Europe bangs the crowdfunding drum

Who would have thought it? The European Commission has just published a remarkable policy paper extolling the virtues of crowdfunding as a great way to finance small companies and stimulate growth.

Indeed, the Brussels policy wonks are so gaga over the power of this means of alternative finance to transform economies that they call their communiqué Unleashing The Potential of Crowdfunding in the European Union.

The EC paper, which was presented in March to the European Parliament and which we report here exclusively, argues that the long-term possibilities for crowdfunding are so enormous because for the first time entrepreneurs are able to connect directly with potential investors around the world.  continue reading