Politics, Legal & Regulation

June 24, 2019 @ 3:34 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Facebook announced it’s forthcoming price-stabilized cryptocurrency, “Libra,” last week, and many politicians across the globe have been sounding the alarm on it. A number of American politicians issued sober warnings regarding the advent of Libra. US Senator Sherrod Brown warned that Facebook’s new payment system would… Read More

June 24, 2019 @ 12:35 pm By JD Alois  |  

Later this week the V20 conference will take place alongside the bi-annual G20 event being hosted in Japan. The G20 is, of course, the global powwow of 19 leading nations plus the EU. While mostly a lot of hobnobbing and back-room policy wrangling, while in… Read More

June 24, 2019 @ 10:44 am By JD Alois  |  

Tomorrow (June 25) SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce will be speaking about the “SEC, Entrepreneurship, Fintech and the Economy.” The event is open to the public but it will be live-streamed on the Heritage Foundation’s website for free. Peirce is well known for her thoughtful approach… Read More

June 24, 2019 @ 10:20 am By JD Alois  |  

Last week, FATF President Marshall Billingslea of the US, chaired the Plenary meeting under the U.S. Presidency in Orlando.  US Secretary of Treasury Steven T. Mnuchin was on hand to provide remarks on the accomplishments of the group. As part of his speech at the… Read More

June 24, 2019 @ 7:43 am By JD Alois  |  

Bitbond, a Germany-based global online lending platform that is in the process of issuing one of the first security tokens, says guidelines issued by FATF impacting “virtual asset service providers” or VASPs – has gone too far. Bitbond, licensed by BaFin, is in the midst… Read More

June 23, 2019 @ 11:36 am By JD Alois  |  

LawCloud, formerly doing business as iDisclose, issued a not last week addressing the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Report on Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF). The report is a point in time snapshot of sector progress for the smallest sector of online capital formation. In brief,… Read More

June 22, 2019 @ 12:00 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Fiduciary and operational incompetence have been a matter of record since news emerged that Gerald Cotten, CEO of the Canadian cryptocurrency trading platform QuadrigaCX, died without giving anyone password access to $215 million CAD of user cryptocurrencies he ostensibly kept in cold wallet storage devices…. Read More

June 22, 2019 @ 8:30 am By Cali Haan  |  

Bank of England Governor Mark Carney told colleagues at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet for Bankers and Merchants of London June 20th that DLT (distributed ledger technology, also known as “blockchain”) used for financial settlements could save, “….billions of pounds in capital and liquidity that can be… Read More

June 21, 2019 @ 7:10 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is out with their “Guidance for a Risk-based Approach: Virtual Assets and Virtual Service Providers.” This guidance, which was widely expected to be released today, should be rubber-stamped at next week’s G20 meeting in Japan. The proposals included in… Read More

June 21, 2019 @ 8:33 am By JD Alois  |  

Allison Lee has been confirmed by the US Senate as a Commissioner at the Securities and Exchange Commission. Earlier this month, Lee testified in front of the Senate Banking Committee as part of the confirmation process. Lee has spent the bulk of her career at… Read More

June 20, 2019 @ 1:02 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Bank of England has published a report entitled, “Future of Finance: Review on the Outlook for the UK Financial System: What it means for the Bank of England.” The report is authored by Huw van Steenis. According to the document, van Steenis’ mission was… Read More

June 20, 2019 @ 11:06 am By JD Alois  |  

The Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs has booked a hearing on Facebook and its recently announced cryptocurrency Libra. The hearing was largely anticipated as multiple politicians issued public statements on the day Facebook revealed their vision for the future of finance using… Read More

June 20, 2019 @ 5:00 am By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has published a statutory report on Regulation Crowdfunding commonly referenced as Reg CF. The mandated report must be forwarded to Congress three years after Reg CF rules became effective (May 2016). Reg CF is the smallest of three federal… Read More

June 19, 2019 @ 4:34 pm By JD Alois  |  

Following today’s FOMC meeting where the US Federal Reserve announced no change in interest rates at this time, Fed Chair Jerome Powell was asked a question about crypto. In the Q&A session that typically accompanies the FOMC statement, one reporter asked Powell if he was… Read More

June 19, 2019 @ 10:50 am By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission is seeking comments on the current securities exemption structure. In a release yesterday, the SEC asked the public to provide feedback on “ways to simplify, harmonize, and improve the exempt offering framework to expand investment opportunities while maintaining appropriate investor… Read More

June 19, 2019 @ 6:48 am By JD Alois  |  

Late last month, the New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) announced the creation of a new Cybersecurity Division. The new Division is described as a first of its kind by DFS. Acting DFS Superintendent Linda A. Lacewell appointed Justin Herring as Executive Deputy Superintendent… Read More

June 18, 2019 @ 10:47 pm By JD Alois  |  

Representative Maxine Waters, Chairwoman of the powerful House Financial Services Committee issued the following statement in the wake of Facebook’s cryptocurrency announcement today. Facebook’s “Libra” is a stablecoin created from a basket of assets but the ecosystem also has the ability to create smart contracts… Read More

June 18, 2019 @ 10:13 pm By JD Alois  |  

As reported earlier today, Facebook officially launched its long-anticipated stablecoin named Libra. Facebook revealed details of their own cryptocurrency stating it was based on a “collection of currencies and other assets.” Facebook also said Libra will be able to create Smart Contracts similar to Ethereum… Read More

June 18, 2019 @ 5:45 pm By JD Alois  |  

Several US politicians have issued statements critical of Facebook’s new cryptocurrency – Libra. Officially announced today, Libra is first a payment platform but Facebook has much bigger ambitions with the crypto. Facebook views it as a step in the direction of redefining financial services. US… Read More

June 17, 2019 @ 3:48 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Lithuania’s previously unregulated cryptocurrency sector will now have to abide by provisions set out in the Fifth EU Anti-Money Laundering Prevention Directive, Lithuanian news outlet Delfi reports. Amendments to existing laws, made last Wednesday by members of the Lithuanian cabinet, oblige all crypto businesses in… Read More