Karsten Wenzlaff, Advisor
August 26th, 2025
Karsten Wenzlaff is a Crowdfunding and Fintech Expert from Germany. He is Secretary-General of Digit[...]
Category Archives: Fundraising, Investing, Trading
Canada Values IP But Capital Still Falls Short
Apr 15, 2026 | NCFA Feature | SME Finance And Alternative Funding
IP Finance Gap Between Value And Funding
In its April 2026 report on IP backed finance in Europe, the European Union Intellectual Property Office puts scale behind a problem that reaches well beyond Europe. IP intensive industries account for about 48% of EU GDP and around 31% of employment, yet the financing system still struggles to turn that asset base into lending and growth capital.
The report puts the EU SME credit gap at up to EUR 365 billion a year, with EUR 70-150 billion tied to IP rich firms (IPR).
Modern growth depends on intangible assets, while most lending systems still prefer hard collateral. It says better valuation, disclosure, and risk sharing could unlock EUR 30-120 billion annually.
IP Already Proves Its Economic Value
Firms that own and use IP tend to perform better, attract more capital, and scale faster.
EUIPO and EPO research cited in the report finds that IPR active SMEs are 21% more likely to go through a growth period and 10% more likely to become high growth firms.
The same body of research finds that companies with registered IPRs generate 41% more revenue per employee than non owners, with the advantage rising to 44% for SMEs.
See: Regulating for Growth by Understanding Innovation
Another report finding says startups with a patent or trademark filing have 2.6 times higher odds of winning seed funding than peers without filings. In this context, IP is less about a legal and and more a financing story.
Canada already understands that IP matters, but now the issue is execution. Can banks, investors, valuation experts, founders, and policymakers use IP in a consistent and trusted way when companies need capital to commercialize and scale?
The Missing Piece Is Finance Infrastructure
IP doesn't behave like ordinary collateral.
It is hard to compare, hard to price, and often hard to separate from the company that creates value from it.
Secondary markets remain thin. Recovery paths remain uncertain.
Financial statements often fail to show the full picture. Valuations cost too much for many smaller firms.
Transaction data remains sparse. Lenders respond the way lenders usually do when information stays patchy. They get conservative, apply steep discounts, or walk away.
That diagnosis fits Canada more than many people admit. Canada talks about commercialization, productivity, scale up capital, and keeping more firms anchored at home.
Those goals all get harder when a company’s most valuable assets sit in code, data, patents, brands, know how, and proprietary processes, but the financing system still wants equipment, real estate, and receivables.
Canada Has Building Blocks But Not A Full System
WIPO’s Canada country perspective on IP backed financing says Canada has already implemented dedicated IP backed lending programs that have provided significant funding to IP rich firms since 2020.
The country also built support around strategy and capability. ElevateIP helps startups and scaling firms build IP strategy earlier in their life cycle. The Patent Collective Program continues to receive federal support proposals that aim to strengthen specialized IP support for SMEs.
That said, Canada still looks early when viewed as a full financing system.
Even the clearest dedicated lending example has narrowed. BDC Capital’s IP backed financing page now says the fund is closed to new investments and directs companies toward its Growth and Transition Capital team instead. That doesn't erase progress, but it underlines a sticky truth holding us back.
Canada has ideas, pilots, and support programs but it still needs stronger financing systems to support IP.
What Europe Gets Right About The Next Step
The EUIPO report lays out five priorities that deserve attention in Canada too.
1. Make IP visible. Companies need a practical way to disclose IP and related intangible assets so lenders and investors can actually assess them.
2. Assign credible value. That means valuation standards, trained experts, and methods that smaller firms can afford.
3. Leverage that value into lending. Risk sharing tools, guarantees, and insurance can help lenders move before the market has decades of recovery data.
See: Global Open Finance Lessons for Canada’s Rulebook
4. Build the evidence base. Without transaction history, default data, recovery data, and clearer benchmarking, every deal stays bespoke and every lender stays cautious.
5. Reinforce coordination. The system only works when policy, valuation, finance, legal frameworks, and founder education line up.
None of that sounds flashy (or new to some extent) but it's important. Great financing markets often depend on boring infrastructure that people barely notice once it works. Canada has already made progress on IP awareness. The harder job now is to make IP finance repeatable, cheaper, and easier to trust.
Why This Gap Hits Canada’s Growth Ambition
Canada wants stronger productivity, more domestic scale ups, better commercialization, and more globally competitive firms. Those ambitions run straight into the financing problem the report describes.
If a company builds real value through software, data, designs, patents, and brands, but still cannot turn that value into growth capital on workable terms, the economy leaves a lot of productive capacity stranded. Some firms slow down. Some dilute too early. Some sell too early. Some move.
That is why the policy question has changed. Canada needs more practical answers on valuation, underwriting, recovery, disclosure, and coordination. It needs more evidence on what works. It needs more institutions that can bridge the gap between legal ownership and financeable value.
Closing Outlook
Europe’s new report doesn't hand Canada a turnkey model, but it does offer something useful. It shows the size of the opportunity, names the bottlenecks clearly, and lays out the missing pieces of a functioning market. For Canadian founders, lenders, and policymakers, that is the real takeaway. The challenge is no longer awareness. The challenge is building the tools that turn IP into capital.
The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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Common Wealth Raises $12M To Expand Retirement Access
Apr 15, 2026 | NCFA Fintech Market Activity | Wealth Investing And Trading, Financial Inclusion And Access
Funding Targets Workplace Pension Gap
On April 13, 2026, Common Wealth announced a $12 million Series A financing to expand workplace retirement access in Canada. The Toronto company says the funding will support distribution, advisor partnerships, platform development, and retirement income tools for older Canadians.
The gap is large and measurable. Common Wealth says more than 10 million Canadians working in the private sector do not have access to a workplace retirement plan. It also says the shortfall is most acute among smaller employers, where less than 20% (1 in 5 employers) with 5 to 499 employees offer a workplace retirement plan. 75% of adults aged 55 to 64 have $100,000 or less in savings. The data is pretty clear and points to a broad and growing retirement access problem across the labour market.
Since early 2024, Common Wealth says it has grown its employer base by 3x, now serving more than 1,500 employers across Canada. It says more than 80% of those employers set up a workplace retirement plan for the first time. Over the same period, membership increased 3.5x, assets under administration rose 4x, and its advisor network expanded to more than 400 advisors.
Alex Mazer, Co-founder and CEO, Common Wealth
“We’re opening up the retirement market for small and mid-sized employers and their employees – people who’ve been left behind by a legacy industry built for big employers and wealthy people. And we’re building the platform to help Canadians with one of their biggest financial concerns: turning their savings into income they can count on.”
The financing builds on a $15 million venture debt facility established with Flow Capital in July 2025. The company says it will use the new capital to reach more small and mid-sized employers, deepen advisor distribution, improve member retirement income tools, and invest in its core technology and AI capabilities.
Workplace retirement access in Canada still depends heavily on employer size and legacy plan economics, and as a result long term financial security is still closely tied to where someone works and whether their employer can support a plan.
See: Where the Gaps Are: Fintech Insights from FCA Data
Common Wealth is not trying to replace large institutional pension plans. It's going after the segment that incumbent providers have served weakly or not at all. That's where the distribution opportunity lies. It means there's also a financial inclusion angle.
Talking Point
Common Wealth is attracting capital by targeting a large, underserved part of the Canadian retirement market.
If more small employers can offer plans and more workers can save through payroll-linked structures, retirement savings becomes less dependent on individual initiative alone.
The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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Broadridge Expands Digital Assets Into Canada Wealth
Apr 14, 2026 | NCFA Fintech Market Activity | Capital Markets And Market Infrastructure, Wealth Investing And Trading
Digital Assets Move Into Advisor Platforms
On April 13, 2026, Broadridge launched digital asset capabilities for Canadian wealth management firms, bringing crypto and tokenized assets into the same system used for traditional investments. The platform supports trading, custody, and asset servicing across both digital and conventional assets.
Broadridge says its digital asset infrastructure processes more than $8 trillion in tokenized assets each month across global markets. It's an important figure because it shows this type of infrastructure is already operating at scale, even as Canadian wealth firms are only now starting to bring digital assets into mainstream portfolio systems.
The operational gap has been clear for a while. Many wealth firms have handled digital assets through separate providers, separate custody arrangements, and separate compliance processes. That creates friction for advisors, clients, and back office teams. Broadridge is trying to remove that split by putting digital and traditional assets into one environment.
Tim Gokey, Chief Executive Officer of Broadridge:
"Digital assets are increasingly becoming a part of a diversified portfolio, and Canadian wealth managers need a way to support tokenization. The Broadridge digital asset solution delivers a streamlined and integrated suite of capabilities built upon the scale and functional depth of our existing solutions. By simplifying complexity behind the scenes, we are creating a streamlined front-end experience for our clients that will accelerate digital adoption in Canada."
Canadian wealth management is one of the most regulated and operationally conservative parts of financial services. By including digital asset capabilities into this layer suggests adoption is moving past early users and toward advisor-led distribution, formal oversight, and standard portfolio administration.
See: Tokenization Finds Scale In Collateral And Cash
Instead of routing digital assets through separate systems, firms can manage them alongside existing portfolios using the same workflows and controls. That reduces operational friction and makes it easier to supervise activity across asset types.
Broadridge continues to push into tokenized market infrastructure. Just last week, Broadridge added on chain governance to tokenized equities, extending support for proxy voting, disclosures, and lifecycle events across tokenized holdings.
Talking Point
Broadridge is bringing digital assets into the core systems used by Canadian wealth firms. With this approach, tokenized assets are being built into core financial workflows, not left in parallel systems.
The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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Interac Adds Verified Identity To Kijiji Transactions
Apr 14, 2026 | NCFA Fintech Market Activity | Identity Privacy And Data Governance, Payments And Money Movement
Trust Layer Expands To Peer to Peer Transactions
On April 14, 2026, Interac and Kijiji introduce verified identity for marketplace users, bringing Interac Verified solutions into peer to peer transactions. The integration allows Canadians to confirm who they are dealing with before messaging, meeting, or completing a purchase.
Interac connects nearly 300 financial institutions and is used more than 20 million times per day to move money across Canada. Kijiji operates at national reach with more than 4 million live listings and over 1 million new listings added each month. This puts verified identity into a place where millions of transactions happen and trust issues show up most often.
Peer to peer marketplaces have historically relied on ratings and reviews. Those signals describe past behaviour, but they don't confirm identity. Verified identity addresses that gap directly. It confirms that the person behind an account is real before a transaction begins, reducing uncertainty in both high-value categories such as automotive and real estate and in everyday transactions.
Amanda Zeffiro, General Manager, Kijiji Canada:
“Integrating Interac Verified solutions to bring verified identity to Kijiji is how we raise that standard, giving Canadians the confidence to transact with people they’ve never met.”
Interac is rolling this out in stages and keeping identity verification in Canada. People can verify their identity today through participating financial institutions, using systems already trusted for payments. Later this year, a second option will let users verify with government-issued ID and a quick liveness check. This gives people different ways to verify depending on what they are comfortable with and the type of transaction.
Interac’s network already supports a large share of how money moves domestically, and this approach uses that same system for identity. At a time when data control is becoming more important, keeping verification tied to Canadian institutions carries weight with both users and regulators.
See: LinkedIn Identity Checks Show The New Privacy Cost Of Trust
The benefits are clear. Verifying identity upfront can reduce impersonation and fraud, especially in higher risk transactions. It can also make people more confident when buying or selling. Over time, this kind of verification can connect more closely with payments and onboarding, giving platforms a more complete way to manage trust across the full transaction.
Talking Point
Interac is extending beyond payments into identity verification at scale. By placing verified identity before the transaction, Interac is positioning itself as part of the trust infrastructure that reduces risk and helps establish trust and therefore who can safely transact.
The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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Synctera Adds Compliance Testing To Banking Stack
Apr 14, 2026 | NCFA Fintech Market Activity | Risk Compliance And Regtech, Embedded Finance Platforms And Partnerships
Banks Need Proof That Fintech Controls Actually Work
On April 14, 2026, Synctera acquired Cable, adding automated compliance verification to its banking and embedded finance stack. Synctera provides banking as a service infrastructure that connects fintechs with sponsor banks, while Cable builds tools to test whether compliance controls are working as intended. The combination brings execution and verification into one system.
Many providers help execute KYC, AML, sanctions, and transaction monitoring workflows. Cable sits on the other side of the equation. It tests systems, data, and outputs to see whether those controls are functioning as expected. In practical terms, that gives sponsor banks a better way to verify oversight instead of relying on periodic manual reviews and sampling.
Peter Hazlehurst, Co-founder and CEO, Synctera:
"Banks need visibility into how those systems are performing in real time. Cable provides that missing observability layer, giving our partners confidence that controls are working as intended across their entire fintech ecosystem. Most solutions in this space are theater. Cable isn't."
When it comes to third party compliance in banking as a service and embedded finance, banks are expected to show that controls work continuously across fintech partners, service providers, and live transaction flows.
Synctera says Cable will continue as a standalone product while its team joins the company. Banks, fintechs, and infrastructure providers all face the same problem. Compliance reviews that rely on manual spot checks are harder to defend when regulators expect continuous oversight.
Synctera launched a live platform in Canada in December 2023, connecting fintechs with sponsor banks in a market that has historically been more tightly controlled, making compliance verification even more important.
Talking Point
Controlling execution is no longer enough. Today, banks increasingly need proof and evidence. Companies that can verify compliance performance in real time are strengthening their position and resilience as embedded finance evolves.
The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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Why Players Keep Coming Back to Lucky Wheelioinaire at Casoola Casino Online
April 14, 2026
Image: Freepik
The online gambling scene is shifting, with players moving away from classic reel slots toward more dynamic games. TV shows stand out because they make you feel part of a live broadcast. Both new and experienced Casoola Casino players enjoy them for the interactive experience without needing to learn complex rules. In this space, Lucky Wheelioinaire from Imagine Live has become a top choice, outpacing traditional slots in popularity.
What is Lucky Wheelioinaire from Imagine Live?
Lucky Wheelioinaire is a live game in the format of a television show from Imagine Live. This provider specialises in live content with an emphasis on visual presentation and simple rules. Although Lucky Wheelioinaire is a relatively new gaming product, it fits perfectly with the trend of recent years, in which the key role is played not by mechanics but by gamblers' emotions. At its core, the game is all about a spinning wheel, and the result comes down to which sector it stops on. Casoola Casino Online players adore Lucky Wheelioinaire for its dynamic live atmosphere and fast results.
How is Lucky Wheelioinaire different from other TV shows?
At first glance, Lucky Wheelioinaire follows the familiar mechanics of a spinning wheel, but there are a number of details that distinguish it from its competitors:
- Simple wheel mechanics. The wheel is divided into several segments with different odds and bonuses. This creates a balance between frequent small wins and rare, but larger payouts.
- Live host. The host doesn't just launch and commentate on the game. They actively interact with the audience, keeping the pace and player engagement high.
- Speed of rounds. Rounds move quickly, without lengthy pauses, which is especially important for Casoola Casino Online players who prefer a dynamic experience.
- Interactivity. Thanks to carefully selected visual and audio elements, players feel like participants in the process rather than observers.
- Bonus segments. In addition to standard payouts, the wheel features zones with increased odds and potentially higher payouts.
- Visual style. The vibrant design and studio-style presentation create the feeling of a real television broadcast, rather than a standard game.
This combination makes Lucky Wheelioinaire accessible to both beginners and experienced players. This makes it more popular than similar classic formats with the same mechanics.
How does Lucky Wheelioinaire play?
Lucky Wheelioinaire is based on a clear sequence of actions, uncluttered with unnecessary mechanics. To experience a unique gaming experience, Casoola Casino Online players need to complete the following steps:
- Bet Selection. The player determines how much they are willing to bet per spin.
- Segment Selection. Players can place bets on one or more wheel segments, each with different odds.
- Round Start. After bets are closed, the game round begins with the host's participation.
- Wheel Spin. The central moment of the game. The outcome depends entirely on where the wheel lands.
- Payouts and Bonuses. If the selected segment lands, the player wins (the bet multiplied by the sector's odds). Bonus zones can activate additional rounds or multipliers.
This structure makes the game logically predictable but unpredictable in its outcome. This makes Lucky Wheelioinaire accessible even to beginners with no experience.
See: AI’s Double-Edged Sword of Retail Investing
Overall, Lucky Wheelioinaire demonstrates how a live format can be adapted to the needs of gamblers at Casoola Casino Online and other leading gambling platforms. The game doesn't require a complex setup, yet it retains the dynamic, show-like feel of being part of a show. This combination explains its growing popularity among Canadian gamblers.
The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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Investor Revolt Exposes Token Control And Collateral Risk
Apr 13, 2026 | NCFA Insight | Digital Assets Blockchain And Tokenization, Risk Compliance And Regtech
Investor Backlash Highlights Token Control And Risk
A public dispute and investor backlash at World Liberty Financial (WLFI) is exposing two issues in token markets: who controls the asset, and what happens when a project uses its own token as collateral.
The control question surfaced first. Justin Sun alleged hidden wallet freeze controls in WLFI's token design. World Liberty rejected the allegation and threatened legal action, which doesn't settle the technical question, but it does expose the governance problem. If investors are unclear about who can intervene and control the asset, confidence weakens quickly.
Justin Sun, investor in World Liberty Financial:
“a trap masquerading as a door”
I am calling on World Liberty Financial @worldlibertyfi to publicly disclose who controls the single guardian EOA and the 3/5 multisig that govern the WLFI smart contract.
Every investor has the right to know who holds the power to freeze their assets.
Here is what on-chain… https://t.co/dxYKDp5Zbi— H.E. Justin Sun 👨🚀 🌞 (@justinsuntron) April 13, 2026
The collateral issue is easier to understand and harder to dismiss. $75 million borrowed against WLFI means the project used its own token to support leverage. If the token falls, the collateral weakens. That creates a self reinforcing risk where price declines can lead to more pressure on the asset. If the position needs support, pressure can build on price, liquidity, and trust at the same time.
The current backlash doesn't come out of nowhere. Earlier in the project’s lifecycle, WLFI’s initial token sale reached only 4% of its $300 million target, raising about $12 million on day one. The token was structured as a non transferable governance asset, which limited liquidity and reduced speculative demand. Those early signs pointed to questions around investor incentives and value capture that are now resurfacing in a different form.
This is where token design and investor protection collide. Admin controls, freeze powers, or blacklist functions are not unusual on their own. In some cases, they support compliance and fraud controls. The problem starts when those powers are not clearly understood by holders, or when decentralization language creates expectations the structure doesn't meet. At one point, the asset can look less like open infrastructure and more like a centrally managed financial product.
See: Apex Group Pilots WLFI USD1 Stablecoin for Tokenized Funds
The borrowing structure adds another layer. Projects can use leverage to support operations or liquidity, but using the native token itself as collateral blurs the line between treasury management and price support. Investors then have to evaluate not only market risk, but also insider control, disclosure quality, and whether the structure holds up when markets turn the other way.
A key lesson here is that token markets still move faster than disclosure standards. That gap is manageable in a strong market, but it can quickly break when investors start asking who controls the asset, who benefits from the structure, and who carries the downside when confidence breaks.
Talking Point
Investor revolts in token markets rarely stop at price. When a project uses its own token as collateral and holders are unsure who can intervene in the asset, trust can disappear quickly.
The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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