Crowdfunding survey seeks to clarify emerging capital allocation market

The National Crowdfunding Association of Canada (NCFACanada) has wrapped an Alternative Finance Survey of companies, investors and online funding platforms to provide solid data on the emerging sector amidst reports that the Canadian market is falling behind competitor nations, especially the US. NCFA Canada reports that between 2013 and 2015, market volumes grew 48% to $190 million. Over the same period in the US, however, industry volumes reached US$32.5 billion, threatening to relegate Canada to the rear of the pack in its quest to leverage technology to unlock transactional inefficiencies, provide more liquidity and assist small businesses. The survey results will be used to inform government, industry and the general public of emerging online funding platform characteristics. The non-profit organization is concerned that there’s a serious lack of information on the crowdfunding space, particularly in the exempt market, due to limited or absent reporting requirements and the highly fragmented nature of funding sources.