Opinion

May 9, 2025 @ 11:14 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Digital assets firm Coinbase (NASDAQ: COIN), founded in 2012 by Brian Armstrong, has solidified its position as a leading cryptocurrency exchange in the United States, with operations spanning jurisdictions like the UK and India. Its recent announcement to acquire Deribit, a Dubai-based crypto derivatives platform,… Read More

May 9, 2025 @ 11:06 am By JD Alois  |  

While European Crowdfunding Service Provider regulation (ECSPR) was expected to fuel the growth of online capital formation in Europe, the actual results have been less than stellar. As Eurocrowd explains, the “patchwork” of rules and significant investment needed to support compliance, disclosures, risk management, and… Read More

May 8, 2025 @ 5:45 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The United States under the Trump Administration making significant strides in shaping the future of digital assets, with recent legislative and regulatory developments signaling a decisive and transformative shift in how cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies are integrated into the financial system. From state-level initiatives to… Read More

May 8, 2025 @ 9:38 am By JD Alois  |  

A recent New Finance report states that the bigger threat is not the US market but private markets in regard to the moribund UK and European public markets The report claims: “Over the past decade, more than 1,000 listed companies in Europe with a combined… Read More

May 8, 2025 @ 9:04 am By JD Alois  |  

Today, the Bank of England cut its Bank Rate by 25 basis points. This is in contrast to the US Federal Reserve’s decision to hold rates steady due to stagflation concerns. The BoE decision was not unanimous with some wanting a more aggressive cut and… Read More

May 6, 2025 @ 11:02 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has taken a pivotal step toward shaping the future of cryptocurrency regulation by issuing a discussion paper seeking views on the oversight of specific crypto-assets related activities. This move signals the FCA’s intent to address regulatory gaps, foster innovation,… Read More

May 6, 2025 @ 2:27 pm By JD Alois  |  

The UK is racing to create new rules to regulate the stablecoin sector. Stablecoins are typically tied to another asset, like fiat currency. There have also been algorithmic stablecoins issued, with one failing spectacularly. While stablecoins are frequently affiliated with crypto as stablecoin usage is… Read More

May 5, 2025 @ 10:30 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Tokenization is no longer just an emerging digital technology trend. It’s becoming more widely adopted, and its ecosystem is expanding steadily. Many more companies, including Polymath, are now focused on the regulated side of this transformative shift. We sat down with Vincent Kadar, CEO of… Read More

May 5, 2025 @ 7:47 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The rise of bitcoin treasury companies is reshaping capital markets, with firms like Twenty One behind a seemingly transformative wave. Greg Cipolaro, Global Head of Research at NYDIG, recently highlighted the significant “dry powder” these companies possess, capable of driving bitcoin prices higher. This trend,… Read More

May 5, 2025 @ 7:45 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Ryan Breslow, Founder and CEO of Bolt, has unveiled the Bolt Finance & Crypto Super App, now accessible from the Apple and Google Play Stores. With a vision to emulate the transformative impact of WeChat in China, Breslow’s latest venture aims to consolidate and simplify… Read More

May 3, 2025 @ 11:03 am By Omar Faridi  |  

We recently connected with Alice Li, the Head of North America of Foresight Ventures, a crypto VC that bridges East and West. With a research-driven approach and offices in the US and Singapore, they claim to be a key player focused on crypto investment and incubation. During our… Read More

May 2, 2025 @ 8:25 am By JD Alois  |  

Stablecoins are poised to become payments 3.0 as the technology represents an upgrade to the existing global payments rails. In the UK, the government has just released draft legislation which is deemed to be nearly complete, designed to support privately issued digital currency. Today, the… Read More

May 2, 2025 @ 3:48 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The United Kingdom, once a global leader in fintech and cryptocurrency innovation, is at risk of falling behind other major global hubs due to stringent regulations and limited access to funding, according to industry professionals. As other regions like the United States, Singapore, and the… Read More

May 1, 2025 @ 8:12 am By JD Alois  |  

  In the midst of UK Fintech Week, ClearBank has published a report on the UK Fintech ecosystem, addressing its status in the country and what it needs to move forward and grow. The UK has long been a top global Fintech hub, supported by… Read More

May 1, 2025 @ 7:00 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The United Kingdom is taking decisive steps toward regulating the evolving crypto-asset sector with the release of its draft crypto regime, a move that integrates key activities such as trading, custody, lending, and staking into the Financial Services and Markets Act (FSMA) framework. Laura Talvitie,… Read More

April 30, 2025 @ 8:39 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The European Crypto Initiative (EUCI) has ushered in a transformative phase for cryptocurrency regulation with the release of The AML Handbook: A Guide for Crypto Activities. This comprehensive guide introduces 13 pivotal compliance pillars that crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) must adopt to align with the… Read More

April 29, 2025 @ 6:22 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Dror Futter, a legal counsel to leadership teams, highlighted a subtle but significant shift in the venture capital landscape, as revealed by Carta’s 2024 Pre-Seed Funding Review. The review noted a surprising/unexpected trend in Q4: a decreasing percentage of Simple Agreements for Future Equity (SAFEs)… Read More

April 29, 2025 @ 7:58 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The UK’s SME lending market needs a full reboot, according to new research by the UK fintech Allica Bank. With the UK having the lowest business investment rate in the G7, the report highlights how small businesses invest at only “a third of the level… Read More

April 28, 2025 @ 6:08 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Mike Cagney, Co-founder and CEO of Figure Markets, who also founded SoFi, has outlined transformative changes on the horizon for financial markets driven by upcoming stablecoin legislation and blockchain innovations. These developments, expected to take shape by the August recess, could redefine the banking system,… Read More

April 27, 2025 @ 9:59 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Bridging traditional finance or TradFi and decentralized finance or DeFi comes with great challenges, like regulation. SilentSwap, a cross-chain aggregator that sources liquidity from multiple decentralized platforms, is working to solve this challenge. On SilentSwap, institutional investors can engage with DeFi‘s products and services without… Read More