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U.K. Treasury publishes draft Financial Services and Markets Act 2000

February 6, 2015

The U.K. Treasury Department has published the draft Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) Order 2016 for approval by both Houses of Parliament. Various changes to the regulatory framework is underway for the the alternative financing industry such as Peer-to-Peer Lending.

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Congressman Patrick McHenry: Three Leg Stool Approach Needed for Regulation A+

By: Kim Wales, 11/1/2014 —

With the national election scheduled in two weeks, Congressman Patrick McHenry finds the time to continue advocating for small business and emerging growth companies in the changing markets under the JOBS Act for Title II, Title II and Title IV at Dara Albright’s New York Event held on October 21, 2014.  Ultimately, Congressman McHenry’s delivered a keynote address that focussed on capital formation issues and offering a way forward.

In the keynote address, McHenry discusses: 1). the state of play in Washington; 2) outlines the three Titles of the JOBS Act that he is passionate about; 3) provides three leg stool for Regulation A+; 4) offers an explanation about why are we working through the question of Capital Formation?; 5) provides key take away; 6) Q&A:

Summary:

State of Play: Gridlock in Washington, based on the work product witnessed or not witnessed by the American people. The JOBS Act is the most significant re-write of securities law in the last 80 years.  There is greatest hope for capital formation and economic sustainability is built into Title III – Regulation Crowdfunding so long as Investor Protection and Capital Formation remain at the forefront of a developing robust marketplace.

Congressman McHenry highlights three Titles of the JOBS Act that he is passionate about and has tirelessly lobbied and advocated for on behalf of the American people and he remains hopeful that “right and just” will win at the end of the day.

  1. Title II (Regulation D, Rule 506(c) and Rule 144A: Lifting the Ban on General Solicitation, which was a straight forward piece of legislation that went live on September 23, 2013. Working well while in it’s infancy.
  2. Title III (Securities Based Crowdfuding): The ambition of Title III was to update outmoded securities law and merge technology with finance. Currently, the law remains deeply flawed and the rule has been pending for a substantially long time (over 700 days). What should have been structured at the Commissioner level has turned into a top priority at the SEC.  Now Congress needs to fix the problem, and the SEC must work with Congress because things like cost structure does not work as laid out in the final proposed rules.  To mention a few flaws that do not work: a). audited financial statements for offering $500K or greater; b). issuance capital raise limits up to $1 million; and c). prohibition on testing the water.
  3. Title IV (Regulation A+) – The biggest opportunity presented by the SEC’s proposal is the preemption of state blue sky law. Regulation A, lifts the capital raise limits from $5 million to $50 million; in addition, a qualified purchaser can invest up to 10 percent of the net worth in an Reg. A offering.  What is needed is a well written set of laws and rules for Regulation A. This is now become a top priority for McHenry!  “We must get the rules right so that is not a  dead letter upon arrival but rather it can be a lively opportunity.”

Further, by implementing Title IV, this will allow for us to fix the question of securities based crowdfunding, more specifically equity crowdfunding because of great opportunities afforded the main street entrepreneur, retail investor, and risk takers. “In order to get this right, there are 3 legs to the stool of this alliance”, says McHenry.

3 Legs to the stool of this alliance:

  1. Congress and SEC getting this question of regulation of law correct and done.
  2. Galvanize the democratization of finance: significant amount cultural shift in the marketplace must take place and we the people must be drivers of the shift; alongside helping to create useable public policy in Washington.
  3. Open structure data on the market: we must have the best information on the markets and best market structure that can follow as a result of open structure data. This most importantly can help to move Congress and SEC in the right direction.

Why are we working through the question of Capital Formation? Entrepreneurs may not be connected to the right side of the tracks to get financing for their companies. Delivering the entrepreneur to the marketplace and connecting them to the world of capital so that we can all live better tomorrow and have real vibrant economic growth!

Take Away: Communicate and Build Relationships. Make sure that we have connection with policymakers in Washington. The SEC has an open door policy — go to Washington and introduce yourself. Go to Capital Hill and get to know your U.S. Representative. If you don’t have relationships, go an introduce yourself, to your State Ccongressman and Senator. Inform them about sound public policy. Build these relationships!

Congressman Patrick McHenry takes the final question: Kim Wales, crowdfunding industry pioneer and founder of Wales Capital and CrowdBureau ask Congressman McHenry the last question: “You talk about lobbying our Senators and Congressman, but there is a lobbying group called NASSA that is an influential body as it relates to small securities offerings across all of the states. How do we balance the discussion with that organization and their influence on all of the states in terms of pushing this bill forward (Title IV – Regulation A+)?”

 

Invest in next Facebook…for a few bucks

4/14/2014

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)  By Patrick M. Sheridan @CNNMoneyInvest

Plenty of people have donated a few dollars on Kickstarter to help fund everything from jeans to school field trips and the new “Veronica Mars” movie.
These “investors” rarely expected more in return for their money than T-shirts, a ticket to a movie screening or maybe an early version of a new product.

That’s about to change. Companies are starting to view crowdfunding as a legitimate option to raise serious cash.
Imagine the next Facebook (FB, Fortune 500) getting its start from average Joes and Janes deciding to give a few bucks each. Instead of just getting a nice thank you note, people who give money would get stock in the company.

In fact, virtual reality headset maker Oculus recently angered some of its earlier backers on Kickstarter by selling out to Facebook. Some Oculus fans felt betrayed and left out.

Related: ‘Veronica Mars‘ scores on Kickstarter

But mom and pop investors may soon have a chance to invest in startup companies. The Securities and Exchange Commission is in the midst of the approval process for so-called “portals” to connect regular people and entrepreneurs.

“If mom and pop had put $1,000 into Facebook in the beginning, they would have ended up with $200,000 the day Facebook had its IPO,” says Kim Wales, CEO of Wales Capital and CrowdBureau. The formal name for this is equity crowdfunding, and the process has already begun for “accredited” investors. Right now, the SEC defines an “accredited” investor as someone who makes more than $200,000 a year (or $300,000 together with spouse) or has a net worth over $1 million (excluding the value of their primary home).

But the new rules the SEC is working on would let anyone invest in startups via crowdfunding sites.  Of course, there are clear flaws to throwing open the doors to anyone. The most obvious is that most startups fail and people lose money.  The SEC plans to limit losses by restricting average investors from putting down more than $2,000 or 5% of annual income or net worth in any 12-month period — if the investor makes less than $100,000.  But $2,000 is still a lot of money to someone who doesn’t earn a high income.

Kim Wales is aware of the criticism. But she points out that there are plenty of checks and balances to keep investors from getting burned, including a 21-day investor protection period in which you can get your money back if you decide not to invest after all. Wales hopes to make CrowdBureau, a third party information site that will cater to crowdfunders a “bridge between Main Street and Wall Street.” She also points to the success of the Australian Small Scale Offering Board, a crowdfunding platform launched Down Under 8 years ago.

“There has been zero instances of fraud. It’s not that people haven’t tried, but the crowd has been very diligent in rooting it out,” she says.

While that may be true, some security experts worry that crowdfunding could be a bastion for scammers.

Related: Kickstarter pulls plug on Kobe beef jerky scam

Dan Karson, chairman of risk consulting and mitigation firm Kroll Associates, poses this scenario: “Someone in Bucharest creates a fictional identity but has a real bank account and gets lower-income, unsophisticated investors to send him money.”  That said, Karson does think equity crowdfunding will be “exciting for small investors.” He is just concerned that it’s “a new market with limited regulation.”

But fraud may not be the biggest problem. Lynn Turner, a former SEC chief accountant, notes that investing in startups is inherently risky.
“There’s a very clear track record that isn’t going to change. A vast amount of companies will fold,” he says.

The Small Business Administration reports that roughly half of all new businesses survive five years or more with about a third making it to 10 years.  Turner calls the pending equity crowdfunding situation “a fiasco” that could land the SEC with complaints from thousands of small investors who lose $2,000 each. “My prediction, but not my wish, is that equity crowdfunding will die from bad publicity after people lose their money from businesses that go belly up,” he adds. Equity crowdfunding will not make sense for many investors.

Related: What’s the deal with crowdfunding investments?

Why Facebook bought Oculus

Daryl Bryant, founder and CEO of StartupValley, a registered intermediary “or portal” that hopes to connect entrepreneurs looking for investors, concedes as much.  “There is no promise or guarantee. What we offer is high risk, high reward,” he says, adding that average investors shouldn’t be thinking about investments in startups as retirement savings.
Investors are going to need to do their homework as well. Companies looking to raise $100,000 or less, will be allowed to certify their own financials. You heard that right. And while a venture capital firm can afford to swing for the fences and lose money in the hopes of finding a few big hits, the average investor can’t.

But equity crowdfunding advocates say we are forgetting something important: the wisdom of the masses.”With this platform, it’s the crowd that helps determine if this is a good idea or not. The crowd is passionate about due diligence. The crowd will sniff out whatever doesn’t smell right,” Bryant said.

WKXL’s Financial Spectrum: Guest Kim Wales

On January 7, 2014, host Bill Kearney explored the world of finance with Kim Wales, the founder and CEO of Wales Capital and CrowdBureau. They discussed the current status on the JOBS Act, the future and impact of equity and debt crowdfunding and new market opportunities.  Click the link to listen to the show.