Politics, Legal & Regulation

April 4, 2022 @ 10:19 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The team at Lithuania’s Debitum, a borderless financing platform, has shared omportant news about “war-affected assets” in Ukraine On March 30, 2022, Debitum had received “an official response letter and data from the borrower in Ukraine.” This data consists of the company’s “update on its… Read More

April 3, 2022 @ 4:59 pm By JD Alois  |  

Last November, the European Union authorized pan-European crowdfunding, European Crowdfunding Service Provider Regulation (ECSPR), for issuers to raise up to €5 million across all member states. Investment crowdfunding platforms that aim to sell securities in the European Union must be regulated by the relevant authority… Read More

April 3, 2022 @ 10:32 am By Omar Faridi  |  

European lender Mintos notes that previously, they had prepared an overview of the “broader” effects of the war in Ukraine, sanctions on Russia, and Russian “responding policies on the financial markets.” As noted in a blog post, Mintos is now sharing “an insight into how… Read More

April 2, 2022 @ 7:55 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The UK’s Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) has reportedly put the card schemes on notice that it is looking into their fees and how to assist merchants with entering better deals, including by promoting the alternative of account-to-account payments. While sharing its plans for 2022/23, the… Read More

April 2, 2022 @ 1:20 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

  Elastos, the provider of open-source solutions and developer of the first decentralized infrastructure for the Modern Internet (Web3), is pleased to confirm that its ecosystem DAO, Cyber Republic (CR), has now been incorporated into “a legal entity in the state of Delaware.” The filing… Read More

April 1, 2022 @ 6:17 pm By JD Alois  |  

Acting Comptroller of the Currency, Michael J. Hsu, addressed the American Bankers this week speaking about “tail risks” – or low probability, high impact risk events. In a world pummelled by geopolitical challenges like Russia’s war with Ukraine, and the ever-present concern of cyberattacks, Hsu… Read More

April 1, 2022 @ 6:05 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Financial Stability Board (FSB) has released its work program for 2022. Priority areas of work and new initiatives, “including key deliverables to the G20 Indonesian Presidency,” are as follows: Supporting international cooperation and coordination on current financial stability issues. Against the backdrop of the… Read More

April 1, 2022 @ 9:34 am By JD Alois  |  

Christian Faes is one of the leading voices in the UK advocating on behalf of the Fintech ecosystem. He is a founder and Executive Chairman of LendInvest – a successful property financing platform that is now traded on the LSE, and the Chairman of Fintech… Read More

March 31, 2022 @ 2:52 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has posted a Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB) expressing the view of the staff regarding the “accounting for obligations to safeguard crypto-assets an entity holds for platform users.” The SAB adds “interpretive guidance” regarding “obligations to safeguard crypto-assets held for… Read More

March 31, 2022 @ 9:55 am By JD Alois  |  

Today is the deadline (March 31, 2022) for crypto firms to be registered with the UK Financial Conduct Authority. Reports have filtered in that multiple UK-based crypto firms have abandoned the effort with some planning a departure from Great Britain. The list of UK crypto… Read More

March 31, 2022 @ 8:45 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The UK’s FCA recently revealed that they are interested in what the industry “sees as the role of the regulator in the provision of synthetic data.” The FCA pointed out that they are particularly interested in synthetic data when it comes to their “competition remit,… Read More

March 30, 2022 @ 8:17 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has posted its annual list of examination priorities emanating from the SEC Division of Examinations. Last year’s list included Fintech and Innovation including Digital Assets, this year’s list includes Emerging Technologies and Crypto-Assets, so a slight change. To quote… Read More

March 30, 2022 @ 5:02 pm By JD Alois  |  

  SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce has posted a dissenting opinion regarding the rule proposal addressing SPACs. As was previously reported, the Securities and Exchange Commission has issued a 372-page proposal for new rules pertaining to Special Purpose Acquisition companies [SPACs]. SEC Chairman Gary Gensler described… Read More

March 30, 2022 @ 3:30 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued a statement proposing new rules impacting Special Purpose Acquisition companies or SPACs. The recent rise in the number of SPACs being utilized to bring a company public with less disclosure than a traditional initial public offering has… Read More

March 30, 2022 @ 8:29 am By JD Alois  |  

Yesterday, the Banca D’Italia or Bank of Italy – the country’s central bank – issued a statement banning N26 from accepting new customers. The central bank said that the decision follows an on-site inspection that “revealed significant shortcomings in respect of anti-money laundering.” The Bank… Read More

March 30, 2022 @ 8:10 am By Omar Faridi  |  

FTX Europe recently announced the appointment “per October 1st, 2022” of Dr. Marcel Lötscher, LL.M. MBA, to the newly created position, Head of Regulatory Strategy. Lötscher is being hired to continue FTX’s global expansion into Europe and the Middle East, “giving users in European Economic… Read More

March 29, 2022 @ 7:03 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has announced a consent order against defendants Abner Alejandro Tinoco, and his company, Kikit & Mess Investments, LLC. The order was entered in the Western District of Texas in regards to an enforcement action. The order imposes injunctive relief, including… Read More

March 29, 2022 @ 6:23 pm By JD Alois  |  

The House Committee on Financial Services has distributed its calendar of hearings for the month of April.  While subject to change, there are several topics of interest that may involve the Fintech sector. On April 27, the Committee will engage with the Consumer Financial Protection… Read More

March 29, 2022 @ 9:48 am By JD Alois  |  

As was recently reported, the European Parliament is poised to vote on regulation pertaining to the Transfer of Funds that will impact crypto-assets. The quote the European Commission: “The anonymity associated with crypto assets, as well as their speed and global reach bring obvious risks… Read More

March 29, 2022 @ 7:18 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Steven L. Schwarcz, a Stanley A. Star Distinguished Professor of Law & Business at Duke University School of Law, notes that in the paper, titled Next-Generation Securitization: NFTs, Tokenization, and the Monetization of ‘Things’ (forthcoming in the Boston University Law Review), he has looked at the surge… Read More