Paul Schulte, Advisor, Banking and Financial Services
August 22nd, 2019
Paul Schulte is the Founder and Managing Editor of Shulte Research based in Singapore. Paul's roles[...]
Report: State of Regulation Crowdfunding Says No Gold Rush But an Undeniable Job Creator
Crowdfund Insider | | Feb 1, 2019
Regulation Crowdfunding (or Reg CF), created by Title III of the JOBS Act, has been available for several years now. While not without its shortcomings, Reg CF has been leveraged by hundreds of issuers, typically smaller firms, raising over $100 million since May 2016.
This past week, Crowdfund Capital Advisors (CCA) published a report on Reg CF entitled “2018 State of Regulation Crowdfunding,” providing a snap-shot of the securities exemption and its overall performance.
Crowdfund Insider communicated with CCA principle Sherwood “Woodie” Neiss regarding the report. Neiss told CI the promise of Reg CF as a jobs creator and economic engine is starting to prove true:
“Back in 2012, the promise of Regulation Crowdfunding was jobs, a local economic generator, and an industry revitalizer. With the close of the 3rd calendar year of Reg CF we can see that those promises are holding true. Reg CF is proving to be a jobs engine (creating on average 2.9 jobs per issuer), economic generator (pumping over $289 million of revenues into local economies) and industry supporter (enabling 82 unique industries in regions across the USA).”
See: Prominent Group of Fintech Leaders Send Letter to SEC Chair Jay Clayton Demanding an Increase in Regulation Crowdfunding to $20 Million
According to their research, proceeds for campaigns that closed in 2018 increased 154% from $71.2 million in 2017 to $109.3 million in 2018. Total proceeds since inception by the end of 2018 was $194 million.
The number of successful offerings increased 189% from 221 in 2017 to 417 in 2018. The average success rate of a campaign jumped from 58.9% in 2017 to 63.9% in 2018.
The average raise by an issuer is $271,000.
The total number of investors in successful offerings increased 190% from 77,558 in 2017 to 147,448 in 2018.
Unlike the hubris of the initial coin offering world, Reg CF offerings have experienced slower, more sustainable growth, according to CCA.
“Yes there has been no Gold Rush into Reg CF,” says Neiss. “We consider that a good thing. Reg CF issuers tend to be early stage, high risk firms. Investors need to take care when deciding if and how much they want to invest in these enterprises. A slow and methodical growth of the industry now will help the industry in the future.”
While the hope was for online capital formation to provide access to funding beyond established innovation hubs, that hasn’t happened:
“The data shows the entrepreneurial hubs like New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Austin are popular locations for Reg CF companies. Other cities and states around the USA that are interested in promoting jobs and supporting industries in which they have a core competency, should look at these cities/states and copy their success,” explains Neiss.
See: $5 million Equity crowdfunding extended to private companies in Australia
CCA believes that Reg CF has been good but it could be even better. Notably, Reg CF could be “poised for serious growth if the SEC would increase the issuer cap from $1,070,000 to $20,000,000:”
Continue to the full article --> here
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, 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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Read More
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Read More
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Read More
Read More
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Read More
Read More
Forbes | Richard Harroch and Melissa Guzy | Oct 12, 2019 Investment in financial technology (“Fintech”) companies is growing dramatically. Global Fintech funding has risen to over $100 billion, fueled by large M&A deals and large rounds of financing. Investment in Fintech companies is expected to continue to grow significantly in the next few years as such companies offer outsized growth opportunities. Fintech companies encompass a broad landscape of businesses, generally around financial-oriented services and products. Examples of Fintech-related companies or products include: Payment infrastructure, processing and issuance, such as services provided by Square, Ant Financial, Revolut, and Stripe Stock trading apps from Robinhood, TD Ameritrade, and Schwab Alternative lending marketplaces, such as Prosper, LendingClub, and OnDeck Cryptocurrencies and digital cash, a prime example of which is Bitcoin Blockchain technology, such as Ethereum Insurtech, which seeks to modernize and simplify the insurance industry, with companies such as Lemonade, Oscar, and Fabric Money transfer and remittances, including services from TransferWise, PayPal, and Venmo Mortgage lending, such as through LendingHome and Better Mortgage Robo investment advisors, such as Betterment and Wealthfront Neobanks, including Chime, N26, and Monzo Credit reporting, such as Credit Karma Online business loan providers such as Lendio and Kabbage Small business ...
Read More
Read More
Crowdfund Insider | JD Alois | Oct 15, 2019 Last week, Crowdfund Insider reported on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) enforcement action against Telegram and the issuance of Gram tokens. The move by the SEC is a doozy and telling. First, Telegram sold about $1.7 billion in a SAFT (simple agreement for future tokens) that appeared to abide by the rules. Telegram filed a Form D and apparently only sold to accredited investors in the US. As CI has heard, the token offering was wildly popular at the time of the offering. But the SEC’s “emergency action” was predicated on the expectation the Gram tokens would be available to the general public and thus akin to an initial public offering (IPO). Once the Grams hid various and sundry crypto exchanges – anyone would be able to purchase them – not just the accredited investor types. In the US, an IPO requires registration with the SEC, a significant undertaking. See: Your Complete Guide to Security Token Exchanges We have received several comments on the SEC’s move to target an issuer that is not US-based but sold to US investors, approximately 39 purchasers who committed in total $424.5 million, according to ...
Read More
Read More
Sky News | Robin Scarborough, Deloitte Digital | Oct 14, 2019 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, 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 ...
Read More
Read More
National Post | Andy Blatchford | Oct 5, 2019 The letter was drafted by a lobby group representing signatories run domestic firms that employed more than 35,000 people last year and generated more than $6 billion for the economy OTTAWA — More than 110 Canadian tech CEOs have signed an open letter urging political parties to take action to strengthen the country’s innovative economy, and avoid falling further behind international peers. So far, major parties have put forward pledges in areas like affordability, first-time home-buyers and climate change, but the campaigns have offered few promises designed to drive economic growth in the digital age. “We’re writing because Canada’s productivity is lagging and our future economic prosperity is at risk,” reads the letter addressed to Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Green Leader Elizabeth May. “You can help by developing economic policies that advance innovative Canadian companies, including increasing their access to skilled talent, growth capital and new customers.” The letter was drafted by the Council of Canadian Innovators, a lobby group representing some of the country’s fastest-growing companies. Combined, its signatories run domestic firms that employed more than 35,000 people last year and ...
Read More
Read More
CarefulCents | Ryan Friend | Sep 17, 2019 Of all the types of insurance out there, health insurance is perhaps the most important. After all, without our health, it’s difficult to do much else in life. However, in the United States, which relies mostly on a private health insurance system, costs are high, and it’s often very confusing to know how much you can expect to pay. This is because you can get health insurance in many different ways. You can buy it on your own, receive it from your employer as part of your compensation package, or get it from the federal government. However, just because the world of health insurance is confusing, it does not mean you need to pay more than you should, and knowing the average costs of the many different types of health insurance can help you understand if your premiums are fair or if it’s time for a change. Below we’ve outlined all the different factors that determine the cost of your insurance and also identified the average rates for the various options out there. In addition, you will find some tips to help you save on your insurance so that you can get ...
Read More
Read More
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