Politics, Legal & Regulation

June 17, 2022 @ 3:23 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global entity that engages financial regulators around the world, met this week to discuss multiple initiatives including the digital asset marketplace and Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs) as well as Travel Rule implementation. The Travel Rule is a… Read More

June 17, 2022 @ 2:38 pm By JD Alois  |  

House Republicans have sent a letter to the Chairman of the SEC Gary Gensler telling him to halt his pursuit of proposed climate disclosure rules as over-stepping the statutory responsibilities of the Commission. In the letter, signed by 129 Republicans led by the top Republican… Read More

June 17, 2022 @ 11:26 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Mazepay is pleased to confirm that they’re under the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority (DFSA) supervision. Mazepay is a pan-European payments institute. After a long application and enrollment process, Mazepay have been “granted a pan-European payments institute license by the DFSA, enabling it to handle transactions… Read More

June 17, 2022 @ 10:41 am By JD Alois  |  

The US Senate has confirmed two new SEC Commissioners; Jaime Lizárraga and Mark Uyeda. Lizárraga previously served as Senior Advisor to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi where he covered issues relating to financial markets, housing, international financial institutions, immigration, and small business policy. He… Read More

June 16, 2022 @ 10:59 am By JD Alois  |  

Earlier this month, US Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Cynthia Lummis revealed their long-anticipated legislation aiming to provide a clearcut regulatory regime for the digital asset industry. The language of the bill represents a comprehensive approach for crypto including digital securities, stablecoins, and more while selecting… Read More

June 16, 2022 @ 10:08 am By JD Alois  |  

SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce posted a speech this week that addresses crypto markets and regulation. Commissioner Peirce has long taken a thoughtful approach in regards to digital asset innovation while generally being supportive Fintech. Peirce mentioned the bipartisan legislation published this month that aims to… Read More

June 16, 2022 @ 8:50 am By JD Alois  |  

The cost of living is rising higher and credit is along for the ride. With no end in sight to rising interest rates and inflation, the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is asking lenders to help consumers during a difficult time. In a release, the… Read More

June 15, 2022 @ 7:55 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) recently issued revised Guidelines on Business Continuity Management (BCM) for financial institutions, to help them strengthen their resilience “against service disruptions arising from IT outages, pandemic outbreaks, cyber-attacks and physical threats.” The revisions take into account learnings “from the… Read More

June 15, 2022 @ 12:40 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Amber Group, a global digital asset platform, announced its acquisition of Celera Markets Limited, a “fully” licensed financial group by the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) of Hong Kong. The acquisition represents “a significant milestone for Amber Group, as it continues to strengthen its product… Read More

June 14, 2022 @ 2:19 pm By JD Alois  |  

Coin Center, the not-for-profit digital asset advocacy group, has sued the US Department of Treasury. According to a blog post from several days ago, Coin Center has taken umbrage to a portion of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, signed into law in 2021, that… Read More

June 13, 2022 @ 11:07 am By JD Alois  |  

The Charles Schwab Corporation (NYSE: SCHW) has commented on the settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) pertaining to Robo-advisor offerings and allegations of undisclosed fees and poor performance. Schwab stated via a release: “Schwab has resolved a matter with the SEC regarding certain… Read More

June 13, 2022 @ 9:36 am By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged three Charles Schwab investment adviser subsidiaries for allocating client funds in a manner that their own internal analyses showed would be less profitable for their clients under most market conditions. Schwab has agreed to pay $187 million to… Read More

June 12, 2022 @ 3:32 pm By JD Alois  |  

An official with the Bank of Canada has issued a warning about Canadians investing in crypto. In a statement this past week by the Bank on the Financial System Review (FSR), the government cautioned about risks including fast-rising interest rates, and geopolitical challenges while touching… Read More

June 10, 2022 @ 5:35 pm By JD Alois  |  

Inflation continues to rocket higher with no end in sight. Today, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that prices rose by1% in May driving the annual rate of inflation to 8.6% – a 40-year high. All prices are going up but perhaps most acutely… Read More

June 9, 2022 @ 11:54 am By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has posted a notice that the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has affirmed a district court order requiring compliance with investigative subpoenas served by the Commission on Terraform Labs Pte Ltd and Do Kwon – based… Read More

June 9, 2022 @ 11:47 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Kroll, the provider of data, technology and insights related to risk, governance and growth, today released its 2022 Anti-Bribery and Corruption Benchmarking Report, which found that 70% of survey respondents in the U.S. and Canada “ranked their anti-bribery and corruption (ABC) programs as effective, with… Read More

June 9, 2022 @ 11:43 am By JD Alois  |  

The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), a free market-focused think tank that supports innovation in financial services, has posted a comment letter forward to Senator Patrick Toomey, ranking member of the Senate Banking Committee and advocate of the JOBS Act 4.0. Earlier this year on the… Read More

June 8, 2022 @ 2:43 pm By JD Alois  |  

Longfin, a Reg A+ issuer that saw its shares trade on the Nasdaq only to later implode, has generated some more collateral damage as an audit firm providing services to the firm has been penalized by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Back in 2020,… Read More

June 8, 2022 @ 2:22 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has “terminated” Upstart’s (NASDAQ:UPST) no-action letter. Upstart is a publicly-traded firm that provides online lending for consumers as well as partnering with banks on offering could based credit services. The CFPB reports that Upstart’s bank partners have originated 1.3… Read More

June 8, 2022 @ 2:09 pm By JD Alois  |  

The New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) has announced new guidance on dollar-based stablecoins which are issued by firms regulated by the DFS. The guidance does not apply to USD-backed stablecoins listed, but not issued, by DFS-regulated entities. Superintendent Adrienne A. Harris commented… Read More