Politics, Legal & Regulation

February 21, 2025 @ 11:28 am By JD Alois  |  

Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN) is reporting that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is poised to drop all charges leveled at the digital asset platform, contingent upon the approval of a majority of Commissioners. As Republicans now control the Commission, this should be little more than a… Read More

February 21, 2025 @ 9:29 am By JD Alois  |  

In January 2024, the then Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had his X account hacked. The individual who commandeered the account used his access to announce the approval of Bitcoin ETFs, impersonating Chair Gary Gensler – one day before the SEC intended… Read More

February 20, 2025 @ 4:18 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Accredited Investor definition is one of the most obtuse rules enforced by the Securities and Exchange Commission. In place for decades, the rule defines who can participate in certain private securities offerings. Broadly speaking, an individual is deemed Accredited if they earn over $200,000… Read More

February 20, 2025 @ 1:17 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has created a new Cyber and Emerging Technologies Unit (CETU). This new entity aims to protect investors from bad actors utilizing technology to commit fraud and replaces the previous Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit. CETU will be led by… Read More

February 20, 2025 @ 12:14 pm By JD Alois  |  

In an address to the European Parliament, Olli Rehn, First Vice-Chair of the European Systemic Risk Board and Governor of the Bank of Finland, voiced his concerns regarding policy changes in the US as the Trump Administration takes over the federal bureaucracy, including financial regulators…. Read More

February 20, 2025 @ 9:44 am By JD Alois  |  

DOGE or the Department of Government Efficiency, has been running through the various federal bureaucracies looking for fat to cut and employees to eliminate. While there has been much hand-wringing from opposition Democrats and individuals impacted, the majority of the US is supporting the move… Read More

February 20, 2025 @ 8:40 am By Omar Faridi  |  

On January 27, 2025, the European Central Bank (ECB) adopted Decision (EU) 2025/222, titled “Decision of the European Central Bank on access by non-bank payment service providers to Eurosystem central bank operated payment systems and central bank accounts” (ECB/2025/2). This decision expands access to Eurosystem… Read More

February 19, 2025 @ 8:05 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council) is concerned about the Trump Administration’s policy of keeping its predecessor merger guidelines. In a public statement, the SBE Council said that “arbitrary and muddy guidelines”  pursued by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) harm opportunities for early-stage firms… Read More

February 19, 2025 @ 5:23 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Donald Trump’s first 30 days of his second term as President of the United States have been quite eventful. To mark the occasion, Saxo Bank spoke to Trump’s former Communications Director, Anthony Scaramucci, to get his take on Trump’s first month. Scaramucci is probably best known for… Read More

February 19, 2025 @ 5:10 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Daniel Gorfine, Founder & CEO, Gattaca Horizons LLC, is pleased to join J. Christopher Giancarlo and Brian Peters in co-authoring a piece in the Milken Institute Review that makes the case for payments modernization in the U.S. As noted in the paper, over the past… Read More

February 19, 2025 @ 1:26 pm By JD Alois  |  

VC math, or valuations of private firms, has long been more of an art than a science. The friction between investors and firms raising capital is well known. Too low, and money is left on the table. Too high and a future down round, or… Read More

February 19, 2025 @ 12:47 pm By JD Alois  |  

The UK Financial Conduct  Authority (FCA) and Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) have published a statement on the rise and usage of digital wallets. The two regulators note that the use of digital wallets has grown in recent years, with card transactions using a digital wallet… Read More

February 17, 2025 @ 11:03 am By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission has posted a request for candidates interested in serving on the SEC’s Investor Advisory Committee (IAC). The IAC was the creation of the Dodd-Frank Act and aims to support individual investors by providing guidance to the Commission. In the posting,… Read More

February 17, 2025 @ 10:38 am By JD Alois  |  

Climate rules, approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission, have been put on pause by the new leadership at the SEC. Former Chairman Gary Gensler has been replaced by more business and investor-friendly Acting Chair Mark Uyeda, who has moved quickly to address the shortcomings… Read More

February 15, 2025 @ 4:04 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Two Estonian nationals have reportedly pleaded guilty to an alleged $577M cryptocurrency fraud scheme. The scheme is said to have victimized hundreds of thousands of people in the United States and abroad. As stated in the announcement, two Estonian nationals pleaded guilty for their operation… Read More

February 14, 2025 @ 4:42 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently acknowledged Grayscale’s proposal for a Dogecoin (DOGE) exchange-traded fund and is currently interested in receiving public comments. In a 19b-4 form shared this past Thursday (February 13, 2025) confirming NYSE Arca‘s filing, on behalf of Grayscale, the… Read More

February 14, 2025 @ 1:59 pm By JD Alois  |  

The EU-UK Financial Regulatory Forum met this past week in London. The entity aims to pursue regulatory cooperation while preserving financial stability and protecting participants. The event was co-chaired by HM Treasury, and the Director General for Financial Services and the European Commission Director General… Read More

February 13, 2025 @ 4:14 pm By JD Alois  |  

Price Controls Rarely Work. The Free Market is a Better Option. There have been multiple proclamations from various policymakers regarding the need to cap credit card rates. Unfortunately, forcing credit card issuers to cap interest rates charged to users will accomplish little good while harming… Read More

February 13, 2025 @ 7:44 am By Tony Zerucha  |  

This week, the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) told the House Financial Services Committee that the new Congress and administration present an opportunity to transform the regulatory environment for community banks to promote locally based economic growth. ICBA president and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey… Read More

February 12, 2025 @ 5:03 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Eric Council Jr. from Athens, Alabama, has confessed to his role in a scheme involving the unauthorized takeover of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)‘s X account, which was then allegedly used to disseminate false and misleading information and manipulate Bitcoin (BTC) prices. The… Read More