The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has asked crowdfunding websites to voluntarily register with it as a first step towards regulating a fast-growing industry that helps small businesses secure funding.
FINRA, Wall Street's industry-funded watchdog, said it was working with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to draft rules that would govern crowdfunding.
In the meantime, FINRA has asked the websites to register with it and provide details that would help it draft the rules.
Crowdfunding is a capital-raising strategy in which investors buy small stakes in ventures through various websites.
Interest in crowdfunding exploded after President Barack Obama signed the Jumpstart our Business Startups, or JOBS, Act last April. The law, aimed at boosting small business growth, legalized crowdfunding as a way for businesses to solicit private investors with the promise of potential returns.
But the SEC needs to adopt rules before small
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