Politics, Legal & Regulation

October 10, 2019 @ 3:28 pm By JD Alois  |  

In a wide-ranging speech at The World Federation of Exchanges General, Jacqueline Loh, Deputy Managing Director, Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) addressed the advent of blockchain or distributed ledger technology (DLT) in the utilization of regulated securities and exchanges. Singapore is a noted Fintech Hub… Read More

October 10, 2019 @ 2:52 pm By Cali Haan  |  

In a 112-page order, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has rejected NYSE Arca’s request for a rule change to allow the company to sell a “Bitwise” Bitcoin ETF to retail traders. The proposal is believed to be the last remaining request for a… Read More

October 10, 2019 @ 11:32 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has reportedly initiated settlement discussions with Reggie Middleton, the manager of Veritaseum’s (VERI) $14.8 million initial coin offering (ICO). In August, the SEC Enforcement Division announced charges against Reginald “Reggie” Middleton who allegedly engaged in fraud related to… Read More

October 10, 2019 @ 9:57 am By JD Alois  |  

U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has announced the appointment of  Melissa Netram as Director of LabCFTC. Launched in May 2017, LabCFTC is an initiative aimed at facilitating market-enhancing Fintech innovation. Netram will be responsible for coordinating closely with international and U.S. regulators and Capitol Hill… Read More

October 10, 2019 @ 9:45 am By JD Alois  |  

Speaking at the Yahoo Markets All Finance conference, Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chair Dr. Heath P. Tarbert made several important comments today. Tarbert stated, that in his opinion, Ether is a commodity and thus not a security. Tarbert also predicted trading of Ether derivatives as… Read More

October 10, 2019 @ 1:29 am By Cali Haan  |  

The European Union’s finance commissioner-designate, Valdis Dombrovskis, has told fellow members of Europe’s governing body that he plans to propose laws for the regulation of cryptocurrencies, Reuters reports. “Europe needs a common approach on crypto-assets such as Libra…I intend to propose new legislation on this,” Dombrovskis… Read More

October 9, 2019 @ 3:09 pm By JD Alois  |  

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, is scheduled to testify in front of the House Financial Services Committee later this month in what is expected to be a thorough grilling regarding Facebook’s stablecoin Libra and Facebook’s operations in general. Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Chairwoman of the… Read More

October 9, 2019 @ 12:32 pm By JD Alois  |  

The US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued guidance today for “taxpayers who engage in transactions involving virtual currency.” Expanding on guidance from 2014, the IRS is issuing additional guidance to help taxpayers better understand their reporting obligations for specific transactions involving virtual currency. The… Read More

October 9, 2019 @ 1:42 am By Cali Haan  |  

An advocacy group representing mainstream stock exchanges and clearinghouses from around the globe, the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE), has asked the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) not to ban cryptocurrency derivatives products aimed at retail investors. In a consultation paper issued by the FCA… Read More

October 8, 2019 @ 10:14 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) officially closed comments on its concept release regarding regulatory harmonization of securities offerings exemptions on September 24, 2019. But as in past cases, comments have continued to trickle in and we would not be surprised if more follow. That… Read More

October 8, 2019 @ 1:36 am By Cali Haan  |  

Aidan Curry, 23, and Connor Brooke, 25, have pleaded guilty in California to one count of Money Laundering Conspiracy for running an unlicensed money transmitting business (MTB) in which they traded cash “with complete strangers,” no questioned asked, for bitcoins and vice versa. The defendants… Read More

October 7, 2019 @ 9:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

Last week, the Alberta Securities Commission (ASC) adopted a “Blanket Order” for “Startup Crowdfunding Registration and Prospectus Exemptions.” In effect, the ASC was seeking to improve access to capital for smaller firms – a good thing- but the move also highlights the disparity between the… Read More

October 7, 2019 @ 8:35 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Lawyers at Roche Freedman LLP filed a class action suit on October 6th against Bitfinex, Tether, and associated parties and firms. The suit alleges plaintiffs collectively suffered over $1.4 trillion USD in damages due to defendants alleged violation of Commodities Exchange and federal RICO statutes, as well… Read More

October 6, 2019 @ 1:52 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) held the 4th meeting of the Technology Advisory Committee (TAC) this past week, sponsored by CFTC Commissioner Brian Quintez. Several of the topics included hot areas of Fintech such as the utilization of distributed ledger technology (DLT/ Blockchain) in… Read More

October 5, 2019 @ 11:19 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Andrew Jenkins, director of UK-based mobility data and analytics firm Arity, has been appointed (on October 4) as the new Fintech envoy for Northern Ireland. The appointment has been made by John Glen, the Economic Secretary to the Treasury. Glen stated: “Fintech is vital to… Read More

October 5, 2019 @ 11:13 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Florida’s regulatory authorities are investigating Karatbars, a German firm that’s been promoting a crypto token linked to a Miami “crypto bank,” which does not have a banking license. Karatbars previously launched a cryptocurrency that the company claimed was backed by gold. In addition to developing… Read More

October 4, 2019 @ 4:53 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Binance, the world’s largest digital asset exchange by adjusted trading volume, has teamed up with crypto analytics company Confirm in order to enhance its anti-money laundering (AML) compliance procedures. Binance’s integration of Coinfirm’s blockchain-agnostic AML platform will improve the Malta-based exchange’s compliance with the relevant… Read More

October 4, 2019 @ 10:31 am By JD Alois  |  

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) will host Fintech Forward 2019: Exploring the Unwritten Future. This will be the CFTC’s second annual Fintech conference where regulators and the public may interact and engage in the hot topics of innovations in financial services. Fintech Forward will… Read More

October 4, 2019 @ 2:00 am By Cali Haan  |  

Liechtenstein’s parliament has passed the Blockchain Act, “(a) new law (that) aims to strengthen the legal certainty for users and service providers…to further promote the positive development of the ‘token economy’ in Liechtenstein…(and) protect the reputation of the country,” according to lawyer Dr. Günther Dobrauz, The law was… Read More

October 3, 2019 @ 9:08 pm By Cali Haan  |  

The New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS), the body responsible for regulating securities in New York, is hiring another Deputy Superintendent for Virtual Currency to help helm department’s newly created Research and Innovation Division for fintech, cryptocurrencies and DLT. The Deputy Superintendent will maintain,… Read More