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Brexit, as we all know, means Brexit

That's it, we'€™re off  - so long, and thanks for all the fish(1).  Looks like Prime Minister May's going to have to go to Parliament first though, as those pesky High Court judges have said that royal prerogative only goes so far, and definitely not as far as inking Article 50 without Parliament's consent.  Don'€™t bother holding your breath though; there's another round to go in the Supreme Court.

Brexit, as we all know, means Brexit

That's it, we'€™re off  - so long, and thanks for all the fish(1).  Looks like Prime Minister May's going to have to go to Parliament first though, as those pesky High Court judges have said that royal prerogative only goes so far, and definitely not as far as inking Article 50 without Parliament's consent.  Don'€™t bother holding your breath though; there's another round to go in the Supreme Court.

There were a couple of interesting news items this month that caught our attention. One being the speech given by Jonathan Davidson, the current Director of Supervision – retail and authorisations at the FCA, at the Future of Lending Conference, and the other being the recent FCA update relating ...

There were a couple of interesting news items this month that caught our attention. One being the speech given by Jonathan Davidson, the current Director of Supervision – retail and authorisations at the FCA, at the Future of Lending Conference, and the other being the recent FCA update relating ...

How Wirefund Aims to Reduce “Borrower Stress” An interview with Amit Sankey, Founder and CEO

Moving beyond the ‘Brexit means Brexit’ mantra

Post-Brexit planning is ramping up as the Gove...

Regulating Crowdfunding 2.0 – What can we expect?

Over the summer the FCA released a consultation paper calling for input about the current crowdfunding rules (both debt and equity) that the FCA should consider improving and modifying...

I’m sure you’re fed up of hearing about the potential implications of Brexit and the FCA’s recent call for input on crowdfunding (if not, I’d be happy to discuss!), so I thought I would look ahead to see what other regulatory delights await regulated firms in the a...

Chris Dines, CEO of Informed Funding

Since the financial crisis of 2008, gross lending (primarily by banks) to companies with fewer than 249 employees (SMEs) has shrunk every year. The pace of shrinkage has recently dropped, though ALL companies (SMEs included) have added to cash reserves, so aggregated net lending must have shrunk...

Just after the Brexit vote on June 23, some of the largest commercial property funds told their investors that they would not be able to sell up and get their cash back, at least temporarily. These funds, popular with many retail investors and their advisers, are known as “open ended”. This means they can raise as much money as they like by selling unit...

I’m sure you’re fed up of hearing about the potential implications of Brexit and the FCA’s recent call for input on crowdfunding (if not, I’d be happy to discuss!), so I thought I would look ahead to see what other regulatory delights await regulated firms in the alternative finance space.

Next Generation Finance: What will the future look like when Alternative and Conventional Finance hit it off?

Seminar report featuring views and observations from 6 industry practitioners on the current and future arena of finance for SME's

Taken from the AFN seminar as part of the wider Informed Funding Finance Fair.

Please REGISTER or LOG IN to view this report

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It has been an interesting time of late for the alternative finance sector. Like all parts of financial services, the industry is com...

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It has been an interesting time of late for the alternative finance sector. Like all parts of financial services, the industry is com...

Legal Implications of Brexit

On 24 June 2016, the EU Referendum result was announced, with a majority of voters deciding that the UK should leave the EU. Once the government officially triggers its right to leave under Article 50 of the Treaty of the European Un...

Legal Implications of Brexit

On 24 June 2016, the EU Referendum result was announced, with a majority of voters deciding that the UK should leave the EU. Once the government officially triggers its right to leave under Article 50 of the Treaty of the European Un...

Tomorrow night, Andy Davis will be chairing another AFN seminar, this time on Sustainability in Alternative Funding (If you want to attend, simply CLICK HERE for full details). In the past 5 years, some 200 new entrants have joined the SME funding space, and it feels like now is the time for a bit of a “shake out”. We planned this event in advance of the BREXIT vote, but there was already plenty of challenges and...

It almost feels like another age, but back in early 2013 I interviewed Jonathan Downey, Director and majority owner of . Rushmore had just raised £1.5m of cash on – by some way the biggest crowd fund “raise” in the UK at that time. Most of that cash cam...

A note from Jon Segal at Fox Williams:

“We are very pleased to be working with the Alternative Funding Network in the year ahead, following the work we did together last year. is a key location for ambitious tech businesses and the AFN has an important role to play in providing industry intelligence to the Alternative Finance Sector. At Fox Williams, our dedicated FinTech and Alternative Finance team delivers legal, yet practical, advice to bu...

On 26 May, we are running a round table discussion over lunch for some members of our Alternative Funding Network (AFN), courtesy of our new AFN sponsors, Fox Williams. The theme of the lunch is the “business outlook” for the Alternative Funders themselves. ...

In talking to different funders, you get the constant message that they have plenty of cash to make use of, but that, as ever, finding the right companies to invest in, or lend to, is the challenge. When you dig a little deeper this is rarely a judgement on whether the underlying b...

6 interesting things about creativity

I read a great article by Jam...

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6 interesting things about creativity

I read a great article by James Kaufman in the Royal Society for the Arts magazine recently.

Great because I now have a new perspective on a much-discu...

Latest changes to P2P regulation – ISAs, Advice and Client Monies

The FCA has been busy these past few weeks, issuing proposals for Innovative Finance ISAs, advising on P2P agreements and client monies.

Innovate Finance ISAs

Latest changes to P2P regulation – ISAs, Advice and Client Monies

The FCA has been busy these past few weeks, issuing proposals for Innovative Finance ISAs, advising on P2P agreements and client monies.

Innovate Finance ISAs

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Lord Turner’s scepticism is a helpful reminder of the need for greater industry maturation

At the core of any successful industry is trust. Trust underpins confidence and is vital ...

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Lord Turner’s scepticism is a helpful reminder of the need for greater industry maturation

At the core of any successful industry is trust. Trust underpins confidence and is vital ...

Back in 2001 I took over running a business that delivered market intelligence, globally, in the technology space. Our main costs were staff, staff and staff (ok, a chunk of property and IT costs as well).

It was a well-respected business with several hundred largely happy staf...

There’s been a lot written about regulation of P2P lending firms – indeed it was the topic of our final AFN Research Seminar of 2015 in December – and many are now w...

There’s been a lot written about regulation of P2P lending firms – indeed it was the topic of our final AFN Research Seminar of 2015 in December – and many are now well into the process of applying to the Financial Conduct Authority for authorisation. To date, most P2P platforms are still operating on interim permissions from the FCA that have been avail...

Revolution not evolution

Technology. Isn’t it great! In recent years it has helped both create and nurture a number of markets which would never have thrived without it. For instance, technology has helped make pricing more transparent and accessibly to products and services more fluid – take Just Eat, AirBnB or Uber - al...

IOSCO statement on the regulation of crowdfunding

On 21 December 2015, the International Organization of Securities Commissions (“IOSCO”) published a on addressing the regu...

What is the Northern Powerhouse?

Changes are afoot in the UK tax regime for participants in loans made via peer-to-peer (“P2P”) platforms. The government has recognised that existing tax rules are not fit for ...

FCA announces new Regulatory Sandbox

The Financial Conduct Authority (the “FCA”) has set out its to expand Project Innovate by implementing a “regulatory sandbox” – a “s...

Source: http://www.foxwilliams.com/news/1077/

We are delighted to welcome Jonathan Segal as a regular contributor to our AFN news and blogs. Jonathan is a 

The Department for Business, Innovation & Skills recently published its response to a government consultation on a proposal to nullify clauses in contracts which prohibit the assignment of invoices. BIS’s intention is to remove contractual barriers to selling invoices in order to improve SME access to finance and the culture of prompt payment.

There are no two ways about it – the regulatory landscape in the financial services sector is evolving and the news in recent months has been awash with stories of regulatory changes that are likely to have a significant impact on FinTech and Alternative Finance businesses.

Senio...

FCA announces new Regulatory Sandbox

The Financial Conduct Authority (the “FCA”) has set out its to expand Project Innovate by implementing a “regulatory sandbox” – a “safe space” in which busine...

Britain is the acknowledged pioneer in online alternative finance, with many firsts to its name in both P2P, or marketplace, lending as well as in equity crowdfunding. In a number of important areas, however, the US has been ahead of the UK for a while and if recent announcements are any guide the gap seems to be widening.
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Britain is the acknowledged pioneer in online alternative finance, with many firsts to its name in both P2P, or marketplace, lending as well as in equity crowdfundin...

A Blessing of Unicorns…?

I was in the US recently, and there was much talk of Unicorns.  So much so, in fact, that I felt the need to put fingers to keyboard.

A Blessing of Unicorns…?

I ...

At the end of last month, P2P lending platforms had to submit their paperwork to the Financial Conduct Authority in order to gain permission to continue operating after April next year. At that point, the interim permissions that the FCA granted to everyone that met a few basic conditions from April 2014 will expire – if you don’t succeed in making the transition to full autho...

At the end of last month, P2P lending platforms had to submit their paperwork to the Financial Conduct Authority in order to gain permission to continue operating af...

Ever since Funding Circle announced in late July that it planned to list an investment trust on the Stock Exchange that would participate in every loan advanced across its international set of platforms – now including Continental Europe, of course – two questions have been intriguing me.

The first is whether any of the othe...

Ever since Funding Circle announced in late July that it planned to list an investment trust on the Stock Exchange that would participate in every loan advanc...