Opinion

November 9, 2022 @ 10:33 am By JD Alois  |  

The rapid demise of FTX, once the second-largest crypto exchange in the world, continues to impact crypto markets and the industry in general. Bitcoin is now at a year-to-date low, trading at around $17,700. FTT, the native digital asset of FTX, has cratered, trading at… Read More

November 8, 2022 @ 10:30 pm By JD Alois  |  

The dust has yet to settle, and the deal has not yet closed, but Binance’s rapid acquisition of FTX following a liquidity crunch is questioning the entire crypto ecosystem. Just last week, FTX appeared to be Teflon against any attacks lobbed against the digital asset… Read More

November 8, 2022 @ 4:53 pm By JD Alois  |  

Following the news that Binance will acquire FTX.com due to liquidity problems, Congressman Patrick McHenry, the ranking Republican member on the House Committee on Financial Services, has issued a statement that there is a need for Congressional action. McHenry has long been supportive of Fintech… Read More

November 7, 2022 @ 8:56 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is now making the claim that all ETH transactions fall under U.S. jurisdiction due to the network’s high concentration of nodes within the country. If this claim is found to be accurate, we will very soon see a… Read More

November 4, 2022 @ 8:53 am By Andrew Howell  |  

From sea shells to stones, physical tokens have represented units of value for thousands of years. Recently, blockchain technology has given rise to the digital token economy, where items of value can be represented cryptographically. A growing marketplace has rapidly formed around this new technology… Read More

November 1, 2022 @ 9:15 am By Lee Schneider  |  

Blockchain seems to be an endless source of misunderstanding and myth-making, to the extent that sometimes it is treated as a form of magic. This needs to stop.    Blockchain is awfully cool, it solves an important issue for the internet age, and it is… Read More

October 31, 2022 @ 8:54 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Crypto lending platforms, including BlockFi, Ledn, and Nexo, have recently raised their interest rates on deposits. Historically, crypto lending platforms have offered fairly steep returns. The question is, why? They’re citing a lack of options for borrowers, given both Celsius and Voyager going bankrupt, but… Read More

October 28, 2022 @ 4:10 pm By JD Alois  |  

With the advent of a new Prime Minister in the UK, expectations are high that Rishi Sunak will chart a determined path to enable Fintech innovation, including in the digital assets ecosystem. In the past few days, a new Financial Services and Markets bill was… Read More

October 27, 2022 @ 9:36 am By JD Alois  |  

In a seismic shift of consolidation, StartEngine has announced the acquisition of SeedInvest. While exact terms were not immediately available, StartEngine stated that Circle (owner of SeedInvest) will become a minority shareholder of StartEngine. StartEngine is one of the largest investment crowdfunding platforms in the… Read More

October 26, 2022 @ 11:09 am By JD Alois  |  

QED Investors founder and Managing Partner Nigel Morris has distributed an email commenting on the current economic environment. QED is one of the top Fintech VCs in the world, having backed dozens of successful firms both inside the US and globally. In his email, Morris… Read More

October 26, 2022 @ 8:17 am By JD Alois  |  

The Crypto Council for Innovation has distributed information gleaned from a survey that indicates US voters are supportive of digital assets, with 13% stating they hold crypto. The national survey polled 1,200 likely voters and was conducted for the Crypto Council by a bipartisan team… Read More

October 24, 2022 @ 3:52 pm By JD Alois  |  

As was reported earlier today, former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has been selected to become the new Prime Minister, stepping in after Liz Truss was forced out following a rough couple of weeks. Several more comments have filtered in from Fintechs following the… Read More

October 24, 2022 @ 1:06 pm By JD Alois  |  

Announced towards the end of 2021, Republic purchased UK-based Seedrs combining one of the most active securities crowdfunding platforms in the US with a crowdfunding leader in the European market. The deal officially closed several weeks back following a review by UK authorities. When the… Read More

October 24, 2022 @ 10:43 am By JD Alois  |  

There has been a lot of initial excitement surrounding the possibility of a digital dollar – a government-issued, central bank digital currency (CBDC).  The enthusiasm is primarily due to certain expectations that a CBDC will be frictionless, a low-cost currency that will help underbanked segments… Read More

October 24, 2022 @ 9:46 am By JD Alois  |  

UK markets are showing a sign of relief following the news that former PM Boris Johnson has decided to pass on another go as the occupant of Number 10 Downing Street, and Penny Mordaunt tweeted she would stand down from the race, thus clearing the… Read More

October 20, 2022 @ 9:46 am By JD Alois  |  

The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council) has issued a statement hammering the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for its activity that will have “a chilling effect on America’s startup ecosystem.” This past week, the CMA claimed that the acquisition by Facebook (Meta)… Read More

October 19, 2022 @ 2:09 pm By JD Alois  |  

The concept of a central bank digital currency (CBDC), privately issued stablecoins, and digital currency, in general, has swirled together for some time now. Some policymakers and pundits believe that for the dollar to continue to reign as the world’s default currency, it must move… Read More

October 19, 2022 @ 9:05 am By Omar Faridi  |  

We recently connected with Li Jun, Founder of Ontology, the project that claims it is bringing trust, privacy, and security to Web3 through decentralized identity and data solutions. Li Jun has commented on the key developments in the crypto and blockchain space following the Ethereum… Read More

October 17, 2022 @ 3:54 pm By JD Alois  |  

Last week, it was reported that Bittrex was the target of an enforcement action emanating from the US Department of Treasury. Two divisions at Treasury, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) announced enforcement actions. The crypto trading… Read More

October 17, 2022 @ 10:23 am By JD Alois  |  

A day before Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) will post its Q3 earnings, a report has been distributed indicating Goldman will pursue a major overhaul of the structure of the banking firm. According to WSJ.com, investment banking and trading will now be a single division, asset and… Read More