Politics, Legal & Regulation

September 27, 2017 @ 1:01 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Gibraltar Financial Services Commission (GFSC) has taken notice of the rising use of cryptocurrencies and tokenized offerings and instead of blocking them, the Commission will publish a new regulatory framework commencing in January 2018. The new rules will regulate the activities of firms, operating… Read More

September 26, 2017 @ 10:03 am By JD Alois  |  

The Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) shut down E-Coin last week saying the entity had accepted deposits without holding a banking license. Something you should not do in Switzerland. At the same time, FINMA launched bankruptcy proceedings against the individuals involved. FINMA labeled the E-Coins… Read More

September 25, 2017 @ 4:25 pm By JD Alois  |  

The European Central Bank (ECB) has published a “Guide to assessments of Fintech credit institution licence applications.” The purpose of the Guide is described as seeking to enhance transparency for potential Fintech bank applicants and increase their understanding of the procedures and criteria applied by… Read More

September 25, 2017 @ 12:11 pm By JD Alois  |  

Speaking at the Online Lending Policy Summit in Washington, DC, Acting Comptroller of the Currency Keith Noreika discussed the online lending industry and his perspective on responsible innovation. Noreika told the conference participants; “I see the growth of online lending and marketplace lenders as the… Read More

September 24, 2017 @ 9:18 pm By Jennifer Rimbach  |  

  Millions of Americans rely on domestic discretionary spending appropriated by the U.S. Federal Government, including everything from affordable housing and education to the arts. Agencies such as the Department of Housing and Urban Development provide programs and services that impact neighborhoods and communities across… Read More

September 24, 2017 @ 1:47 pm By JD Alois  |  

The International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) held a meeting this past week of the Growth and Emerging Markets (GEM) Committee. This committee is the largest within IOSCO, representing over 75% of their membership. Ranjit Ajit Singh, Chairman, Securities Commission, Malaysia, and Vice Chair of… Read More

September 22, 2017 @ 5:45 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has published the agenda for the upcoming Investor Advisory Committee (IAC) meeting scheduled for October 12th. The meeting may be a bit more interesting as there is a panel scheduled to discuss Blockchain utilization or Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT)… Read More

September 21, 2017 @ 12:43 pm By JD Alois  |  

The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has filed a federal civil enforcement action in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against Defendants Nicholas Gelfman, of Brooklyn, New York, and Gelfman Blueprint, Inc. (GBI), charging the duo with fraud, misappropriation, and issuing… Read More

September 21, 2017 @ 10:31 am By JD Alois  |  

Fintech Bridge is Topic of Focus The UK government will host a “GREAT Festival of Innovation” in Hong Kong to showcase UK innovation and technology to the world. The announcement was shared by International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox today. Total bilateral trade between the UK… Read More

September 21, 2017 @ 7:28 am By JD Alois  |  

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has entered into a co-operation agreement with the Hong Kong Insurance Authority (IA) designed to enhance collaboration in supporting Fintech innovation.  The FCA explains the agreement includes information sharing and mutual referrals of Fintech firms looking to enter into either… Read More

September 20, 2017 @ 9:33 pm By JD Alois  |  

SEC Chairman Jay Clayton issued a statement today tackling the importance of cybersecurity and detailing the agency’s approach to cybersecurity as an organization and as a regulatory body. The pronouncement comes at a time following the revelation of the massive Equifax hack that has put… Read More

September 20, 2017 @ 9:27 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has just released guidance for public companies and crowdfunding platform operators to support them in using the new “crowd-sourced funding (CSF)” regime. The updated rules kick off on 29 September 2017. While rules only apply to public companies,… Read More

September 19, 2017 @ 2:39 pm By JD Alois  |  

Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs), the hot crowdfunding market that uses tokenized securities based on cryptocurrencies, is still looking to gain its sea legs. While there have been multiple phenomenal ICOs, like the recent Filecoin home-run that raised over $200 million ($135 million in just one… Read More

September 19, 2017 @ 1:16 pm By Erin Hobey  |  

Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the International Financial Centre in Abu Dhabi, in collaboration with KPMG, announced that 11 outstanding global FinTech firms have been shortlisted for the inaugural FinTech Abu Dhabi Innovation Challenge in October.  The selected firms are currently undergoing an intensive five-week… Read More

September 19, 2017 @ 8:14 am By JD Alois  |  

Hogan Lovells, a global law firm, is showcasing its recently launched Hogan Lovells “Engage”: Authorization Tool. The new Regtech application aims to guide Fintech startups through the process of authorization from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The tool is free to use on the Hogan Lovells… Read More

September 19, 2017 @ 7:54 am By JD Alois  |  

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published their approach to the EU directive known as PSD2.  This directive defines the requirements for firms that provide payment services and impacts a wide range of financial service firms including Fintechs. PSD2 ostensibly aims to improve consumer… Read More

September 18, 2017 @ 10:35 pm By JD Alois  |  

Earlier this month, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto declared that, “Today, one of the challenges we have, and perhaps an instrument to ensure further development, is financial inclusion”. Fintech is viewed as the way to provide better services to the masses. President Peña Nieto announced… Read More

September 18, 2017 @ 11:28 am By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Investor Advisory Committee (IAC) has scheduled its next meeting at SEC HQ for October 12th. The meeting is open to the public but the SEC always live streams the proceedings on the SEC web site. According to the announcement… Read More

September 18, 2017 @ 7:51 am By JD Alois  |  

The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Lebanon’s Capital Markets Authority (CMA). The agreement is said to enhance information sharing and cooperation around supervisory issues, further extending the existing relationship between the two markets. DFSA has recently been… Read More

September 16, 2017 @ 10:46 am By JD Alois  |  

Ezubao executives are looking at doing some hard time following the conclusion of proceedings at Beijing No. 1 Intermediate Peoples Court. Ezubao maintains the ignominious record of the largest peer to peer lending fraud ever. The Ponzi scheme has been estimated at pilfering over $7.7… Read More