Politics, Legal & Regulation

October 5, 2022 @ 9:21 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Federal Reserve Board announced that it has finalized updates to the Board’s rule concerning debit card transactions. Pursuant to statute, the updates “specify that debit card issuers should enable at least two payment card networks to process all debit card transactions, including ‘card-not-present’ transactions,… Read More

October 5, 2022 @ 5:06 pm By JD Alois  |  

Last week, the Association of Online Investment Platforms (AOIP), a young group aiming to advocate on behalf of online capital formation including securities crowdfunding, visited Congressional staff as well as individuals at the Securities and Exchange Commission. The AOIP members discussed possible legislation and regulations… Read More

October 5, 2022 @ 12:30 pm By JD Alois  |  

Representative Patrick McHenry, ranking Republican on the House Financial Services Committee, along with Representative French Hill and members of the Republican Digital Asset Working Group, have sent a letter to the US Department of Justice requesting an assessment on whether or not legislation is needed… Read More

October 5, 2022 @ 9:47 am By JD Alois  |  

June 2021 Promotion by Kardashian has the potential of being viewed by 328 million followers in what many think may have been the “financial promotion with the single biggest audience reach in history.” There has been plenty of chatter about the US Securities and Exchange… Read More

October 4, 2022 @ 3:29 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has penalized Choice Money Transfer, dba Small World Money Transfer, for multiple violations of the Remittance Transfer Rule and the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA), according to public statement. The CFPB claims that it found the company did not… Read More

October 4, 2022 @ 12:19 pm By JD Alois  |  

Yesterday, as was widely reported, well-known celebrity and influencer Kim Kardashian settled an enforcement action brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The infraction had to do with an Instagram post for EthereumMAX, the issuer of the EMAX token. The post, which was tagged… Read More

October 4, 2022 @ 11:26 am By JD Alois  |  

Pending digital asset legislation is piling up in the US House and Senate with some of these bills poised to move forward following the outcomes of the midterm elections. Last week, Senator Bill Hagerty, a member of the Senate Banking Committee, introduced the Digital Trading… Read More

October 3, 2022 @ 9:41 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The government in Australia has noted that it would be issuing a formal response to a report advising banking institutions in the country of their duty to keep offering banking services to Fintechs, virtual currency trading platforms as well as remittance service providers. This, after… Read More

October 3, 2022 @ 7:44 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in India has reportedly frozen the cryptocurrencies WRX (utility token of WazirX) and USDT (Tether, an Ethereum token that is pegged to the value of a U.S. dollar) equivalent to Rs 47.64 Lakhs (appr. $58,000) “under the provisions ofthe Prevention of… Read More

October 3, 2022 @ 7:20 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Financial Stability Oversight Council has published the expected Report on Digital Asset Financial Stability Risks and Regulation. According to the US Department of Treasury, the Council voted unanimously to approve the report in response to President Biden’s Executive Order 14067, “Ensuring Responsible Development of… Read More

October 3, 2022 @ 2:17 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has filed a complaint against Adam Todd and four companies he controlled – Digitex LLC, Digitex Limited, Digitex Software Limited, and Blockster Holdings Limited Corporation. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the CFTC… Read More

October 3, 2022 @ 2:01 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently announced insider trading charges against two Canadian software engineers who reportedly “made $1.6 million by trading ahead of non-public, market-moving financial information.” According to the SEC’s complaint, from at least May 2018 to July 2021, Harpreet Saini… Read More

October 3, 2022 @ 9:38 am By JD Alois  |  

The Financial Technology Association (FTA) has hired a new Head of Policy and Government Relations, according to a release. The FTA has appointed Angelena Bradfield to help guide the association’s regulatory and legislative efforts. Bradfield previously was Senior Vice President for AML/BSA, Sanctions and Privacy… Read More

October 3, 2022 @ 8:24 am By JD Alois  |  

Global influencer, celebrity, and entrepreneur Kim Kardashian has settled charges with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding allegations of promoting a “crypto asset security” without revealing she was paid for touting the digital asset on social media. The promotion took place in June of… Read More

October 2, 2022 @ 5:33 pm By JD Alois  |  

In November of 2021, the European Union adopted new rules that allow securities crowdfunding platforms to raise capital across all member states. The move has been welcomed by the industry as it will remove national barriers enabling firms to raise up to €5 million across… Read More

October 2, 2022 @ 1:11 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) sued MoneyLion Technologies, an online lender, and 38 of its subsidiaries, “for imposing illegal and excessive charges on servicemembers and their dependents.” The CFPB alleges that MoneyLion “violated the Military Lending Act by charging more than the legally allowable… Read More

September 30, 2022 @ 6:18 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed charges today in regard to an alleged crypto pump and dump scheme involving a digital asset DIG (Dignity). The SEC’s charges are against Arbitrade Ltd., a Bermudan company, and Cryptobontix Inc., a Canadian company, and their principals: Troy… Read More

September 30, 2022 @ 1:21 pm By JD Alois  |  

While the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) keeps battling the courts, the courts keep telling the SEC to hand over the “emails and drafts” pertaining to the speech given by former SEC Corporate Finance Director William (Bill) Hinman discussing crypto in June of 2018. In… Read More

September 30, 2022 @ 8:13 am By JD Alois  |  

The Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) and Autorité de Contrôle Prudentiel et de Résolution (ACPR), have issued a statement warning the public about entities offering crypto derivatives and Forex investments without authorization. The regulators maintain a “black list” of websites that is periodically updated that… Read More

September 29, 2022 @ 6:33 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Retirement Savings Modernization Act was introduced today by Senators Pat Toomey and Tim Scott, along with Representative Peter Meijer. The Act broadly expands the asset classes available to ordinary citizens for retirement accounts like widely utilized 401k plans. The legislation aims to help individuals better… Read More