
Read More
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