Politics, Legal & Regulation

October 4, 2021 @ 9:53 pm By JD Alois  |  

The House Committee on Financial Services will be holding a virtual hearing tomorrow entitled “Oversight of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission: Wall Street’s Cop Is Finally Back on the Beat.” SEC Chairman Gary Gensler will traipse back to the Capitol to update the Committee on… Read More

October 4, 2021 @ 3:15 pm By JD Alois  |  

Congressman Patrick McHenry and Congressman Tom Emmer have joined to introduce new micro-offering legislation. McHenry is the ranking member on the House Financial Services Committee. Both McHenry and Emmer have long been supportive of financial innovation and small businesses in general. The Small Entrepreneurs’ Empowerment… Read More

October 4, 2021 @ 3:02 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

On Tuesday, September 21, 2021, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) had released an advisory on the sanctions risks associated with carrying out ransomware payments and the “proactive” steps firms may take to address these types of risks. This… Read More

October 4, 2021 @ 9:37 am By JD Alois  |  

The US Federal Reserve is poised to publish a report on the possibility of a central bank digital currency or CBDC. The concept has been bandied about by central bankers for several years now as policymakers seek to assess the benefits, and potential pitfalls, of… Read More

October 3, 2021 @ 8:07 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Digital assets firm Binance is pleased to confirm that they’ve hired Tigran Gambaryan, a former special agent of the Internal Revenue Service—Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Cyber Crimes Unit in Washington, D.C. Tigran joins Binance as Vice President of Global Intelligence and Investigations after working for around… Read More

October 3, 2021 @ 5:43 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

IHS Markit, a leader in critical information, reveals that it’s teaming up with digital assets firm Coinbase (COIN: NASDAQ), in order to offer tax reporting information and related infrastructure. Through this partnership, IHS Markit will be creating and providing Forms 1099-MISC for Coinbase clients, with… Read More

October 1, 2021 @ 6:43 pm By JD Alois  |  

Recently, loanDepot (NYSE:LDI) was hit with a lawsuit by a former executive that alleges fraudulent activity at the online mortgage lender. In a filing dated September 21, 2021, Tammy Richards alleged that loanDepot allowed an environment that enabled sexual harassment and gender discrimination.  Additionally, Richards… Read More

October 1, 2021 @ 3:34 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has charged several individuals in regard to allegations of FOREX and Bitcoin fraud. The CFTC states that an enforcement action has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts against Uduakobong Udo Inyangudo a/k/a Alexander… Read More

October 1, 2021 @ 12:19 pm By JD Alois  |  

This week, Rohit Chopra was confirmed as the next Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The CFPB is a relatively new financial regulator created as part of the Dodd-Frank legislation that emerged following the great recession. The mission of the CFPB is to… Read More

October 1, 2021 @ 8:14 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Fintech Australia has released a tool for early-stage Fintechs and international financial tech platforms expanding into Australia, providing guidance on financial services licensing in Australia and “which government bodies are responsible for managing them.” Created with assistance from law firm K&L Gates and Austrade, the… Read More

September 30, 2021 @ 10:39 am By JD Alois  |  

China’s policy approach to cryptocurrency is pretty clear. It’s not allowed. While there have been ways to skirt the rules the vice has been tightening for quite some time now. A recent statement by the People’s Bank of China clarified things: “Bitcoin and other virtual… Read More

September 29, 2021 @ 7:27 pm By JD Alois  |  

The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA), the entity that represents state and provincial securities regulators, has distributed its annual Enforcement Report. In a public statement, NASAA said there have been a growing number of investigations and enforcement actions involving, precious metals, self directed IRAs,… Read More

September 29, 2021 @ 7:05 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has filed charges against 14 entities for either failing to register as futures commission merchants (FCMs) or else making false and misleading claims of having CFTC registration and National Futures Association (NFA) membership. The CFTC is pursuing cease and… Read More

September 29, 2021 @ 11:09 am By JD Alois  |  

The Bank of England and HM Treasury have joined the central bank digital currency (CBDC) Engagement and Technology Forums. The Forums were created earlier this year alongside a task force exploring a digital pound sterling. CBDCs have emerged as a hot policy issue in the… Read More

September 29, 2021 @ 9:26 am By JD Alois  |  

Today (September 29, 2021) the House Committee on Financial Services, Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Financial Institutions, will hold a hearing on the future of banking. Entitled; The Future of Banking: How Consolidation, Nonbank Competition, and Technology are Reshaping the Banking System, the hearing will… Read More

September 29, 2021 @ 7:49 am By Omar Faridi  |  

One of the “longest-running” crypto exchanges, CoinJar UK Limited has been “officially registered” by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as “a Cryptoasset Exchange Provider and Custodian Wallet Provider.” As mentioned in an update shared with CI: “In January 2020, new regulatory powers were introduced to… Read More

September 28, 2021 @ 5:07 pm By JD Alois  |  

Kraken (Payward Ventures, Inc), a digital asset trading platform, has been hit by a $1.25 million penalty imposed by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). According to a statement by the CFTC, Kraken offered illegal off-exchange trading in digital asetss and failed to register as… Read More

September 28, 2021 @ 4:52 pm By JD Alois  |  

Speaking at the opening of the SEC’s Small Business Capital Formation Committee meeting held earlier this week, Commissioner Hester Peirce shared her opinion on several key topics regarding access to investment opportunities and improvements for crowdfunding exemptions. The subject of the definition of an accredited… Read More

September 28, 2021 @ 9:36 am By JD Alois  |  

The BIS (Bank for International Settlements) has published a report pertaining to central bank digital currency (CBDC) and payments. Crafted in partnership with the HKMA (Hong Kong Monetary Authority), Bank of Thailand, People’s Bank of China and the Central Bank of the UAE, the document… Read More

September 27, 2021 @ 11:52 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The cryptocurrency markets have been trading down after news of another crackdown on the industry from China. The People’s Bank of China (PBoC) has issued a statement that has reiterated that all cryptocurrency trading activities in the country are illegal, and regulatory authorities will be… Read More