By: Kim Wales, 11/13/14  —

An unfortunate yet necessary “Cease and Desist” action was taken by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) against a crowdfunding platform, Eureeca, which is domiciled in Dubai and doing business in the Cayman Islands.

As a platform conducting private placements using Title II of the JOBS Act, which allows General Solicitation, and Advertising for Accredited Investors, Regulation D, Rule 506(c) and Rule 144A has drawn significant attention since September 23, 2013, due to significant changes in rules governing certain private offerings.

Historically, a Regulation D, Rule 506 offering has been exempt from SEC registration, provided that the offering is not publicly advertised and that the purchasers are largely qualified institutions or accredited investors—those whose net worth is greater than $1 million (excluding a primary residence) or whose individual income exceeded $200,000 ($300,000 for couples) for the past two years with the expectation for that level of income to continue in the current year.

Title II of the JOBS Act called for the SEC to lift the ban on mass marketing these offerings, provided that the issuer has taken reasonable steps to verify that the buyers of the private securities are in fact accredited.

In the case of Eureeca, what are some of the things that went wrong?

1. Eureeca’s posting of securities offerings on its unrestricted website constituted general solicitation and advertising.
2. Eureeca had a disclaimer on its website that its services were not being offered to U.S. persons.
3. Eureeca was not registered as a Broker with FINRA or the SEC; nor was there any disclosure of Broker of record on the platform.
4. The roughly 465 deals listed on the platform were not registered with the SEC.
5. There was no firewall that prevented at least three U.S.A investors from gaining access to the deal room on the site.
6. There were no ‘reasonable steps taken to verify’ that investors are “accredited.
7. “Accredited” investor definition was not disclosed on the platform, as a mechanism to educate the potential investor pool.
8. Disclosures were lacking on the on the platform

As a result of conduct described, Eureeca willfully violated section 15(a) of the Exchange Act, which makes it unlawful for any broker or dealer to effect any transaction in, or to induce or attempt to induce the purchase or sale of, any security, unless such broker or dealer is registered is or associated with a registered broker-dealer.

Penalty

Eureeca will have to pay civil penalties of $25,000 to the Securities and Exchange Commission in 10 installments of $2500 over the next year. In my opinion they got off easy.

Things for Funding Platforms to Remember

1. Unless you are registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a Broker, or partnered with Broker, you cannot legally sell securities to the accredited investor via a funding platform using Title II, Regulation D, 506(c).
2. The entity “Registered Funding Platform” does not yet exist until the final rules are issued for Title III and FINRA registers the platform to sell securities.
3. Listing registered broker of record and disclosure documents on the platform is a must.
4. Seek legal advice and or contact Crowd Finance consulting companies like Wales Capital to ensure that your platform is in compliance.

Read the complaint here!

By: Kim Wales, 11/1/2014  —

On a warm Fall, October evening in New York, some of the securities crowdfunding industry pioneers, advocates, policy influencers and solution providers gathered at the Law offices of Pepper Hamilton for Dara Albright’s Regulation A+ event.  David Weild, the founder of Issuworks and former ex-Vice Chairman of NASDAQ, closed the evening with an impassioned message about what steps are needed to spur capital formation that will  start moving money into the hands on entrepreneurs and main street investors.

Unlocking the capital markets for small cap and mid cap businesses using the JOBS Act, Title IV (Regulation A+) is top of mind after 7 years of stagnant economy. This has become the mission for everyone in room such as Brian Korn (Pepper Hamilton), Peter Einstein (Crowdfund4All), Sara Hanks (CrowdCheck), Douglass Ellenoff (Ellenoff Grossman and Schole, Kim Wales (Wales Capital and CrowdBureau), and Sam Guzik (Guzik & Associates), Chris Tyrrell (OfferBoard) and Manolis Sfinarolakis (Crowd RealityTV) to name a few.  However, Weild was very clear in his messaging, “NASAA is doing incredible harm to the economy and they need to stand down.”

The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) is a special interest group that represents state securities regulators. Ironically they have taken an anti-business / anti-investor approach by attempting to block Title IV (Regulation A+) of the JOBS Act – otherwise known as Reg A+. Regulation A+ includes the biggest opportunity presented by the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) proposal for preemption of State Blue Sky in 40 years. In addition, qualified purchasers can invest up to 10 percent of their net worth. Finally, Title IV of the JOBS Act increases the offering limit from $5 million to $50 million in a 12 month period.

NASAA aggressively lobbies Congress and has hired high powered attorneys to stop state blue sky preemption for certain private placements. Small businesses creates 64% net new jobs for the economy which is the vast majority for U.S. and should be the engine for economic growth. However, at play is protecting revenue stream and power at NASSA; that is thwarting the opportunity for small and emerging business to thrive and survive.

In addressing NASAA’s concerns, Weild aptly points out that state regulators will continue to have anti-fraud laws which they can use but calls their present stance “laughable”. “If you want to stop all fraud lets just stop all business …We all know that is not the right answer,” says Weild.

While there are clearly members of NASAA that disagree with this anti-business policy for now the group has paradoxically taken a position that is to the detriment of the economy. Weild also tackles other issues that are in need of regulatory change, including tick size reform, that are bogging down small cap IPOs.

David Weild’s closing address is a must watch for Anyone who is pro-economy and pro-small business :

Washington, D.C.,

August 24, 2014, 700+ days after the JOBS Act was signed into legislation, the SEC still has not released the final rules for Title III: Regulation Crowdfunding.

Over one year ago, February 19, 2013, the nation’s principal leaders and experts on equity and debt‐based financing providing an in‐depth review of the extensive build out and preparation that has taken place to help entrepreneurs’ access capital through online platforms, while protecting the investors who will finance these enterprises. The group touched upon the global advancement of equity‐based crowdfunding, the significant challenges entrepreneurs still face in accessing capital and why it is vitally important that the SEC finalize JOBS Act rule makings.

Watch the Press Conference:

Moderator and Host: Karen Kerrigan, President & CEO, SBE Council; Panel of Experts: Sherwood Neiss & Jason Best, architects of the crowdfund investing framework that became law through the JOBS Act and Principals of Crowdfund Capital Advisors; Candace Klein, Founder, Bad Girl Ventures and SoMoLend; Ryan Feit, Co‐Founder, SeedInvest; Vince Molinari, President, GATE Technologies; Sara Hanks, CEO, CrowdCheck; Chris Tyrell, Nehemiah Investments; Kim Wales, Founder of Wales Capital and Chair of the Crowdfunding Professional Association [introduced at 25 minute mark]; Judy Robinett, Entrepreneur, Advisor to Early Stage Companies; Doug Ellenoff, Ellenoff, Grossman & Schole, LLP; Chance Barnett, Founder, Crowdfunder

5/24/2014

Kim Wales and Scott Purcell, industry leaders in securities based crowd funding and Board Members of the Crowdfund Intermediary Regulatory Advocates (CFIRA) recently posted a comment letter on the SEC web site regarding JOBS Act implementation. The comment letter was in direct response to the recommendations provided by the Investor Advisory Committee (IAC) who recently met – reviewing their requests for JOBS Act implementation. CFIRA is a group of industry advocates and participants that have consistently championed the benefits of investment crowdfunding. The IAC is a committee established under the Dodd-Frank Act to advise the SEC.

This specific letter, co-signed by CFIRA board members Scott Purcell and Kim Wales, challenged several of the requests by the IAC – an entity that has not been known for their support of crowd funding.

The Securities and Exchange Commission held the Thirty Second SEC Government – Business Forum on Small Business Capital Formation on November 21, 2013.  Kim Wales, a sought after thought leader on the JOBS Act and Crowdfund Investing. Kim was invited as a panelist and provided a presentation that can be downloaded.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has conducted this forum annually since 1982. The event provides small business, their advisors, and their investors with an opportunity to share perspectives and views on a variety of topics important to them.  This is an effective way for the agency and its staff to learn more about the important capital formation issues that the small business sector is facing.

Click here for the Panel Discussion: Crystal Ball: Now that you raised money, what’s next for the company and the markets?

White, who became SEC chairman on April 10, 2013, has suggested the commission pass the existing plan without major changes and add additional protections later, said the people, who declined to be identified because the deliberations are private. The approach would placate congressional Republicans who have complained the SEC has slow-walked the rule, which was required to be completed by July 2012.

http://mobile.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-26/sec-s-white-said-to-push-to-lift-ban-on-hedge-fund-advertising.html

On December 14, 2012, the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) published the OSC Staff Consultation Paper 45-710 Considerations for New Capital Raising Prospectus Exemptions. The Consultation Paper sets out four concept ideas for new prospectus exemptions in Ontario, together with a number of specific consultation questions. The concept ideas are: a concept for an exemption to allow crowdfunding subject to limits for issuers and retail investors, a concept for an offering memorandum exemption, a concept for an exemption based on an investor’s investment knowledge, and a concept for an exemption based on an investor receiving advice from a registrant.

Wales Capital participated in a forum along with other industry thought leaders such as Crowdfund Capital Advisors, SomoLend, Arctic Island, GATE Technologies, Nehemiah Investments, and Ellenoff Grossman & Schole, LLP.

Subsequently, Wales Capital provided comment letters to the OSC for consideration as related to a). Investment Size; b). Oversubscription; c). Two Business Day “cooling period”; d). Revenue Models; e). Rescission Period (Withdrawal Rights).

Read Comment Letters Here

Feb. 19 (Bloomberg) — On today’s “Money Moves,” Bloomberg Television focuses on alternative assets and places where investors are investing their money outside of the traditional stock and bond markets. Live with Kim Wales, the founder of Wales Capital, a strategic business advisory firm and Candace Klein, founder of SomoLend, a debt based crowdfunding platform.

Kim is the Chair of the Crowdfunding Professional Association (www.cfpa.org).  Candace Klein is the Co-Chair of the Crowdfund Intermediary Regulatory Advocates (www.cfira.org)

(Source: Bloomberg)

Watch live:

At the World Economic Forum 2013 in Davos, Switzerland, Rep. Patrick McHenry (R., N.C.) talks with Neil Lipschultz at Davos about “Crowdfunding” and the future of the JOBS Act, aimed to help small and emerging businesses attract financing.

Rep. Patrick McHenry on Crowdfunding and the JOBS Act in WEF Davos, Switzerland

Kim Wales writes about the regulatory decisions looming for the JOBS Act and how instead of imposing heavy regulations that are likely to confuse the U.S. states and EU nations states; government should look at criteria for Intermediaries such as operational and financial transparency, security of information and payments, platform functionality and customer protection.

Read the article in the Cayman Financial Review Magazine