Politics, Legal & Regulation

March 27, 2021 @ 9:58 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Digital asset exchange Decoin announced recently that they will support trading GameStop (NYSE:GME) stock using cryptocurrencies. The Decoin team had noted that if you’re still unaware about what’s happening with r/wallstreetbets, then it’s “safe to say that you’ve been living under a rock.” As mentioned… Read More

March 26, 2021 @ 10:17 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Regulators care “as much about consumer preference in debt collection as creditors,” according to Kelly Knepper-Stephens, Vice President Legal & Compliance at TrueAccord, a Fintech that aims to transform debt collection into “a pathway toward financial health.” Kelly, who’s based in the San Francisco Bay… Read More

March 26, 2021 @ 9:35 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has announced that the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York entered a default judgment against Benjamin Reynolds, of Manchester, England. According to the judgment, Reynolds operated a fraudulent scheme to solicit Bitcoin from members of… Read More

March 26, 2021 @ 9:07 am By JD Alois  |  

The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has publicly acknowledged the decision by Crowdcube and Seedrs to abandon the proposed merger of the two venture financing platforms. This past week, the CMA announced it had provisionally decided not to allow the merger to be consecrated…. Read More

March 26, 2021 @ 8:16 am By Omar Faridi  |  

US-based crypto-assets firm Kraken asks when was the last time that a banking institution actually put customer requirements, security and “open access to all” first? David Kinitsky, Kraken Bank CEO, has shared reasons why customers require a “customized” banking structure that “modernizes” the products and… Read More

March 25, 2021 @ 10:47 pm By JD Alois  |  

Several German financial institutions announced a successful step in the direction of enabling digital securities or tokenization of securities. According to a public statement, Deutsche Börse, Deutsche Bundesbank and Germany’s Finance Agency have developed and successfully tested a settlement process for securities. using distributed ledger… Read More

March 25, 2021 @ 9:28 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The team at Optiver, a global tech-focused trading firm that’s dedicated to enhancing the market, says that they realize or are aware that achieving “true resilience” across European equity markets can be a large and “multifaceted” challenge which may not be properly addressed with “a… Read More

March 25, 2021 @ 3:02 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Alberta Securities Commission (ASC) and the Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority of Saskatchewan (FCAA) are looking to boost access to capital for smaller firms by creating new rules to allow issuers to raise up to $5 million in a more streamlined offering. According to… Read More

March 25, 2021 @ 9:35 am By JD Alois  |  

Yesterday it was reported that the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) had provisionally decided to not allow the merger between Seedrs and Crowdcube. The two securities crowdfunding platforms combined were seen as dominating online capital formation for early-stage ventures to the point it would… Read More

March 24, 2021 @ 10:27 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

There’s been a lot of hype around non-fungible tokens or NFTs, with many major digital art auctions and opportunities to exchange virtual trading cards. There’s also been a lot of talk among major investors who believe that these scarce tokens may support the future of… Read More

March 24, 2021 @ 10:05 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

China’s officials have addressed concerns that the digital yuan may be violating or infringing on user privacy. They’ve looked into questions related to “controllable anonymity” as well. STCN reports that on March 20, 2021, Mu Changchun, Director of the Digital Currency Research Institute of the… Read More

March 24, 2021 @ 11:36 am By JD Alois  |  

The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has announced its provisional finding indicating it is not inclined to approve the merger between Seedrs and Crowdcube. In its decision, the CMA said the combined company would control at least 90% of the UK crowdfunding market thus… Read More

March 24, 2021 @ 12:26 am By JD Alois  |  

The New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) has determined that Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and underwriter Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) did not violate fair lending laws in regards to complaints pertaining to the Apple Card. In late 2019, Twitter erupted with a series of Tweets alleging… Read More

March 23, 2021 @ 10:57 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

US Federal Reserve Chairperson Jerome Powell has cautioned that transacting in digital currencies such as Bitcoin can pose significant risks due to the high volatility nature of these new assets. Powell noted that virtual currencies remain highly volatile. He pointed out that Bitcoin may not… Read More

March 23, 2021 @ 3:18 pm By JD Alois  |  

CoinSquare, a Canadian crypto exchange,  has announced that it has come to terms with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) in regards to the information provided regarding CoinSquare users. CoinSquare notes that in late 2020, the CRA filed an application in court to compel Coinsquare to… Read More

March 23, 2021 @ 12:15 pm By JD Alois  |  

Lawrence C. Lee is a top merger and acquisitions attorney operating in the Fintech sector. A partner at Baker McKenzie and based in Palo Alto, Lee was previously in-house counsel for Coinbase where he led strategic transactions and investments. More recently, Lee and his team… Read More

March 22, 2021 @ 12:49 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has posted its 6th draft guidance as to how countries should deal with virtual assets (digital assets) and virtual asset service providers or VASPs. Several years ago, FATF announced an initiative to tackle possible money laundering or the financing… Read More

March 22, 2021 @ 10:10 am By JD Alois  |  

Judith Hartley, CEO of British Patient Capital, believes the UK can do better in providing access to capital for younger tech firms. More specifically, as firms grow there is a need to facilitate funding sufficient to take a company to a point that it may… Read More

March 22, 2021 @ 7:57 am By Lee Schneider  |  

CryptoUK issued a clarion call to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the UK financial and anti-money laundering (AML) regulator, demanding that FCA grant licenses as prescribed by AML rules.  Too many applications have gone unanswered since those rules came into effect over one year ago. … Read More

March 21, 2021 @ 11:19 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Blockchain security firm CipherTrace has provided an analysis on the proposed Financial Action Task Force (FATF) guidance for digital assets and virtual asset service providers (VASPs). On March 19, 2021, global anti-money laundering watchdog, the FATF, released a public consultation for its latest Draft Guidance… Read More