Why investor Steve Baxter’s changed his tune on the blockchain, but warns current hype levels are “dangerous”
Last year, prominent Australian investor and Shark Tank judge Steve Baxter told StartupSmart in an interview he believed the blockchain was “overhyped”, and he had no blockchain-focused startups in his portfolio, nor was he “in a hurry to find any”. Since then, blockchain startups and cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum have seen an astounding boom in both popularity, recognition, and price, with multiple success stories locally and abroad. Asked if he’s changed his tune just over six months later, Baxter told StartupSmart this week he now owns “a bit” of second-largest cryptocurrency Ethereum and appreciates the tech more. “I bought $500 bucks of Ethereum to get a sense of […]
First crowdfund licences granted
Even though the Australian government failed to pass amendments to the equity crowd source funding (CSF) regime before the end of last year, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has granted seven companies licences to allow them to act as CSF intermediaries under the regime. The first batch of licences has been issued to Big Start, Billfolda, Birchal Financial Services, Equitise, Global Funding Partners, IQX Investment Services and On-Market Bookbuilds. “ASIC has been assessing applications as a matter of priority, as suitable intermediaries needed to be licensed before fundraising under the new regime could commence,” said ASIC commissioner John Price. “Intermediaries have an important gatekeeper role which will be […]
Bitcoin tumbles as fears of cryptocurrency crackdown linger
January’s cryptocurrency selloff got fresh impetus on Tuesday when Bitcoin slumped as much as 20 percent, as the prospect of regulatory crackdowns appeared to spread. While the largest digital coin trimmed its loss and was down 18 per cent at $11,444 ($14,378) at 5am AEDT, it was still at the lowest level since late December, according to composite pricing on Bloomberg. As Bitcoin halted its two-day rally, rival cryptocurrencies also tumbled. Ripple sank as much as 33 percent and Ethereum dropped 24 percent, before both tokens pared some declines. Speculators across the globe are struggling to determine when or how market watchdogs may rein in an industry that’s decentralised and […]
AUSTRAC opens consultation on new rules for digital currency exchange providers
Australia’s financial intelligence agency AUSTRAC has earlier today provided another update to digital currency exchange providers. Somewhat later than initially planned, the agency published its draft AML/CFT Rules for consultation. The draft amendments result from the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Amendment Act 2017, which is also known as the “Bitcoin bill”. In December last year, the legislative piece passed both Houses and got Royal Assent. Today, AUSTRAC opened a public consultation into the draft AML/CFT Rules. The period of the consultation lasts until February 13, 2018. The rules, inter alia, provide detailed information on the Digital Currency Exchange Register, as well as requirements for information to be reported about […]
What a blockchain-powered ASX should mean
The ASX decision to replace CHESS with a blockchain solution will benefit investors as long as all parties are granted fair access, writes Sharesight’s Doug Morris. On 7 December 2017, the ASX announced it will be replacing its settlement system, known as CHESS, with a “blockchain-inspired technology.” Those of us investment nerds with an interest in financial plumbing have been keeping a close eye on this for years. I think this is a smart business move aimed at reducing operating costs and hopefully a step towards more efficient markets. In fact, CHESS was one of the world’s first electronic settlement systems, and the ASX has long been recognised as a […]
Bitcoin officially has 80 percent of its 21 million coins mined
Bitcoin has surpassed another momentous milestone, with 80 percent of all the available cryptocurrency having been mined so far. Around 16.8 million Bitcoin have been mined thus far, comprising 80 percent of the 21 million Bitcoin made available by the cryptocurrency’s creator Satoshi Nakamoto, according to Bitcoin tracker Blockchain.info. Bitcoin proponents argue that because Bitcoin’s supply is finite, its value will continue to increase as scarcity prompts investors to “hodl” (hold in crypto-speak) the cryptocurrency. Thanks to difficult mathematical algorithms, and dwindling financial returns, the remaining 4.2 million Bitcoin will become ever-increasingly tough for miners to harvest. To read more, please click on the link below…. Source: Bitcoin officially […]
Lendi taps investors in fresh capital raising call
Online mortgage broker Lendi, which is backed by investors including Macquarie Group, has completed its latest round of capital raising. Street Talk understands Lendi last month ruled off a $25 million capital raise which was oversubscribed and supported by some existing shareholders, sophisticated investors and a number of blue-chip Australian institutions. The company is seeking to take a bigger slice of the local mortgage market after accounting for about 1 per cent last year. Lendi is 40 per cent owned by founders and employees and its big name minority shareholders include Bailador, Macquarie Group and several sophisticated investors. Early investors included CrownBet boss Matthew Tripp. Although it is unclear if […]
DomaCom to integrate with major real estate platform
One of the major real estate platforms has entered an agreement with DomaCom which will see its property listings integrated into DomaCom’s crowdfunding platform. In an ASX announcement, DomaCom said it has entered an agreement with Domain which will connect Domain’s vast property listing data with DomaCom’s crowdfunding technology. The agreements will also see Domain’s market intelligence integrated into the DomaCom Crowdfunding platform in order to provide analytics to investors. DomaCom said the arrangement will help the platform target the consumer market directly, particularly the Generation Y market. Once a campaign starts, DomaCom said its crowdfunding platform facilitates external independent due diligence on the selected property bringing additional rigour to […]
