Politics, Legal & Regulation

Policy and regulations impacting innovations in Finance.

FinCEN Updates on Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs), Aims to Reduce the Noise

Financial services firms are required to issue Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) when they suspect money laundering or other illicit activities. This includes transactions of around $10,000 or structured transactions that break up the movement of money. A bank must file a SAR no later than… Read More

Senate Democrats Aim to Upend DeFi, Crypto Industry Pushes Back Against Changes that Undermine Digital Asset Innovation

The US House of Representatives approved digital asset market infrastructure, the CLARITY Act, last July. Since then, the legislation has been stalled in the Senate as members hash out potential changes to the language of the bill, with Republicans distributing their draft and, more recently,… Read More

Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) Strengthens Financial Oversight with Key Q3 2025 Enforcement Actions

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) demonstrated during Q3 2025 its commitment to upholding the integrity of the financial sector through a series of regulatory and enforcement measures. From July to September, MAS says that it has addressed critical issues ranging from licensing non-compliance and… Read More

India’s Stance on Digital Assets : Prioritizing CBDCs Despite High Crypto Adoption

India’s regulatory ecosystem for digital currencies remains a study in contrasts. While the country claims the world’s highest grassroots cryptocurrency adoption rate, as highlighted in Chainalysis‘ 2025 Global Crypto Adoption Index, policymakers continue to favor Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) like the digital rupee (e₹)… Read More

Laffer Curve: UK Continues to Chase Tax Revenue Away as Revolut CEO Domiciles in UAE

The Laffer Curve continues to shed light on how to manage tax policy more effectively. Unfortunately, too few recognize the pragmatech theory that posits a too high tax burden will alter individual behavior. As taxes rise, especially on the affluent, who may relocate easily, this… Read More

European Fintech Groups, Crowdfunding Advocates Send Letter to Policymakers Regarding Financial Data Access Regulation (FIDA)

A large group of European Fintech associations, including some crowdfunding groups, has signed a letter advocating on behalf of the Financial Data Access Regulation (FIDA). The letter has been addressed to the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the Council of the EU. According to… Read More

CSA: Canada Proposes to Harmonize Self Certified Investor Exemption

The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) has proposed a policy to harmonize the self-certified investor prospectus exemption across all Canadian provinces. In Canada, securities regulation happens only at the provincial level. Obviously, this creates more friction for issuers and investors, but the political will to enable… Read More

UK APP Reimbursement Rules Help Return Funds to Victims but Fraud Remains High

October 7, 2025 marks the first year since the UK’s Payment System Regulator or PSR introduced mandatory APP fraud reimbursement rules. Although 88% (£112m) of losses under the policy have reportedly been returned to victims, the total value of claims increased from Q1 to Q2… Read More

UK to Lift Ban on Crypto ETNs for Retail Investors

Kourosh Khanloo, director of corporate strategy at Jefferies-owned Tradu, has shared his perspective with CI on the UK lifting the ban on crypto ETNs for retail investors on October 8, 2025. Kourosh says that he welcomes the UK Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) decision to lift… Read More

Digital Euro: Some Worry About Government Intrusion and Abuse Regarding CBDCs, Digital IDs

While the United States has turned away from the concept of a retail central bank digital currency (CBDC), other jurisdictions, such as Europe and China, have embraced it. As has been reported, a digital Euro is in the works with the European Central Bank (ECB)… Read More

Malta : MFSA Urges FIs to Focus on Ensuring Business Resilience

The Malta Financial Services Authority issued Dear CEO Letter directing Boards and senior management to embed business resilience as a strategic priority. The findings of a recent Thematic Exercise carried out by the MFSA on Business Resilience revealed a number of gaps that would need attention. The… Read More

US Congressman Nick Begich Supports Bitcoin Reserve Plan as Part of Diversification of National Balance Sheet

The US must seriously look into diversifying its national balance sheet and that should, ideally, include Bitcoin (BTC),  according to recent statements made by Representative Nick Begich, who is one of the US lawmakers interested in supporting a bill that may see the nation acquiring… Read More

Coinbase Seeks National Trust Company Charter from OCC to Expand Custody Division

Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN) is taking a step forward in further expanding its business capabilities and regulatory oversight beyond the current framework, as part of an effort to pave the way for tech advancements and growth in building a financial system enabled by digital assets. By seeking… Read More

Stablecoin Transactions Not Taxed as Money May Pose Challenges : CryptoUK

Reacting to comments from Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey that stablecoins could cut reliance on bank lending, a CryptoUK spokesperson said that the organization now welcomes these seemingly positive views from Bailey on the role of stablecoins and crypto-assets more broadly within the United… Read More

Zumo CEO Shares Perspective on Bank of England’s Shift Towards More Positive Stance on Stablecoins

Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey‘s change in stance towards stablecoins has not gone unnoticed by industry professionals. Zumo‘s Founder and CEO Nick Jones said this latest move suggests the Bank of England’s long-held skepticism towards digital assets is beginning to dissipate, and it’s a… Read More

US Government Shutdown May Negatively Impact Economy but Gold and Bitcoin Continue to Surge

Private payrolls fell by 32,000 in September 2025, as momentum across the labor market slowed considerably. ADP noted on Wednesday (October 1, 2025) that the recent downward revisions by the US federal government to benchmark data had been responsible for much of the significant drop…. Read More

SEC Office of Inspector General Finds former Chair Gary Gensler’s Text Messages Were Lost Due to Avoidable Errors, Coinbase Not Exactly Convinced

Last month, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Office of the Inspector General (OIG), issued a memo stating there were “avoidable errors” that led to the loss of former SEC Chairman Gary Gensler’s texts. On January 17, 2024, the SEC Office of Information Technology (OIT) reported… Read More

SEC Issues No Action Letter on State Trust Companies Providing Custody for Crypto

Yesterday, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Investment Management issued a no-action letter regarding the provision of custody for cryptocurrencies. A no-action letter is not a hard ruling but provides guidance for firms engaged in the business addressed in the statement. The letter was… Read More

NYSE Meets with SEC to Discuss Tokenized Securities, Crypto

Tokenized securities, also known as digital securities, will soon become increasingly ubiquitous. However, before the widespread adoption of these digital assets occurs, regulators and operators need to address several issues, as digital securities can incorporate more features and functionality than their analog counterparts. And certain… Read More

Brian Quintenz No Longer Poised to Become Chairman of CFTC

Brian Quintenz, a former CFTC Commissioner, has had his nomination pulled from consideration for the Chairman role at the Commission. The White  House acknowledged the decision last night, according to multiple reports. Nominated in February, Quintenz was a staunch supporter of the emerging digital asset… Read More

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