Politics, Legal & Regulation

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

June 8, 2022 @ 11:17 am By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is investigating the BNB token, issued by the world’s largest crypto exchange Binance. This is according to a report by Bloomberg and should come as no surprise to anyone as the SEC has long messaged their view that just… Read More

June 7, 2022 @ 4:12 pm By JD Alois  |  

John Berlau, a securities and regulatory expert at the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) has shared his initial thoughts on the bi-partisan legislation posted today by Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Cynthia Lummis. Berlau, long a supporter of beneficial Fintech innovation believes the legislation is a solid… Read More

June 7, 2022 @ 3:41 pm By JD Alois  |  

Earlier today, Senators Cynthia Lummis and Kirsten Gillibrand revealed their bi-partisan legislation to apply regulatory clarity to the growing digital asset ecosystem in the US. For years now, the crypto industry has desired bright-line rules to provide compliant offerings and regulated platforms, yet regulators have… Read More

June 7, 2022 @ 11:49 am By JD Alois  |  

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Senator Cynthia Lummis have officially revealed legislation aiming to create a regulatory framework for the burgeoning digital asset industry. The two Senators have worked for many months on the language of the bill. The legislation has long been rumored with a… Read More

June 6, 2022 @ 9:34 pm By JD Alois  |  

The European Parliament has posted regulations pertaining to tokenization and digital securities leveraging blockchain or distributed ledger technology. The DLT pilot plan aims to enable innovators to advance their platforms while providing a safe environment for users. To quote the document: It is important to… Read More

June 6, 2022 @ 6:44 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Copper.co, the provider of institutional digital asset custody and trading solutions, recently announced that it has been approved for membership of the Swiss Financial Services Standard Association (VQF) via Copper’s Swiss entity based in Zug. Copper’s VQF membership “provides assurance to its clients regarding the… Read More

June 5, 2022 @ 6:47 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

On May 23, 2022, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), in partnership with the New York Attorney General, filed a proposed judgment “against a debt collection enterprise with a history of deception and harassment to pay $4 million and be permanently banned from the debt… Read More