In new data released by industry research company Beauhurst, Crowdcube was found to be the number one equity crowdfunder, raising more capital through its platform in 2017 than any other company. With its 2017 fundraisings holding a total value of £95m, it is £10.9m ahead of its nearest competitor.

Crowdcube saw this £95m raised through 33 deals of £1m or more - another industry-leading figure - making it the most active company providing funding for Series A funding for business and helping to fill the ‘funding gap’.

3D 2.0 Limited has announced the full availability of its crowdfunded 'Retouch3D' product after extensive product development and user testing. 

OurCrowd announces the launch of Cognitiv, a specialized $100 million global fund focused on early-stage companies that leverage AI, deep-learning, IoT, robotics and digital manufacturing to become tomorrow’s category leaders. Cognitiv is the 12^th fund to launch for funding on OurCrowd’s platform and will give investors access to approximately 20 companies, with initial investments in EquityX, KolGene and FreshKeep.

The Peer-to-Peer Finance Association (P2PFA) has welcomed Crowdstacker, a peer-to-peer lending platform which concentrates on a select few established businesses looking to raise more than £1 million.

AUTO-LENDING has been ranked as the most attractive feature of a peer-to-peer platform, research shows.  P2P analysts Robo.cash surveyed investors across 15 countries in Europe and found 79 per cent were attracted to platforms that offered auto-lending.

GloveboxDirect.com, a pre-launch online automotive marketplace that will give consumers access to a wider range of car and bike parts, has completed its first round of fundraising – raising more than £180,000 from 119 investors in just three days - on leading equity crowdfunding platform Crowdcube.

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The P2PFA today announced revisions to the industry standards it sets for peer-to-peer lending platforms. The new Operating Principles, which will come fully into force next April, include:

• enhancements to the full and comparable disclosure of bad debt and likely returns for investors;
• a ban on platforms borrowing or raising funds through their own platforms;
• robust credit risk management policy and practice;

Oxford Capital has led a £3 million funding round for Wrisk, an insurance innovator which lets customers buy and claim on their insurance using a simple smartphone app. The initial funding was followed by a £500k crowdfunding round on the Seedrs platform, which was fully subscribed in just four days.  The investment will fund the business up to and through its market launch in 2018.

Verv, a brand, which sits under machine learning experts Green Running Ltd, has successfully raised £1,234,500 on Crowdcube in return for a 4.72% stake in the business.

Crowdfunder.co.uk has announced a new partnership with the Design Council to support and encourage UK businesses to design innovative new products and get them to market.

Seedrs has announced a new programme to introduce financial intermediaries and their clients to the buoyant equity crowdfunding space; offering a cost-effective, digital alternative to the discretionary EIS funds and offline deals that have historically been the first port of call for wealthy individuals looking for exposure to the early stage equity asset class.