JD Alois

Former FDIC Board Member Jonathan McKernan Selected to Become CFPB Director

The leadership chairs at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) are moving once again. First, it was reported that Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent was acting Director. Then Russell Vought, the head of the OMB, became acting CFPB director last week. Yesterday, it was revealed that former FDIC Board… Read More

Broker Dealer Stifel Partners with MoneyLion

Stifel (NYSE: SF) has partnered with MoneyLion (NYSE: ML) on a new service called Stifel Discover. The service is an information feed that shares Stifel’s research and thought leadership through Stifel’s Wealth Tracker app. MoneyLion operates a “content-as-a-service platform” called mFeed, and Stifel Discover is… Read More

Private Credit Markets Are Booming. Should You Invest? Nelson Chu, Founder and CEO of Percent, a Marketplace for Private Credit Shares Insight to Asset Class

Private Credit is a growing market in the US and globally. A recent estimate places the US market at over $1.25 trillion. While still relatively small in comparison to bank lending and the bond market, private credit is an asset class that is gaining popularity… Read More

Rising Popularity of Private Credit Funds: Banks Worried?

Private credit and non-bank lending have been increasing for years now. A recent report indicates that “dry powder” has reached $159.38 billion in the US – the largest amount ever. Historically, it has been the banks that provided loans for businesses and consumers. Still, the… Read More

KingsCrowd Files to Raise Equity Funding on StartEngine

KingsCrowd, a prominent data and service provider for the securities crowdfunding sector, has filed a Form C with the Securities and Exchange Commission, indicating its intent to raise money on StartEngine. According to the Offering Memorandum, KingsCrowd is seeking a minimum amount of $10,000 and… Read More

Fed Chair Jerome Powell Says No Way to a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC)

The Chairman of the US Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, was testifying before the Senate Banking Committee today. While typically targeting the Fed’s dual mandate of pursuing full employment and low inflation, the hearing provides an opportunity for the Members to query the Chair on other… Read More

CFTC Plans Digital Asset Forum, Participants Include Circle, Coinbase, Ripple and More

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) says it will hold a digital assets forum which will engage with some top digital asset firms. The CFTC in a release said that Ripple, Crypto.com, MoonPay, Coinbase and Circle have all committed to participate in the event. Final… Read More

SEC to Tell Courts Not to Schedule Hearings on Climate Disclosure Rules Due to Change in Administration

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced a change regarding rules enacted by the Commission during the Biden Administration that sought to target climate disclosure for reporting firms. As part of the controversial ESG initiatives launched by the previous Chairman of the SEC, Gary… Read More

Robinhood Now Offers Options Trading in the UK

Robinhood (NASDAQ:HOOD) has launched options trading in the UK. Jordan Sinclair, President of Robinhood UK, said that options trading in the UK has been historically difficult due to high fees and complicated platforms. Their service is said to be both affordable and accessible for their… Read More

Tether Invests in Digital Wallet Zengo, Aims to Boost USDT Adoption

Stablecoin issuer Tether has announced an investment in Zengo, a self custodial digital wallet. The goal is to boost  stablecoin utilization including USDT. Terms of the investment were not disclosed. Launched in 2019, the company reports over 1.5 million wallets worldwide. The investment is expected… Read More

EU Commits €200 Billion to Develop Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The European Union (EU) has announced a commitment of €200 billion to boost development of artificial intelligence (AI). In a public statement at the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit in Paris, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the new funding to accelerate AI in… Read More

Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Sanctions Russian Ransomware Enabler Zservers

The US Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), has partnered with Australia and the UK to sanction Zservers as it is an enabler of LockBit, a Russian ransomware group. LockBit is said to be the culprit in the attack against the… Read More

British Business Investments Provides £25 Million to Specialty Lender Shire

British Business Investments will provide £25 Million to Shire Leasing and Shire Securities. The goal is to support smaller firms, specifically in the agriculture, business services, manufacturing, and construction sectors. The British Business Bank stated that it has had a successful operating relationship with Shire… Read More

Rodney E. Hood Selected as Acting Comptroller of the Currency

Rodney E. Hood has been selected as Acting Comptroller of the Currency. The US Department of Treasury said Hood’s leadership of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is effective immediately. Hood replaces Acting Comptroller Michael J. Hsu, who has been Comptroller since May… Read More

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Stops All Regulatory Activity

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has halted all regulatory activity. The X account affiliated with the CFPB no longer exists, and the homepage is not updating correctly. The CFPB has been a controversial agency since its inception. The creation of the Dodd-Frank Act, the CFPB,… Read More

FCA: UK Financial Regulator Pulls Almost 20,000 Misleading Financial Advertisements in 2024

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) says it had almost 20,000 financial advertisements pulled or changed during 2023 – almost double the year prior. The FCA specifically mentioned promotions involving crypto, debt, and “claims management company” (CMC). CMCs came from 46 authorized CMC firms, affecting… Read More

SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce Provides Goals of New Crypto Task Force

After years of actively undermining digital asset innovation, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will take steps to recognize and enable new technology that will improve the securities ecosystem and potentially help create new asset classes traded around the world. During the Biden Administration,  the… Read More

Affirm Shares Jump Following Solid Beat for Fiscal Q2 2025

Affirm (NASDAQ:AFRM) shares are moving higher following Q2 earnings results which ended on December 31, 2024. Yesterday, the Fintech reported revenue of $866 million, an increase of 47% versus the same quarter year prior and net income of $80 million a $247 million improvement. The… Read More

Digital Asset Firm Hex Trust Recieves Funding from Morgan Creek in Advance of Series C Round

Digital asset firm Hex Trust has received “strategic” funding from Morgan Creek Digital in advance of a forthcoming Series C funding round. Other investors were said to also have participated in the funding. Hex did not disclose the details of the investment but shared that… Read More

Acting CFTC Chair Pham Issues Statement Defending Against Bloomberg Claims

Acting Commodities Futures and Trading Commission (CFTC) Chairman Caroline Pham has issued a statement defending herself against claims made in a Bloomberg article. Pham was appointed Acting Chair as the Trump Administration took over the federal bureaucracy. In the minority during the Biden Administration, now… Read More

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