Politics, Legal & Regulation

July 20, 2021 @ 5:21 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

A judge’s decision to depose former Securities and Exchange Commission director William Hinman in the case of the SEC vs, Ripple Labs has the cryptocurrency industry talking, so now is a good time to revisit Hinman’s comments as a refresher. Hinman made the comments at… Read More

July 20, 2021 @ 11:05 am By JD Alois  |  

The European Commission has updated the European Union’s anti-money laundering and countering terrorism financing (AML/CFT) rules. Included in the new policy is a requirement that anonymous crypto asset wallets will be prohibited. Along with the new policy on AML/CFT is the creation of a new… Read More

July 20, 2021 @ 10:23 am By JD Alois  |  

Yesterday, the U.S. Presidents Working Group (PWG) on Financial Markets met to discuss stablecoins with an expectation of a recommendation in the coming months. The meeting was convened by the Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen. According to a readout distributed by Treasury, during… Read More

July 19, 2021 @ 3:14 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced fraud charges against Aron Govil of Jacksonville, Florida, for defrauding investors in two companies he controlled, Cemtrex Inc. and Telidyne Inc. Allegedly, Govil, the controlling shareholder and executive director of Cemtrex, misappropriated over $7 million of investor… Read More

July 19, 2021 @ 10:45 am By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) says it has received a temporary restraining order and asset freeze to halt an alleged ongoing offering targeting retail investors. Reportedly, 277 individuals have committed $12 million to a firm called Profit Connect Wealth Services Inc, operated by a… Read More

July 17, 2021 @ 6:05 pm By JD Alois  |  

Digital assets are inclusive of securities, commodities, utilities, and all of the above. For crypto exchanges, the ability to trade security tokens makes sense – if you are fully compliant. Yesterday, the world’s largest crypto exchange Binance announced it will no longer support stock tokens…. Read More

July 17, 2021 @ 4:26 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Leading blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis has released an update titled, “Not All Blockchain Analysis Providers Are the Same and Other Insights from FATF’s Second 12-Month Review.” The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is the inter-governmental entity that’s responsible for establishing international standards relating to anti-money… Read More

July 16, 2021 @ 3:22 pm By JD Alois  |  

Recently, the European Commission distributed a proposal pertaining to the harmonization of consumer credit. The proposal is being reviewed in light of the advent of the digitization of consumer credit. To quote the factsheet distributed by the Commission: “Consumer credit helps consumers finance all sorts… Read More

July 16, 2021 @ 2:51 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

A panel of the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) confirms that it has approved a settlement agreement with Vantage Global Prime Pty Ltd (VGP) and Vantage International Group Ltd (VIG) for selling contracts for difference (CFDs) to Ontario investors in an improper manner. The settlement agreement… Read More

July 16, 2021 @ 12:28 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen has announced plans to convene the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets (PWG) to discuss the hot topic of Stabelcoins. The PWG meeting, which will include the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal… Read More

July 16, 2021 @ 10:11 am By JD Alois  |  

The Bank of Lithuania has issued a warning targeting Binance and its “unlicensed investment services provided in Lithuania.” The Bank did not indicate whether or not it was taking further action to compel Binance to cease any activity within Lithuania. The central bank ordered Binance… Read More

July 15, 2021 @ 7:50 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) revealed on Wednesday (July 14, 2021) that it has decided to indefinitely ban Mastercard Inc (NYSE: MA) from providing any new debit or credit cards to local clients for allegedly violating data storage guidelines. This move appears to be… Read More

July 15, 2021 @ 4:04 pm By JD Alois  |  

“I am concerned about getting this right.” – Jerome Powell Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell hiked up to Capitol Hill this week to visit with the House Financial Services Committee and Senate Banking Committee. The House Comittee held a hearing yesterday with Senate Banking holding… Read More

July 15, 2021 @ 11:51 am By JD Alois  |  

In the days before Q2 earnings, LendingClub (NYSE:LC) has settled its case with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), subject to court approval. According to a release distributed by LendingClub, the settlement requires LendingClub to make an $18 million payment for consumer remediation, an amount already… Read More

July 14, 2021 @ 3:04 pm By JD Alois  |  

SEC Commissioners Elad Roisman and Hester Peirce have joined together in issuing a public statement on Blotics, a firm formerly operating as Coinschedule, and the enforcement action by the SEC that was revealed today. As was previously reported, the SEC has settled charges against the… Read More

July 14, 2021 @ 1:54 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has settled charges against UK company Blotics, the operator of Coinschedule.com, a site that promoted digital securities offerings. Blotics was determined to have violated the anti-touting provisions of the federal securities laws by failing to disclose the compensation it… Read More

July 13, 2021 @ 10:45 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has fined a subsidiary of Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA) $97 million for producing inaccurate and misleading statements and a failure to adequately disclose conflicts of interest to thousands of participants in TIAA record-kept employer-sponsored retirement… Read More

July 13, 2021 @ 10:44 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) is currently seeking regulatory approval to begin offering cryptocurrency trading, PSE President and CEO Ramon Monzon thinks that the bourse can offer an ideal platform for facilitating digital currency trading because of its robust trading infrastructure and established customer safeguard… Read More

July 13, 2021 @ 7:09 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has taken action against GreenSky, LLC for “enabling contractors and other merchants to take out loans on behalf of thousands of consumers who did not request or authorize them,” according to a statement from the Bureau. The CFPB has… Read More

July 13, 2021 @ 6:53 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged a group of people and companies for misleading claims about a recent special purpose acquisition corporation (SPAC), assertions which stood to gain one CEO $200 million in shares. Facing charges are SPAC Stable Road Acquisition Company, its… Read More