Report: There are more ICOs — but they’re raising less
While Singapore secures its spot as the world’s number 1 jurisdiction for ICOs, a new report finds that despite greater numbers, many ICOs are failing to raise funds.
Penn Law: Biggest ICOs not reflecting white paper promises in smart contracts
Academic study shows around 80 percent of 2017’s top 50 ICOs have not fully reflected whitepaper promises in the code of their smart contracts
Belt tightening time for big ICO raises
What impact might crypto’s bear run have on ICOs funded by BTC and ETH?
How to use PR to promote an ICO
A well-promoted ICO could potentially attract millions in investment, but if it’s poorly promoted it might not earn enough to create the coin. Here are some best practice ICO PR tips for 2018
The 10 largest ICO fund raises: successes, controversies and lessons learned
From an oil backed coin designed to circumvent global economic sanctions, to another that is bankrolling a Macau casino, to one that forced Ethereum to hardfork, the top 10 biggest ICOs to date are nothing if not controversial
ICO market deflates in April
When Bitcoin took flight in late 2017, the ICO movement was also gathering momentum — momentum that continued to run hot early in 2018 but now shows signs of cooling
ICOs and hybrid token offerings — a legal perspective
For many startups in the blockchain space, the ICO has delivered access to first-round funding that otherwise would never have been available from traditional venture investors. At the same time, a parallel trend for traditional VC-backed startups has emerged as they too explore how to tokenize and 'blockchain' their businesses and raise non-dilutive capital through an ICO.
Why the ‘Half of all ICOs Have Failed’ stories are (kinda) fake news
Not surprisingly, Bitcoin.com's story in late February that 46 percent of all blockchain projects had already failed sent shockwaves through the crypto community. But the reality is actually more nuanced than it might first appear. Comparatively, the failure rate of ICO projects is not extraordinary when compared to startups in general, or businesses funded through traditional venture capital channels
Four implications of Facebook’s crypto ad ban
Facebook’s announcement in late January that it was banning cryptocurrency and ICO advertising on Facebook and Instagram will have real consequences for entrepreneurs attempting to reach mass audiences in the crypto space.To help blockchain entrepreneurs frame and negotiate this new communications environment, here are four implications of Facebook’s decision...
The regrettable under-performance of the ICO
Despite their phenomenal rise, it is nonetheless arguable that today's ICOs are greatly underperforming. Not because they are not effective in raising capital for startups and projects, but because their true potential is only fractionally used and their inherent power is only very partially harvested
SEC Chairman gives ICO lawyers a “stern” talking to
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Jay Clayton has once again expressed his concern with the attitudes and approach taken by many in the legal profession when advising ICO clients. Giving the opening address at the annual Securities Regulation Institute conference in Washington, Clayton said; "My first message is simple and a bit stern. Market professionals, especially gatekeepers, need to act responsibly and hold themselves to high standards."
Cryptocurrencies Outlook 2018
The âwordâ referred to by Led Zeppelin, can be, in our scenario, ICOs, Tokens, Cryptocurrencies, Altcoins, Blockchain, Smart Contracts, Bitcoin, Ethereum⦠and âheavenâ is the destination of investors, blockchain pioneers, ICO enthusiasts, utopists, and firm believers in the swarm intelligence and the meritocracy of the Crypto space. These are new words, new terms, buzz words, but words already so prevalent that people had trouble ignoring them in 2017. If you think 2017 was a frenetic year, please, brace for â18â! Before jumping into our recap of 2017 and our outlook for â18 and before entering into details about specific names and terms, it is part of our job to demystify and explain this strange and fascinating world of cryptocurrencies and blockchain.
ICOs, Tiny IPOs, & OTC Securities, Oh My …
All early stage investing is risky and should be viewed through the same lens. Small IPOs, initial OTC listings, private equity/venture capital investments, crowdfunding, and even Initial Coin Offerings are all ways for early stage companies to raise capital. In each case, there is a large risk of failure that theoretically also carries large return potential. But none of these methods should tolerate fraud.
ICO Investment — Due diligence basics
Figuring out how to invest in an Initial Coin Offering (ICO) is harder than it looks. Before you can invest, for example, you have to choose one from the hundreds that are being launched every month. If this is your first ICO it’s easy to feel intimidated by all the technical details, or worse, persuaded by pretty websites and shiny press endorsements. But with a little common sense and some digging, it’s fairly easy to spot the scams and find some solid investments. Here are some steps I recommend you follow before making any ICO investment.
Go nowhere ICOs testing investor confidence
While startups tend to measure ICO success by how much money they have raised, investors, on the other hand, care more about how well the newly issued token they bought performs in the secondary market — and for many the results so far have been disappointing.
Canadian regulators striking balance with Initial Coin Offerings
Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) have raised US$1.5 billion this year alone, compared to US$100 million in all of 2016. This FOMO-inspiring figure is thanks to the until recently near-complete absence of any securities regulations. In most cases, companies have raised funds entirely in Bitcoin and Ether, and did not put investors through any Know Your Customer/Anti-Money Laundering (KYC/AML) process. But regulation is coming, and depending on the jurisdiction, companies who have held ICOs in the past could be held to existing securities laws, and this could put a chill on the red-hot ICO market. At the heart of if and how to regulate an ICO is one question; Is a token a security?
