Politics, Legal & Regulation

April 7, 2022 @ 7:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Republican Staff of the House Financial Services Committee has produced a report revisiting the JOBS Act of 2012 and the decade since the legislation became law.  Perhaps the best-known outcome of the legislation was to legalize online capital formation – or crowdfunding – but… Read More

April 7, 2022 @ 3:16 pm By JD Alois  |  

Speaking at American University today, Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen addressed the emerging sector of digital assets as well as stablecoins and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). Secretary Yellen reflected on the growth of digital assets, rising from just $14 billion to around $3… Read More

April 7, 2022 @ 10:15 am By JD Alois  |  

The White House has finally selected two individuals to become Commissioners at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). President Joe Biden has selected: Jaime Lizárraga Mark Uyeda According to the White House, Jaime Lizárraga is currently a Senior Advisor to Speaker of the House Nancy… Read More

April 7, 2022 @ 8:23 am By JD Alois  |  

Stablecoin TRUST Act of 2022 Senator Pat Toomey has proposed legislation to regulate stablecoins. Toomey is the ranking Republican on the Senate Banking Committee. The Senator’s legislation incorporates the key components: Authorizes three different options to issue payment stablecoins: Establishes a new federal license designed… Read More

April 6, 2022 @ 6:45 pm By JD Alois  |  

BlockFi will pay each US state $943,396.22 as part of a settlement alleging the offer and sales of unregistered securities. This is according to a note from the Ohio Division of Securities, that posted a consent order this week regarding the matter. In February, it… Read More

April 6, 2022 @ 5:48 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Republicans on the Senate Banking Committee have submitted draft legislation on the 10th Anniversary of the JOBS Act, called JOBS Act 4.0. The JOBS Act of 2012 was the law that created online capital formation or investment crowdfunding. Three exemptions were legalized that enabled… Read More

April 6, 2022 @ 11:57 am By JD Alois  |  

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctioned dark web marketplace Hydra Market, labeling it a pernicious site for malicious cybercrime services, dangerous drugs, ransomware, and other illicit activity. Hydra Market is said to be based in Russia. Also sanctioned, Garantex is a crypto exchange… Read More

April 6, 2022 @ 11:01 am By JD Alois  |  

Last week, there was a vote at the European Parliament on crypto-assets that may have a dramatic impact on the digital asset industry. Members of European Parliament (MEPs) voted that, effectively, all crypto transfers must be tracked with buyer and seller information and made available… Read More

April 6, 2022 @ 9:01 am By JD Alois  |  

In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Block (NYSE:SQ), formerly Square, has acknowledged a breach of information that involved users which took place in December of last year. The company states that it is contacting around 8.2 million current and former customers… Read More

April 6, 2022 @ 8:11 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Alpian SA, an innovative digital private bank, has announced the granting by FINMA of a banking license and “a successful CHF19 million Series B+ closing, enabling Alpian to shortly launch to the public in Q3 2022, becoming Switzerland’s first digital private bank.” Alpian, majority-owned by… Read More

April 5, 2022 @ 10:07 pm By JD Alois  |  

The UK government commenced a consultation on crypto-assets in early 2021. This past week, the UK government indicated its intent to acknowledge stablecoins as valid forms of payment while aiming to emerge as the world’s top crypto hub. This stands in stark contrast to the… Read More

April 5, 2022 @ 3:30 pm By JD Alois  |  

  The JOBS Act of 2012 was signed into law by President Barack Obama ten years ago today, on April 5, 2012. In a rare moment of bipartisanship, Republicans and Democrats joined together to help private firms raise much-needed growth capital via online securities offerings…. Read More

April 5, 2022 @ 11:00 am By JD Alois  |  

Last Thursday, Members of European Parliament (MEP) voted to create new rules to track crypto transfers. The Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) and the Committee on Civil Liberties (LIBE) adopted the legislation, with 93 votes for and 14 against, and 14 abstentions. The… Read More

April 5, 2022 @ 10:38 am By JD Alois  |  

Today, at 2:30 PM ET, Congressman Patrick McHenry, the ranking Republican on the House Financial Services Committee, will be hosting a roundtable to mark the 10th anniversary of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act of 2012. The JOBS Act legalized securities crowdfunding including, Reg CF,… Read More

April 5, 2022 @ 10:02 am By Omar Faridi  |  

  The Open Banking Implementation Entity (OBIE) is pleased to confirm the publication of the Open Banking Standard, version 3.1.3 – including updates to the Read/Write API Specification and Customer Experience Guidelines (CEGs). This is “a minor update to version 3.1.2 which was released in… Read More

April 5, 2022 @ 9:51 am By JD Alois  |  

The UK Financial Conduct Authority has made several new hires according to a release. The appointments include a Fintech executive who steps into the Finance Director role. According to the FCA, Craig Chapman will join the regulator as Finance Director in May. Chapman is currently… Read More

April 5, 2022 @ 8:46 am By JD Alois  |  

Crowdcube is accelerating in France. That is how the new French version of Crowdcube announces itself. Crowdcube is one of the largest securities crowdfunding platforms in the UK as well as Europe. Having long operated in Europe, recent rule changes will make it easier for… Read More

April 4, 2022 @ 9:46 pm By JD Alois  |  

HM Treasury announced today that the UK government will acknowledge stablecoins as a form of valid payment. The government is expected to create legislation to bring stablecoins within the payments regulatory perimeter, creating conditions for stablecoins issuers and service providers to operate and invest in… Read More

April 4, 2022 @ 6:48 pm By JD Alois  |  

In remarks for the Penn Law Capital Markets Association Annual Conference, SEC Chairman Gary Gensler sent a clear warning to crypto exchanges and other marketplaces that trade in crypto. Gensler explicitly stated that he has asked staff to review how the Securities and Exchange Commission… Read More

April 4, 2022 @ 10:42 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The team at PeerBerry notes that we have already seen and have already been there (when remembering all the panic during the first wave of Covid in March 2020). But on the other hand, “nothing compares with the current events,” the team at PeerBerry wrote… Read More