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Fix Crowdfunding Act.  

We have been blogging about federal crowdfunding in this blog series this past month or so. As you know, Title III of the JOBS Act, also referred to as the “CROWDFUND Act (Capital Raising Online While Deterring Fraud and Unethical Non-Disclosure Act of 2012),” exempts up to $1 million crowdfunded securities from the federal registration requirement when the transaction is conducted in certain ways.[1] For a detailed analysis of the final rules, please see our previous blog series “Is It Time To Do Crowdfunding To Raise Money?: SEC Releases Federal Crowdfunding Final Rules.” Even before the final rules went into effect, however, efforts to amend Title III had been underway.… Read the rest

FINRA’s Funding Portal Rules.

The federal crowdfunding final rules require that each intermediary in a crowdfunding transaction be registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) either as a broker-dealer or a funding portal and be a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”), which is currently the only registered national securities association. For details of the final rules, including registration and disclosure requirements for intermediaries, please see our previous series “Is It Time To Do Crowdfunding To Raise Money?: SEC Releases Federal Crowdfunding Final Rules.” FINRA has finalized its funding portal rules and the SEC approved them on January 29, 2016, making them effective as of that date.… Read the rest

SEC: A Small Business Compliance Guide on Registration of Funding Portals.

On February 29, 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) issued “A Small Entity Compliance Guide: Registration of Funding Portals.” [1] The full text of the investor bulletin is available here. One of the requirements for crowdfunding under JOBS Act is that it be done through an intermediary; no issuer can do crowdfunding directly without using one. [2] For details of the final rules, including registration and disclosure requirements for intermediaries, please see our previous series “Is It Time To Do Crowdfunding To Raise Money?: SEC Releases Federal Crowdfunding Final Rules.” The compliance guide focuses only on the registration requirements.… Read the rest

SEC Investor Bulletin: Crowdfunding for Investors.

Crowdfunding under federal law became legal on May 16, 2016, but efforts to prep potential investors and intermediaries have been in the works for much longer. On February 16, 2016, the Office of Investor Education and Advocacy of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) issued “Investor Bulletin: Crowdfunding for Investors” [1] to educate investors about what it means to make a crowdfunding investment, what to keep in mind, and how. The full text of the investor bulletin is available here.… Read the rest

It is official—federal crowdfunding finally goes into effect on May 16, 2016.

Title III of the JOBS Act, also referred to as the “CROWDFUND Act (Capital Raising Online While Deterring Fraud and Unethical Non-Disclosure Act of 2012),” exempts up to $1 million crowdfunded securities from the federal registration requirement when the transaction is conducted through an intermediary that is either a broker or a funding portal.[1] For a detailed analysis of the federal law and related topics, please see our previous posts “Crowdfunding: Is It Right for My Business,” “Is It Time To Do Crowdfunding To Raise Money?: SEC Releases Federal Crowdfunding Final Rules,” and “An Easy Way for Texas Companies To Raise Money?… Read the rest