Politics, Legal & Regulation

December 27, 2025 @ 5:15 am By Michael Wong  |  

The United Arab Emirates has issued a federal decree-law aimed at tightening online protections for children, setting out new duties for internet service providers, digital platforms and caregivers as the Gulf state prepares to designate 2026 as the “Year of the Family”. The decree-law creates… Read More

December 26, 2025 @ 3:52 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Russia’s financial platforms, the Moscow Exchange (MOEX) and the St. Petersburg Exchange, are poised to introduce cryptocurrency trading services as soon as the necessary regulations are approved. This development follows a recent outline from the Bank of Russia proposing controlled access to digital assets for… Read More

December 26, 2025 @ 11:44 am By JD Alois  |  

Polymarket, the largest prediction market in the world, valued at over $8 billion, has grown in a hyperbolic manner. Today, individuals may create or place bets on event-driven wagers on all sorts of outcomes. Many of the listings are mundane, like future US Federal Reserve… Read More

December 26, 2025 @ 8:56 am By JD Alois  |  

The European Union continues to plow forward with Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), unlike the US, which has chosen privately issued stablecoins as a preferred option to enable digital dollars as well as fuel innovation. In a Christmas update, European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine… Read More

December 26, 2025 @ 8:34 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Caroline Ellison, the former head of Alameda Research, is poised to conclude her federal incarceration on January 21, 2026, as indicated by the latest U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons data. At 31 years old, Ellison has spent recent months in a transitional community confinement arrangement,… Read More

December 24, 2025 @ 1:27 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Chainalysis noted that the policy agenda for 2026 is full of deadlines and developments. In the United States, market structure legislation will remain on the policy agenda, even though it is somewhat uncertain at this time just how quickly Congress will be able to resume… Read More

December 24, 2025 @ 9:32 am By JD Alois  |  

The INVEST Act was recently approved by the US House of Representatives and is now in the Senate, where it will be considered to become law. The bill incorporates multiple policy changes that help smaller businesses, as well as improve opportunities for smaller investors. The… Read More

December 23, 2025 @ 2:40 pm By JD Alois  |  

The US Federal Reserve Board has proposed a new “payment account” that certain financial institutions could use solely for clearing and settling payments. This may appeal to Fintechs in the payments sector. This would differ from a “master account,” which is what many regulated financial… Read More

December 23, 2025 @ 9:31 am By JD Alois  |  

The European Commission (EC) has published a fact sheet outlining its ambition to make regulations clearer and more straightforward. The EC is run by an appointed body of policymakers that aims to establish pan-European rules to build a stronger and more cohesive Europe. This includes… Read More

December 22, 2025 @ 8:09 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has assessed a $3,500,000 civil money penalty against Paxful, Inc. and Paxful USA, Inc. (collectively doing business as, Paxful) for its (alleged) willful violations of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), the primary U.S. anti-money laundering… Read More

December 22, 2025 @ 12:39 pm By JD Alois  |  

Last week, Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN) revealed that it had filed suit in the states of Michigan, Illinois, and Connecticut. The company is battling state gaming commissions that are miffed with Prediction Markets being regulated at the federal level by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The battle lines… Read More

December 22, 2025 @ 11:53 am By JD Alois  |  

Mike Selig, the new Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), has issued a statement on this recently approved confirmation. The full Senate voted 53 to 43 to approve the nomination. No Democrats voted to support the nomination. Selig, well known for his support… Read More

December 22, 2025 @ 9:07 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has designated $46.2 million from its Civil Penalty Fund in order to reimburse individuals impacted by the failure of Synapse Financial Technologies. This allocation, approved on November 28, 2025, reportedly addresses losses from frozen accounts following Synapse‘s bankruptcy filing… Read More

December 22, 2025 @ 8:59 am By Michael Wong  |  

US lawmakers released a bipartisan discussion draft aimed at bringing clarity and consistency to how digital assets are taxed, as Congress faces growing pressure to modernise rules written largely before cryptocurrencies entered mainstream finance. The proposal, dubbed the Digital Asset Protection, Accountability, Regulation, Innovation, Taxation,… Read More

December 22, 2025 @ 12:01 am By Michael Wong  |  

The Philippines’ Securities and Exchange Commission has ordered Trading Point Holdings Ltd, which operates under the XM brand, to immediately stop soliciting investments, saying it was offering products to the public without the required registrations and licenses. In a cease-and-desist order, the regulator directed Trading… Read More

December 20, 2025 @ 11:10 am By JD Alois  |  

The House Committee on Financial Services has shared its schedule for January, and the key committee will start the year on a high note by kicking off things by discussing Fintech. The Committee is led by Chairman French Hill who is firmly on the side… Read More

December 19, 2025 @ 7:10 am By Tony Zerucha  |  

A new research paper identifies ways technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning can address shortcomings in anti-money laundering (AML) enforcement. Next generation  AML solutions: An analysis of AI-based tools vis-a-vis the reform of the European AML institutional and substantive architecture, authored by Yaron… Read More

December 18, 2025 @ 11:07 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is now said to be taking action against Illusory Systems Inc. for allegedly failing to implement “adequate data security measures, leading to a major security breach in which hackers stole $186 million from consumers.” Under a proposed order settling the… Read More

December 18, 2025 @ 5:55 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has recently reported the key issues that are now said to be facing the US federal banking system in the Semiannual Risk Perspective for Fall 2025. The OCC reported that the strength of the federal banking… Read More

December 18, 2025 @ 1:06 pm By JD Alois  |  

The  Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council  (SBE Council) has issued a statement on Senator Bernie Sanders’ attempt to establish a moratorium on the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) data centers. Sanders went to X to share his belief that “democracy needs to catch up” to… Read More