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In recent years, crowdfunding has proven an exceptionally popular and efficient means by which individuals and companies make use of the internet to attract investors for a variety of purposes. The traditional model generally involves a large number of individuals contributing small sums of money to finance specific ideas or projects. Increasingly, however, equity crowdfunding is emerging as a way for start-ups and early-stage companies that are non-reporting issuers to raise capital at an earlier stage of development through the issuance of securities. Equity crowdfunding has already proven successful in certain foreign jurisdictions, and is expected to make an impact in Canada.

Following a consultation period held early last year, the securities regulators of British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Québec and Saskatchewan (Jurisdictions) announced on May 14, 2015 that they have implemented, or expect to implement in the near future, changes to their securities legislation to provide for registration and prospectus exemptions for start-ups and early-stage companies that wish to raise capital through crowdfunding. Businesses wishing to rely on the exemptions will be able to conduct crowdfunding distributions in the Jurisdictions.

The start-up crowdfunding exemption actually consists of two distinct exemptions. The first is a prospectus exemption for start-up companies seeking to raise capital. The second is a dealer registration exemption for persons wishing to operate a funding portal, a platform which facilitates start-up crowdfunding distributions.

The Jurisdictions plan to implement these exemptions by way of local blanket orders. The conditions associated with the two exemptions are outlined in Multilateral CSA Notice 45-316 Start-up Crowdfunding Registration and Prospectus Exemptions (CSA 45-316), and are summarized below. The start-up crowdfunding exemptions will be effective in each Jurisdiction concurrently with, or as soon as possible after, the publication of the notice of CSA 45-316. Each exemption order is available, or will be available shortly, on the websites of each Jurisdiction’s securities regulatory authority.

The start-up prospectus exemption

The start-up prospectus exemption permits non-reporting issuers to issue eligible securities, subject to a number of conditions. The key conditions are:
Continue Reading Certain Canadian Securities Regulators to Adopt Start-Up Crowdfunding Exemptions

The Autorité des marchés financiers (Québec), the Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority of Saskatchewan, Financial and Consumer Services Commission of New Brunswick, the Manitoba Securities Commission and the Nova Scotia Securities Commission (CSA Participating Jurisdictions) published on March 20, 2014 for a 90-day comment period

  • the integrated Crowdfunding Prospectus Exemption (Crowdfunding Exemption); and
  • the draft blanket order relating to the Start-up Crowdfunding Prospectus and Registration Exemption (Start-up Exemption).

In line with the Crowdfunding Exemption and the Start-up Exemption, the CSA Participating Jurisdictions also published proposed registration rules and exemptions applicable to the funding portals participating in crowdfunding (Portal Requirements).

The Ontario Securities Commission concurrently published materials relating to, among other exemptions, a crowdfunding exemption and related portal requirements, by way of a local notice.  The British Columbia Securities Commission also concurrently published a local notice soliciting comments on the Start-up Exemption. The Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority of Saskatchewan implemented an exemption for start-up and small businesses and their portals on December 6, 2013. No portals have yet been established in Saskatchewan. Although the Alberta Securities Commission has not published any material, it will be considering the public comments received in respect of the other published materials.

This bulletin focus on the Portal Requirements under both the Crowdfunding Exemption and the Start-up Exemption. You can read our reports on the Start-up Exemption and the Crowdfunding Exemption. Both the Crowdfunding Exemption and the Start-up Exemption will coexist as they target issuers at different stages of development.
Continue Reading Equity Crowdfunding: The CSA Crowdfunding Portal Requirements

The Autorité des marchés financiers (Québec), the Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority of Saskatchewan, Financial and Consumer Services Commission of New Brunswick, the Manitoba Securities Commission and the Nova Scotia Securities Commission (CSA Participating Jurisdictions) published on March 20, 2014 for a 90-day comment period

  • the integrated Crowdfunding Prospectus Exemption (Crowdfunding Exemption

…

The Autorité des marchés financiers (Québec), the Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority of Saskatchewan, Financial and Consumer Services Commission of New Brunswick, the Manitoba Securities Commission and the Nova Scotia Securities Commission (CSA Participating Jurisdictions) published on March 20, 2014 for a 90-day comment period

  • the integrated Crowdfunding Prospectus Exemption (Crowdfunding Exemption); and
  • the draft blanket order relating to the Start-up Crowdfunding Prospectus and Registration Exemption (Start-up Exemption).

In line with the Crowdfunding Exemption and the Start-up Exemption, the CSA Participating Jurisdictions also published proposed registration rules and exemptions applicable to the funding portals participating in crowdfunding (Portal Requirements).

The British Columbia Securities Commission concurrently published a local notice soliciting comments on the Start-up Exemption. The Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority of Saskatchewan implemented an exemption for start-up and small businesses and their portals on December 6, 2013. No portals have yet been established in Saskatchewan. Although the Alberta Securities Commission has not published any material, it will be considering the public comments received in respect of the other published materials.

The Ontario Securities Commission has not yet addressed the Start-up Exemption.

This bulletin focuses on the Start-up Exemption, but you can read our reports on the Crowdfunding Exemption and the Portal Requirements. Both the Crowdfunding Exemption and the Start-up Exemption will coexist as they target issuers at different stages of development.

The Start-up Exemption is aimed at providing an alternative source of capital to non-reporting issuers at a very early stage of development. The requirements for the issuers under the Start-up Exemption are less onerous compared to those under the Crowdfunding Exemption. The requirements under the Start-up Exemption are also less onerous for portals since, unlike portals for the Crowdfunding Exemption, portals for the Start-up Exemption will be exempt from registration.  The Start-up Exemption still provides some requirements for the portals used in connection with the Start-up Exemption.
Continue Reading Equity Crowdfunding: The CSA Start-up Exemption