Politics, Legal & Regulation

September 24, 2024 @ 10:58 am By JD Alois  |  

The Payments Association in the UK is calling for a national payments plan. The Payments Manifesto 2025 seeks to create conditions to support growth and innovation in payments. The Payments Association says it has urged UK authorities to “undertake a swift and well-defined review which… Read More

September 23, 2024 @ 6:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

Representative Patrick McHenry, Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, and Senator Cynthia Lummis have sent a letter demanding the Securities and Exchange Commission rescind Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB) 121.  The bicameral letter has been signed by 42 members of Congress. Both Lummis and McHenry… Read More

September 23, 2024 @ 8:41 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Frankfurt am Main Public Prosecutor’s Office – Central Office for Combating Internet Crime (ZIT) – and the Federal Criminal Police Office ( BKA ) have shut down 47 exchange services hosted in Germany that were “being used for criminal purposes.” These were platforms on… Read More

September 22, 2024 @ 9:09 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Ahead of a “painful” Budget expected this autumn, new research from independent SME funder Bibby Financial Services (BFS) reveals that UK SMEs consider tax incentives and access to finance as two critical areas that need “to be addressed by the Government to unlock growth.” Data… Read More

September 21, 2024 @ 1:04 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

As the global focus on sustainability intensifies, Malta’s financial sector is embarking on green initiatives also when designing new financial products. A recent review by the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) has shed light “on the need for greater transparency and consumer protection in the… Read More

September 21, 2024 @ 11:00 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Ontario’s financial services regulator (FSRA) and Fintech Cadence have announced a new partnership to foster fintech innovation in Ontario. This one-year partnership is supported “through FSRA’s Innovation Office.” It will empower and support fintech startups “to identify opportunities and address barriers to help them bring… Read More

September 20, 2024 @ 10:16 am By JD Alois  |  

The Payments Association has released an “investigative documentary” regarding the impact of Authorised Push Payments (APP) fraud. The project was released in partnership with Cardaq and We Fight Fraud. The documentary aims to explore how fraudsters pilfer money from the innocent. The documentary, entitled The… Read More

September 20, 2024 @ 9:38 am By JD Alois  |  

ICAN, or the Investors Choice Advocacy Network, is reporting its first legal victory over the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Founded by attorney Nick Morgan, ICAN is “dedicated to serving as a legal advocate and voice for small investors and entrepreneurs whose efforts are too often… Read More

September 19, 2024 @ 11:28 am By JD Alois  |  

Last week at the Digital Commonwealth’s Mansion House Summit Series, Tom Kiddle, co-founder of Palisade – a digital asset custody firm, spoke about his opinion on MiCA. Palisade is a regulated firm based in France. The European Union has approved MiCA, or Markets in Crypto Assets regulation. MiCA aims… Read More

September 19, 2024 @ 10:59 am By JD Alois  |  

Rari Capital has settled charges by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which claims the firm engaged in unregistered crypto offerings, misleading investors and acting as an unregistered broker. This is another victory in the SEC’s ongoing battle with digital asset firms and offerings that… Read More

September 19, 2024 @ 9:06 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Zumo, the B2B digital assets infrastructure, has launched a new out-of-box feature that enables crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) active in the European Union (EU) to comply with the upcoming sustainability requirements of the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation. MiCA was introduced to implement “uniform EU… Read More

September 19, 2024 @ 5:11 am By Omar Faridi  |  

ASIC expands operational resilience guidance for market participants. ASIC (in Australia) has officially released a letter to market participants “outlining technological and operational resilience guidance, clarifying how to identify critical business services and notification of a major event.” The guidance relates to the technological and… Read More

September 18, 2024 @ 3:20 pm By JD Alois  |  

The US Federal Reserve, Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), has decided to cut benchmark rates by 50 basis points – the first cut in four years. The Fed said it is not on any pre-set course but felt its restrictive policies had the desired impact… Read More

September 18, 2024 @ 12:30 pm By JD Alois  |  

In what may be a heated meeting of the House Financial Services Committee, SEC Chairman Gary Gensler is scheduled to testify next week in a hearing on the Oversight of the Securities and Exchange Commission. While the hearing memo nor prepared testimony is yet available,… Read More

September 18, 2024 @ 12:04 pm By JD Alois  |  

Today, the Digital Assets, Financial Technology, and Inclusion Subcommittee, part of the House Financial Services Committee, held a hearing on digital assets and its current regulatory environment. Entitled Dazed and Confused: Breaking Down the SEC’s Politicized Approach to Digital Assets, individuals testifying addressed the current… Read More

September 18, 2024 @ 10:49 am By JD Alois  |  

Fintech supporter Congressman Tom Emmer has sent a letter to the Chair of the SEC, Gary Gensler, asking the Commission to clarify the “regulatory classification of digital asset airdrops.” The Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, Patrick McHenry, has also added his support to the… Read More

September 17, 2024 @ 2:15 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) says it has settled charges with Prager Metis CPAs, LLC (Prager) in regard to its relationship with the failed crypto operation FTC. The SEC states that Prager has agreed to pay $1.95 million to resolve two actions alleging misconduct… Read More

September 16, 2024 @ 6:10 pm By JD Alois  |  

Earlier today, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued an Administrative Order punishing the FlyFish Club (FFC) for allegedly issuing “crypto asset securities.” The FlyFish Club is a private dining venue that offers memberships similar to country clubs. Unfortunately, FFC upset the Commission by issuing… Read More

September 16, 2024 @ 9:24 am By JD Alois  |  

The DLT Science Foundation (DSF) is launching the MiCA Crypto Alliance, which is backed by Hedera, Ripple, and the Aptos Foundation. MiCA or Markets in Crypto Assets regulation is a relatively new law approved by the European Union. It aims to create a regulated space… Read More

September 16, 2024 @ 6:22 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Tech-savvy owners of Bitcoin and other digital assets will benefit from greater legal protection thanks to an important clarification to the law. This, according to an update released this past week by the UK government. The Property (Digital Assets etc) Bill, introduced in Parliament, will… Read More