Politics, Legal & Regulation

Policy and regulations impacting innovations in Finance.

CBDCs: International Monetary Fund (IMF) Is Reportedly Working on Global Central Bank Digital Currency Initiative

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is reportedly working on a solution for central bank digital currencies (CDBCs) to support financial transactions between nations, IMF MD Kristalina Georgieva revealed on Monday (June 19, 2023). As reported by Reuters, Georgieva told a conference attended by various reserve… Read More

TerraUSD Creator Do Kwon Sentenced to Four Months in Prison in Montenegro

Do Kwon, the creator of TerraUSD – LUNA, has been sentenced to four months in the slammer in Montenegro, according to multiple reports. Kwon’s attempt to create an algorithmic stablecoin TerraUSD has been cited as a huge catalyst in the crypto collapse of 2022. The… Read More

Andrew Saks: Blockchain Professional Says Mainstream Crypto Adoption to Occur with Regulatory Frameworks like Europe’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) Regulation

We recently connected with Andrew Saks, who talked about the importance of financial inclusion for the vast majority. Notably, 1.4 billion people remain unbanked, which takes several countries in Southeast Asia to allow a larger virtual currency ecosystem to take root in their countries. The… Read More

Digital Assets: Bakkt Delists Solana (SOL), Polygon (MATIC), Cardano (ADA) Due to Lack of Regulatory Clarity in the US

Only a couple months after finalizing a $155M acquisition of Apex Crypto, an established trading infrastructure provider, the New York–headquartered crypto-assets platform Bakkt Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: BKKT) is delisting three major digital currencies: Solana (SOL), Polygon (MATIC), and Cardano (ADA). Marc D’Annunzio, Bakkt General Counsel… Read More

US SEC Enforcement Director Gurbir Comments on Crypto Crackdown

A senior US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) official on Friday (June 16, 2023) rejected the recent criticism of the regulatory authority’s crypto-related crackdown and also slammed the industry for violating applicable securities laws. As first reported by Reuters, the regulator’s increased scrutiny of cryptocurrency… Read More

Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao Responds to SEC’s Emergency Order to Repatriate US Customer Funds

Zhao Changpeng

Earlier today, the SEC revealed that it has received court approval for “emergency relief” from Binance and affiliated entities to require funds impacting US investors to be maintained in the US. The order states that funds must be repatriated and held for the benefit of… Read More

SEC Approved by Court for Emergency Relief on Assets Held by Binance

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has received court approval for emergency relief regarding assets held by Binance for US customers. The SEC states that all defendants in its litigation against Binance Holdings Limited, BAM Management US Holdings Inc., BAM Trading Services Inc., and Changpeng… Read More

France: Autorité des marchés financiers Updates on Securities Crowdfunding Marketing Requirements

As part of the new European Crowdfunding Service Provider Regulation (ECSPR), which legalizes pan-EU securities crowdfunding, platforms must be approved by the relevant authority in a member state. France, the second largest economy in the EU, has incorporated rules for the approval process and today… Read More

FSOC Discusses Commercial Real Estate Loan Risk

The commercial real estate (CRE) market is struggling a bit as the work-from-home (WFH) movement, combined with the flight of businesses away from certain markets that were once hot, has caused some observers to predict calamity at some point in the not-so-distant future. We have… Read More

Binance Exits the Netherlands Market

Binance is continuing its staggered retreat from another market. According to a Tweet from today, Binance is exiting the Netherlands market as they have been “unable to register as a VASP with the Dutch regulator.” A VASP is a virtual asset service provider, and the… Read More

SEC Investor Advisory Committee to Discuss Funds with Private Investments, Single Stock ETFs, More

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Investor Advisory Committee (IAC) has posted its agenda for its meeting next week. Established under Dodd-Frank, the IAC is supposed to represent the interests of individual investors, including smaller ones. In the past, the Committee has largely focused on… Read More

Elon Musk Describes ESG as the Devil

The world’s richest person and top entrepreneur, Elon Musk, is describing ESG, or the Environment, Social, and Governance movement, as the “Devil.” In a Tweet that included a statement by S&P Global that cigarette firm Philip Morris International topped Tesla in its ESG “score,” Musk… Read More

European Securities and Markets Authority Posts Timeline for Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA)

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has published a time frame for the implementation of Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA). EMSA is the EU securities regulator. The EU recently approved the legislation as it seeks to enable digital asset innovation while incorporating investor protection… Read More

As Expected Federal Reserve Hits Pause Button, Says More Rate Hikes Coming

The US Federal Reserve has decided to pause rate hikes as it aims to assess the impact of the past rate hikes that have been some of the fastest in history. The Federal Funds Rate will remain at 5 to 5-1/4%. The Federal Open Market… Read More

Stablecoin Transactions: Adoption of Payment Stablecoins for Payment Purposes Is No Longer A Subject of Speculation, Study Concludes

Gordon Liao from Circle Internet Financial and Thomas Hadeed noted in a study titled, Beyond Speculation: Payment Stablecoins for Real-time Gross Settlements, that  empirical evidence shows “a notable shift in the usage of stablecoins, a form of digital currency transacted over distributed ledgers, in recent… Read More

Germany: Bundesverband Crowdfunding Endorses New Legislation that Improves Liability Expectations for ECSPR Platforms

The Bundesverband Crowdfunding eV (German Crowdfunding Association) has endorsed the draft bill for the Future Financing Act presented by the German Government. Germany, the largest economy in  Europe, has yet to have a single securities crowdfunding platform approved under new EU rules. ECSPR, or European… Read More

DFINITY Responds to US SEC’s Complaint Against Coinbase

Like many in the blockchain and web3 ecosystem, DFINITY says they have been watching recent regulatory developments in the United States with some alarm. As noted in a blog post, the SEC in particular, has been “taking wide-ranging actions across the industry.” DFINITY says they… Read More

DealMaker CEO Rebecca Kacaba Shares Opinion on Capital Markets, Investment Crowdfunding and Opportunity

DealMaker has emerged as a top online capital formation platform providing services to enable the primary issuance of securities across the full stack of crowdfunding exemptions. This includes Reg CF, Reg A+, and Reg D. At the same time, due to its base of operations… Read More

House Financial Services Committee Asks the SEC to Withdraw Proposal to Redefine an Exchange, Impacting Digital Assets

In a bit of a stealth rulemaking attempt, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has proposed new rules that would impact the definition of an exchange. The amendments regarding the definition would also impact Alternative Trading Systems (ATSs).  As the SEC deems all digital assets… Read More

Representatives Emmer, Davidson Gun for Removal of SEC Chair Gary Gensler

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer and Representative Warren Davidson have revealed legislation that aims to remove SEC Chair Gary Gensler. Gensler has received fire from members of Congress who believe he has not pursued rule-making to enable digital asset innovation while focusing his efforts on… Read More

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