Opinion

August 3, 2019 @ 5:14 pm By JD Alois  |  

In May of 2019, the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) kicked off a consultation on “crypto-asset trading platforms” or “CTPs.” The goal of the Consultation is to assist IOSCO members in evaluating the issues and risks relating to trading in digital assets and the… Read More

August 3, 2019 @ 4:37 pm By JD Alois  |  

Both the US House and Senate are out of session now as the pols exit the sweltering heat of Washington, DC, during the month August for a summer recess. Congress returns the following month to continue its work and the House Financial Services Committee, under… Read More

August 1, 2019 @ 4:44 pm By Michael Ou  |  

“Regulation” is not often a word associated with “benefits” in blockchain and cryptocurrency circles. Indeed, many governments have been sharply criticised following the roll-out of regulatory guidelines addressing the flourishing blockchain industry. Some even suggest that it is a lack of regulation which has allowed… Read More

August 1, 2019 @ 4:06 pm By Cali Haan  |  

The latest blog post from “full-service (digital asset) investment management firm” Arca contends that “crypto-asset” investing is not much more speculative than traditional sorts. But Arca is not a neutral commenter. The company has invested early in LEO tokens, for example. LEOs are loyalty/equity “exchange… Read More

August 1, 2019 @ 12:06 pm By JD Alois  |  

SEC Commissioner  Hester Peirce is in Singapore, a noted Asian Fintech hub, talking about digital assets. Peirce, speaking at the SUSS [Singapore University of Social Sciences] Convergence Forum, addressed the audience about innovation – something that frequently makes regulators nervous. Change is hard. Alluding to… Read More

July 31, 2019 @ 8:52 am By JD Alois  |  

FCA: “any token that is not a security token, or an e-money token is an unregulated token.” The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published its much anticipated final guidance on cryptoassets following a feedback period on prior commentary. The FCA has now established which… Read More

July 30, 2019 @ 1:28 pm By JD Alois  |  

The US Senate Banking Committee held a hearing today entitled Examining Regulatory Frameworks for Digital Currencies and Blockchain. The Hearing is part of an ongoing process of education and understanding regarding the emerging digital asset ecosystem and the technology that supports it. Earlier this month,… Read More

July 28, 2019 @ 6:00 pm By Andrés Abumohor  |  

B2B: 3 Opportunities for Fintech in Latin America Latin America’s Fintech industry is booming, with more than 1,166 Fintech startups creating more inclusive financial systems and boosting economic growth in the region. According to the recently published report Fintech in Latin America 2018: Growth and… Read More

July 25, 2019 @ 2:24 pm By JD Alois  |  

There is a lot of debate regarding the efficacy of distributed ledger technology (DLT)/Blockchain and how it will impact financial services as well as other industries. Regardless of your point of view, it is clear that blockchain has compelled established financial firms to up their… Read More

July 24, 2019 @ 5:00 pm By Cali Haan  |  

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told an interviewer at CNBC’s Squawk Box July 24th that he, “won’t be talking about Bitcoin in 10 years. I can assure you that.” “But you might be talking about it in six years…as Treasury Secretary, ” said the interviewer…. Read More

July 22, 2019 @ 3:41 pm By JD Alois  |  

Blockstack has kicked off the first qualified Reg A+ token offering. Blockstack has reportedly worked closely with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to get the offering approved. Multiple issuers have been attempting to use the JOBS Act exemption to facilitate security token offerings due… Read More

July 22, 2019 @ 11:18 am By JD Alois  |  

The Facebook Libra Trainwreck The growing cacophony of skepticism and concern from elected and appointed officials regarding Facebook’s attempt to create its own global stablecoin was joined by another group of voices last week. The Open Market Institute, Public Citizen, Demand Progress Education Fund, and… Read More

July 21, 2019 @ 9:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

Iain Niblock, CEO peer to peer lending aggregator Orca Money, says that current criticism of the P2P sector of Fintech should not be construed as being reflective of the entire industry. Returns, which tend not to be correlated with the stock market, remain strong. The… Read More

July 21, 2019 @ 4:00 pm By Kirill Bensonoff  |  

    If an individual is interested in taking on investing, jumping directly into the stock market can be difficult, due to intimidation and the high required minimums. The initial perception floating around the industry is that in order to reap any benefits from investing,… Read More

July 21, 2019 @ 3:21 pm By JD Alois  |  

Last week, both the US House and US Senate held hearings on Facebook’s proposed Libra cryptocurrency which is envisioned as a global payments platform. David Marcus, Head of Libra/Calibra testified at both hearings. As Crowdfund Insider has already reported, both the House Financial Services Committee… Read More

July 20, 2019 @ 12:10 pm By JD Alois  |  

This past week much of the Fintech news was dominated by hearings in Congress addressing Facebook’s plan to launch a global, blockchain-based, payments platform using a stablecoin, of sorts, as a foundation. This global currency, which may be able to challenge sovereign currency, is said… Read More

July 19, 2019 @ 6:21 am By JD Alois  |  

The UK  Department for International Trade (DIT) is in the process of doing a survey on Fintech. The survey appears to be designed to enable DIT to better understand how the government may more effectively support UK Fintech development asking specifically “what support can DIT… Read More

July 17, 2019 @ 10:22 am By JD Alois  |  

Today, the House Financial Services Committee will hold a hearing on Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency and blockchain ecosystem. Yesterday, David Marcus, head of Libra, testified in front of the Senate Banking Committee garnering much criticism and little support. Expect more of the same today. The House… Read More

July 17, 2019 @ 9:54 am By JD Alois  |  

Varo Money has been in operations for years now providing banking services in a digital only environment to a growing number of consumers. Like all other US-based aspiring digital banks, Varo has had to leverage regulatory arbitrage to provide its services by partnering with another… Read More

July 17, 2019 @ 2:51 am By Cali Haan  |  

Bitcoin’s recent rollercoaster ride, involving multiple thousand-dollar fluctuations between $9000 and $14 000 USD within very short time frames (sometimes less than 2 hours) is being brought about by an increase in leverage available at exchanges, “CZ Binance” told Bloomberg recently. Changpeng Zhao or “CZ”… Read More