Tag: SEC

Federal Securities Laws applied to ICO’s – Initial Coin Offerings

Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, Securities, Tax, Technology

New “coins” or tokens and their platforms are all the rage.  Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin, Zcash, Dash, Ripple, Monero, the list goes on and on and new ones keep popping up.  The new coins are either entirely their own platform or they are derivations, i.e. spin-offs of one of the existing virtual currency platforms. Read more

SEC’s Final Rules on Regulation Crowdfunding (Finally)

Crowdfunding, Financing Your Business, Securities, Startup Formation, Stock

So on October 30, 2015, the SEC adopted final rules which will, after the comment period is done (60) days and they are adopted, allow crowdfunding a/k/a Regulation Crowdfunding a/k/a Equity Crowdfunding in the United States.

At first glance the final rules appear similar to the previously issued versions, with individuals only authorized to invest a portion of their annual salary or net worth through crowdfunding each year.  See the press release here.

Portals which will offer the securities of companies offering same through Regulation Crowdfunding will be effective January 29, 2016 so hopefully a decent number of platforms will be available to start the party in early 2016.

The final rules will be effective 180 days after they are published in the Federal Register. The below is a brief summary in FAQ form covering the Regulation Crowdfunding rules. Read more

SEC Adopts Final Rules Amending Regulation A

Crowdfunding, Financing Your Business, Investors, Securities, Stock, Venture Capital

On March 25, 2015, the SEC adopted final rules amending Regulation A, referred to now as Regulation A+. These amendments were required by Congress via Title IV of the JOBS Act which was passed some time ago. (we are all still waiting for the Regulation Crowdfunding rules to be finalized).

The general rule is that when a company offers or sells a security, the security must either be registered or an exemption from registration must be relied upon.  Regulation A has been on the books for a long long time and has been relied on very little.

Now the SEC has a tough job, its tasked with allowing companies to raise money via offerings of securities but on the other hand it needs to ensure that fraud does not run rampant. These two goals don’t have to be mutually exclusive, but the SEC has generally focused on the latter of the two at the expense of the first.  Read more

Intrastate Securities Offering Exemption

Financing Your Business, Securities, Stock

I wanted to blog on some of the lesser known and relied on securities exemptions.  In certain situations they can be very helpful.  One of these is the federal Intrastate Securities Offering Exemption.  Simply, if you offer and sell in one state and one state only, and some other factors are met, the issuer is exempt from the federal registration requirement.  Blue sky laws will still apply but some states have limited offering exemptions or other exemptions the issuer can rely on. Read more

SEC allows general solicitation and advertising in Rule 506 offerings

Accredited Investors, Financing Your Business, Investors, Private Placements, Securities, Venture Capital

Yesterday, July 10th, under the provisions of the JOBS Act the SEC passed its Final Rules which amended Rule 506 and Rule 144A to lift the ban on general solicitation and advertising in offering and selling securities in a Rule 506 sale as long as all purchasers of the securities are accredited investors. Read more

To Register or Not to Register?: Broker-Dealers and Finders

Accredited Investors, Broker-Dealers, Financing Your Business, Finders, Investors, Private Placements, Securities, Stock, Venture Capital

If you are involved in a startup you undoubtedly have heard about the company’s need to raise money. If you’ve gone the regular route you may be funded by institutional investors, like an angel or VC fund. The company may also have raised money through a private placement by selling equity to investors directly or through brokers.

You may have heard of another type of person involved in the capital raising process called a “finder”.   Everyone has heard of the term a “finder’s fee” which is known to be about 10% of the overall transaction.   The concept is the same with startup financing or M&A activities, although who can qualify as a finder and how they can be compensated has been a big deal with the SEC in the last couple years.  The real issue is when anyone can act as a finder, and if they really should be registered with the SEC as a broker-dealer. Read more