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[...]
Toronto Foundation is investing in social and environmental change in Ontario
Toronto Foundation | January 2019
Toronto Foundation has long been dedicated to supporting positive social and environmental change to make life more equitable for everyone. Now, for the first time in our history, we are excited to offer Social Impact Investments to the public through an open call for proposals.
These one-time investments, made in partnership with MaRS Centre for Impact Investing, will range from $250,000 to $1,000,000 and will go to approximately five Ontario-based organizations that are creating positive social and environmental change for people across Ontario. A total of approximately $1.6M will be invested.
The 2019 Social Impact Investment call for proposals is now open and will close at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, February 20, 2019.
Access the submission guidelines (here) and application form (here).
If you have questions about applying, please direct them to Jaymin Kim at jkim@marsdd.com with subject line “Question: Toronto Foundation Social Impact Investment” by 5pm on Friday, January 25, 2019. Answers to all questions received will be posted on Toronto Foundation’s website on Wednesday, January 30, 2019.
See: How Fintech Is Transforming Microfinance
What is Social Impact Investing?
Social impact investing, also known as social finance or impact investing, is designed to generate both a positive social/environmental impact and a financial return. To learn more about Toronto Foundation’s work in Social Impact Investing, click here.
Who can apply?
The following organizations are eligible to apply for social impact investments:
- Incorporated not-for-profit organizations
- For-profit organizations with public benefit clearly demonstrated
- Registered business in Ontario as sole proprietorship, partnership or co-operative with public benefit clearly demonstrated
All organizations must be headquartered in Ontario and generate impact that directly accrues to Ontarians.
For a detailed list of eligibility criteria, please see Phase 1 on the application form.
What does my application need to include?
Your application submission should include:
- An initial intention to submit email, sent to Jaymin Kim at jkim@marsdd.com by 5 pm on Friday, January 25, 2019
- A completed application form, sent to Jaymin Kim at jkim@marsdd.com with subject line: “Application: Toronto Foundation Social Impact Investment” by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, February 20, 2019
Your completed application form should present your argument for why your organization should receive impact investment funds. It should emphasize your impact (both financial terms and social benefits), the plan of action, and clearly demonstrate how the investment will be repaid. For more detailed information, see the submission guidelines and application form.
Continue for more information --> 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
 |  |  |
Want to get insider access to some of the most innovative advances happening in #fintech. Register for #FFCON23 and hear from global thought leaders what’s next! Click below for Open Access tickets to all virtual programming and on-demand content from FFCON23. |
Guest Post | March 28, 2023 Introduction Since the 1970s, global finance has seen significant changes that have impacted millions of people. The development of mobile phones and other technologies has enabled new ways to make and manage payments, invest money, and take out loans. But not everyone has been able to benefit from these technological advances. In particular, marginalized communities often lack access to financial services that can help improve their lives. The importance of financial systems The importance of financial systems is often overlooked in the development community. While there have been many innovations in technology and business models, we've failed to keep up with the rapid pace of change in the financial sector. As a result, millions of people still lack access to essential banking products and services, and even more so if you look at those living on less than $2 per day. What's most alarming is that this trend isn't new: it has been going on for decades. In fact, according to data from the World Bank Group's Global Financial Development Database (GDFD), only 1% of all adults worldwide had access to formal savings accounts as recently as 1990 - a number which rose by ...
Read More
Team FFCON23 | March 27, 2023 Want to get insider access to some of the most innovative advances happening in #fintech. Grab an OPEN ACCESS ticket and enjoy a live virtual event at #FFCON23 with access to all on-demand content! On behalf of NCFA and our valued partners we look forward to seeing you there. More information can be found: https://fintechandfunding.com/ 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
The Verge | Andrew Webster | March 23, 2023 Epic’s CEO, alongside executive VP Saxs Persson, talks about the future of virtual worlds and what needs to happen for the metaverse to really come to fruition. Epic’s outspoken CEO, Tim Sweeney, took some time to talk about one of his favorite topics, the metaverse, which is something the company is putting a lot of money into. Right after the event, I had the chance to sit down with Sweeney, as well as Epic’s executive VP Saxs Persson, to talk about just what the heck a metaverse is and how it might work in practice. See: What CEOs Should Know About the Metaverse Can you give me a clear definition of what the metaverse is? Tim Sweeney: It’s just an online social entertainment experience in a real-time 3D setting. You and your friends, going around having fun together, in a 3D world. What’s happening here is somewhat a phenomenon of scale. We now have enough people with access to powerful devices so that you can actually go out and do this with all of your friends. It’s no longer something for elite computer nerds. That makes you convinced that this is ...
Read More
CNBC | Hannah Ward-Glenton | Mar 27, 2023 The banking crisis today looks very different from 15 years ago thanks to social media, online banking, and huge shifts in regulation. So how is it different? Social media not only allows rumors to spread more easily, but also much faster. "What social media has done is increase the importance of reputation, perhaps exponentially, and that's part of this problem I think," Donavan added. Social media gives "more scope for damaging rumours to spread" compared to 2008, Jon Danielsson, director of the Systemic Risk Centre at the London School of Economics, told CNBC in an email. "The increased use of the Internet and social media, digital banking and the like, all work to make the financial system more fragile than it otherwise would be," Danielsson said. "There are a couple of tweets and then this thing [the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank] went down much faster than has happened in history," Fraser added. While information can spread within seconds, money can now be withdrawn just as quickly. Mobile banking has changed the fundamental behavior of bank users, as well as the optics of a financial collapse. See: Digital Asset Experts School Senate ...
Read More
Cato Institute | Jennifer J. Schulp | Feb 17, 2023 What little financial privacy you have when trading stocks is about to get even smaller next month. When you make a stock trade, your broker already is required by the Bank Secrecy Act to maintain records of it, monitor your trading activity, and report any suspicion of illegal activity to the federal government. Starting in March, your broker will be required to directly report all of your trades, including your personal information, to a massive government database. If the Bank Secrecy Act concerns you—and even if it doesn’t—just wait until you hear about the Consolidated Audit Trail (CAT). The Consolidated Audit Trail is intended to collect and accurately identify every order, cancellation, modification, and trade execution for all exchange‐listed equities and options across all U.S. markets, allowing the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to track orders and identify who made them. See: Office of the Privacy Commissioner Announces Digital ID Ecosystem Resolution to Ensure Transparency and Privacy This massive surveillance database is a financial privacy nightmare: The CAT began collecting trading data in 2020, after years of development replete with challenges and controversies. It is scheduled to begin collecting customer information on March ...
Read More
Coindesk | Nikhilesh De | Mar 22, 2023 The regulator alleged TRX and BTT are unregistered securities, and claimed Sun created an "extensive wash trading" program to boost their trading volume. The SEC said in a press release it was suing Sun, the Tron Foundation, the BitTorrent Foundation and BitTorrent (now known as Rainberry) over the sale of tronix (TRX) and bitTorrent (BTT) tokens, which the regulator described as unregistered crypto asset securities. The regulator further alleged the defendants "fraudulently manipulat[ed]" TRX's secondary market through an "extensive wash trading" scheme. See: SEC Warns Investors: Be Vigilant Regarding Crypto Asset Securities The SEC alleged, by having his own employees "engage in more than 600,000 wash trades of TRX between two crypto asset trading platform accounts he controlled." According to the court filing, Sun's Tron Foundation employees conducted the trades, the BitTorrent and Tron foundations controlled the accounts and Rainberry employees transferred funds for the trading. Celebrity influencers: The agency is also suing Lindsay Lohan, Jake Paul, Soulja Boy, Lil Yachty, Ne-Yo, Akon and Michele Mason on illegal touting charges for their roles allegedly promoting TRX and BTT without disclosing they were paid to do so. The majority of these celebrities settled the ...
Read More
Fortune via Yahoo Finance | Steve Mollman| March 24, 2023 Since OpenAI released ChatGPT in late November, technology companies including Microsoft and Google have been racing to offer new artificial intelligence tools and capabilities. But where is that race leading? Hararia shared his thoughts Friday in a New York Times op-ed written with Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin, founders of the nonprofit Center for Humane Technology, which aims to align technology with humanity's best interests. They argue that artificial intelligence threatens the “foundations of our society” if it’s unleashed in an irresponsible way. “deploying humanity’s most consequential technology,” the race to dominate the market “should not set the speed.” Instead, he argues, “We should move at whatever speed enables us to get this right.” Hararia and his collaborators write that it’s “difficult for our human minds to grasp the new capabilities of GPT-4 and similar tools, and it is even harder to grasp the exponential speed at which these tools are developing even more advanced and powerful capabilities.” Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates wrote on his blog this week that the development of A.I. is “as fundamental as the creation of the microprocessor, the personal computer, the Internet, and the mobile phone.” ...
Read More
March 26, 2023 Benefits of Investing in Bitcoin Bitcoin is a digital asset and a payment system that has gained a lot of popularity in the past few years. It is a decentralized payment system that works without a central repository or single administrator. This makes Bitcoin a great investment opportunity as it is not controlled by any government or financial institution. One of the biggest benefits of investing in Bitcoin is its high liquidity. Since it is a digital asset, it is much easier to transfer from one account to another. This means that you can easily convert your Bitcoin into cash when you need it. Another benefit of investing in Bitcoin is that it is a limited resource. The number of Bitcoin in circulation is finite, which means that its value is likely to increase over time. This makes it an attractive long-term investment option. Moreover, Bitcoin is highly secure and offers strong protection against fraud. All transactions are verified and recorded on a public ledger known as the blockchain. This makes it difficult for anyone to make unauthorized transactions with your Bitcoin. Finally, Bitcoin is a great way to diversify your investment portfolio. Since it is not ...
Read More
SEC | Release | March 23, 2024 The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy continues to urge investors to be cautious if considering an investment involving crypto asset securities. Risk notice to investors: Investments in crypto asset securities can be exceptionally volatile and speculative, and the platforms where investors buy, sell, borrow, or lend these securities may lack important protections for investors. The risk of loss for individual investors who participate in transactions involving crypto assets, including crypto asset securities, remains significant. The only money you should put at risk with any speculative investment is money you can afford to lose entirely. Those offering crypto asset investments or services may not be complying with applicable law, including federal securities laws. Under the federal securities laws, a company may not offer or sell securities unless the offering is registered with the SEC or an exemption to registration is available. Similarly, the law requires parties such as securities broker-dealers, investment advisers, alternative trading systems (ATS), and exchanges to register with the SEC, a state regulator, and/or a self-regulatory organization (SRO), such as FINRA. Moreover, entities and platforms involved in lending or staking crypto assets may be subject to the federal securities ...
Read More
Team FFCON23 | March 23, 2023 Congratulations to the 2023 Fintech Draft Winners! Pre-Revenue Winner: KUMO (profile) Post-Revenue Winner: DEAGLO (profile) Congratulations to the 2023 Fintech Draft Pitching Competition Winning companies who competed against a total of 6 shortlisted finalists at the 8th annual FFCON23: REGEN pitching competition which was held digitally on March 21, 2023. The FFCON Fintech Draft is an annual competition designed to identify and feature emerging and high growth fintech startups and scaleups. All shortlisted finalists delivered short presentations (5-7mins), followed by Q&A from esteemed judges, and crowdvote before being selected as winning companies – Congratulations to the WINNING COMPANIES and to everyone who participated! Who did the winners compete against? Checkout the Shortlisted finalists 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, ...
Read More
Guest Post | March 28, 2023 Introduction Since the 1970s, global finance has seen significant changes that have impacted millions of people. The development of mobile phones and other technologies has enabled new ways to make and manage payments, invest money, and take out loans. But not everyone has been able to benefit from these technological advances. In particular, marginalized communities often lack access to financial services that can help improve their lives. The importance of financial systems The importance of financial systems is often overlooked in the development community. While there have been many innovations in technology and business models, we've failed to keep up with the rapid pace of change in the financial sector. As a result, millions of people still lack access to essential banking products and services, and even more so if you look at those living on less than $2 per day. What's most alarming is that this trend isn't new: it has been going on for decades. In fact, according to data from the World Bank Group's Global Financial Development Database (GDFD), only 1% of all adults worldwide had access to formal savings accounts as recently as 1990 - a number which rose by ...
Read More
Read More
Team FFCON23 | March 27, 2023 Want to get insider access to some of the most innovative advances happening in #fintech. Grab an OPEN ACCESS ticket and enjoy a live virtual event at #FFCON23 with access to all on-demand content! On behalf of NCFA and our valued partners we look forward to seeing you there. More information can be found: https://fintechandfunding.com/ 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
The Verge | Andrew Webster | March 23, 2023 Epic’s CEO, alongside executive VP Saxs Persson, talks about the future of virtual worlds and what needs to happen for the metaverse to really come to fruition. Epic’s outspoken CEO, Tim Sweeney, took some time to talk about one of his favorite topics, the metaverse, which is something the company is putting a lot of money into. Right after the event, I had the chance to sit down with Sweeney, as well as Epic’s executive VP Saxs Persson, to talk about just what the heck a metaverse is and how it might work in practice. See: What CEOs Should Know About the Metaverse Can you give me a clear definition of what the metaverse is? Tim Sweeney: It’s just an online social entertainment experience in a real-time 3D setting. You and your friends, going around having fun together, in a 3D world. What’s happening here is somewhat a phenomenon of scale. We now have enough people with access to powerful devices so that you can actually go out and do this with all of your friends. It’s no longer something for elite computer nerds. That makes you convinced that this is ...
Read More
Read More
CNBC | Hannah Ward-Glenton | Mar 27, 2023 The banking crisis today looks very different from 15 years ago thanks to social media, online banking, and huge shifts in regulation. So how is it different? Social media not only allows rumors to spread more easily, but also much faster. "What social media has done is increase the importance of reputation, perhaps exponentially, and that's part of this problem I think," Donavan added. Social media gives "more scope for damaging rumours to spread" compared to 2008, Jon Danielsson, director of the Systemic Risk Centre at the London School of Economics, told CNBC in an email. "The increased use of the Internet and social media, digital banking and the like, all work to make the financial system more fragile than it otherwise would be," Danielsson said. "There are a couple of tweets and then this thing [the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank] went down much faster than has happened in history," Fraser added. While information can spread within seconds, money can now be withdrawn just as quickly. Mobile banking has changed the fundamental behavior of bank users, as well as the optics of a financial collapse. See: Digital Asset Experts School Senate ...
Read More
Read More
Cato Institute | Jennifer J. Schulp | Feb 17, 2023 What little financial privacy you have when trading stocks is about to get even smaller next month. When you make a stock trade, your broker already is required by the Bank Secrecy Act to maintain records of it, monitor your trading activity, and report any suspicion of illegal activity to the federal government. Starting in March, your broker will be required to directly report all of your trades, including your personal information, to a massive government database. If the Bank Secrecy Act concerns you—and even if it doesn’t—just wait until you hear about the Consolidated Audit Trail (CAT). The Consolidated Audit Trail is intended to collect and accurately identify every order, cancellation, modification, and trade execution for all exchange‐listed equities and options across all U.S. markets, allowing the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to track orders and identify who made them. See: Office of the Privacy Commissioner Announces Digital ID Ecosystem Resolution to Ensure Transparency and Privacy This massive surveillance database is a financial privacy nightmare: The CAT began collecting trading data in 2020, after years of development replete with challenges and controversies. It is scheduled to begin collecting customer information on March ...
Read More
Read More
Coindesk | Nikhilesh De | Mar 22, 2023 The regulator alleged TRX and BTT are unregistered securities, and claimed Sun created an "extensive wash trading" program to boost their trading volume. The SEC said in a press release it was suing Sun, the Tron Foundation, the BitTorrent Foundation and BitTorrent (now known as Rainberry) over the sale of tronix (TRX) and bitTorrent (BTT) tokens, which the regulator described as unregistered crypto asset securities. The regulator further alleged the defendants "fraudulently manipulat[ed]" TRX's secondary market through an "extensive wash trading" scheme. See: SEC Warns Investors: Be Vigilant Regarding Crypto Asset Securities The SEC alleged, by having his own employees "engage in more than 600,000 wash trades of TRX between two crypto asset trading platform accounts he controlled." According to the court filing, Sun's Tron Foundation employees conducted the trades, the BitTorrent and Tron foundations controlled the accounts and Rainberry employees transferred funds for the trading. Celebrity influencers: The agency is also suing Lindsay Lohan, Jake Paul, Soulja Boy, Lil Yachty, Ne-Yo, Akon and Michele Mason on illegal touting charges for their roles allegedly promoting TRX and BTT without disclosing they were paid to do so. The majority of these celebrities settled the ...
Read More
Read More
Fortune via Yahoo Finance | Steve Mollman| March 24, 2023 Since OpenAI released ChatGPT in late November, technology companies including Microsoft and Google have been racing to offer new artificial intelligence tools and capabilities. But where is that race leading? Hararia shared his thoughts Friday in a New York Times op-ed written with Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin, founders of the nonprofit Center for Humane Technology, which aims to align technology with humanity's best interests. They argue that artificial intelligence threatens the “foundations of our society” if it’s unleashed in an irresponsible way. “deploying humanity’s most consequential technology,” the race to dominate the market “should not set the speed.” Instead, he argues, “We should move at whatever speed enables us to get this right.” Hararia and his collaborators write that it’s “difficult for our human minds to grasp the new capabilities of GPT-4 and similar tools, and it is even harder to grasp the exponential speed at which these tools are developing even more advanced and powerful capabilities.” Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates wrote on his blog this week that the development of A.I. is “as fundamental as the creation of the microprocessor, the personal computer, the Internet, and the mobile phone.” ...
Read More
Read More
March 26, 2023 Benefits of Investing in Bitcoin Bitcoin is a digital asset and a payment system that has gained a lot of popularity in the past few years. It is a decentralized payment system that works without a central repository or single administrator. This makes Bitcoin a great investment opportunity as it is not controlled by any government or financial institution. One of the biggest benefits of investing in Bitcoin is its high liquidity. Since it is a digital asset, it is much easier to transfer from one account to another. This means that you can easily convert your Bitcoin into cash when you need it. Another benefit of investing in Bitcoin is that it is a limited resource. The number of Bitcoin in circulation is finite, which means that its value is likely to increase over time. This makes it an attractive long-term investment option. Moreover, Bitcoin is highly secure and offers strong protection against fraud. All transactions are verified and recorded on a public ledger known as the blockchain. This makes it difficult for anyone to make unauthorized transactions with your Bitcoin. Finally, Bitcoin is a great way to diversify your investment portfolio. Since it is not ...
Read More
Read More
SEC | Release | March 23, 2024 The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy continues to urge investors to be cautious if considering an investment involving crypto asset securities. Risk notice to investors: Investments in crypto asset securities can be exceptionally volatile and speculative, and the platforms where investors buy, sell, borrow, or lend these securities may lack important protections for investors. The risk of loss for individual investors who participate in transactions involving crypto assets, including crypto asset securities, remains significant. The only money you should put at risk with any speculative investment is money you can afford to lose entirely. Those offering crypto asset investments or services may not be complying with applicable law, including federal securities laws. Under the federal securities laws, a company may not offer or sell securities unless the offering is registered with the SEC or an exemption to registration is available. Similarly, the law requires parties such as securities broker-dealers, investment advisers, alternative trading systems (ATS), and exchanges to register with the SEC, a state regulator, and/or a self-regulatory organization (SRO), such as FINRA. Moreover, entities and platforms involved in lending or staking crypto assets may be subject to the federal securities ...
Read More
Read More
Team FFCON23 | March 23, 2023 Congratulations to the 2023 Fintech Draft Winners! Pre-Revenue Winner: KUMO (profile) Post-Revenue Winner: DEAGLO (profile) Congratulations to the 2023 Fintech Draft Pitching Competition Winning companies who competed against a total of 6 shortlisted finalists at the 8th annual FFCON23: REGEN pitching competition which was held digitally on March 21, 2023. The FFCON Fintech Draft is an annual competition designed to identify and feature emerging and high growth fintech startups and scaleups. All shortlisted finalists delivered short presentations (5-7mins), followed by Q&A from esteemed judges, and crowdvote before being selected as winning companies – Congratulations to the WINNING COMPANIES and to everyone who participated! Who did the winners compete against? Checkout the Shortlisted finalists 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, ...
Read More
Read More
Related Posts
The Crowdfunding Escalator: How to Pick the Right Crowdfunding Platform
“Is it a Crowd? Is it a Herd? Is it a Problem?” How Informed Startup (Crowd) Investors Really Are
Crowdfunding hits the Toronto restaurant scene
Financial institutions, Ontario academics and technology start-ups to become partners in innovation
Why Venture Capitalists Are Turning to Crowdfunding
How Regulation Crowdfunding Stood up to the First Weeks of Coronavirus – Almost Opposite of the Public Markets
Leave a Reply