Opinion

September 27, 2023 @ 3:36 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has published a long list of rule changes it intends to pursue. The complete agenda established by the Commission, under the leadership of SEC Chair Gary Gensler, is available here. One of the rule changes near the top is… Read More

September 27, 2023 @ 9:55 am By JD Alois  |  

  Today, commencing shortly, SEC Chair Gary Gensler will testify in front of the House Financial Services Committee. You can expect a good grilling of Chair Gensler as the Republic-controlled Committee has pushed against his aggressive rule-making agenda that has propelled the SEC into the… Read More

September 27, 2023 @ 9:24 am By Omar Faridi  |  

JPMorgan‘s (NYSE: JPM) UK-based retail bank Chase has reportedly decided to ban crypto-related transactions that are made by its clients, starting from October 16, 2023. This bank says it made the decision because of a significant rise in fraudulent activities and scams. A bank representative… Read More

September 25, 2023 @ 5:44 pm By JD Alois  |  

Speaking at the beginning of last week’s meeting of the Investor Advisory Committee (IAC), SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce went to bat for smaller firms and private securities issuers – once again. The SEC is currently considering making the definition of an Accredited Investor more rigorous…. Read More

September 25, 2023 @ 8:57 am By Omar Faridi  |  

MakerDAO co-founder Rune Christensen has submitted a proposal to build the project’s upcoming native chain using Solana’s codebase, which led to Vitalik Buterin selling $580,000 worth of MakerDAO’s MKR token in rebellion. The move may be an indication that ecosystem participants want to explore different… Read More

September 24, 2023 @ 8:11 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

In order to support innovation, financial inclusion as well as the emerging digital financial services ecosystem, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has reportedly issued In-Principle Approvals for launching five digital retail-focused banking platforms. Pakistan’s newly approved online banks reportedly include HugoBank, KT Bank Pakistan… Read More

September 23, 2023 @ 10:42 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Roger M. Brown,  the Global Head of Tax Strategy at Chainalysis, notes that on August 25, 2023, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service released proposed regulations that would require domestic and foreign exchanges and other types of “brokers” who “effect sales” of digital assets to (1) collect… Read More

September 22, 2023 @ 10:24 am By JD Alois  |  

During the Securities and Exchange Commission’s meeting of the Investor Advisory Committee (IAC) yesterday (September 21, 2023), a representative from the Angel Capital Association (ACA) gave a compelling presentation advocating on behalf of his industry and why we need more Accredited Investors and NOT fewer…. Read More

September 21, 2023 @ 12:42 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is considering raising the wealth threshold for the definition of an Accredited Investor. Currently, in brief, an Accredited Investor is an individual who earns over $200,000 a year or has a net worth of over $1 million. The net… Read More

September 21, 2023 @ 10:51 am By Omar Faridi  |  

We recently connected with Diego Lizarazo, Director of Developer Relations at Agoric. Recently, Amazon launched Cloud Tools (AMB Access and Query services), which make it easier for developers to create decentralized applications. While this is a step in the right direction, more needs to be… Read More

September 20, 2023 @ 10:50 am By JD Alois  |  

Yesterday, the Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, announced its ambitions in regard to “net zero financing and investment,” outlining their goal of net zero commitments and how they can compel financial services firms to adhere to their ideology. Secretary Yellen said: “Going forward, the… Read More

September 20, 2023 @ 9:16 am By JD Alois  |  

Any longtime Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) watcher understands that it is one of the largest Fintechs in the world with plans to become any bigger. Adding investments and trading makes sense. It is just a matter of time.  Today, there is a report by CNBC quoting those… Read More

September 19, 2023 @ 4:30 pm By JD Alois  |  

The New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) has published “guidance” for the US digital asset industry building upon its already widely utilized Bit Licence rules. Superintendent Adrienne A. Harris issued a statement explaining her goal of prioritizing regulations for “virtual currency policy” to… Read More

September 19, 2023 @ 10:38 am By Nick Morgan  |  

The world of investment banking has witnessed significant transformations over the decades, particularly concerning small-cap IPOs and access to capital. In this Capital Ideas interview with Vince Molinari, the CEO of Fintech.TV and an experienced figure in investment banking, ICAN’s Dara Albright and Nick Morgan… Read More

September 15, 2023 @ 5:24 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

  According to Insights Distilled’s recent State of Enterprise Tech report, API-first development is streamlining software, with respondents claiming they are ready to start utilizing APIs at scale, with 43% naming it a top priority for 2023. Additionally, a survey from Insight Partners’ portfolio company… Read More

September 15, 2023 @ 10:30 am By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Investor Advisory Committee will meet next week and will discuss two very important policy items that impact capital raising for private firms. The first panel discussion will review exempt securities offerings under Reg D. This exemption, only available to… Read More

September 12, 2023 @ 2:58 pm By JD Alois  |  

The House Financial Services Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology, and Inclusion has posted the witnesses on its forthcoming hearing on a digital dollar. Entitled the Digital Dollar Dilemma: The Implications of a Central Bank Digital Currency and Private Sector Alternatives, the hearing is paired… Read More

September 9, 2023 @ 3:17 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Austin Federa, head of strategy at the Solana Foundation, recently noted that firms such as Visa (NYSE: V)  expanding their stablecoin capabilities via the Solana network enhances the perception of the crypto space, which has witnessed numerous scandals and lawsuits during the last few months…. Read More

September 6, 2023 @ 9:35 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Uldis Tēraudkalns, CEO of Nexpay, a fintech scale-up providing business banking solutions for digital companies, recently shared his views and insights with CI. Licensed by the Bank of Lithuania and operating across Europe, Nexpay reportedly processes over €2.5 billion annually and has helped over 600… Read More

September 6, 2023 @ 9:59 am By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced that the Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee (SBCFAC) has scheduled a meeting to take place on September 19th. This is only the second meeting following the Commission’s change of members on SBCFAC. An agenda is not… Read More