October 23, 2023 @ 9:27 pm By JD Alois  |  

Bitcoin has increased by over 18% today, now trading at over $33,000. Just yesterday, Bitcoin was trading under $30,000. Bitcoin has always been a volatile digital asset that gyrated quickly in price – sometimes without an apparent catalyst. The most popular crypto in the world… Read More

October 23, 2023 @ 7:22 pm By JD Alois  |  

Silicon Valley Bank became emblematic of the problems with the banking industry. As the US Federal Reserve increased benchmark rates at an unprecedented speed, SVB did not adjust rapidly enough and found a huge hole in its balance sheet. Debt securities have an inverse relationship… Read More

October 23, 2023 @ 4:47 pm By JD Alois  |  

FV Bank says it has launched custody money market accounts for qualified customers. FV Bank is a digital bank that is based in Puerto Rico and regulated by the Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions (OCIF),  The bank is allowed to offer deposit-taking, custody,… Read More

October 23, 2023 @ 2:22 pm By JD Alois  |  

Update: The Subcommittee hearing has been postponed until a later date. Tomorrow, the Subcommittee on Capital Markets, part of the House Financial Services Committee, will hold a hearing entitled “Examining the SEC’s Agenda: Unintended Consequences for U.S. Capital Markets and Investors.”  According to the Hearing… Read More

October 23, 2023 @ 10:29 am By JD Alois  |  

The UK government launched various programs to support businesses during the difficult days of the COVID crisis. While there is plenty of rear-view commentary today, at that time, things looked pretty dire for the UK economy, and supporting businesses that were hammered during the lockdowns… Read More

October 23, 2023 @ 9:45 am By JD Alois  |  

Marqeta (NASDAQ: MQ), a credit card management service, has updated is platform with new tools and a “one-stop shop” for launching credit programs. Marqeta said that the new offerings provide a complete solution for embedded finance, and it is able to support any type of… Read More

October 23, 2023 @ 9:25 am By JD Alois  |  

Smart Lenders AM, a Paris-based investor in online loans, has announced a partnership with UK-based Ooodles, a financing firm for tech products. Erich Bonnet, Président of Smart Lenders, said that they are providing capital via their Lending Smart Fund 1, participating in the early financing… Read More

October 23, 2023 @ 8:14 am By JD Alois  |  

OurCrowd CEO Jon Medved spoke with the BBC to share his thoughts on the war in Israel and its impact on his business as well as his aspirations to expand upon the successful Abraham Accords. In 2020, a breakthrough was made in normalizing diplomatic and… Read More

October 22, 2023 @ 5:35 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has received a judgment in its enforcement action against Thor Technologies. In 2022, the SEC filed an enforcement action against Thor alleging an unregistered security offering as Thor had issued a “crypto asset security” and did not qualify for… Read More

October 22, 2023 @ 3:11 pm By JD Alois  |  

Jonny Fry has been selected to lead ClearBank‘s digital asset strategy, according to the digital bank. ClearBank is a fully licensed bank that also offers its tech stack to other financial services firms. Fry was previously CEO of TeamBlockchain and publisher of Digital Bytes. The… Read More

October 20, 2023 @ 2:01 pm By JD Alois  |  

Mon Petit Placement, a France-based Fintech, has raised €6.5 Million in growth funding, according to a statement by the firm. The funding round was led by La France Mutualiste, a mutual group that supports more than 290,000 member customers which manages €8.8 billion in assets…. Read More

October 20, 2023 @ 1:33 pm By JD Alois  |  

FinCEN has issued a statement on funding of the terrorist Hamas group following the atrocities the group perpetrated in Israel. FinCEN urged financial services firms to be vigilant in any activity that may be used to fund Hamas. This is inclusive of virtual asset service… Read More

October 20, 2023 @ 1:19 pm By JD Alois  |  

It was reported yesterday that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had dropped its charges against Ripple executives Brad Garlinghouse (CEO) and Chris Larsen (Chairman). Charges remain for Ripple itself. Ripple has posted a release on the legal victory, calling it a “stunning capitulation by… Read More

October 20, 2023 @ 10:07 am By JD Alois  |  

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has proposed new rules that aim to boost Open Banking (Open Finance) in the United States, according to a statement by the agency. Open Banking is a concept where financial data and access to this data is easily shareable… Read More

October 19, 2023 @ 9:45 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has dismissed the charges, with prejudice against Ripple principles Brad Garlinghouse and Chris Larsen. This is according to an X (Tweet) distributed by lawyer James Filan and reposted by Stuart Alderoty, Chief Legal Officer at Ripple. Alderoty stated: “The… Read More

October 19, 2023 @ 7:20 pm By JD Alois  |  

Painterland Sisters, a startup founded by female entrepreneurs, has topped $500,000 in a securities offer on Wefunder. According to the offering page, Painterland has raised almost $520,000 to date from more than 250 investors. The securities being sold to investors is a SAFE with a… Read More

October 19, 2023 @ 3:04 pm By JD Alois  |  

Trulioo has been selected by JP Morgan (NYSE:JPM) to provide identity verification for payments globally. This is for both individual and business validation. Trulioo did not shed light on the agreement but working with JPM is quite a validation of their services and the contract… Read More

October 19, 2023 @ 11:57 am By JD Alois  |  

iink has raised $12.0 million in Series A financing, according to a  company statement. Investors included Motley Fool Ventures, Chartline Capital Partners, Silver Circle Ventures, and several of iinks’ existing investors. iink is a digital payments network that “expedites the disbursement of funds associated with… Read More

October 19, 2023 @ 11:45 am By JD Alois  |  

The House Financial Services Committee has added several new hearings to the October calendar. As was previously reported, the Committed has already scheduled several hearings, even while the House is missing a Speaker, and the Committee Chair, Patrick McHenry, may end up as Speaker Pro-Tem…. Read More

October 19, 2023 @ 9:08 am By JD Alois  |  

Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN), the second largest crypto exchange in the world, has announced a new office in Dublin, Ireland as its European Union headquarters. The EU has approved digital asset regulations under the MiCA law or Markets in Crypto Assets. The new regulations are being implemented… Read More