Politics, Legal & Regulation

December 17, 2025 @ 10:16 am By JD Alois  |  

The GENIUS Act, signed into law last July, legalized payment stablecoins as issued by regulated financial services firms. This includes traditional banks, with many poised to move into the new form of value transfer and payments. Yesterday, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) issued a… Read More

December 17, 2025 @ 8:01 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Custodia Bank, a Wyoming-chartered crypto-assets custody institution, has petitioned the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit for an en banc rehearing of a divided panel’s October 2025 ruling that affirmed the Federal Reserve‘s discretion to deny it a master account. A master… Read More

December 16, 2025 @ 2:58 pm By JD Alois  |  

The American Fintech Council (AFC) has issued a statement in support of the Bank-Fintech Partnership Enhancement Act (HR 6552). The legislation requires the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Comptroller of the Currency, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to study how… Read More

December 16, 2025 @ 11:35 am By JD Alois  |  

Earlier this month, Citadel Securities issued a statement addressed to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) stating that it should not grant exemptive relief regarding the definitions of an exchange or a broker-dealer for DeFi trading protocols. Citadel claimed that granting broad exemptive relief from… Read More

December 16, 2025 @ 10:09 am By JD Alois  |  

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has posted an update on Open Banking. Unlike in the US, the UK has outlined prescribed requirements for financial services firms to allow customers to control their data, specifying who may access it, while providing streamlined processes for changing… Read More

December 15, 2025 @ 5:17 pm By Michael Wong  |  

South Korea’s push to tighten rules for virtual assets is moving into a second legislative phase focused on stablecoins, as policymakers and financial firms step up discussions on how won-linked tokens could be issued and used, according to organisers of an industry forum. The second… Read More

December 15, 2025 @ 12:03 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Germany’s regulatory authority BaFin has reportedly imposed stricter oversight on digital bank N26, which now includes certain limits on new business based in the Netherlands along with the appointment of a special monitor. As widely reported, this is not the first time that N26 has… Read More

December 15, 2025 @ 10:51 am By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange  Commission, Crypto Task Force, is holding another roundtable today (December 15, 2025). The topic of discussion is financial privacy and surveillance. As blockchain technology can provide broad capabilities for monitoring transactions, and the US government has been known to abuse its… Read More

December 15, 2025 @ 7:50 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Blockchain analytics firm Elliptic noted that 2025 has marked a turning point in how governments regulated cryptocurrency. Rather than depending on enforcement actions to shape the fast-evolving industry, jurisdictions across the globe have implemented comprehensive regulatory frameworks with requirements being defined clearly upfront. Elliptic pointed… Read More

December 15, 2025 @ 3:56 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Circle Internet Group, Inc. (NYSE: CRCL), one of the world’s internet financial platform companies, announced a regulatory milestone in the United Arab Emirates as it strengthens its presence in the region. Circle has secured a Financial Services Permission (FSP) license from the Financial Services Regulatory… Read More

December 14, 2025 @ 4:35 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Global Dollar Network (GDN) announced that it has grown to over 100 partners and its USD-backed stablecoin, Global Dollar (USDG), surpassed a market cap of $1 billion. This supports the aim to form a more open, enterprise-grade digital dollar ecosystem—supporting real-world financial use cases. As… Read More

December 13, 2025 @ 2:33 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

As expected, the Web3 community had plenty to say about the Fed and rate cuts this week. Read on to learn about the impacts on crypto and the broader markets. “This rate cut validates our view that restrictive policy is giving way to a slower,… Read More

December 13, 2025 @ 8:18 am By Omar Faridi  |  

KPMG UK has commented on the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) final rules on targeted support. Sharing insights and perspective on the publication of the FCA’s final rules on targeted support, Jane Wilson, Targeted Support Lead, KPMG UK, says that this is considered to be “a… Read More

December 12, 2025 @ 6:24 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has approved five national trust bank charter applications. The approvals are conditional but will allow the entities to operate under federal rules. The entities approved are in the digital asset sector, including First National Digital Currency… Read More

December 12, 2025 @ 12:34 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Trump Administration wants to ensure that the development of artificial intelligence (AI) is regulated at the federal level and not by individual states. While Republicans tend to give states broad leeway in governance, the current Administration fears a fragmented approach to AI development will… Read More

December 12, 2025 @ 9:31 am By JD Alois  |  

As was reported earlier, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) released a preliminary review of Debanking. The action of Debanking individuals and other organizations was a nefarious pursuit that came to light during the Biden Administration. In effect, banks would close accounts,… Read More

December 12, 2025 @ 9:00 am By JD Alois  |  

The Increasing Investor Opportunities Act of 2025, or Invest Act (HR 3383), was approved by the US House of Representatives yesterday, with 302 in favor and 123 opposed. Eight Representatives did not vote. This legislation may completely reform the definition of an Accredited Investor, which is currently a… Read More

December 12, 2025 @ 8:02 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Do Kwon, the disgraced founder of Terraform Labs, has reportedly been sentenced to serve 15 years in prison for his alleged role in the spectacular collapse of the Luna tokens, a catastrophic incident that erased a massive $40 billion in capital back in 2022. Kwon… Read More

December 11, 2025 @ 6:15 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) is making a big move into tokenization. Currently, DTCC is a vital part of the securities trading and tracking ecosystem. In 2024, DTCC’s subsidiaries processed securities transactions valued at US$3.7 quadrillion, and its depository subsidiary provided custody and… Read More

December 11, 2025 @ 12:09 pm By JD Alois  |  

During the Biden Administration, policy was aligned against Fintech innovation, including digital assets. Banks were effectively warned not to engage in the crypto sector, something that led to some being debanked – a nefarious action of cutting out firms and individuals from the financial sector…. Read More