Politics, Legal & Regulation

May 9, 2026 @ 1:26 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has finalized an enforcement action against Sidney Lebental, requiring him to pay a $200,000 civil fine for engaging in spoofing practices in the treasury futures market. Lebental, who holds dual French and American citizenship and lived in New… Read More

May 9, 2026 @ 12:42 pm By JD Alois  |  

After an extensive delay due to banking industry representatives who fear a decline in revenue if stablecoin holders earn yild on the holdings, the Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act of 2025 is now scheduled for a Senate Banking Committee hearing for this coming Thursday, May… Read More

May 9, 2026 @ 12:16 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Payward, the parent entity of cryptocurrency exchange Kraken, has taken a step toward expanding its regulated operations in the United States. On May 8, 2026, the company submitted an application to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) for a national trust company charter…. Read More

May 8, 2026 @ 10:19 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

A 30-year-old Saipan resident known as Sze Man Yu Inos, who also goes by the name Yuki, was sentenced to more than five and a half years behind bars for orchestrating a deceptive wire fraud operation that exploited the trust of numerous older women. On… Read More

May 8, 2026 @ 12:05 pm By JD Alois  |  

This week Europe declared a goal of simplifying the regulator environment for the development of artificial intelligence (AI). This is part of a broader understanding the Europe is falling behind in regard to other countries. The EU is frequently lambasted for over-regulation as opposed to… Read More

May 7, 2026 @ 1:44 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Circle, an issuer of U.S. dollar payment stablecoins, has formally responded to federal regulators with a comprehensive set of recommendations aimed at refining the implementation of a new national licensing system for digital payments. In its submission dated May 1, 2026, the company outlined constructive… Read More

May 7, 2026 @ 7:07 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Elliptic pointed out that in law enforcement and regulatory investigations, case deconfliction—ensuring different teams do not unknowingly pursue the same targets—is a routine safeguard. Yet when cryptocurrency is involved, many agencies still struggle to implement it effectively. The obstacle is not a lack of awareness… Read More

May 7, 2026 @ 5:09 am By Omar Faridi  |  

A prominent cryptocurrency investor has launched a legal challenge against Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN), accusing the digital currency exchange of wrongly withholding frozen digital assets tied to a large-scale theft. The plaintiff, identified in court documents only as D.B. and a resident of Puerto Rico, filed the… Read More

May 6, 2026 @ 3:44 pm By JD Alois  |  

The cost of being a public company has risen dramatically in recent years. This cost, mainly due to compliance, is a big reason why there are fewer and fewer public firms. In recognition of this challenge, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has proposed new… Read More

May 6, 2026 @ 11:36 am By JD Alois  |  

Recently, Zohran Mamdani, the mayor of New York City, used Ken Griffin as the backdrop for a video promoting the idea that wealthy New Yorkers need to be punished for their success. In a video, Mamdani criticized Griffin’s “pied a terre” as representative of the fact that… Read More

May 6, 2026 @ 10:58 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is preparing to advance formal rulemaking aimed at providing definitive guidance on when developers of non-custodial software, such as self-custodial wallets and trading interfaces, must register as brokers or associated persons. This development was highlighted by CFTC Chairman… Read More

May 6, 2026 @ 8:55 am By JD Alois  |  

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has revealed an investigation into US-based tech and payment firms PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL), Visa NYSE:V(), and Mastercard (NYSE:MA). The investigation has been launched due to allegations of anti-competitive behavior under the Competition Act of 1998. More specifically, it concerns the… Read More

May 6, 2026 @ 8:11 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Securitize announced that its subsidiary Securitize Markets has gained expanded approvals from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). This marks the first time a standard broker-dealer has been authorized to hold custody of tokenized securities, enabling atomic settlements and on-chain transactions between these assets and… Read More

May 5, 2026 @ 3:32 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

World Liberty Financial has filed a defamation lawsuit against prominent blockchain entrepreneur Justin Sun. The action, lodged on May 4 in Florida’s Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court for Miami-Dade County, accuses Sun of orchestrating a deliberate campaign of misleading public statements designed to undermine the project’s… Read More

May 5, 2026 @ 2:10 pm By JD Alois  |  

Speaking with CNBC today, Citadel founder and CEO Ken Griffin said that, as a direct consequence of the socialist Mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, Citadel will move more jobs to Miami. Griffin said they have filed with the city of Miami to expand… Read More

May 5, 2026 @ 1:55 pm By JD Alois  |  

Legacy banks continue to complain about the possibility of stablecoin yield or rewards included in the CLARITY Act. While banks use fear, uncertainty, and doubt to warn that they will not be able to lend money to consumers and businesses if stablecoin holders earn yield,… Read More

May 5, 2026 @ 10:58 am By JD Alois  |  

Last month, the European Union published a report on wealth taxation, a topic that has been front and center not only in Europe but in the United States. One portion of the discussion concerns how exit taxes could affect decisions to vote with your feet… Read More

May 5, 2026 @ 8:45 am By JD Alois  |  

The American Bankers Association, Bank Policy Institute, Consumer Bankers Association, Financial Services Forum, and Independent Community Bankers of America issued a shared comment on the language regarding the compromise on stablecoin yield. This is the single biggest hurdle for the passage of the CLARITY Act, crypto… Read More

May 5, 2026 @ 7:55 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Circle’s (NYSE:CRCL) French subsidiary has obtained formal authorization from the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) to deliver specialized crypto-asset services. Granted on April 20, 2026, the approval positions Circle Internet Financial Europe SAS—commonly known as Circle France—to provide custody and transfer capabilities for the crypto-assets… Read More

May 4, 2026 @ 4:54 pm By JD Alois  |  

Billionaire investor and entrepreneur Elon Musk has settled an outstanding case with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  The enforcement action was in regard to Musk’s takeover of Twitter, now called X. The allegation was that Musk delayed his disclosure of his purchases of Twitter shares,… Read More