Politics, Legal & Regulation

August 19, 2022 @ 4:57 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee (SBCFAC), is telling the Commission to help SPACs [Special Purposed Acquisition Companies] work – not shut them down by over-regulating. Posted last month, in a letter to Chairman Gary Gensler, the SBCFAC stated:… Read More

August 19, 2022 @ 9:02 am By JD Alois  |  

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has issued a warning to Buy Now – Pay Later (BNPL) providers pertaining to misleading advertisements. A copy of the “Dear CEO” letter sent to BNPLs is viewable here. BNPL platforms offer point of sale credit to consumers which… Read More

August 18, 2022 @ 7:52 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Crypto.com, which claims to be the “fastest-growing” cryptocurrency platform, announced that it has received regulatory approval from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the United Kingdom (UK) as “a crypto-asset business.” This registration will “enable Crypto.com to offer a suite of products and services to… Read More

August 17, 2022 @ 9:39 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Federal Reserve Board on Monday (August 15, 2022) announced final guidelines that establish “a transparent, risk-based, and consistent set of factors for Reserve Banks to use in reviewing requests to access Federal Reserve accounts and payment services.” The final guidelines are substantially “similar to… Read More

August 17, 2022 @ 10:32 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Binance is pleased to announce that the firm has “received in-principle approval from the Astana Financial Services Authority (AFSA) to operate a digital asset trading facility and provide custody in the Astana International Financial Center (AIFC).” In-principle approval from AFSA still “requires Binance to complete… Read More

August 16, 2022 @ 5:41 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged Dragonchain, Dragonchain Foundation, the Dragon Company and founder John Joseph Roets with raising $16.5 million in an “unregistered crypto asset securities offering.” In the complaint, the SEC alleges that Roets, Dragonchain, and the Foundation conducted an unregistered… Read More

August 15, 2022 @ 6:20 pm By JD Alois  |  

Varo Bank, the first true digital only bank that made it through the rigorous chartering process, has issued a comment letter on a potential change to the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation… Read More

August 15, 2022 @ 10:22 am By JD Alois  |  

Gregory Klumov, CEO of STASIS – an issuer of a Euro stablecoin, has issued a statement criticizing Circle’s decision to freeze USDC that is parked in Tornado.Cash addresses. Circle, the issuer of the second largest stablecoin in the market, took the action following the US … Read More

August 14, 2022 @ 4:07 pm By JD Alois  |  

As has been widely reported, the US Department of Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), has sanctioned crypto mixer Tornado.cash for enabling illicit activities in regards to crypto thefts, ransomware and money laundering. Many crypto proponents are up in arms as this is the… Read More

August 13, 2022 @ 3:47 pm By JD Alois  |  

The sanctioning of Tornado.cash, a crypto mixing service, has riled many in the crypto-world. This past week, the US Department of Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), targeted the mixer as it is said to launder the proceeds of cybercrime – not just benign… Read More

August 12, 2022 @ 3:19 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has filed charges against Rathnakishore Giri and his firms, NBD Eidetic Capital, LLC and SR Private Equity, LLC, alleging digital asset trading ploy that pilfered $12 million from unsuspecting investors. The CFTC also filed charges against Giri’s parents, Giri Subramani and… Read More

August 12, 2022 @ 11:29 am By JD Alois  |  

Earlier this year, the UK FCA, PSR, CMA, and HM Treasury published a joint statement on the future of open banking (open finance), while announcing the creation of a joint regulatory oversight committee designed to improve adoption. The committee is co-chaired by the FCA Executive… Read More

August 12, 2022 @ 9:19 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) jointly announced the addition of the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) track to the Global Fast Track 2022, “giving local and global firms valuable opportunities to partner with the central banking institution to boost… Read More

August 11, 2022 @ 5:18 pm By JD Alois  |  

Elliptic, a crypto intelligence firm, has published an interesting blog post on the use, or abuse of, cross-chain bridges to launder funds. A cross-chain bridge allows value to hop to different blockchains. While utilized by legitimate platforms, cross-chain bridges have also caught the attention of… Read More

August 11, 2022 @ 11:33 am By JD Alois  |  

If a company raises capital under Reg CF, it must file a form with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) along with additional documents to use the exemption. If the company successfully raises money, the requirement to provide information to the SEC (and investors) does… Read More

August 11, 2022 @ 10:49 am By JD Alois  |  

Does the US Federal Government hold crypto? Probably so. Following enforcement actions or tax violations, the feds may confiscate various types of assets, and these can include digital ones like Bitcoin, etc. Earlier this week, Congressman Tom Emmer, along with Congressman Joe Auchincloss, reminded us… Read More

August 10, 2022 @ 10:17 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Reserve Bank of Australia is collaborating with the Digital Finance Cooperative Research Centre (DFCRC) on a research project “to explore use cases for a central bank digital currency (CBDC) in Australia.” Considerable research has been “undertaken by central banks, including the Reserve Bank, into… Read More

August 10, 2022 @ 12:24 pm By JD Alois  |  

Mike Crosbie, Chief Business Officer of poundtoken (GBPT), an issuer of a British Pound-backed stablecoin, has distributed a comment on the Bank of England’s recent missives on crypto asset risks. Like other central government regulators, the Bank of England has been keenly observing the emerging… Read More

August 10, 2022 @ 11:49 am By JD Alois  |  

Chair of the House Committee on Financial Services, Maxine Waters, has sent a letter to Equifax demanding to know how they managed to distribute bogus credit scores. Representative Waters issued the following statement on the debacle: “I am alarmed at recent news reporting that for… Read More

August 10, 2022 @ 11:23 am By JD Alois  |  

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has announced an enforcement action against Hello Digit (or just Digit), a neobank that claims to be the “first truly personalized and automated savings tool.” At the end of 2021, Hello Digit was acquired by Opportun. According to the… Read More