Politics, Legal & Regulation

December 24, 2021 @ 11:23 am By JD Alois  |  

By now everyone is aware there is a significant migration taking place. High tax, less business-friendly states are losing out to low tax, business welcoming states and the transition is ongoing. While there are multiple states benefiting from individuals and firms exiting California, New York,… Read More

December 24, 2021 @ 8:48 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The UK’s Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA) has imposed a financial penalty on Metro Bank plc “of £5,376,000 for failing to act with due skill, care and diligence in relation to the regulatory reporting of its capital position and for failings in its regulatory reporting governance,… Read More

December 23, 2021 @ 12:06 pm By JD Alois  |  

Earlier this month, the US Senate Banking Committee held a hearing on stablecoins that involved advocates and those who believe they are bad. The short hearing saw witnesses grilled with the Democrats generally dismissive and the Republicans in support of digital assets tied to fiat… Read More

December 23, 2021 @ 9:12 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Astra Protocol is pleased to confirm that it has acquired $9 million via its token raise. In addition, various investment groups and individuals have supported the Astra Protocol project, confirming the requirement for decentralized compliance in the DeFi sector. According to Astra, things are progressing… Read More

December 22, 2021 @ 10:20 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

2022 could see aggressive movement by some federal agencies, an experienced industry hand suggests. Joseph Lynyak III is a partner at the international law firm Dorsey & Whitney and one of the nation’s foremost experts in the country on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB),… Read More

December 22, 2021 @ 4:46 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has chimed in on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) inquiry into big tech and payments. In a letter dated December 21, 2021, Lina Khan, Chair of the FTC said that big tech providing financial services “demand close scrutiny.” In… Read More

December 21, 2021 @ 3:43 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has halted the lending at LendUp Loans, according to a statement by the regulator. Currently, its website states that the company has made a business decision to cease lending and is no longer servicing loans. According to the CFPB,… Read More

December 21, 2021 @ 11:02 am By JD Alois  |  

Earlier this week, the Securities and Exchange Commission hit JPMorgan (NYSE:JPM) with a $125 million penalty. JP Morgan Securities, a subsidiary of JP Morgan, was fined for “widespread and longstanding failures by the firm and its employees to maintain and preserve written communications,” said the… Read More

December 20, 2021 @ 11:40 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has fined HSBC Bank plc £63,946,800 for “failings in its anti-money laundering processes.” As noted in an update from the FCA, HSBC used automated processes to “monitor hundreds of millions of transactions a month to identify possible financial crime.”… Read More

December 20, 2021 @ 10:47 am By JD Alois  |  

SEC Commissioner Elad Roisman has submitted his resignation to President Joe Biden indicating he will exit the Commission next month. Commissioner Roisman issued the following statement: “Today, I sent a letter to President Biden, informing him that I intend to resign my position by the… Read More

December 19, 2021 @ 11:39 am By Omar Faridi  |  

VIP$ Coin (VIP$), which claims to be an asset backed and blockchain-powered cryptocurrency, has reportedly been holding discussions with the Mexican government in order to look into the possibility of supporting the nation’s economy with a decentralized currency. In a letter sent to VIP$ Coin’s… Read More

December 17, 2021 @ 1:59 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), a bureau of the US Department of the Treasury that collects and analyzes information about financial transactions to combat money laundering, terrorist financing, and other financial crimes, is issuing a request for information (RFI) “seeking comments on ways to… Read More

December 16, 2021 @ 6:08 pm By JD Alois  |  

Following the House Financial Services Committee hearing on cryptocurrency last week, the Senate Banking Committee held a related hearing to discuss the stablecoin market. Entitled Stablecoins: How Do They Work, How Are They Used, and What Are Their Risks?, the Senate Banking Committee had a single… Read More

December 16, 2021 @ 3:48 pm By JD Alois  |  

Buy now, pay later, services may be receiving more scrutiny if several Senate Democrats have their way. Yesterday, Senators Jack Reed, Sherrod Brown, Elizabeth Warren, Chris Van Hollen, Tina Smith, and Jon Ossoff, sent a letter to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) urging Director… Read More

December 15, 2021 @ 9:08 am By JD Alois  |  

The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld multiple bans on crypto-asset promotions today. The impacted firms include Coinbase Europe, CoinBurp, Lumo Money, Exmo Exchange, Papa John’s, Payward/Kraken, and eToro. In regards to Coinbase, four issues were investigated with each being upheld by the regulator…. Read More

December 15, 2021 @ 8:36 am By JD Alois  |  

Last week, there was a hearing at Parliament that tackled some of the challenges to growing the Fintech ecosystem in the UK – a strategic sector of great importance for the country. The UK has long been a top Fintech global hub. Brexit, policy inertia,… Read More

December 14, 2021 @ 8:59 am By Omar Faridi  |  

British bank NatWest has reportedly been fined £264.8 million (appr. $354.30 million) on Monday (December 14, 2021) for failing to comply with appropriate money laundering regulations in a case that marked the first time that the United Kingdom’s financial regulators pursued criminal charges for these… Read More

December 13, 2021 @ 8:16 pm By JD Alois  |  

SEC Commissioners Hester Peirce and Elad Roisman have once again voiced their concern regarding SEC Chairman Gary Gensler’s regulator agenda – a list that was recently updated. Last summer, Gensler published his regulatory agenda and now an update is available. When Gensler posted his initial… Read More

December 13, 2021 @ 10:38 am By JD Alois  |  

Genesis Custody Limited has been authorized by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as a Registered Cryptoasset Business. Genesis is a digital currency prime brokerage. Genesis Custody provides multi-asset cold storage for full custody of client assets. Genisis states that clients’ private keys are fully… Read More

December 13, 2021 @ 9:37 am By JD Alois  |  

Binance has shut down its Singapore-facing crypto exchange. The news follows a series of events that have eventually led to Binance exiting the top Asian Fintech market with a wholly owned trading platform. Binance Singapore was originally granted an exemption from holding a license under… Read More