Politics, Legal & Regulation

February 24, 2020 @ 1:33 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission will be holding a public meeting this week that will address several Fintech focused issues. The Technology Advisory Committee (TAC) meeting will take place on February 26, 2020, at the CFTC’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. The event, scheduled to start… Read More

February 24, 2020 @ 1:21 pm By JD Alois  |  

Last month, Crowdfund Insider reported on two debt-based investment platforms based in Estonia closing their doors leaving investors with many questions and apparently no money. Envestio tweeted that the problem had to do with a “well-planned set of actions aimed to cause significant financial and… Read More

February 23, 2020 @ 6:15 pm By JD Alois  |  

Last week, the US Marshals Service auctioned off 4,041.58424932 Bitcoin. The world’s most popular crypto arrived in the hands of the federal government due to a bevy of legal actions due to various federal criminal, civil and administrative cases. The auction was a cash-only affair… Read More

February 22, 2020 @ 3:24 pm By JD Alois  |  

Morocco has adopted a bill to create a legal framework for crowdfunding according to a report on Media24. The legislation is designed to: “… contribute to the mobilization of new sources of funding for the benefit of very small, small and medium-sized enterprises and young people… Read More

February 22, 2020 @ 3:09 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

A New Jersey lawmaker has proposed a new bill that, if approved and made part of the state’s law, could require digital currency companies to acquire an operational license before offering their products and services. The new bill, called the “Digital Asset and Blockchain Technology… Read More

February 22, 2020 @ 9:48 am By Omar Faridi  |  

London-based Meniga, an established white-label digital banking solution provider, recently confirmed that it had managed to register as an Account Information Service Provider with the UK’s financial regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Meniga has considerable experience working in the Nordic region with non-traditional financial… Read More

February 21, 2020 @ 8:05 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Sweden has reportedly begun piloting an electronic version of its national currency, the krona. The European nation’s government says that the e-krona is a step closer to its official launch as a central bank digital currency (CBDC). The testing of the country’s CBDC will go… Read More

February 20, 2020 @ 5:33 pm By JD Alois  |  

As we have previously reported, Telegram is engaged in a legal battle with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in what may be the biggest SEC cryptocurrency case yet.  One the one side, you have Telegram that raised over a billion dollars from a digital… Read More

February 20, 2020 @ 11:00 am By JD Alois  |  

In October 2019, OurCrowd, one of the leading securities crowdfunding platforms in the world, announced a new partnership with Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE: SF). Simultaneously, it was announced that Stifel was taking a minority stake in the global investment platform. In its brief history, OurCrowd… Read More

February 20, 2020 @ 8:48 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Israeli banks and other financial institutions in the country must not deny banking services to companies dealing in crypto-assets, Avichai Mandelblit, Israel’s attorney general, recently stated. Instead of denying banking services to crypto and blockchain startups, traditional financial service providers must carefully look into each… Read More

February 19, 2020 @ 1:29 pm By JD Alois  |  

Enigma MPC, formerly known as Newton Security Labs, has settled charges leveled by the Enforcement Division of the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding an initial coin offering (ICO). The SEC had accused Enigma of conducting an unregistered securities offering. Enigma raised $45 million by selling… Read More

February 19, 2020 @ 11:02 am By Nick Bhargava  |  

Recently, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed changes to the definition of “accredited investor.” Many issuers and intermediaries hoped the SEC would expand the definition of “accredited investor,” to include qualitative conditions, such as education, or by lowering quantitative thresholds, such as income and… Read More

February 18, 2020 @ 5:35 pm By JD Alois  |  

Mike Bloomberg, the former Mayor of New York City, a successful entrepreneur and a latecomer to the Democrat Presidential Primary, has included cryptocurrencies and Fintech as part of his financial reform platform. According to his campaign website Bloomberg plans to: “promote healthy competition in financial… Read More

February 18, 2020 @ 8:48 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Malta-based digital asset exchange Binance’s Singapore division has applied for a new payments license under the city-state’s new Payment Services Act, which became effective on January 28, 2020. Changpeng Zhao, CEO at Binance, the world’s largest crypto-asset exchange in terms of adjusted trading volume, confirmed:… Read More

February 17, 2020 @ 10:36 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

India’s financial technology sector is expanding rapidly, which has led to SEBI, the nation’s financial market regulator, to launch a regulatory sandbox. The sandbox program will assist local Fintech firms with testing out new products and services with a small group of users before introducing… Read More

February 17, 2020 @ 3:55 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Central Bank of Russia issued a release this week indicating a pilot project leveraging blockchain for the issuance of “digital rights” has been completed. The intent is to allow the tokenization of goods, services, and other assets including securities. Draft legislation is expected soon…. Read More

February 15, 2020 @ 8:06 am By JD Alois  |  

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has filed a civil enforcement action in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado against Breonna Clark, of Denver, Colorado, and Venture Capital Investments Ltd., a Colorado limited liability company, charging them with fraud and failing to… Read More

February 14, 2020 @ 7:35 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Federal agencies and departments established within the US Justice Department and the Treasury Department are reportedly requesting that millions of dollars be allocated to support their oversight and enforcement efforts related to the cryptocurrency industry. US President Donald Trump’s administration introduced its $4.8 trillion budget… Read More

February 14, 2020 @ 6:32 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The US Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC), a major post-trade financial services firm offering clearing and settlement services to large capital markets, is considering establishing an industry consortium to formulate a joint strategy for dealing with security risks in the implementation of blockchain or… Read More

February 13, 2020 @ 11:58 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Jamal El-Hindi, deputy director at the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), a bureau of the US Treasury Department that analyzes information about financial transactions in order to prevent illicit activities, is calling on firms interested in bridging the cryptocurrency space with social media networks and… Read More