Crowdfunding

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On September 21, 2017, following the results of a stakeholder survey conducted over the course of the year to date, the British Columbia Securities Commission (BCSC) announced changes to the existing equity crowdfunding rules found in British Columbia Instrument 45-535 – Start-up Crowdfunding Registration and Prospectus Exemptions (BCI 45-535) to address two of the most…

On October 31, 2016, the Alberta Securities Commission (ASC) adopted Multilateral Instrument 45-108 Crowdfunding (MI 45-108) which will allow small or medium sized businesses (Target Businesses) to raise more capital through crowdfunding offerings across multiple jurisdictions in Canada than is possible under ASC Rule 45-517 Prospectus Exemption for Start-up Businesses (ASC Rule 45-517) which was adopted by the ASC on July 29, 2016.  Both MI 45-108 and ASC Rule 45-517 (collectively, the Growth Initiatives) provide Target Businesses with an exemption from prospectus requirements.  The Growth Initiatives are in place of proposed MI 45-109 Prospectus Exemption for Start-up Businesses published by the ASC and the Nunavut Securities Office.

The Growth Initiatives are aimed at addressing Target Businesses’ need for a cost effective and simple way to raise capital in a difficult economic environment by raising small amounts of money from a large number of people, commonly referred to as crowdfunding.  The Growth Initiatives offer different avenues that Target Businesses can use to overcome the hurdle of attracting investment without the high transactional costs of completing a prospectus offering.Continue Reading New Crowdfunding Prospectus Exemption in Alberta

On May 6, 2016, the B.C. Securities Commission (Commission) adopted BC Instrument 72-505 Exemption from prospectus requirement for crowdfunding distributions to purchasers outside British Columbia (BCI 72-505).  BCI 72-505 creates an exemption from the prospectus requirement for B.C. issuers that distribute securities to purchasers resident outside of B.C. using Multilateral Instrument 45-108 Crowdfunding (MI 45-108), which has not been otherwise adopted in B.C.

To qualify for the prospectus exemption under BCI 72-505, the following conditions must be met:

  • the distribution must not be made to a purchaser resident in B.C.;
  • the purchaser must purchase the security as principal;
  • the purchaser must certify in the subscription agreement that the purchaser is not resident in B.C.;
  • the issuer must comply with the requirements of MI 45-108 in the jurisdiction where the purchaser is resident; and
  • if the issuer is concurrently offering securities to a purchaser resident in B.C. using British Columbia Instrument 45-535 Start-up Crowdfunding Registration and Prospectus Exemptions (BCI 45-535), the issuer must provide the purchaser resident in B.C. with the same disclosure provided to purchasers in other jurisdictions under MI 45-108.

Continue Reading Crowdfunding Prospectus Exemptions for B.C. Issuers

On October 19 2015, the Alberta Securities Commission and the Nunavut Securities Office jointly published for comment Proposed Multilateral Instrument 45-109 Prospectus Exemption for Start-up Businesses (Proposed Exemption). The Proposed Exemption is directed principally at small and early-stage non-reporting issuers and is designed to allow them to raise a defined amount of money…

On November 5, 2015 securities regulatory authorities in Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia (Participating Jurisdictions) published in final form the long awaited crowdfunding regime: Multilateral Instrument 45-108 Crowdfunding (Crowdfunding Regime) which includes a crowdfunding prospectus exemption (Crowdfunding Exemption) and a registration framework for funding portals. The…

In March 2014, certain members of the Canadian Securities Administrators proposed amendments to National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions (NI 45-106) with the aim of allowing business enterprises, with a focus on small and medium size enterprises, to benefit from greater access to capital from investors. On October 29, 2015, the securities authorities in…