Politics, Legal & Regulation

January 14, 2020 @ 1:24 pm By Anthony Zeoli  |  

While it passed somewhat under the radar with the holiday season, on December 18, 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) released a proposal to significantly amend the existing “accredited investor” definition; which is integral in determining who can participate in private securities transactions. The… Read More

January 14, 2020 @ 8:26 am By JD Alois  |  

The Texas State Security Board (TSSB) has published its list of “Top Investor Threats in 2020 – and How to Avoid Them.” Included on the list are crypto offerings. The TSSB is the securities regulator for the state of Texas. The regulator has been active… Read More

January 13, 2020 @ 6:10 pm By JD Alois  |  

The US House Financial Services Committee, Chaired by Representative Maxine Waters, has adjusted this month’s schedule a bit. Crowdfund Insider published January’s schedule last week but on Friday several important changes were made. First, the Hearing for the Fintech Task Force has been moved up… Read More

January 12, 2020 @ 8:43 am By Cali Haan  |  

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is seeking a default judgment against Nikolay Evdokimov and his Cayman Islands firm ICOBox. The agency is also seeking permanent enjoinment of Evdokimov and ICOBox, a $16,059,428.99 disgorgement and a civil penalty against Evdokimov of about $190 000… Read More

January 11, 2020 @ 12:04 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Indian banking institutions and Fintech firms have reportedly been given the green light to use video calls, in order to carry out know-your-customer (KYC) compliance checks, after a recent ruling by the nation’s central bank. The updated rules and guidelines will allow regulated entities to… Read More

January 11, 2020 @ 7:47 am By Cali Haan  |  

In the SEC’s January 2nd letter requesting compulsion of bank records from private messaging app provider Telegram, the regulator claimed it had documents showing that Telegram, “paid commissions to purchasers who were buying Grams to resell to other investors…” Brokered sales, the SEC wrote, “render… Read More

January 10, 2020 @ 7:42 pm By Cali Haan  |  

A judge presiding over case involving the SEC and private messaging company Telegram has ruled that the SEC can ask deposed executives questions about how they have been disposing of $1.7 billion USD raised in 2018 to fund construction of the Telegram blockchain. The SEC… Read More

January 9, 2020 @ 9:14 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Former IMF managing director and newly-appointed president of the European Central Bank (ECB), Christine Lagarde, says Europe’s central bank has set up a special committee to study the feasibility and “unintended side effects” of a central bank digital currency. Lagarde made the comments at the… Read More

January 9, 2020 @ 8:26 am By JD Alois  |  

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has launched a consultation on the competition for savings and ISA accounts. The FCA has previously raised concerns regarding interest rates paid to consumers who tend to remain with a financial institution even though their money may generate a… Read More

January 8, 2020 @ 10:38 pm By Cali Haan  |  

The SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) has released its 2020 Examination Priorities report. For the most part, there will be much business as usual at the OCIE, and the division will continue in 2020 to, “…prioritize the examination of certain practices, products, and… Read More

January 8, 2020 @ 9:29 pm By Cali Haan  |  

On Monday, Telegram, makers of the popular private messaging app Telegram, issued a public notice to, “clarify certain aspects of the TON Blockchain and Grams,” as the company, “continue(s) to prepare for a successful launch of the project.” TON is intended to function as a… Read More

January 8, 2020 @ 8:55 am By JD Alois  |  

There has been a good amount of discussion regarding Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) – digital iterations of the Euro, Dollar etc. Many central banks are experimenting with the concept. Another thought-provoking idea is the creation of a “synthetic hegemonic currency” as proposed by the… Read More

January 8, 2020 @ 8:12 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Turkey’s Capital Markets Board is reportedly planning to regulate cryptocurrency-related transactions. The Capital Markets Board of Turkey (CMB), the regulatory agency that oversees the nation’s financial securities markets, is in the process of formulating guidelines to examine, audit, and regulate the local digital asset markets,… Read More

January 7, 2020 @ 9:19 pm By JD Alois  |  

The House Financial Services Committee has published its schedule of hearings for the month of January. Included in the mix, is a gathering of the Fintech Task Force, a relatively new entity created by Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters. The Fintech Task Force will review the… Read More

January 7, 2020 @ 4:03 pm By JD Alois  |  

Telegram, issuer of one of the highest-profile token offerings of all time that raised $1.7 billion, is in the midst of a protracted legal battle with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Last October, the SEC filed an emergency action and obtained a temporary restraining… Read More

January 7, 2020 @ 3:16 pm By Cali Haan  |  

The judge presiding over an SEC case alleging Telegram sold unlicensed securities has denied the SEC’s request for immediate disclosure of bank records relating to Telegram’s $1.7 billion sale of GRAM cryptographic tokens. Instead, Judge P. Kevin Castel has ordered the private messaging company to, “set… Read More

January 7, 2020 @ 11:14 am By JD Alois  |  

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) recently published a paper on blockchain or “distributed ledger technology” (DLT) claiming that the technology could be used to create “digital tokens” to effect settlements in wholesale transactions. Produced by the BIS Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures, the… Read More

January 6, 2020 @ 6:11 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is on the cusp of a significant update to the definition of an accredited investor (AI). Depending on the final rules, the Commission could broadly expand access to private securities offerings – a sector of the capital markets that… Read More

January 6, 2020 @ 2:25 pm By JD Alois  |  

CBDCs Could Disintermediate in a Structural Way the Banking System. The European Central Bank (ECB) has published a paper on Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs).  CBDCs are the state form of stablecoins – cryptocurrency based off a single asset like the Dollar, Euro or Pound… Read More

January 4, 2020 @ 9:24 am By Cali Haan  |  

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has asked a judge to order Telegram to submit bank records detailing how it has been spending $1.7 billion USD it raised from investors in 2018, Finance Magnates(FM) reports. Telegram is currently contesting emergency orders obtained by the… Read More