Opinion

June 5, 2023 @ 9:08 am By Omar Faridi  |  

In the fast-paced world of cryptocurrencies, managing investments can be complex and time-consuming. However, structured products offer a solution by simplifying the investment process for individuals and providing them with opportunities to mitigate volatility and manage risks. To delve deeper into this topic, Crowdfund Insider… Read More

June 2, 2023 @ 4:09 pm By JD Alois  |  

Zelle, a transfers and payments service utilized by many big banks as well as hundreds of smaller ones, stumbled once again today. Some customers woke up to discover that transfers completed via their Chase (NYSE:JPM) account – may have been sent twice. The duplicate transfers… Read More

May 31, 2023 @ 10:41 pm By JD Alois  |  

On June 1, 2023, new rules regarding digital assets go into effect, which may make Hong Kong a crypto hub. Earlier this month (May 2023), the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) concluded the Proposed Regulatory Requirements for Virtual Asset Trading Platform Operators. According… Read More

May 30, 2023 @ 5:05 pm By JD Alois  |  

The economist that publicly stated the internet would never amount to much comparing it to the fax machine – Paul Krugman is slamming Governor Ron DeSantis’ opposition to a digital dollar or a central bank digital currency (CBDC). DeSantis officially announced his candidacy for President of… Read More

May 30, 2023 @ 11:47 am By JD Alois  |  

Recently, Ram Ahluwalia wrote an Op-Ed for American Banker that posed a somewhat controversial take on banking. Ahluwalia said outdated banking rules are denying access to Big Tech firms, like Apple and Amazon, who could enter the banking sector and bring loads of capital as… Read More

May 29, 2023 @ 2:03 pm By JD Alois  |  

EquityZen is out with another note reiterating its expectation that the initial public offering (IPO) market will pick up toward the end of the year. Currently, IPOs during Q1 of 2023 were pretty tame, with just 33 IPOs on US exchanges. According to EY, the… Read More

May 25, 2023 @ 11:33 am By JD Alois  |  

Yesterday, in a Twitter Spaces interview which was delayed due to overwhelming interest, Florida Governor and candidate for President Ron DeSantis expressed his support for Bitcoin while re-iterating his opposition to central bank digital currency (CBDC). Florida has passed a law that they do not… Read More

May 24, 2023 @ 10:51 am By Timothy Li  |  

It was a warm week in New York City, and I found myself flying across the country to attend the preeminent fintech conference Fintech Nexus, previously known as LendIt Fintech. At the heels of a global pandemic, the recovering U.S. economy, and continuing regional banking… Read More

May 22, 2023 @ 10:41 am By Martin Rauchenwald and Philippe De Backer  |  

The fall of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), the emergency merger of Credit Suisse with UBS, and most recently, the seizure and sale of First Republic Bank quickly dissipated much of the trust that had been slowly returning to the banking sector. The question remains: if… Read More

May 19, 2023 @ 8:27 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Pakistan will reportedly attempt to ban cryptocurrency-related transactions and services. This is not anything new because the country has made similar announcements as far back as 2018 and even earlier. Pakistan‘s Minister of State for Finance and Revenue Aisha Ghaus Pasha recently stated that the… Read More

May 18, 2023 @ 7:23 am By JD Alois  |  

Digital asset industry participants are pushing back against the Parliament Treasury Committee’s report on crypto that declared the asset class should be treated like gambling. The statement was predicated on the opinion that many cryptocurrencies hold no intrinsic value – except for speculation. The Chair… Read More

May 17, 2023 @ 5:19 pm By JD Alois  |  

This morning, a Parliament Treasury Committee issued a report that was highly critical of crypto, announcing that it believes this sector should be regulated similarly to gambling. The Committee said many digital assets have no intrinsic value, creating unecessary risk for UK investors. Today, Innovate… Read More

May 16, 2023 @ 11:01 pm By JD Alois  |  

CryptoUK, a UK-based advocacy group supporting digital asset innovation, has slammed comments made by the UK Treasury Committee that has been reviewing the crypto industry in the country. CryptoUK criticized the statement that denigrated digital asset markets, with the Committee describing crypto as follows: “Unbacked… Read More

May 15, 2023 @ 9:54 pm By JD Alois  |  

Last week a hearing took place that joined the House Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology & Inclusion with the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development entitled “The Future of Digital Assets: Measuring the Regulatory Gaps in the Digital Asset… Read More

May 11, 2023 @ 8:16 am By JD Alois  |  

The Bank of England has increased its benchmark rate by 25 bps as anticipated. According to a statement by the Bank, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted 7 to 2 to raise rates to 4.5%, with the dissenters preferring to hold rates at 4.25%. Similar… Read More

May 8, 2023 @ 7:01 pm By JD Alois  |  

Tide has distributed a statement calling for a more aggressive approach to dealing with fraud. Tide is a neobank for small businesses providing accounts in partnership with ClearBank. The company reports having over 500,000 UK SMEs as customers. Tide is asking the UK government to… Read More

May 4, 2023 @ 11:52 am By JD Alois  |  

The Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council) says the Biden Administration is falling short in its support of small businesses and entrepreneurs.  The group says Biden’s policies receive a failing grade from business owners. Meanwhile, a “self-generated report” by the Administration that gives itself… Read More

May 4, 2023 @ 11:27 am By JD Alois  |  

Phil Haslett, co-founder and Chief Strategy officer at EquityZen, believes that the ongoing bank crisis could be a catalyst for the initial public offering (IPO) market in 2023. So this may be a bit of a stretch, but Haslett sees the collapse of Silicon Valley… Read More

May 3, 2023 @ 6:58 pm By JD Alois  |  

Perhaps Jamie Dimon’s All Clear regarding the bank crisis – telling everyone to take a deep breath after JP Morgan Chase (NYSE:JPM) took over First Republic Bank (NYSE:FRC) was a bit premature. In after-hours trading, PacWest’s (Pacific Western Bank) (NASDAQ:PACW) shares are cratering – currently… Read More

May 3, 2023 @ 3:24 pm By JD Alois  |  

The US Federal Reserve announced a 25 bps increase in benchmark interest rates matching market expectations. While some held hopes for a pause this week, prognosticators are now looking forward to the next meeting in June. What did change in the Federal Open Market Committee… Read More