Opinion

February 19, 2025 @ 12:55 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

A new research report presents the outcome of a detailed study undertaken by IBM Promontory for the European Commission on embedding supervision in the decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem. The project comprised four different phases: identifying use cases and protocols to assess, defining elements of comparison… Read More

February 17, 2025 @ 10:38 am By JD Alois  |  

Climate rules, approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission, have been put on pause by the new leadership at the SEC. Former Chairman Gary Gensler has been replaced by more business and investor-friendly Acting Chair Mark Uyeda, who has moved quickly to address the shortcomings… Read More

February 17, 2025 @ 9:00 am By Omar Faridi  |  

With Bitcoin price surpassing $100K, it’s arguable that 2025 is starting strong for the crypto industry. Regulatory developments in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom, combined with regime change in the United States, could set the stage for more institutional and mainstream adoption of stablecoins…. Read More

February 16, 2025 @ 6:12 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Provenance Blockchain Foundation is supporting the public blockchain for financial services, with $12B+ in RWA TVL. This public (permissionless) blockchain is reportedly leveraged by various financial institutions and fintech firms. Finance is evolving. Your portfolio won’t just be crypto, it’ll be tokenized real estate, private… Read More

February 13, 2025 @ 4:14 pm By JD Alois  |  

Price Controls Rarely Work. The Free Market is a Better Option. There have been multiple proclamations from various policymakers regarding the need to cap credit card rates. Unfortunately, forcing credit card issuers to cap interest rates charged to users will accomplish little good while harming… Read More

February 13, 2025 @ 11:38 am By JD Alois  |  

Today, the UK Office for National Statistics reported GDP for Q4 2024 at 0.1%. Although rather tepid, it topped the expectations of no growth or an economic contraction. In Q3 2024, GDP delivered no growth in the UK. The data indicated that the services sector… Read More

February 13, 2025 @ 7:44 am By Tony Zerucha  |  

This week, the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) told the House Financial Services Committee that the new Congress and administration present an opportunity to transform the regulatory environment for community banks to promote locally based economic growth. ICBA president and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey… Read More

February 11, 2025 @ 10:21 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Gemini, the cryptocurrency exchange led by Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, is considering an initial public offering (IPO) as early as this year, according to sources familiar with the situation. As reported by Bloomberg, the company is currently in talks with potential advisors, although no final… Read More

February 10, 2025 @ 2:45 pm By JD Alois  |  

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

February 10, 2025 @ 8:56 am By Tony Zerucha  |  

While the tumult over tariffs caused some market fluctuations this week, a pair of industry executives believe all signs point positive for cryptocurrencies. Galxe cofounder Charles Wayn said this week’s market volatility doesn’t detract from what has been a historic bull. “Certain geopolitical tensions and… Read More

February 10, 2025 @ 8:43 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Sebastian Siemiatkowski, CEO and co-founder of Klarna, announced on Saturday that the Swedish buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) Fintech is planning to integrate cryptocurrency into its services. Siemiatkowski acknowledged that Klarna was among the last major fintech players to enter the crypto space. Siemiatkowski, who founded Klarna in… Read More

February 9, 2025 @ 2:53 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Several venture capital firms in Latin America are reportedly planning to increase their investments in startups offering loans and artificial intelligence products. According to a report from Bloomberg, these efforts are driven by the region’s potential for financial-technology growth. This focus on Fintech lending and… Read More

February 9, 2025 @ 11:50 am By JD Alois  |  

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

February 8, 2025 @ 8:48 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Ripple announced a partnership with Revolut and Zero Hash, aimed at expanding the access of its RLUSD stablecoin in the market. This collab marks a significant expansion for the RLUSD, positioning it to enter the crowded stablecoin marketplace, which is dominated by USDT and USDC… Read More

February 7, 2025 @ 6:06 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The EU AI provisions reportedly went into force on 2 February, 2025. Diyan Bogdanov, Director of Engineering Intelligence & Growth at Payhawk, the global spend management solution and Bulgaria’s “first” unicorn, explains that the EU AI Act isn’t “just another compliance burden — it’s a… Read More

February 7, 2025 @ 6:02 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Katherine Adkins, Chief Legal Officer at BNPL Fintech firm Affirm (NASDAQ: AFRM) noted that consumer spending is like the engine that drives the American economy, accounting for about 70% of US GDP by most estimates. Katherine Adkins of Affirm also mentioned that if spending is… Read More

February 5, 2025 @ 6:09 pm By JD Alois  |  

The US Federal Reserve is supposed to be an apolitical entity independent of the federal government seeking to achieve its low inflation and full employment mandate. The Fed also has oversight over the banking system as it aims to ensure a safe and secure banking… Read More

February 4, 2025 @ 12:52 pm By JD Alois  |  

This week, Rohit Chopra was booted from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and replaced by acting CFPB Director, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent.  The CFPB has been a controversial bureaucracy from its inception, and some supporters of Fintech innovation have chafed at the… Read More

February 4, 2025 @ 9:59 am By JD Alois  |  

A growing number of firms are choosing to incorporate or move their state of incorporation to other states besides Delaware, at least if you believe comments on social media. It appears that Nevada and Texas are on the rise as Delaware has lost some of… Read More

February 3, 2025 @ 1:02 pm By JD Alois  |  

Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent is picking up another leadership role as President Donald Trump named Bessent Acting Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). As Bessent steps in, Rohit Chopra, the Director under the Biden Administration, is now without a job. Bessent… Read More