Category Archives: Equity Crowdfunding, Alternative Funding

Presentation Deck: 2016 Small Business Forum Crowdfunding 101+ Workshop

NCFA Canada | Craig Asano | Oct 26, 2016

crowdfunding-101-workshop-slide

Oct 25, 2016, NCFA Canada delivered an hour Crowdfunding 101+ workshop at the 2016 Small Business Forum at the Metro Toronto Convention Center. This is an annual trade show hosted by Enterprise Toronto that attracts thousands of small businesses each year looking for funding, mentorship, tools, products and services to help them launch and grow. The presentation provides an overview of Crowdfunding markets, both regulated and non-regulated, case studies, deal characteristics to help startups and scaleups understand if Crowdfinance is right for their business. The deck also provides some insight into practical keys to success with planning, executing and following up on a crowdfunding campaign or investment round.

 

2016 small business forum crowdfunding 101 workshop

1. CROWDFUNDING COMPREHENSIVE INTRODUCTION 101+ Date: Oct 25, 2016 Prepared for: 2016 Small Business Forum, Enterprise Toronto Prepared by: National Crowdfunding Association of Canada

2. OUR AGENDA 2016 Small Business Forum: Enterprise Toronto PART 1: CROWDFUNDING OVERVIEW • What is Crowdfunding and why is it a game changer? • Crowdfunding examples and market growth • Is Crowdfunding right for me? Pros/cons for SMEs PART 2: PRACTICAL KEYS TO SUCCESS • Pre-Planning and Strategy • Executing a Campaign • Post-Campaign • Common mistakes PART 3: Q&A (15mins)

3. NCFA @2016 Small Business Forum National Crowdfunding Association of Canada 1500 Subscribers 3200+ Followers 1300+ Members 90+ Platforms 20+ Providers 45 Portals 2016 2015 2014 2013 Oct 2012

4. NCFA @2016 Small Business Forum Part 1: CROWDFUNDING OVERVIEW 1. Seeking Capital • Online marketplaces that connect companies to investors • Consultants (social media, marketing, advisory services) 2. Funding Portal & Enablers 3. Investors Retail or Accredited Individuals or organizations seeking funding Definition Raising capital online to fund all sorts of projects and ventures such as startups and scaleups (using the internet, social media and technology)

5. NCFA @2016 Small Business Forum Crowdfunding Part of the Capital Stack Crowdfunding isn’t a stand alone funding source. Crowdfinance includes retail, angels and VC participation too One big difference…Crowdfunding platforms are evolving & can scale – Chance Barnett, CEO of Crowdfunder

6. NCFA @2016 Small Business Forum Crowdfunding Case Studies Source: Kickstarter Campaign page 1. Innovation and Economic Growth Pebble Smart Watch (Great Canadian success) • Goal was $100K; Viral success preselling 69,000 watches raising over $10 million on US portal Kickstarter • Owner and Waterloo Engineering student, Eric Migicovsky, started company in U.S. Oculus Rift – Potential for Equity • Raised $2.4 million (goal was $250K) • Crowdfunding as an economic generator and on-boarding ramp to follow-on investment • March 25th news report Oculus was just bought by Facebook for $2 billion

7. NCFA @2016 Small Business Forum Crowdfunding Case Studies 2. Community Development in Canada Invest YYC, Calgary, Alberta • Platform: InvestYYC (www.investyyc.com) • Launched Jan 2013 • Funds raised $650,000 across 47 projects • Average raise $13,892 3. New Product Development & Marketing “Coolest Cooler”, Portland, Oregon • Platform: Kickstarter • Launched Jan 2014 • Goal was $50K; raised over $13 million from over 62,000 backers

8. NCFA @2016 Small Business Forum Global Growth in 2014 ($13.2 billion) Past Prediction

9. NCFA @2016 Small Business Forum $36 Billion USD Source: Cambridge University and Nesta UK • World Bank Forecasts worldwide $96 billion annually by 2025

10. NCFA @2016 Small Business Forum • Growing market but small compared to the US • Impact of Canadian banking oligopoly $200 Million USD Source: Cambridge University and Nesta UK

11. NCFA @2016 Small Business Forum NCFA Canadian Crowdfunding Directory Reward/Donation: Equity-based via Dealer: • Steady growth in portals • Equity and Debt emerging • Fintech is all the rage • Real estate crowdfunding emerging Consumer and Small Business Loans:

12. NCFA @2016 Small Business Forum Basic Crowdfunding Models < $10K $10 - $250K < $100 - $350K+ < $250K - $3M+

13. NCFA @2016 Small Business Forum Rewards Sample:

14. NCFA @2016 Small Business Forum Equity Sample:

15. NCFA @2016 Small Business Forum Lending Sample:

16. NCFA @2016 Small Business Forum Regulated vs. Unregulated Markets < $10K $10 - $250K < $100 - $350K+ < $250K - $3M+ RegulatedUnregulated • Not issuing a security • Portals, transactions and participation is global • DIY approach to raising capital from an online community • Early seed stage type funding or community capital • Platform fees range from 0% - 9% • Regulated by provincial securities commission and other regulatory bodies • Many financing ‘exemptions’ or tools can be used, some have caps • Work with licensed Dealer-brokers (gatekeepers) • Fees are higher than unregulated (success fee, listing, carried interest management fee)

17. NCFA @2016 Small Business Forum • Wide distribution over the internet • Low cost, efficient, transparent capital • The `great equalizer` • Media/PR, awareness • Increase customer engagement and • Evangelize backers into investors (customer acquisition) • Reduce risk by getting feedback on new launches (product or ventures) • Market research Access to Capital Marketing Platform Validation • Raising funds via crowdfunding markets is a very public and transparent • Protect your IP and speak to a lawyer • Crowdfunding takes a lot of effort and commitment • The majority of Ideas fail to reach their funding goal • How will this affect your companies brand? Expose your Idea Resourcing Failure Crowdfunding Pros/Cons Benefits Risks For Companies

18. NCFA @2016 Small Business Forum Seedrs Portfolio Analysis (253 deals mid 2012 - 2015) Most popular category (of total 15): • Food & Beverage (11%) • Finance & Payments (11%) • Travel, Leisure & Sport (10%) Investors Returns • Platform Investors IRR 14.44% (Tax relief adj 41.87%) • Investors with 20+ investments outperformed overall market Is Crowdfunding Right for Our Business? 40% Digital Business 40% Hybrid20% Non-digital 60% B2C Businesses 10%20% B2B

19. NCFA @2016 Small Business Forum Trends in Crowdfinance & FinTech • Crowd is Growing more Liquidity: Syndication of investment opportunities (retail, accredited, angels, VCs, institutions) • FinTech Innovation: Improving transparency and removing information barriers that exist in private markets, data driven. Blockchain, ICOs, smart contracts • Regulations are opening up (OSC LaunchPad – Innovation Sandbox) • Companies are staying private longer (rather than going public)

20. PART 2: PRACTICAL KEYS TO SUCCESS “The harder I work, the luckier I get” Samuel Goldwyn

21. NCFA @2016 Small Business Forum Crowdfunding Lifecycle Planning & Strategy • The greater your planning efforts, the greater your chance of achieving your funding goal • Do not launch a crowdfunding campaign if you are not ready. (3 months) (40 days – 90 days) (Ongoing) Post-campaign • Your campaign is done but now you have to deliver on your promise • Fulfillment • Ongoing customer engagement Campaign Execution • Daily execution of tasks outlined in the campaign plan • Control, monitor and adapt Feedback Loop

22. NCFA @2016 Small Business Forum Success Factors SUCCESS 2. Network Strength • Sizeable online network and social media presence? • Will media/PR and influential bloggers cover your story? 1. Quality Idea & Pitch • Unique, enterprising and clear value proposition (conveyed online in a simple manner) • Get others excited about your story? • Clear funding target and specific goals? 4. Key Docs and Content • Compliant and necessary for investor review 3. Strong Committed Team • Is your team credible, committed and willing to deploy the resources and time to execute effectively? • Time management HARD WORK! 5. Marketing Campaign & Incentives • Planning and strategy with ability to execute through launch to post campaign

23. NCFA @2016 Small Business Forum • Build your crowd before you launch • Recommend content generation and social media workshops • Develop an online strategy for your business • Start with internal networks • PR Push: Build rapport with media folks, journalists and bloggers • Attend industry networking and community building events to grow your crowd • Evaluate your internal networks social reach to forecast a realistic ‘Funding Target’ based on conversion rates (i.e., 2%) • Prime your network before you launch (reach out, engage) • 20-30% of your campaign funding will come from your internal ‘friends and family’ network • Understand the difference between ‘Keep what you Raise’ vs ‘All or Nothing’ funding types Low Mid High Planning & Strategy Assess the Strength of Your Network and Establish Realistic Funding Target

24. Funding Lead Strategy, resourcing, fulfillment Build Your Funding Team Team Strength? Content & Media Manager Key message, content distribution, channel selection, engagement Compelling Spokesperson Spokesperson, media engagements NCFA @Money Forum • Is your Team 100% Committed and credible? • Do you have family and friends that can support? • Outsource? Legal, Accounting and Compliance Documents, resumes, valuations, trademarks/patents, incorporation etc.

25. NCFA @2016 Small Business Forum Equity Planning & Strategy • Key Milestones that impact business valuations • Minimum capital required to reach each stone? • What securities will you offer in which jurisdictions? • Funding platform you want to work with? Solid Capital Raising Plan • Business plan, portal compliance, financial statements • Investor term sheet, subscription agreement, pitch deck • Video, prepared PR releases, email responses etc. Prepare Key Documents (offline / online) • Identify potential investors, prime the pump, range investor potential to commit • Network, keep all doors and opportunities, road show, leverage PR/media, do not just rely on portal • Treat everyone you deal with, with respect Prepare for Outreach Campaign • Have them review to ensure compliance and credibility • All documents, offline and online and remediate where necessary Contact Legal and Other Professionals Getting Ready for an Equity Crowdfunding Raise

26. Planning & Strategy Not everyone needs a reward Altruism, especially for donation-based Reward Considerations Budget and timing Rewards cost money (shipping fees!) Bundle rewards Group rewards together Special – Scarce, Creative, VIP Limited quantity, unique experience Leverage in-kind from partners Use good will from donated contributions Types of Rewards Product Social Experiences Financial » Services VIP Access Add/update New Rewards Test market and iterate!

27. Targeting your networks Marketing campaign Engaging with your networks and prospects Reaching out to media and bloggers Asking networks to: 1. Learn about the project 2. Share 3. Invest 4. Champion / help promote 5. Support / volunteer Constantly monitor with analytics Are contributions happening? Make changes Daily Task List Online & Offline Feedback Loop Campaign Execution NCFA @Money Forum

28. NCFA @2016 Small Business Forum Post Campaign Thank You Messages Thank you team and backers/investors Positive Reinforcement Contributed to success of project Fulfillment Deliver on your promise Start to fulfil rewards right away Manage expectations Transparency Equity Considerations Shareholder Register Company Minutes Annual reporting requirements to shareholders Nurture New Relationships Ongoing communications and engagement Foster sense of community Develop integration plan Digital experience that moves people

29. Common Mistakes • We underestimated the time commitment involved • We didn’t test our campaign sufficiently • We launched before we were ready • We didn’t develop an accurate budget • We didn’t consult legal counsel or professional providers • We didn’t account for taxes • We tried to do everything on a shoestring • We didn’t realize how important the video was • We didn’t understand liability exposure (eg. misrepresentation) and intellectual property • We had little to no traction so we gave up • We blamed it on the portal

30. PART 3: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

31. PART 3: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Booth #135Booth #135

32. Join Us Education & Research Market Access Crowdfunding Infrastructure Capital Raising Prep Services Support and Leadership Advocacy GET IT IN TOUCH Canadian Crowdfunding Industry ncfacanada.org crowdfundingsummit.ca

 

The National Crowdfunding Association of Canada (NCFA Canada) is a cross-Canada non-profit actively engaged with both social and investment crowdfunding stakeholders across the country. NCFA Canada provides education, research, leadership, support and networking opportunities to over 1300+ members and works closely with industry, government, academia, community and eco-system partners and affiliates to create a strong and vibrant crowdfunding industry in Canada. Learn more at ncfacanada.org.

[Breaking Oct 24, 2016]: Regulator Unveils OSC LaunchPad, a first for Canada

OSC Media Release | Oct 24, 2016

osc-launch-pad

TORONTO – The Ontario Securities Commission today unveiled OSC LaunchPad, the first dedicated team by a securities regulator in Canada to help fintech businesses navigate securities law requirements and accelerate time-to-market.

OSC LaunchPad will provide direct support to eligible new and early-stage fintech businesses that provide innovative services, products and applications of benefit to investors. The support will be tailored to each business, allowing for meetings with the OSC LaunchPad team on navigating the regulatory framework, flexibility around current regulatory obligations, or informal guidance at an early stage on potential securities regulation implications. In appropriate cases, the OSC will consider time-limited registration or exemptive relief for innovators to test their products, services and applications.

See:  OSC to launch fintech hub to help companies navigate and possibly ‘tailor’ regulatory framework

“This is an exciting opportunity for Canadian innovators. With OSC LaunchPad, emerging fintech businesses now have an opportunity to work with securities law experts from day one,” said Maureen Jensen, Chair and CEO of the OSC. “This initiative reflects the OSC’s commitment to regulation that is in step with innovation.”

OSC LaunchPad is now accepting requests for support from eligible fintech businesses at www.osclaunchpad.ca. The site provides fintech businesses with helpful insights as to whether and how securities regulation may apply to their business models, and features an updated listing of events that the OSC LaunchPad team will host or attend.

The OSC will apply its learnings from OSC LaunchPad more broadly in order to modernize regulation for similar businesses. To this end, the OSC will establish a fintech advisory committee to further understand the unique issues faced by these start-ups. Additional details will be published in the coming weeks.

The mandate of the OSC is to provide protection to investors from unfair, improper or fraudulent practices and to foster fair and efficient capital markets and confidence in the capital markets. Investors are urged to check the registration of any persons or company offering an investment opportunity and to review the OSC investor materials available at http://www.osc.gov.on.ca

 

For Media Inquiries: media_inquiries@osc.gov.on.ca
For Investor Inquiries: OSC Contact Centre
416-593-8314
1-877-785-1555 (Toll Free)

The National Crowdfunding Association of Canada (NCFA Canada) is a cross-Canada non-profit actively engaged with both social and investment crowdfunding stakeholders across the country. NCFA Canada provides education, research, leadership, support and networking opportunities to over 1300+ members and works closely with industry, government, academia, community and eco-system partners and affiliates to create a strong and vibrant crowdfunding industry in Canada. Learn more at ncfacanada.org.

Impak Finance raises largest single-day amount for Canadian equity-crowdfunding initiative

Impak Finance Release | Oct 13, 2016

impak-finance

Goal to create Canada's first responsible bank dedicated to impact economy hits important milestone

MONTREAL, Oct. 13, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - Twenty-four hours after launching the first equity-crowdfunding campaign of its kind in Canada, impak Finance has raised 85% of its minimal investment target by receiving pledges totalling $425,000 in support of the creation of the first responsible bank in Canada 100% dedicated to the impact economy.

This milestone sends a strong message that a popular movement is afoot that will have an important ripple effect in introducing Canadians to a fresh approach to banking. The window of opportunity is open for all Canadians to become active participants in this collaborative financial ecosystem.

Highlights

  • impak Finance's mission is to democratize impact investing and early results show the project has attracted a large number of first-time investors;
  • impak Finance wants to make the process as inclusive and accessible as possible, giving people the opportunity to buy 100 shares for $100;

"We're thrilled to see that our project has resonated with so many people and it confirms that Canadians are seeking a different banking experience, one where financial return meets social purpose," said Paul Allard, President and Chief Ecosystem Officer of impak Finance.

See:  2016 Canadian Crowdfunding Directory

"We're excited to bring impak Finance, a truly revolutionary company, to our platform," says FrontFundr CEO Peter-Paul Van Hoeken, "impak Finance's capital raise marks another milestone in the emerging equity crowdfunding market in Canada. Any Canadian can now invest and become a co-owner in impak Finance, a new Canadian company, right from its inception".

About impak Finance Inc.
impak Finance Inc., the collaborative financial ecosystem for a better world ™, was founded by a group of Canadian entrepreneurs, bankers, financiers wanting to positively contribute in meeting some of the greatest social and environmental issues of our time.

Its mission is to connect savers and investors who want to change the world for the better with entrepreneurs and sustainable companies doing just that.

impak Finance is developing a digital collaborative financial ecosystem, locally rooted, transparent, 100% dedicated to the Impact economy in which impak Bank will be the catalyst.

www.impakfinance.com

About Frontfundr

FrontFundr is a fintech company that enables entrepreneurs to raise capital from all Canadians. Investing in private companies has been limited to angel investors and venture capitalists, but after recent rule changes, private investing is now open to a wider spectrum of investors. Canadians can now invest online through equity crowdfunding platform FrontFundr alongside seasoned investors, while directly contributing to innovation and sharing in the growth of companies they believe in. FrontFundr operates its online investment platform as a fully registered dealer firm (Exempt Market Dealer) in eight provinces in Canada.

SOURCE impak Finance

For further information: Mary Zajac, Argyle Public Relationships, mzajac@argylepr.com, 416.968.7311 ext. 260

The National Crowdfunding Association of Canada (NCFA Canada) is a cross-Canada non-profit actively engaged with both social and investment crowdfunding stakeholders across the country. NCFA Canada provides education, research, leadership, support and networking opportunities to over 1300+ members and works closely with industry, government, academia, community and eco-system partners and affiliates to create a strong and vibrant crowdfunding industry in Canada. Learn more at ncfacanada.org.

VanFUNDING 2016 Brings 50 Industry FinTech and Crowdfunding Leaders to Vancouver on Oct 18th

NCFA Canada | VanFUNDING 2016 Release

vanfunding-rocket-portrait

VANCOUVER, Oct. 11, 2016 /CNW/ - In one week, the National Crowdfunding Association of Canada (NCFA) will host VanFUNDING 2016, (#VanFUNDING) the second annual Fintech and Crowdfunding conference. This year's event, held at The Imperial in downtown Vancouver, has expanded to an interactive full day format.

Enterprise conference partners including PayPal Canada, IBM, Vancity, Fasken Martineau and others are gathering with 300 investors, entrepreneurs and industry experts to 'Launch, Connect and Grow' emerging Fintech Crowdfunding markets across Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest via powerful education, pitching and networking opportunities.  With over 50 speaking participants and a long list of hot topics across 30 sessions, #VanFUNDING is a not to be missed Fintech and Venture Funding conference for professionals, vendors, startups, scaleups, ecosystem supporters and emerging industry players. Register Now to ensure your spot!

Featuring Leading Global Crowdfunding, Fintech and Alternative Finance Experts

A Who's Who of 50+ venture funding experts with keynote addresses and presentations to include:

  • Shirley Vickers, CEO of BC Innovation Council officially opens VanFUNDING 2016
  • Bundeep Rangar, Finequia CEO on "The Rise of Fintech and Its Potential Impact on Public and Private Markets"
  • Caroline Ong, IBM Canada, Partner, Global Business Services, Analytics and Cognitive Leader on "IBM Fintech Innovations and Growing the Canadian Landscape"
  • Sherwood (Woodie) Neiss, Crowdfund Capital Advisors/Venture Fund on "Global Data Analysis & crowdfunding trends: Roadmap for Innovation and Economic Growth"
  • Barbara Gray, Author of Ubernomics and Analyst and Strategy Consultant, Brady Cap Research on "How to Create Economic Abundance and Rise above the Competition"

Hot Fintech, Crowdsourcing and Investor Perspectives:

  • We built this city: Fintech Innovators from Lendified, Katipult, RentMoola and Wealthbar, along with Bill Tam, BCTIA CEO, talk innovation and the Future of financial services
  • Bernd Petak of Finstripe highlights Key lessons from The DAO, a $146M decentralized crowdfunding experiment
  • P2P lenders Cato Pastoll of Lending Loop, Chantel Chapman of Mogo, and others discuss Marketplace and 'instant lending' trends: Bank reactions & 360 perspectives
  • Learn about the highs and lows of investing in Crowdfunding markets with Brenda Irwin and Simon Whitfield of Relentless Pursuit Partners
  • Christian Cotichini of HeroX and Daryl Hatton of FundRazr break it down fireside to talk about "The unlimited potential of Crowdsourcing and incentives"

'Not to be missed' Raising Capital Sessions:

  • Corey Herscu of Herscu & Goldsilver delivers invaluable insight to ventures on getting media attention with "How to guarantee the media opens your pitch emails"
  • Crowdfinance FrontFundr lead, Peter-Paul Van Hoeken will answer the question, "Is Canada keeping up with the Joneses?"
  • Elliot Mak from the BC Securities Commission will deliver a workshop on the 'Mechanics of Securities Crowdfunding – What you need to know'
  • Alixe Cormick, President of Venture Law Corp and Jennifer Lucas, Managing Partner of Evans and Evans Inc. on Capital raising options for start-ups and scale-ups?
  • Looking into Cross-border crowdfinancing options in the United States? George Georgiades, President of AltFinEsq and Bob Poole, Principal of Davidson and Company discuss opportunities for Canadian issuers to tap larger markets in the US using via Reg A/+
  • R2Crowd executives Amar Nijjar and Chad Gemmell will educate investors on How to access commercial real estate deals and leverage tech to bolster 12-24 per cent ROI

Outstanding Line-up of Ventures Selected for Pitching

The lineup of innovative ventures competing in the Pitching Showcase includes: ChatterHigh, Copypants, Glance Pay, Hitch Planet, Keela, Mode, My Green Space, Reach and Starling.  These hot startups and growth ventures will be vying for valuable educational, mentorship and promotional prizes.  The pitching showcases will be hosted and led by Launch Academy, Wavefront and Kereitsu.

Also featuring three industry 'Pitch & Meet' pitches on the main stage to investors and the crowd are 'on the move' ventures currently in funding rounds: Quidni Estate Winery, FrontFundr and FundingNomad.

#VanFUNDING 2016 is proudly brought to you by: Title: Finequia; Pre-Event VIP Networking: PayPal Canada; Diamond:  AltFinEsQ and Zyber; Gold: R2Crowd, Vancity, Crowdfund Capital Advisors, Fasken Martineau and Quidni Estate Winery; and Silver: Blockchain Canada, Katipult, Frontfundr, FundingNomad and Herox.

For a complete list of conference participants, speakers and event schedule visit the VanFUNDING conference website.

 

About the National Crowdfunding Association of Canada
The National Crowdfunding Association of Canada (NCFA Canada) is a cross-Canada non-profit actively engaged with both social and investment crowdfunding stakeholders across the country.  NCFA Canada provides education, research, leadership, support and networking opportunities to over 1300+ members and works closely with industry, government, academia, and community and eco-system partners and affiliates to create a strong and vibrant crowdfunding industry in Canada. For more information please visit: ncfacanada.org.

SOURCE National Crowdfunding Association of Canada

For further information: Media Contact: Craig Asano, Executive Director, casano@ncfacanada.org, 416 618 0254, @NCFAcanada

[Breaking News] Sep 27, 2016: OSC to launch fintech hub to help companies navigate and possibly ‘tailor’ regulatory framework

Financial Post | Barbara Shecter | September 27, 2016

osc-announces-launch-pad-new-regulatory-hub

The Ontario Securities Commission is launching a hub called LaunchPad to work directly with fintech companies to help them navigate — and even potentially tailor — the regulatory framework.

Maureen Jensen, chair of the OSC, said the financial technology companies don’t fit “neatly” into current regulations, and acknowledged that some requirements “might not make sense” for the new business models.

Canada’s largest market watchdog has already dealt with 40 Fintech firms seeking registration. These include online advisers, peer-to-peer lenders, and crowdfunding platforms.

“With LaunchPad, we will work to tailor regulation and oversight to their unique business models, as long as investor protections are in place,” she said. “Based on our experience so far, many Fintech companies ‘don’t know what they don’t know’ about operating in a regulated industry, and that can threaten their ability to do business.”

See: 

Jensen said the OSC will apply what it learns through the LaunchPad hub to its registration model and compliance expectations. It is possible this could be woven into overall initiative by Canada’s market regulators to simplify and lessen the regulatory burden on all registered companies, she said.

“Given the size of the Ontario Securities Act, its rules and regulations, there is no question there is a compliance burden,” she said during a luncheon speech Tuesday, where she also outlined the plans for the fintech regulatory hub. “We are looking to streamline disclosure requirements, eliminate duplication and improve the public offering process.”

Continue to the full article --> here

The National Crowdfunding Association of Canada (NCFA Canada) is a cross-Canada non-profit actively engaged with both social and investment crowdfunding stakeholders across the country. NCFA Canada provides education, research, leadership, support and networking opportunities to over 1300+ members and works closely with industry, government, academia, community and eco-system partners and affiliates to create a strong and vibrant crowdfunding industry in Canada. Learn more at ncfacanada.org.

Regulating the Fintech revolution

The Lawyers Weekly | By Étienne Brassard and Guillaume Synnott | Sep 30, 2016

regulations-for-crowdfunding-fintech

The integration of the Internet and mobile devices into the consumer experience has radically changed the way goods and services are provided around the world. This digital transformation has now also emerged as a game-changer in the way that traditional day-to-day financial services are delivered, and the financial industry now has the opportunity, by using technology, to create new, personalized and cheaper digital solutions in the provision of financial services.

Financial technology, commonly referred to as “Fintech,” is a fast-paced, diverse industry encompassing a wide array of financial services. In addition to the now well-known crowdfunding, the industry also includes the development of new technological solutions that facilitate payments, billing and money transfers, automated investment advisers, known as robo-advisers, peer-to-peer lending by which online services match lenders directly with borrowers, insurance technology, known as Insurtech, which uses big data to provide extremely targeted and personalized insurance solutions, and regulation technology, known as Regtech, which provides technological regulatory compliance management solutions.

Faced with this new market reality, most traditional financial institutions have announced initiatives to foster internal technological innovations. The Fintech revolution is an opportunity for the financial industry to test new markets. For example, the National Bank of Canada recently announced that its American subsidiary, Credigy, would buy assets worth US$300 million from Lending Club, a leading peer-to-peer lending Fintech startup. CIBC and Scotiabank recently entered into a partnership with Montreal-based Thinking Capital, an online provider of loans to SMEs, by extending its credit facility to $125 million.

Millennials constitute a growing part of the world’s customer demographics, changing economical behaviours and expectations towards traditional financial institutions. This new generation of consumers demands accessibility, convenience, speed and above all, a highly personalized customer experience. In fact, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers’ 2016 Global FinTech Report, 75 per cent of financial institutions estimate that Fintech’s most significant impact will consist of an increased focus on the consumer. Financial institutions also expect to benefit from growing “big data” resources, as they hope to harness this analytical tool to develop customer-oriented products and better tailor financial advice to their clientele. Thus, as stated in PwC’s Global FinTech Report, 60 per cent of financial institutions claim to have put Fintech at the core of their business strategy, especially among senior management. However, regulatory uncertainty and over-regulation is still considered to be a threat to the growth of financial technology innovation by 86 per cent of financial services providers.

See: 

In Canada, Fintech is not yet supervised by a single authority. Its multidisciplinary nature creates a challenge for regulators, as there is a need to protect investors and consumers, while allowing for development and innovation. As regulatory schemes often target the service provider rather than the services themselves, larger, more traditional financial institutions might have to comply with numerous regulations, whereas Fintech startups might be able to enter the market subject to fewer constraints. However, existing legislation applicable to financial service providers is relevant to the Fintech industry. The protection of personal information is governed by the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, federal anti-spam legislation and their provincial counterparts. The federal Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act provides for an anti-money laundering system. Securities and consumer protection laws are not uniform across Canada as each province makes its own laws on these matters, consistent with Canada’s constitutional regime. Currently, compliance with this complex legislative framework can constitute a hurdle, as the process can be confusing, expensive and time consuming.

Different initiatives have been put in place by stakeholders within the financial market as they hope to better understand Fintech’s potential and to promote its development. The Bank of Canada, the Canadian Securities Administrators and certain provincial securities commissions have acknowledged the need to analyze the issues created by technological innovation in order to assess their impact on financial regulations.

Continue to the full article --> here

The National Crowdfunding Association of Canada (NCFA Canada) is a cross-Canada non-profit actively engaged with both social and investment crowdfunding stakeholders across the country. NCFA Canada provides education, research, leadership, support and networking opportunities to over 1300+ members and works closely with industry, government, academia, community and eco-system partners and affiliates to create a strong and vibrant crowdfunding industry in Canada. Learn more at ncfacanada.org.

Israeli crowdfunding co OurCrowd raises $72m

Globes | Gali Weinreb | Sep 21, 2016

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The Jerusalem-based crowdfunding platform has to date invested over $300 million in 100 portfolio companies and funds.

Israeli global equity crowdfunding platform OurCrowd has closed $72 million in Series C funding. Participants in this latest round include financial institutions, family offices, and private investors from five continents.

OurCrowd CEO Jon Medved said, “OurCrowd has grown exponentially since our launch in 2013 to become the leading global platform for Equity Crowdfunding. This transformative Series C funding will allow us to take advantage of the growing investor interest in quality equity crowdfunding and further expand our global operations. One half of the round will be invested in the expansion of our 7 global offices, and further developing our technology platform. The other half of the Series C funding will be used to make sure that each and every company which raises funding on our platform receives participating investment from the General Partner on the same terms as the crowd. This new capital will help us hit our goal of investing $1 billion annually by 2020.”

Jerusalem-based OurCrowd has to date invested in 100 portfolio companies and funds on its platform. Total investment in companies and funds now exceeds $300 million. OurCrowd has had nine exits to date from its portfolio investments: two IPO’s and seven acquisitions. These include ReWalk (IPO: Nasdaq), Crosswise (bought by Oracle), Replay Technologies (bought by Intel), and NextPeer (bought by Viber).

OurCrowd portfolio company Consumer Physics CEO Dror Sharon said, “OurCrowd was one of the earliest investors in the SCiO vision. We have grown up together and come a long way, from their initial investment of $325,000 in Consumer Physics to several million dollars invested by OurCrowd into Consumer Physics so far. But what makes OurCrowd so important for Consumer Physics is not just the money, but the assistance and worldwide connections they make for our company, on a weekly and sometimes daily basis.” According to Dr. Richard Swart, former Director of Crowdfunding Research at UC Berkeley, "OurCrowd continues to lead the equity crowdfunding market not just in numbers but in the quality of their deal flow and number of their exits. They have consistently proven that crowdfunding can deliver not only the best deals but also healthy returns. OurCrowd's impressive new funding round should enable them to address the considerable challenge of scaling up their business to the billion-dollar level."

“We understand the ambitions of startups and emerging enterprises and want to help them grow into sustainable businesses. We look forward to working closely with OurCrowd to further develop their platform to support the startup ecosystem both in Singapore and the broader Asian market,” said Janet Young, Managing Director of Group Channels and Digitalization at UOB Group, one of Singapore’s leading banks. “Our investment into this Series C funding for OurCrowd reinforces our commitment to supporting startups and small businesses.”

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Fintech & Funding Conference downtown Vancouver ON SALE NOW!

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