Politics, Legal & Regulation

May 11, 2020 @ 8:25 am By Omar Faridi  |  

United Kingdom’s trade group, TheCityUK, recently recommended that the country should update its regulatory framework for Fintech, as the COVID-19 crisis has made it challenging for businesses to operate while following traditional models of finance. There are around 1,600 Fintech companies based in the UK…. Read More

May 11, 2020 @ 7:59 am By Omar Faridi  |  

A potential $5 million online heist in Brazil had attempted to target Spanish financial giant, Banco Santander, however, it was reportedly stopped after the money was seized from local over-the-counter (OTC) digital currency exchanges. The alleged thieves had tried to convert the stolen money into… Read More

May 10, 2020 @ 10:00 pm By Dror Futter  |  

  Buried in the model Series A Certificate of Incorporation of the National Venture Capital Association is the following notation: This Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation includes a sample “pay-to-play” provision, pursuant to which Preferred Stock investors are penalized if they fail to invest… Read More

May 10, 2020 @ 8:00 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Japan is reportedly planning to ease its investment rules and requirements, in order to make it more convenient for banks to invest in Fintech companies. The country is hoping that more relaxed investment guidelines will promote the local lending industry. The lenient policies should help… Read More

May 10, 2020 @ 12:31 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Encrypted messaging service provider Telegram says it will be handing over official communications, bank records and other relevant information to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These details are reportedly being provided as part of an ongoing legal battle against Telegram. US authorities have… Read More

May 8, 2020 @ 6:54 pm By JD Alois  |  

  Michael Terpin has sued 18-year old Ellis Pinsky, a high school senior living in the posh New York City suburb of Irvington in Westchester County. Terpin alleges that Pinsky was the perpetrator of a “sophisticated cybercrime spree” that saw over $100 million stolen in cryptocurrency… Read More

May 8, 2020 @ 4:22 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

  CoolBitX, a blockchain security firm that’s developing the infrastructure needed to bridge the gap between the mainstream financial market and cryptocurrency sector, recently presented its findings of Sygna Bridge’s production report to Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Contact Group members. As mentioned in a… Read More

May 8, 2020 @ 3:57 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Small Business Administration (SBA) has provided some interesting data regarding the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), part of the CARES Act; the COVID-19 bailout legislation. While the first round of PPP saw the funding quickly run out, the second tranche is ongoing. There has been… Read More

May 8, 2020 @ 8:31 am By JD Alois  |  

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global anti-money laundering and terrorist financing organization, posted requirements for virtual asset service providers or VASPs in 2019. The guidelines required intermediaries to maintain information on digital asset transactions from both buyers and sellers – called the Travel… Read More

May 7, 2020 @ 11:18 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) top regulatory authorities have asked local businesses to leverage the latest Fintech solutions to counter anti-money laundering (AML) and other types of illicit financial activities. The advisory was issued by the nation’s reserve bank, Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Justice,… Read More

May 7, 2020 @ 10:54 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate People’s Court made a public announcement on May 6, 2020, about an appeal involving a Bitcoin (BTC) foreign property damage compensation dispute. The second Court trial’s investigation into the matter confirmed that Bitcoin may be considered a digital asset. Therefore,… Read More

May 7, 2020 @ 2:55 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has filed charges against Daniel Fingerhut, Tal Valariola and Itay Barak and companies they controlled pertaining to digital asset and binary options fraud allegations. The scam allegedly generated over $20 million in commissions for the perpetrators. Fingerhut is said… Read More

May 7, 2020 @ 12:30 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Canada has decided to postpone its upcoming Open Banking review due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The Canadian government-led Open Banking policy review was scheduled to consult stakeholders on applicable standards, in order to provide better consumer data protection. The review was supposed to take place… Read More

May 6, 2020 @ 2:34 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

The New Zealand Financial Markets Authority announced earlier this week it has added Karatbar International GmbH, Karabit Foundation, and Associated Companies to its warning list. As previously reported, Karatbars International GmbH is a German company that has been promoting a digital currency, called KaratGold Coin,… Read More

May 6, 2020 @ 8:34 am By JD Alois  |  

The newest COVID-19 support package created by the UK government appears to be a big hit with UK businesses. According to a post by HM Treasury, over 69,000 loans valued at more than £2 billion have been approved in just 24 hours. Bounce Back Loans… Read More

May 6, 2020 @ 7:31 am By JD Alois  |  

The British Business Bank has announced nine new lenders for accredited under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), bringing the total number of CBILS lenders to over 60, according to a release. The new lenders include: Assetz Capital, Atom bank, Ebury, Fleximize, Investec, Social… Read More

May 5, 2020 @ 10:58 pm By JD Alois  |  

Yesterday, Crowdfund Insider reported on the Securities and Exchange Commission announcing “temporary final rule” streamlining Reg CF (or Regulation Crowdfunding).  In announcing the rule change, SEC Chairman Jay Clayton explained that the action responds to feedback the SEC has received from the Small Business Capital… Read More

May 5, 2020 @ 10:34 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Encrypted messaging provider Telegram reportedly missed its April 30, 2020 deadline for launching the Telegram Open Network (TON), a blockchain platform (under development) that will be protected by a built-in “anonymizer” and proxy. The TON platform aims to offer messaging, the Gram cryptocurrency, and various… Read More

May 4, 2020 @ 9:33 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has made it quite difficult for the United States Congress to conduct meetings and deliberate. Lawmakers have offered suggestions regarding how to keep things going during the ongoing crisis. As mentioned in a Senate memo posted on April 30, 2020, blockchain-based… Read More

May 4, 2020 @ 2:43 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced that temporary rule changes regarding Reg CF (Regulation Crowdfunding) in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a release, the SEC is following suggestions made by members of the SEC’s Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee. The… Read More