CrowdCrypto Newsletter

Please email us your feedback, suggestions, and comments so that we can continue to improve our newsletter based on what's most important to you.

• New York-based company Inveniam Capital Partners plans to tokenize four private real estate transactions totaling $260M (Connect Commercial Real Estate)

  ---

• The OneCoin cryptocurrency fraud is back in the headlines, with indictments being filed against founders Ruja Ignatova and Konstantin Ignatov on charges of securities fraud, money laundering and wire fraud. The pair reportedly defrauded investors out of billions of dollars as they marketed their cryptocurrency, using a pyramid scheme model to recruit investors (Coindesk)

  ---

• Election officials in Denver, Colorado have announced plans to utilize a blockchain-based phone app for voting in its upcoming May elections. This is the second time that voting software developed by Voatz will be used, with the first successful election cycle occurring in West Virginia earlier last year (Coindesk)

  ---

• Although ICO and STO launches are declining in relation to the boom of late 2017/early 2018, PriceWaterhouseCooper’s global STO/ICO report has established that the STO landscape is currently in a “sustained phase of maturity” with quality projects encouraging the markets. All signs are pointing up! (PriceWaterhouseCooper, Forbes)

• After the Quadriga CX fiasco in which thousands of investors using the exchange lost millions after the founder died without disclosing the private keys, the Winklevoss twins are advocating for trust and regulation of crypto markets. Investor confidence has taken big hits after the Quadriga and Mt Gox scandals, but oversight and compliance can return Bitcoin to its former glory, at least in the Gemini founders minds (Bloomberg)

  ---

• Stablecoins are on the rise, alongside STOs and ICOs. Now there are IEOs, or Initial Exchange Offerings, whereby projects are listed directly on an exchange without engaging in an ICO. So which type of token offering strategy trumps? The Data Driven Investor team attempts to figure that out (Medium/Data Driven Investor)

  ---

• Are stablecoins the next sustainable generation of digital money? Review the different popular stablecoins and potentials for use as their popularity rises (Forbes)

  ---

• Colorado governor Jared Polis signed the Digital Token Act on March 8, which exempts cryptocurrencies from state securities laws if they’re used for “consumptive purposes” and not investment purposes (CCN)

  ---

• Bitcoin transactions hit their highest level in 13 months in February; could this signal a Crypto Spring in Spring? 

  ---

  ---

• StartEngine Founder's Summit is on April 12th in Santa Monica and will feature many players in the crowdfunding startup field while providing three distinct tracks for those interested in Regulation Crowdfunding, Regulation A+, and a track for those who have previously worked with StartEngine.

  ---

• Check out the ON:chain19 event, featuring investment professionals and industry leaders engaging in robust discussions about the impact of blockchain on financial markets, institutional transactions, portfolio construction, and consumer behavior. We'll be speaking! May 23 in Newport Beach, CA.

  ---

• Consensus is coming - and the first 50 speakers are announced. Could this year's turn out possibly rival last year's chaos? May 13th - 15th. NYC.

• Digital securities  exchange ABE Global is hoping to support small U.S. companies go public by offering opportunities to list depository receipts on its exchange. This diverges from the traditional digital security offering, as token issuers will conduct initial public offerings on ABE Europe where the token will be listed as equity. Once the tokens are wrapped in depository receipts, they can be traded in other jurisdictions (Coindesk)

  ---

• Digital securities issuance platform Securitize has expanded operations to include offices in NYC and London, and has expanded their service offerings into Asia (Crowdfund Insider)

  ---

• Swiss Stock Exchange SIX plans to tokenize equity on R3’s Corda Blockchain (Crypto New Media)

• The Senate is preparing to explore the JOBS Act 3.0, an update that is designed to jumpstart the IPO market by amending the accredited investor definition and reducing filing and compliance costs. Check out our deep dive on the proposed bill here! (Jobs Act Lawyer)

  ---

• After several months of waiting for regulatory approval, Circle’s acquisition of SeedInvest has finally been approved by FINRA (BTC Manager)

  ---

• Global equity crowdfunding platform OurCrowd has reached $1B in commitments since their launch six years ago (Fast Company)