The Senate is preparing to update the JOBS Act 2012 legislation on its tenth anniversary to further support exciting high growth private companies and investors.
President Obama's JOBS Act (Jumpstart Our Business Startups) legalized exemptions enabling private companies to raise capital online, creating Regulation CF, A+ investment crowdfunding and Reg D institutional investment offerings to provide accredited and non-accredited investors greater access to early-stage high growth private companies.
Online capital formation was transformed by this in 2012, ignited further in 2021 when what a private company can raise per year via a Reg CF increased from $1 million to $5 million, and Reg A+ increasing from $20 million to $75 million.
The JOBS Act legislation also helped fuel significant US economic growth over the decade and contributed to a booming $7 trillion private securities market forecast to grow to $30 trillion in 2030, but The Senate Banking Committee believes its JOBS Act 4.0 policy updates can now improve it further.
The Senate’s JOBS Act 4.0 announcement aims to improve private capital market investment by reducing capital seeking costs, appropriately tailoring regulations for small businesses, facilitating the funding of firms, and enhancing investment opportunities for retail investors.
Eight initiatives were proposed as part of JOBS Act 4.0 to prevent retail investor exclusion from investment opportunities, along with seven initiatives to enhance investor protection and privacy and balance capital formation with adjustments to compliance while not harming smaller investors.
On JOBS Act 4.0, Senator Bill Hagerty said: "One of my top priorities is to ensure the United States remains the preeminent place to invest capital, which means growing the private sector, not [the] government. This legislation advances important initiatives and policies to improve our markets, enhance investment opportunities, and reduce unnecessary overregulation."
Fellow Senator Pat Toomey, said: "The JOBS Act helped to revitalize interest in the public markets and spur economic growth, but it is clear significant work remains to give retail investors access to higher returns and ensure American markets remain the deepest and most liquid in the world."
US private market companies, broker-dealers, and investors welcomed this news, including Rialto Markets, a pioneering fintech broker-dealer specializing in crowdfunding and institutional investment.
Rialto Markets Head of Market Structure Lee Saba said: “The proposals presented in JOBS Act 4.0, such as allowing anyone to invest up to 10% of their income in Reg D securities is a huge leap forward for average citizens to participate in what was once forbidden for them. Imagine if everyday folks could have bought Tesla or Google before they listed on a national exchange. That is what this proposal is trying to accomplish.
“Also, the proposals making it easier for entrepreneurs in the US to raise capital in a less burdensome, yet regulated and compliant way is nirvana. The proposed changes would put the US capital engine into overdrive.
“It is refreshing to see members of the Senate banking committee leaning into the JOBS Act to improve upon an already successful implementation. Allowing retail participation alongside institutions is a great opportunity for all involved.”
Rialto Markets helps high growth private companies raise capital through its broker-dealer infrastructure and technology and has a pipeline of signed contracts with exciting private companies in excess of $1 billion while already actively raising $238 million for 21 private companies.
The FINRA Member is also working to improve liquidity in private securities through its ATS (Alternative Trading System), offering exciting high growth private companies the opportunity to raise capital and trade shares on a secondary market ATS in a similar way to how public offerings work on the likes of the NASDAQ or NYSE.
Rialto Markets CEO and Co-Founder Shari Noonan said: "The US is home to over 27 million private companies, yet only 1% are currently traded on an ATS, considering the public market isn't currently offering the high returns it once did, we feel it's time investors and private companies turn their attention to these new opportunities to support exponential growth.
"We aim for our ATS platform to allow retail and accredited investors the opportunity to participate in early-stage high growth private company investment and unlock even more potential from the private securities market yet to be fully taken advantage of."
To hear more discussions about the potential impact of the JOBS act 4.0 and how crowdfunding is continuing to transform private securities, Register for Crowdfund Insider’s latest webinar, Crowdfunding Platforms, Broker-Dealers and Other Fintech Providers Shaping the Future of Private Securities, featuring expert panellists such as Dalmore Group Chairman Etan Butler, Rialto Markets CEO and Co-Founder Shari Noonan, and DealMaker CSO and Co-Founder Mat Goldstein.
