Medium-term crowd-financing for accelerating infrastructure projects
Recent changes to securities law (2012 JOBS Act) allows for general solicitation of securities to investors (with certain limitations) through online platforms that offer investment opportunities to individual investors. Public agencies can now partner with a crowd-financing platform (CFP) to solicit medium-term loans from local and state investors who seek safe medium-term investment opportunities as well the advancement of specific infrastructure projects. Medium-term crowd-financing provides the low fixed rate borrowing needed by public agencies without the high transaction costs and lien structure impacts of anticipation notes or the long lead time and political risk of the EB-5 program. In addition, medium-term crowd-financing increases the local economic impact of infrastructure spending and helps to democratize the capital planning process.