Security Token News
SEC Settles with Floyd Mayweather and DJ Kahlid after Promotion of ‘Security Tokens’
Celebrities in the crosshairs SEC lands knockout blow
The SEC continues to broaden their mission of cracking down on securities crimes. In recent news, it has come to light that boxing great, Floyd Mayweather, along with celebrity, DJ Kahlid, has come to a settlement.
Both individuals were accused of illegally promoting various ICOs throughout the summer of 2018. Unfortunately for the duo, they did not disclose to potential investors that they were actually paid to do so. By omitting this fact, this means they were in breach of long-standing securities laws.
Terms of the settlement indicate that although neither will plead guilty, or admit fraud, a financial fee will be paid.
Steven Peikin of the SEC, stated, “With no disclosure about the payments, Mayweather and Khaled’s ICO promotions may have appeared to be unbiased, rather than paid endorsements…Social media influencers are often paid promoters, not investment professionals, and the securities they’re touting, regardless of whether they are issued using traditional certificates or on the blockchain, could be frauds.”
Floyd Mayweather
Mayweather is a United States boxer that will go down as one of the greatest of all time. He is an individual known for a persona outside of the ring, as big as his presence within it.
The charges laid against Mayweather total $600,000 due to his involvement in 3 ICOS. His involvement saw him on the receiving end of $300,000 for his endorsement of the platforms.
DJ Kahlid
Although his name may be more obscure than that of Mayweather’s, Kahlid is certainly an influencer on social media. As such, he found himself in the same situation as Mayweather – Promote an ICO and receive a hefty payday.
Unfortunately, he also failed to disclose this fact to investors. As Kahlid only took part in endorsing one ICO, settlement charges for him rang in at $150,000.
SEC not just targeting ICOs
This targeting of ICO promoters comes on the heels of the SEC broadening their mission. In recent weeks we have seen the SEC branch out from charging not only token issuers themselves, but exchanges that have facilitated the trade of said tokens.
It is reasonable to assume that if the SEC has a foot to stand on, they will continue to charge anyone they can with relations to fraudulent securities.
Pop Culture Prevalence
With this case against Mayweather and Kahlid, there are sure to be various other celebrities resting uneasy of late. Other celebrities known to have endorsed or promoted ICOs in recent times include, but are not limited to the following.
- Jamie Foxx
- Cobinhood
- The Game
- Paragon
- Paris Hilton
- Lydian
In the cases of Mayweather and Kahlid, per terms of the settlement, the duo are banned from promoting any form of security for 3 years. Not that they would have any interest in doing so now, anyways.
The enterprise lending solutions provider, BitBond Finance concluded its STO this week. The public crowdfunding event officially started in March of this year. In total, BitBond secured €2.1 million in funding from the STO. Interestingly, this event was the first regulated STO held in Germany.
Now, BitBond seeks to expand its platform’s service to include a host of other digitized products. These products are first to include tokenized bonds. Tokenized bonds, much like tokenized shares, utilize blockchain’s efficiency to reduce delays and costs associated with transactions.
Global Response
The STO propelled BitBond into the spotlight. The media coverage alone was impressive with the company receiving over 1000 articles covering the event. Unsurprisingly, BitBond’s STO saw participation from 87 countries. Most of which, the firm has issued loans in.
Full Compliance
Earlier in the year, the German securities regulator, BaFin, approved BitBond’s application. As one of the first platforms to be licensed, BitBond represents a shift in the traditional business systems employed. As part of the approval, the platform gained an International Securities Number. This number allows BitBond to remain compliant across borders. This is critical to the company’s all-inclusive strategy.
BitBond via Homepage
BitBond Finance Investors Benefits
Investors received BB1 tokens for their contributions. Token holders receive a profit share from the company’s new platform. According to STO details, investors receive 4% per annum to start off with. After a specified time, these returns will go up to as high as 8%. In total, 60% of BitBond’s future profits are earmarked for investors.
BitBond Finance
BitBond entered the lending market in 2013. At that time, it was among one of the first instant lending platforms to offer services worldwide. The company currently issues €1 million in loans a month. Now, BitBond intends to leverage its positioning to enter into the tokenized bond market in a major way.
BitBond will issue tokenized bonds using its own proprietary software. As part of the new licensing, the company handles, clearing, settlement, and custody of these digital assets. Tokenized bonds clear much faster than traditional bonds. For comparison, tokenized bonds can clear in hours, versus days. Now investors have a better alternative to consider.
BitBond’s lending platform has seen great success to date. The platform utilizes a blockchain-based peer-to-peer protocol to facilitate near-instant loan approval. The company provides access to funding to medium and small-sized businesses. The speed and global reach of the platform were previously unimaginable prior to the advent of blockchain technologies.
Traditional Financial Institutions
BitBond also works with traditional lending institutions. Earlier in the year, the firm partnered with a German online bank to send funds internationally. The program was a huge success which helped cement BitBond as a major player in the tokenization marketplace.
Maximizing leverage
BitBond has shown that it has a strong understanding of the global marketplace and how blockchain technology can increase efficiency. More importantly, the firm continues to be a pioneer in the digital economy. You should expect to hear more big developments surrounding this platform in the coming weeks.
Collaboration
In the upcoming Leonovus Galaxa STO, a pair of promising companies have decided to collaborate as co-advisers. This would be United States based Entoro and, Canada based, DigiMax.
With a mutual goal shared between the companies, this collaboration was undertaken to capitalize on the strengths and weaknesses of each company.
U.S. versus Global
In their announcement, the companies indicate that, while Entoro has much to offer, their experience lies within the confines of the United States. DigiMax, on the other hand, has experience on a more global scale.
Between the two of these companies, Leonovus stands to benefit from a versatile, and competent, team of advisors. The companies note that, beyond this perk, the collaboration will allow for future referrals between one another, as their client base requires it.
Commentary
In announcing their collaboration with one another, representatives from each, Entoro and DigiMax, took the time to comment. The following is what each had to say on the matter.
Chris Carl, CEO of DigiMax, stated,
“We are excited to be partnering with Entoro to assist one another in advising and funding our collective issuer clients…We believe that Entoro is the definitive leader in providing proper advisory services for issuers of digital securities in the United States and this is the kind of highly diligent and compliance-oriented company that DigiMax seeks to partner with. We believe there are many synergies to be gained for each of our companies from this formal collaboration with most of these benefits accruing to our clients.”
James C. Row, Managing Partner of Entoro Capital, stated,
“We view DigiMax as a global leader in bringing awareness of the importance of regulatory compliance to every step in the process of companies issuing digital securities and we are impressed with the global brand that DigiMax has built. We see a great deal of opportunity for both of our companies to accelerate as a result of this collaboration agreement. We have a high appreciation of the professional level of conduct by DigiMax from our observations working with them on our first client tougher.”
DigiMax
DigiMax is a Canadian company, based out of Toronto, Ontario. This young company has developed a suite of services built to facilitate capital generation events, such as STOs and DSOs.
CEO, Chris Carl, currently oversees company operations.
Entoro
Operating out of Houston, Texas, Entoro functions primarily as an investment bank. Since launch, Entoro has expanded their services to facilitate blockchain ventures and digital securities.
Managing Partner, James C. Row, currently oversees company operations.
In Other News
Both, DigiMax and Entoro, have found themselves as regulars in our headlines. Over the past few months, each of these companies have made positive developments, as well as found themselves working on the same project. Check out the following articles to learn more about these events.
DigiMax Designated ‘Exempt Market Dealer’ by OSC
DigiMax to Consult During Leonovus Security Token Offering
Entoro to Act as Placement Agent in Upcoming Leonovus ‘Galaxa’ STO
Entoro Eyes Secondary Markets Through Partnership with Unicorn
The Announcement – Calibra
Facebook announced a pair of tokens recently. The project, which is being spearheaded by Facebook subsidiary, Calibra, will see both a stablecoin, and a security token, released.
While the stablecoin is meant to provide a global consumer base with an efficient means of transferring value, the security token facilitates project governance, and the development of a cash reserve.
Due to the potential of this project to significantly impact global currencies, and the financial system, the project has received much backlash, to date.
True Suspicions
Upon initially announcing the project, many suspected that the world’s greatest population of humans, India, would not be eligible for participation. This suspicion was born from the on-going battles within the country, between blockchain advocates and central banks.
As suspected, Facebook and Calibra have since verified these suspicions by stating the project will not launch in regions where such currencies are outlawed. They do remain hopeful that perspectives may change in the future.
Alexandra Voica, Facebook representative, states, “Calibra will respect the legislation”, “But we are looking to work with regulators to see if the legislation can be updated”.
Meeting with Congress
On July 16th a Congressional hearing will be held, followed by a similar hearing in front of the House Financial Services Committee on the 17th. The main focus of these hearings will be the testimony of Calibra representative, David Marcus, as he discusses the project and two tokens to be released.
After making their intentions known to the public, Facebook and Calibra were greeted with a response of fear and outrage by government authorities. While some point to Facebooks past track record regarding privacy lapses as a main concern, others see Libra for what it could potentially be – a competitor to the USD.
Facebook has too much power and a terrible track record when it comes to protecting our private information. We need to hold them accountable—not give them the chance to access even more user data. #BreakUpBigTech https://t.co/eQr06VMMyx
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) June 19, 2019
Whatever the case may be, this hearing will provide Facebook with the opportunity to give the answer Congress is looking for. Now is the time to allay any fears that regulators may have regarding the project.
Market Response
While there are surely a plethora of factors driving the price trajectory of Bitcoin, the outcome of the congressional meeting regarding the Calibra project weighs heavy.
Anticipation of these meetings has been met with a swift decline in overall marketcap and prices in the days leading up to it. Time will tell, but most suspect a positive outcome of these meetings will be met with a positive uptick in pricing. A positive outcome is, however, far from a sure thing.
Presidential Musings
Tweets discussing cryptocurrencies are typically white noise. There are an exorbitant amount of industry players always weighing in on the state of the industry. However, when the POTUS begins tweeting on the subject, people listen.
…and International. We have only one real currency in the USA, and it is stronger than ever, both dependable and reliable. It is by far the most dominant currency anywhere in the World, and it will always stay that way. It is called the United States Dollar!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 12, 2019
Whether you are a fan or a detractor of the POTUS, the fact that cryptocurrencies have captured the attention of the highest levels of government speaks volumes to the development witness within the industry in recent years.
Satisfaction
Before the meetings with Congress ensure, Facebook and Cablira have already made it clear that they will not be launching the product until the authorities are satisfied with the projects structuring.
In his prepared testimony for the hearings, David Marcus writes the following,
“The time between now and launch is designed to be an open process and subject to regulatory oversight and review…We know we need to take the time to get this right. And I want to be clear: Facebook will not offer the Libra digital currency until we have fully addressed regulatory concerns and received appropriate approvals.”
While there may be unavoidable delays due to hearings and potential restructuring of the project, the fact remains that with the combined clout and influence of the companies involved in this project – Facebook, VISA, PayPal, UBER, MasterCard, etc. – it is hard to imagine Calibra failing.
