Politics, Legal & Regulation

June 15, 2021 @ 3:17 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, the main international standard-setter for the prudential regulation of banks and provides a forum for regular cooperation on banking supervisory matters (with 45 members comprising central banks and bank supervisors from 28 jurisdictions), has initiated a public consultation on… Read More

June 14, 2021 @ 11:16 pm By JD Alois  |  

On June 15th, the House Financial Services Committee, Task Force on Financial Technology (Fintech) will hold a hearing on central bank digital currency (CBDCs). Entitled, Digitizing the Dollar: Investigating the Technological Infrastructure, Privacy, and Financial Inclusion Implications of Central Bank Digital Currencies, the hearing will dive… Read More

June 14, 2021 @ 3:41 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The European Banking Authority (EBA), a regulatory body of the European Union that’s headquartered in Paris, released a report, earlier this week, on the data offered by payment service providers (PSPs) on their readiness to apply strong customer authentication (SCA) for the set of payment… Read More

June 14, 2021 @ 3:37 pm By JD Alois  |  

SEC Chairman Gary Gensler has selected Renee Jones as the Director of Corporate Finance and John Coates as General Counsel. Jones is a Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Boston College Law School. Previously, she represented private and public companies on… Read More

June 14, 2021 @ 12:31 pm By JD Alois  |  

Following the revelation of the regulatory agenda for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) under the leadership of Chair Gary Gensler, two Commissioners have issued a statement criticizing the list of rules and regulations the Commission is expected to tackle in the coming months. Additionally,… Read More

June 14, 2021 @ 8:27 am By JD Alois  |  

Last week, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a complaint alleging that Edgar M. Radjabli, of Boca Raton, Florida, and for engaging in securities frauds that involved the offering of a digital asset – Apis Tokens. According to the SEC complaint, Radjabli – who… Read More

June 13, 2021 @ 7:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has outlined its regulatory agenda for the coming months and at the top of the list are exempt securities that include Reg D and perhaps other exemptions such as Reg CF and Reg A+. Of note, is that the… Read More

June 12, 2021 @ 9:59 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Zack Voell, a cryptocurrency mining specialist, writes in a blog post published by Compass that Iran has banned Bitcoin mining for four months in the country’s most recent “legal pivot” away from the “begrudged but enduring segment of miners” operating in the country. Voell points… Read More

June 11, 2021 @ 8:00 am By Omar Faridi  |  

VTB Bank (FRA: KYM1) has entered into an agreement with the Federal Tax Service of Russia in order to introduce a service for providing a qualified electronic signature (QES) via a physical medium. The pilot initiative will begin in Moscow and St. Petersburg for the banking… Read More

June 10, 2021 @ 7:32 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the central bank and financial regulatory authority of the city-state, confirmed recently that it will be setting aside $1.8 billion for Climate-related investment initiatives. The MAS, which administers the various statutes pertaining to money, banking, insurance, securities, and the… Read More

June 10, 2021 @ 7:10 am By JD Alois  |  

Last year, the European Union agreed upon pan-European crowdfunding rules designed to harmonize the environment for online securities offerings across all member states. Currently, each member state handles online capital formation in a different manner, regulated by national authorities thus undermining the potential for cross-border… Read More

June 9, 2021 @ 10:56 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announced on Tuesday (June 8, 2021) the updated “Fintech 2025” strategy for promoting financial tech development in the Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. Eddie Yue, CEO at HKMA,  has outlined Hong Kong’s new Fintech strategy,… Read More

June 9, 2021 @ 10:54 am By Priyanka Pani  |  

The Bank of England (BoE) has long indicated it is interested in new forms of digital currencies such as Stablecoins and central bank digital currencies. In the past, the Bank has wondered about the impact to monetary policy and possible risk regarding the issuance of… Read More

June 8, 2021 @ 11:00 am By JD Alois  |  

While the tactics may change, the goal of fraudsters in financial services remains the same: Separating hard-working individuals and corporations from their money. The emergence of the internet, and digital financial services, has created a new vector in the fight with criminals and those that… Read More

June 8, 2021 @ 8:53 am By JD Alois  |  

The Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack caused incredible disruptions to the US economy costing businesses and consumers millions of dollars in lost productivity. As the price of gas rose, and people queued up at stations waiting on the dwindling supply due to the malfeasance, the perpetrators,… Read More

June 6, 2021 @ 8:49 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

El Salvador is reportedly looking to become the first nation in the world to adopt Bitcoin (BTC) as legal tender. El Salvador’s government might introduce legislation that could potentially make it the first country to adopt BTC as legal tender, along with the US dollar…. Read More

June 5, 2021 @ 11:41 am By JD Alois  |  

The G7 Finance Ministers, along with several international organizations, met the past couple of days in the UK to discuss “building a strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive global economic recovery.” Intermingled amongst the goal of creating a global minimum tax of 15% targeting big tech… Read More

June 4, 2021 @ 5:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

Last week, an official announcement was issued by Senators Cynthia Lummis and Kyrsten Sinema regarding the launch of the US Senate Financial Innovation Caucus. Senators John Hickenlooper, Tim Scott, Marsha Blackburn, Mike Braun, and Bill Cassidy, also joined the Caucus in a show of bipartisan… Read More

June 3, 2021 @ 7:45 pm By JD Alois  |  

The House Committee on Financial Services has announced its agenda for the month of June. While always subject to change, several hearings should be of note to the Fintech community. First, the Task Force on Fintech (Financial Technology) has scheduled a hearing entitled, “Digitizing the… Read More

June 3, 2021 @ 7:29 pm By JD Alois  |  

In a press briefing today, a senior Biden administration official speaking on background discussed initiatives regarding the ongoing fight against corruption. The administration is “formally establishing the fight against corruption as a core national security interest of the United States” while seeking to “bring additional… Read More