Politics, Legal & Regulation

February 20, 2026 @ 10:16 am By JD Alois  |  

Yesterday, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Division of Trading and Markets, updated an FAQ on “crypto asset activities.” The SEC is working through changing rules to accommodate digital assets and the ongoing transition to tokenization and more. After four years of active subversion during… Read More

February 20, 2026 @ 8:42 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The financial services sector is experiencing a significant surge in efforts to obtain U.S. bank charters under President Donald Trump‘s administration. Industry players, particularly fintech companies and other financial firms, are moving quickly to capitalize on what many perceive as a more accommodating regulatory environment… Read More

February 19, 2026 @ 11:07 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Peter Van Valkenburgh, Executive Director of Coin Center, highlighted a decisive shift in congressional debates over digital asset market structure. After months of negotiations on technical matters—including how to classify tokens, handle yield on stablecoins, and divide oversight between federal agencies—the discussion in the Senate… Read More

February 19, 2026 @ 8:04 pm By JD Alois  |  

The House Committee on Financial Services has updated its forthcoming hearings for the coming weeks, and several are of interest to the Fintech sector. Top of the list is a hearing entitled, “Tokenization and the Future of Securities: Modernizing Our Capital Markets.” As capital markets… Read More

February 19, 2026 @ 1:28 pm By JD Alois  |  

Below is the list of members of the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Innovation Advisory Committee. Most of the committee members are CEOs. As all financial services go digital, and digital assets represent the future of securities and more, the CFTC is at a key… Read More

February 19, 2026 @ 12:06 pm By JD Alois  |  

Tokenized money, either stablecoins or central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), are on the forefront of the digital asset sector. Stablecoins were initially the go-to digital asset for crypto traders seeking to exit a holding and hold value in something safe. Today, stablecoins are growing rapidly,… Read More

February 19, 2026 @ 9:38 am By JD Alois  |  

Disclosure is at the heart of the US securities regulatory regime. Providing salient information to investors is key to ensuring decisions are based on recent, accurate data. Yet, over the years, the number of rules and compliance requirements has expanded, adding high cost to the… Read More

February 19, 2026 @ 1:56 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has approved a virtual asset trading platform license for Victory Fintech Company Limited, operating under the brand VDX. This decision marks the first new addition to the SFC’s roster of licensed crypto platforms since June of the previous… Read More

February 18, 2026 @ 3:29 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Elliptic indicated in a blog post that as part of an ongoing effort to further solidify the US’s position as a global enabler of web3 and digital assets, lawmakers and the White House are working urgently to advance the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act—widely known… Read More

February 18, 2026 @ 12:03 pm By JD Alois  |  

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong joined Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno on CNBC today, as both appeared at the World Liberty Forum at Mar-a-Lago. Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN) is the first crypto exchange to go public and one of the largest marketplaces of its kind. Moreno, at one point, was… Read More

February 17, 2026 @ 4:28 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Digital assets firm Circle has formally responded to the Bank of England‘s consultation on establishing a regulatory framework for systemic sterling-denominated stablecoins. This move underscores the UK’s efforts to balance financial stability with the promotion of various payment solutions. The debate over payment stablecoins, or… Read More

February 17, 2026 @ 2:59 pm By JD Alois  |  

A battle line has been drawn between states that want to maintain control over wagering and betting and prediction markets that offer event-driven markets for a wide range of binary outcomes. Earlier today, CFTC Chairman Mike Selig threw down the gauntlet, declaring that the Commission is ready… Read More

February 17, 2026 @ 10:53 am By JD Alois  |  

A wealth confiscation tax has never been widely successful anywhere it has ever been attempted. Yet, some policymakers and pundits continue to support the concept of taxing unrealized gains and wealth thresholds. As the Laffer Curve explained decades ago, excessive taxation will have the opposite… Read More

February 17, 2026 @ 10:06 am By JD Alois  |  

The Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is supporting the fast emerging prediction markets. Following an onslaught of state-based lawsuits, CFTC Chairman Mike Selig has issued a statement defending these marketplaces and filed a friend-of-the-court brief advocating federal oversight rather than piecemeal state regulation. Chairman Selig… Read More

February 17, 2026 @ 8:04 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Digital assets platform OKX announced a regulatory milestone: it has obtained a Payment Institution (PI) license in Malta. This authorization strengthens the company’s foothold across the European Union and enables fully compliant stablecoin-based payment services just ahead of critical EU rules taking effect in March… Read More

February 14, 2026 @ 11:11 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Blockchain security firm CertiK has recently shared critical analyses on the shifting landscapes of cryptocurrency regulation, highlighting both hurdles in the United States and progressive advancements in Dubai. These updates underscore the firm’s expertise in navigating security and compliance amid global crypto developments, offering key… Read More

February 13, 2026 @ 4:49 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

In a recent development in the ongoing battle against international financial fraud, a U.S. federal judge has handed down a 20-year prison term to Daren Li, a 42-year-old man holding dual citizenship in China and St. Kitts and Nevis. The sentence, delivered in absentia in… Read More

February 13, 2026 @ 1:25 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Netherlands is the next jurisdiction that seeks to punish investors by taxing unrealized capital gains. The state of California has been in the news quite a bit recently in regard to its possible confiscation tax that targets wealth investors and shareholders. The obtuse policy,… Read More

February 13, 2026 @ 11:22 am By Omar Faridi  |  

A federal court in Brooklyn has imposed a substantial penalty on the ex-leader of a prominent crypto firm. Braden John Karony, previously at the helm of SafeMoon US LLC, received a 100-month incarceration period for his role in a deceptive operation that misled numerous backers…. Read More

February 13, 2026 @ 8:57 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Paxful Holdings Inc., a peer-to-peer virtual asset exchange that is no longer operational and has been processing withdrawals for the past few months, has been ordered to pay a $4 million criminal fine. The sentencing, handed down on February 10, 2026, follows the company’s admission… Read More