§ 227.402 Conditional safe harbor. ( a ) *General.* Under section 3(a)(80) of the Exchange Act (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(80)), a funding portal acting as an intermediary in a transaction involving the offer or sale of securities in reliance on section 4(a)(6) of the Securities Act (15 U.S.C. 77d(a)(6)) may not: offer investment advice or recommendations; solicit purchases, sales, or offers to buy the securities offered or displayed on its platform or portal; compensate employees, agents, or other persons for such solicitation or based on the sale of securities displayed or referenced on its platform or portal; hold, manage, possess, or otherwise handle investor funds or securities; or engage in such other activities as the Commission, by rule, determines appropriate. This section is intended to provide clarity with respect to the ability of a funding portal to engage in certain activities, consistent with the prohibitions under section 3(a)(80) of the Exchange Act. No presumption shall arise that a funding portal has violated the prohibitions under section 3(a)(80) of the Exchange Act or this part by reason of the funding portal or its associated persons engaging in activities in connection with the offer or sale of securities in reliance on section 4(a)(6) of the Securities Act that do not meet the conditions specified in paragraph (b) of this section. The antifraud provisions and all other applicable provisions of the federal securities laws continue to apply to the activities described in paragraph (b) of this section.
( b ) *Permitted activities.* A funding portal may, consistent with the prohibitions under section 3(a)(80) of the Exchange Act (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(80)) and this part: ( 1 ) Determine whether and under what terms to allow an issuer to offer and sell securities in reliance on section 4(a)(6) of the Securities Act (15 U.S.C. 77d(a)(6)) through its platform; provided that a funding portal otherwise complies with this part;
( 2 ) Apply objective criteria to highlight offerings on the funding portal's platform where: ( i ) The criteria are reasonably designed to highlight a broad selection of issuers offering securities through the funding portal's platform, are applied consistently to all issuers and offerings and are clearly displayed on the funding portal's platform;
( ii ) The criteria may include, among other things, the type of securities being offered (for example, common stock, preferred stock or debt securities); the geographic location of the issuer; the industry or business segment of the issuer; the number or amount of investment commitments made, progress in meeting the issuer's target offering amount or, if applicable, the maximum offering amount; and the minimum or maximum investment amount; provided that the funding portal may not highlight an issuer or offering based on the advisability of investing in the issuer or its offering; and
( iii ) The funding portal does not receive special or additional compensations for highlighting one or more issuers or offerings on its platform;
( 3 ) Provide search functions or other tools that investors can use to search, sort, or categorize the offerings available through the funding portal's platform according to objective criteria where; ( i ) The criteria may include, among other things, the type of securities being offered (for example, common stock, preferred stock or debt securities); the geographic location of the issuer; the industry or business segment of the issuer; the number or amount of investment commitments made, progress in meeting the issuer's target offering amount or, if applicable, the maximum offering amount; and the minimum or maximum investment amount; and
( ii ) The criteria may not include, among other things, the advisability of investing in the issuer or its offering, or an assessment of any characteristic of the issuer, its business plan, its key management or risks associated with an investment.
( 4 ) Provide communication channels by which investors can communicate with one another and with representatives of the issuer through the funding portal's platform about offerings through the platform, so long as the funding portal (and its associated persons): ( i ) Does not participate in these communications, other than to establish guidelines for communication and remove abusive or potentially fraudulent communications;
( ii ) Permits public access to view the discussions made in the communication channels;
( iii ) Restricts posting of comments in the communication channels to those persons who have opened an account on its platform; and
( iv ) Requires that any person posting a comment in the communication channels clearly disclose with each posting whether he or she is a founder or an employee of an issuer engaging in promotional activities on behalf of the issuer, or is otherwise compensated, whether in the past or prospectively, to promote an issuer's offering;
( 5 ) Advise an issuer about the structure or content of the issuer's offering, including assisting the issuer in preparing offering documentation;
( 6 ) Compensate a third party for referring a person to the funding portal, so long as the third party does not provide the funding portal with personally identifiable information of any potential investor, and the compensation, other than that paid to a registered broker or dealer, is not based, directly or indirectly, on the purchase or sale of a security in reliance on section 4(a)(6) of the Securities Act (15 U.S.C. 77d(a)(6)) offered on or through the funding portal's platform;
( 7 ) Pay or offer to pay any compensation to a registered broker or dealer for services, including referrals pursuant to paragraph (b)(6) of this section, in connection with the offer or sale of securities by the funding portal in reliance on section 4(a)(6) of the Act(15 U.S.C. 77d(a)(6)), provided that: ( i ) Such services are provided pursuant to a written agreement between the funding portal and the registered broker or dealer;
( ii ) Such services and compensation are permitted under this part; and
( iii ) Such services and compensation comply with the rules of any registered national securities association of which the funding portal is a member;
( 8 ) Receive any compensation from a registered broker or dealer for services provided by the funding portal in connection with the offer or sale of securities by the funding portal in reliance on section 4(a)(6) of the Securities Act (15 U.S.C. 77d(a)(6)), provided that: ( i ) Such services are provided pursuant to a written agreement between the funding portal and the registered broker or dealer;
( ii ) Such compensation is permitted under this part; and
( iii ) Such compensation complies with the rules of any registered national securities association of which the funding portal is a member;
( 9 ) Advertise the existence of the funding portal and identify one or more issuers or offerings available on the portal on the basis of objective criteria, as long as: ( i ) The criteria are reasonably designed to identify a broad selection of issuers offering securities through the funding portal's platform, and are applied consistently to all potential issuers and offerings;
( ii ) The criteria may include, among other things, the type of securities being offered (for example, common stock, preferred stock or debt securities); the geographic location of the issuer; the industry or business segment of the issuer; the expressed interest by investors, as measured by number or amount of investment commitments made, progress in meeting the issuer's target offering amount or, if applicable, the maximum offering amount; and the minimum or maximum investment amount; and
( iii ) The funding portal does not receive special or additional compensation for identifying the issuer or offering in this manner;
( 10 ) Deny access to its platform to, or cancel an offering of an issuer, pursuant to § 227.301(c)(2), if the funding portal has a reasonable basis for believing that the issuer or the offering presents the potential for fraud or otherwise raises concerns about investor protection;
( 11 ) Accept, on behalf of an issuer, an investment commitment for securities offered in reliance on section 4(a)(6) of the Securities Act (15 U.S.C. 77d(a)(6)) by that issuer on the funding portal's platform;
( 12 ) Direct investors where to transmit funds or remit payment in connection with the purchase of securities offered and sold in reliance on section 4(a)(6) of the Securities Act (15 U.S.C. 77d(a)(6)); and
( 13 ) Direct a qualified third party, as required by § 227.303(e), to release proceeds to an issuer upon completion of a crowdfunding offering or to return proceeds to investors in the event an investment commitment or an offering is cancelled.