Despite the attempt by the State of Montana’s securities division to stay the rule, Regulation A+ is effective as of today, June 19, 2015.

Regulation A+ allows companies organized in the U.S. and Canada to raise money from investors, even those that are not accredited investors, under a less burdensome regime than traditional going public transactions and through the use of general solicitation, even to unaccredited investors, which is not allowed under current private placement rules.  Regulation A+ replaces and expands the seldom used Regulation A by increasing the offering limit under the rule from $5 million to up to $20 million for “Tier 1 Offerings” and up to $50 million for “Tier 2 Offerings.” The regulation also preempts state law review for Tier 2 Offerings, for which the disclosure documents will instead be reviewed by the SEC.

While Regulation A+ has critics on both sides of the table – that it doesn’t go far enough in providing flexibility, or that it goes too far and does not adequately protect unsophisticated investors – it should be a welcome avenue for smaller companies who believe their companies have significant value to test the appetite of investors, raise capital publicly at a lower cost, and become accustomed to the public disclosure regime by preparing less burdensome ongoing disclosure. It remains to be seen how companies take advantage of these new rules and whether investors are at the ready.