Politics, Legal & Regulation

June 9, 2024 @ 6:29 pm By JD Alois  |  

Last month, the SEC Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee (SBCFAC) told the Commission to make the definition of an Accredited Investor more inclusive. This is not the first time the Committee has advised the Commission to update the definition and make it more rational… Read More

June 8, 2024 @ 9:30 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

The American Fintech Council (AFC), an industry association representing Fintech companies and banks, applauded the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) on the expansion of REACh 2.0 and continued commitment to collaboration. The AFC said the agency has continued its pragmatic approach to… Read More

June 7, 2024 @ 1:08 pm By JD Alois  |  

The SEC’s Private Fund Advisor rule has been vacated by the courts. In August 2023, the SEC enacted the new rules, claiming they would enhance the regulation of private fund advisers by requiring annual audits, fairness and valuation opinions, and quarterly statements. SEC Chairman Gary Gensler… Read More

June 6, 2024 @ 10:51 am By Omar Faridi  |  

To ensure a smooth transition for local banks to comply with the new and amended requirements arising from the Banking package, which was recently adopted by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, the MFSA has issued a Dear CEO Letter to… Read More

June 6, 2024 @ 7:08 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Anchorage Digital Bank N.A. is the only federally-chartered bank not impacted by Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 121 (SAB 121), allowing them to provide custody at scale to institutional clients across the crypto ecosystem. The goal of SAB 121—to ensure that investors are “informed about the… Read More

June 6, 2024 @ 7:05 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) warns the public about the activities of several fraudulent market participants and publishes a new ‘blacklist’ (focused on crypto-assets service providers in France). As part of its update, the AMF is adding “to and reorganizing the list of websites… Read More

June 5, 2024 @ 11:13 pm By JD Alois  |  

The European Central Bank (ECB) is expected to cut interest rates tomorrow (June 6) as growth flags across Europe. Earlier today, the Bank of Canada reduced its target for the overnight rate to 4¾%, with the Bank Rate at 5%, noting that the global economy… Read More

June 5, 2024 @ 2:33 pm By JD Alois  |  

Recently, the head of the FDIC was compelled to resign. Following an independent review of the financial regulator’s management, some Democrats called for FDIC Chairman Martin Gruenberg to step down. Gruenberg decided to part ways with the FDIC when the review shared that between January… Read More

June 5, 2024 @ 2:08 pm By JD Alois  |  

Today, the Digital Assets, Financial Technology, and Inclusion Subcommittee, part of the House Financial Services Committee, held a hearing on the tokenization of real-world assets (RWAs) and the migration to digital securities. The hearing was entitled “Next Generation Infrastructure: How Tokenization of Real-World Assets Will… Read More

June 5, 2024 @ 7:47 am By JD Alois  |  

Yesterday (June 4), the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) announced Project Rialto, an initiative that aims to review how instant cross-border payments could be improved using a “modular foreign exchange (FX) component combined with settlement in wholesale central bank digital currencies (CBD).” BIS said improving… Read More

June 4, 2024 @ 10:45 am By Omar Faridi  |  

As a strong proponent of public-private sector collaboration in building a safer, more resilient and more efficient financial system, Circle are pleased to announce that they have submitted an application to participate in Project Agorá,”an initiative led by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) and… Read More

June 4, 2024 @ 6:53 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The UK’s Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) has announced recently that David Geale has been appointed Interim Managing Director of the PSR with effect from 10 June. The interim appointment will be for a period of nine months. David joins the PSR from the FCA where… Read More

June 3, 2024 @ 11:41 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Singapore recently released the Environmental Crimes Money Laundering (ML) National Risk Assessment (NRA) which identifies the key threats and vulnerabilities in environmental crimes ML that Singapore “is exposed to, and outlines mitigation measures which government agencies, financial institutions (FIs) and Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professionals… Read More

June 3, 2024 @ 4:16 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is launching a new public directory to detect repeat offenders. The agency notes that while many financial services firms are widely known, and thus any alleged transgressions are reported, there are many firms that do not hit the public… Read More

June 3, 2024 @ 3:12 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Lower inflation and expectations of interest-rate cuts on global financial markets have helped loosen financial conditions, which has reduced near-term risks, according to an update from Sweden’s Riksbank. However, Riksbank points out that there “is considerable uncertainty, and if policy rates remain high for a… Read More

June 3, 2024 @ 6:44 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Richard Andrews, KPMG’s head of ESG for financial services, has recently commented on the UK Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) anti-greenwashing rules (AGR), which come into force recently. Andrews noted: “While we expect the FCA to take a pragmatic approach and give authorised firms some leeway… Read More

June 2, 2024 @ 5:51 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the International Financial Centre of the UAE’s capital, has released a Consultation Paper in order to seek views on its proposals on the comprehensive revamp of its real property regulatory framework. This regulatory revamp addresses market needs and “ensures we… Read More

June 1, 2024 @ 10:38 am By Tony Zerucha  |  

The American Fintech Council, an association representing Fintech companies and BaaS banks, has submitted a response to the US Department of Treasury, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) Request for Information (RFI) related to existing requirements for banks under the Customer Identification Program (CIP) Rule. The… Read More

May 31, 2024 @ 10:32 am By JD Alois  |  

The  Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology, and Inclusion, part of the House Financial Services Committee, has scheduled a hearing to review the tokenization of real-world assets (RWA). Typically, this entails utilizing blockchain (or DLT) technology to turn assets into digital assets.  While traditional securities… Read More

May 31, 2024 @ 10:22 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Marie Seiller has reportedly been appointed Resources, Operations and Transformation Director at the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF). Currently Chief accountant at the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF), Marie Seiller will head “the Resources, Operations and Transformation Directorate (DRST) from 27 May 2024.” In this… Read More