Politics, Legal & Regulation

January 23, 2024 @ 4:20 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has revealed an order demanding Crowd Machine, Metavine, and founder Craig Sproule to disgorge $19,676,401.27 raised in an “unregistered and fraudulent offering of crypto asset securities.” Additionally, pre-judgment interest in the amount of $3,358,147.75 is being added to the… Read More

January 23, 2024 @ 1:42 pm By JD Alois  |  

FINRA, the organization that regulates all of the broker-dealers in the United States, says a recent review of crypto communications indicates potential violations at a whopping 70% of the information reviewed. FINRA has not identified any firms that may be providing information that is in… Read More

January 23, 2024 @ 12:22 pm By JD Alois  |  

The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned Alexander Ermakov for the 2022 ransomware attack against Medibank Private Limited, an Australian insurer. The US worked in concert with Australia and the United Kingdom on the designation. Ermakov is believed… Read More

January 23, 2024 @ 9:25 am By JD Alois  |  

Financial penalties assessed by financial regulators in the US have jumped by 69% versus the year prior when comparing 2023 to 2023, according to a report.Fenergo, a Client Lifecycle Management (CLM) firm serving financial services, has tallied the numbers and claims that penalties stood at… Read More

January 22, 2024 @ 5:23 pm By JD Alois  |  

The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed a fifth round of sanctions on Hamas since the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel. According to OFAC, the sanctions have targeted Hamas-affiliated financial exchanges in Gaza, their owners and associates,… Read More

January 19, 2024 @ 4:46 pm By JD Alois  |  

Donald Trump touched on the topic of Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDCs) recently, and he is no fan of the concept. A digital dollar is being discussed at the US Federal Reserve and on  Capitol Hill in general. The Fed has been partnering with MIT… Read More

January 19, 2024 @ 10:14 am By JD Alois  |  

The Moroccan Capital Markets Authority (AMMC) has published a new guide on crowdfunding. The guide is to help market participants understand the regulatory and legal requirements to operate under the new framework. According to the AMMC: “The new handbook presents a summary of the main… Read More

January 19, 2024 @ 9:12 am By JD Alois  |  

While London remains the top European financial center, Brexit has put pressure on this status. This has created opportunities for other European financial centers, but the question remains: do they have the capacity and ability to act and gain traction? Today, the Autorité des Marchés… Read More

January 18, 2024 @ 6:48 pm By JD Alois  |  

The European Banking Authority (EBA) has shared its guidance on money laundering (ML) and terrorist financing (TF) for crypto asset service providers (CASPs). All banks must adhere to strict Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) rules, and crypto firms are no different. The… Read More

January 18, 2024 @ 6:05 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service have recently issued an announcement informing businesses that they do “not have to report the receipt of digital assets the same way as they must report the receipt of cash until Treasury and IRS issue regulations.” The Infrastructure… Read More

January 18, 2024 @ 11:36 am By JD Alois  |  

The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) have issued a call for comment on proposed regulations for funds that invest in crypto. CSA Notice and Request for Comment – Proposed Amendments to National Instrument 81-102 Investment Funds Pertaining to Crypto Assets is available on all of the… Read More

January 18, 2024 @ 9:52 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Gemini says they are pleased to announce that they’ve been registered as a Digital Asset Service Provider (DASP) by l’Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF), the French financial markets regulator. Following the launch of their EU headquarters in Ireland in 2022, Gemini is now “operational in… Read More

January 18, 2024 @ 9:40 am By JD Alois  |  

Deepfakes are a growing concern. As technology improves and AI services proliferate, it is getting easier for bad actors to create completely bogus content that intends to dupe the unsuspecting. Today, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has issued a warning to the public to… Read More

January 17, 2024 @ 8:37 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has appointed Daniel Godfrey as chair and Julia Dreblow as vice-chair of a new working group focused on building capability in sustainable finance across the financial advice sector. The Personal Investment Management & Financial Advice Association (PIMFA) will “provide… Read More

January 16, 2024 @ 12:39 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is reportedly willing to postpone the Terraform Labs trial for Do Kwon‘s extradition. The SEC agreed to the delay of the civil trial against Terraform Labs and its co-founder Do Kwon for allegedly carrying out a $40 billion… Read More

January 16, 2024 @ 8:27 am By Omar Faridi  |  

USDC issuer Circle‘s CEO Jeremy Allaire thinks that there’s a ‘very good chance’ that the US passes stablecoin laws this year. The CEO of Circle, the Fintech firm behind the widely-used stablecoin USDC, is seeing a good chance that laws for stablecoin issuers such as… Read More

January 15, 2024 @ 4:13 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

This past week the American Fintech Council testified before the Washington State House Committee on Consumer Protection and Business, recommending amendments to proposed legislation. CEO Phil Goldfeder, a former member of the New York State Assembly, appeared in Olympia to urge legislators to amend legislation… Read More

January 15, 2024 @ 11:50 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Paul Grewal, the Chief Legal Officer at Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN), says that it’s the US Congress’ job to make the laws and set the regulatory boundaries “for each of our federal agencies.” Paul Grewal from Coinbase points out that the CFPB is no exception, and recently the… Read More

January 15, 2024 @ 11:39 am By JD Alois  |  

Last month, Circle, a stablecoin issuer, announced the receipt of a conditional registration as a Digital Asset Service Provider (DASP) or ‘Prestataire de Service sur Actifs Numériques’ (PSAN)) with the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF). When the approval was announced, Jeremy Allaire, co-founder and CEO… Read More

January 15, 2024 @ 8:27 am By Omar Faridi  |  

FINRA published its 2024 FINRA Annual Regulatory Oversight Report, formerly known as the Report on FINRA’s Examination and Risk Monitoring Program. The report provides member firms “with key insights and observations from recent activities of FINRA’s regulatory operations to use in strengthening their compliance programs.”… Read More