Politics, Legal & Regulation

July 17, 2024 @ 1:12 pm By JD Alois  |  

A consultation on the regulation of stablecoins in Hong Kong was announced in December of 2023. Stablecoins typically refer to digital assets referencing fiat currency and may be viewed as updated payment rails. Today, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has revealed the results of… Read More

July 17, 2024 @ 12:38 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Bankrupt virtual currency exchange FTX and the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) have reportedly agreed to a $12.7 billion settlement. The said agreement between FTX and the CFTC is currently awaiting approval from a Delaware Judge. The parties have been actively engaging in discussions… Read More

July 17, 2024 @ 7:55 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA, and ESMA – the ESAs) published a consultation paper on Guidelines under Markets in Crypto-assets Regulation (MiCAR), establishing templates “for explanations and legal opinions regarding the classification of crypto-assets along with a standardized test to foster a common… Read More

July 16, 2024 @ 11:08 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

ADGM’s commitment to transparency, accountability and market integrity has been “strongly reflected” through its coordinated efforts to sustain these pillars. ADGM, the international financial centre of the UAE’s capital, has announced the publication of its whistleblowing framework, “a coordinated initiative between ADGM Authorities to sustain… Read More

July 16, 2024 @ 8:30 pm By JD Alois  |  

  On June 30, 2024, the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regime went into effect in the EU. MiCA regulates non-security digital assets, including stablecoins. The EU legislation aims to create an environment where digital asset innovation may take place while providing a compliant ecosystem to… Read More

July 16, 2024 @ 3:40 pm By JD Alois  |  

The House Financial Services Committee has scheduled a hearing entitled “AI Innovation Explored: Insights into AI Applications in Financial Services and Housing.” The hearing, which is for the full committee, will take place on Tuesday, July 23rd. The Hearing may reflect the recent position paper… Read More

July 16, 2024 @ 11:51 am By JD Alois  |  

Douglas Grant, Managing Director at Conister Bank, says the new Labour government must incentivize investors to support UK SMEs. The UK already has several programs in place to provide significant tax incentives to support early-stage and private firms. These include the popular EIS/SEIS program and… Read More

July 15, 2024 @ 10:38 am By JD Alois  |  

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), along with the Payments Systems Regulator (PSR), are seeking feedback on the rise and use of digital wallets. Today, digital wallets are ubiquitous. From smartphone-based applications to hybrid crypto wallets, the use of physical cash is on the decline. Regulators… Read More

July 15, 2024 @ 10:23 am By JD Alois  |  

The SEC Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee (SBCFAC) has posted its recommendation to the Commission, taking the stance that issuers using Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF) should receive some relief under the current requirement to provide reviewed financials starting at an offering of $124,000. The… Read More

July 15, 2024 @ 7:51 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The recent election of Labour in the UK is likely to result in “major changes” to fintech and payments markets, according to an analysis shared by Juniper Research. Juniper Research notes in a blog post that as industry watchers, they wanted to “examine the new… Read More

July 14, 2024 @ 8:04 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Paxos, the regulated blockchain & tokenization infrastructure platform, announced that it received a formal termination notice from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on July 9, 2024, stating that it will “not recommend enforcement action against Paxos Trust Company in the investigation of Binance… Read More

July 14, 2024 @ 7:04 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Elliptic, a provider of crypto compliance solutions, is working with VASPnet, the “assured” source of regulatory reference data on virtual asset service providers (VASPs), to integrate real-time, high-quality data on the regulatory status of VASPs into its product offering. Sourced directly from 92 regulators in… Read More

July 14, 2024 @ 7:10 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has recently issued an amendment to its October 7, 2020, Cease and Desist Order against Citibank, N.A, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, related “to deficiencies in enterprise-wide risk management, compliance risk management, data governance, and internal controls… Read More

July 14, 2024 @ 5:35 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Due to the increasing reporting requirements of the EMIR REFIT, the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) has issued a survey to assess financial entities’ level of preparedness ahead of the changes coming into force, which “will see the number of reporting fields increasing significantly from… Read More

July 13, 2024 @ 11:06 am By Omar Faridi  |  

While public blockchains are inherently transparent and traceable, illicit actors turn to cryptocurrencies “to launder ill-gotten gains for the same reasons people use them for legitimate purposes: they are cross-border, virtually instant, and generally inexpensive to transact,” the team at Chainalysis noted in a blog… Read More

July 12, 2024 @ 7:54 pm By JD Alois  |  

This past week, the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) posted updated rules designed to encourage more public share listings in the UK. The “overhaul” of the rules are part of a broader push to ensure and grow the UK’s status of a leading global financial… Read More

July 12, 2024 @ 12:10 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission, Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee (SBCFAC), will meet on July 30th to discuss the Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) Program. The SBIC program is managed by the US Small Business Administration (SBA). SBICs are privately owned and managed funds… Read More

July 12, 2024 @ 9:58 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Crypto exchange Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN) and the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have been clashing with each other during the last few weeks on Coinbase’s subpoena requesting for SEC Chairman Gary Gensler’s personal communicatons and other details from a period prior to him being appointed… Read More

July 11, 2024 @ 3:43 pm By JD Alois  |  

The UK Financial Conduct Authority has ramped up its name and shame approach to scofflaws who allegedly commit financial services crimes. While in the US, the Securities and Exchange Commission, has long publicly posted their enforcement actions this is not as common in the UK…. Read More

July 11, 2024 @ 10:01 am By JD Alois  |  

The new Labour government is expected to “embrace” the UK Fintech industry. The UK has long been a top global financial services sector, and support of Fintech is key to growth and ongoing relevance. According to a report in CityAM, the new Chancellor of the… Read More