Politics, Legal & Regulation

April 28, 2023 @ 3:54 pm By JD Alois  |  

The US Federal Reserve has published its review of the failure of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB). The review was managed by Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Michael Barr. SVB collapsed in spectacular fashion following a tech-fueled run on the bank, with the institution finding itself… Read More

April 27, 2023 @ 4:11 pm By JD Alois  |  

Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN)  has posted a 73-page response to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Wells Notice which indicates a high likelihood of an enforcement action by the commission. Last month, Coinbase revealed it was in receipt of the Wells Notice while taking a defiant stance against… Read More

April 26, 2023 @ 10:41 pm By JD Alois  |  

Representative Patrick McHenry, Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, has joined with Representatives French Hill, Digital Assets, Financial Technology, and Inclusion Subcommittee Chairman, and Bill Huizenga, Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman, to send letters to federal agencies demanding information on the move to de-bank… Read More

April 26, 2023 @ 11:34 am By JD Alois  |  

As CI reported yesterday, the House Financial Services Committee has scheduled a markup session for pending legislation. Many of the proposed bills are designed to improve access to capital as well as improve JOBS Act rules. In a statement in advance of the meeting, Congressman… Read More

April 25, 2023 @ 11:43 am By JD Alois  |  

Expanding Access to Capital Act of 2023 is JOBS Act Improvement Legislation Last week during a hearing of the House Subcommittee on Capital Formation, a discussion focused on improving access to capital for early-stage firms as well as boosting retail investment options. Entitled A Roadmap… Read More

April 25, 2023 @ 9:46 am By JD Alois  |  

Yesterday, Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN) announced that it had filed a “limited action” against the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as it has ignored its petition for clearly defined digital asset rules. The SEC is statutorily required to respond to a petition within a reasonable amount of time. It… Read More

April 24, 2023 @ 10:45 pm By JD Alois  |  

Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN) is going on the offensive with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and its insistence that all digital assets are securities and thus regulated the same. In a blog post, Paul Grewal, the Chief Legal Officer of Coinbase, explained the company had filed… Read More

April 24, 2023 @ 7:37 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology (Fintech) and Inclusion, has posted the list of witnesses for its hearing on “The Future of Digital Assets: Identifying the Regulatory Gaps in Digital Asset Market Structure.” The hearing follows the approval by the European Parliament of MiCA… Read More

April 24, 2023 @ 4:33 pm By JD Alois  |  

SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce has posted here comments delivered at the beginning of the SEC’s 42nd Annual Small Business Forum taking place this week. A few years back, the Forum was an in-person event, but COVID and convenience have shifted the event to a virtual… Read More

April 24, 2023 @ 12:32 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Kraken has successfully registered its Irish subsidiary, Payward Europe Solutions Limited, with the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) as a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP). The firm claims that Kraken’s Irish VASP registration “demonstrates to both their clients and regulators that Kraken follows Europe’s most… Read More

April 24, 2023 @ 8:50 am By JD Alois  |  

As was reported last week, the European Parliament approved MiCA, or Markets in Crypto-Assets legislation, which aims to make the EU a digital asset-friendly jurisdiction. At the same time, the Transfer of Funds regulation was approved, which requires crypto operators to identify their customers as… Read More

April 23, 2023 @ 6:12 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission today announced it has filed charges against 14 entities for fraudulently claiming to be registered with the CFTC as futures commission merchants (FCM) and retail foreign exchange dealers (RFED). The bogus platforms claimed to be located in the United Kingdom,… Read More

April 23, 2023 @ 6:07 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The EU Parliament’s passing of the Markets in Crypto Act, or MiCA, on Thursday has been hailed as a “landmark moment” for cryptocurrencies that will “help drive prices” for the likes of Bitcoin. This, according to the CEO of an independent financial advisory, asset management and… Read More

April 22, 2023 @ 10:20 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Every quarter, Carta releases information on the startup ecosystem in their comprehensive State of Private Markets report. It can take a few weeks for rounds to be recorded on their platform, so they share a full analysis after they get the final numbers, Carta notes… Read More

April 21, 2023 @ 4:52 pm By JD Alois  |  

Earlier today, Brian Armstrong, CEO of Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN) visited with officials at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).  Armstrong revealed the trip in a Tweet stating: “Met with the SEC today. We’ll continue pushing for a clear rule book in the U.S. for crypto regs…. Read More

April 21, 2023 @ 12:22 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) today voted unanimously to issue for public comment a proposed analytic framework for financial stability risks.  The framework aims to address potential risks to financial stability. At the same time, FSOC voted unanimously to issue for public comment new… Read More

April 21, 2023 @ 11:36 am By JD Alois  |  

The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) has posted its annual list of top threats for retail investors. In the past, innovations like securities crowdfunding joined the group. The 2023 list leads with digital assets at the top of the list as regulators point to… Read More

April 21, 2023 @ 9:29 am By JD Alois  |  

The state of Texas has introduced new legislation targeting digital asset providers. The bill relates to the “comingling of funds” by crypto platforms. As one would anticipate, the language of the bill requires digital asset platforms not to mix customer funds with those belonging to… Read More

April 20, 2023 @ 10:49 pm By JD Alois  |  

The House Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology (Fintech), and Inclusion has scheduled a hearing on digital assets and the regulatory shortcomings that pepper the market today. Entitled, The Future of Digital Assets: Identifying the Regulatory Gaps in Digital Asset Market Structure, the hearing will… Read More

April 20, 2023 @ 3:57 pm By JD Alois  |  

A former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) employee has stolen information from around 256,000 individuals, according to multiple reports. WSJ.com states that the information included “confidential supervisory” data from 45 different institutions. Most of the information was said to be from a single unnamed institution…. Read More