December 29, 2024 @ 1:44 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Bybit Technology Limited, formerly Bybit Fintech Limited, and its Chief Executive Officer Ben Zhou (Yuchen Zhou), have been reprimanded by the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) for running a digital asset exchange (DAX) without registration. The SC said in a statement that both Bybit and Zhou… Read More

December 29, 2024 @ 1:40 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Alpaca says it had a landmark year in 2024 as they became a fully self-clearing broker-dealer and launched new features like options trading. Working with financial institutions, Alpaca said they learned the importance of fully integrating brokerage operations stack (such as execution, clearing, and custody… Read More

December 29, 2024 @ 1:38 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of ADGM (FSRA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the UAE Ministry of Interior, to enhance coordination in combating financial crime related to virtual assets. The agreement aims to facilitate the exchange of information, strengthen risk mitigation frameworks,… Read More

December 29, 2024 @ 6:22 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Usual has acquired new funding as part of its Series A round, which has reportedly been led by Binance Labs and Kraken Ventures. Other entities taking part in the investment round for Ususal include Ondo, Coinbase Ventures, IOSG, OKX Ventures, Galaxy Ventures, Guy from Ethena,… Read More

December 29, 2024 @ 5:16 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) sued Walmart (NYSE: WMT) and Branch Messenger for forcing delivery drivers to use costly deposit accounts to get paid and for deceiving workers— “last mile” drivers in Walmart’s Spark Driver program—about how they could access their earnings. The CFPB’s… Read More

December 28, 2024 @ 5:11 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

This past month, the Bitcoin price surpassed the $100,000 barrier. According to Bitso, this is a monumental moment for Bitcoin and the crypto industry. Bitso noted that breaking the $100,000 mark, surpassing both price resistances and the psychological milestone, cements BTC as “one of the… Read More

December 28, 2024 @ 4:22 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

According to preliminary insights from Mastercard (NYSE: MA)  SpendingPulse, U.S. retail sales excluding automotive increased 3.8% YoY from Nov 1 through Dec 24. Mastercard SpendingPulse reportedly measures in-store and online retail sales, representing “all payment types and is not adjusted for inflation.” Michelle Meyer, chief… Read More

December 28, 2024 @ 3:32 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Copper, a provider of institutional digital asset infrastructure, is proud to announce its expansion into Liechtenstein with the launch of its custody services. This move comes after securing a registration under the Token and TT Service Provider Act (TVTG, “Blockchain Act”) from the Financial Market… Read More

December 28, 2024 @ 2:32 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Pacaso, the technology-enabled real estate marketplace that helps people buy, co-own, and sell a luxury vacation home, released its fourth annual Top Vacation Home Markets Report, identifying the “leading” luxury vacation home markets for 2024. The report reveals the top 20 counties across the United… Read More

December 28, 2024 @ 2:31 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

PitchBook has shared its H2 2024 VC Tech Survey: Investor Insights on AI, Dealmaking, and Fundraising. PitchBook has noted that in this update VCs highlight stable deals, decode AI and deep tech trends, express sector “saturation concerns,” and describe how priorities are shifting to “underinvested… Read More

December 28, 2024 @ 11:36 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The authorities in France are taking action to combat the phenomenon of financial crime (including major scams and fraudulent activities) catching out an increasing number of individuals. The Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF), the Autorité de Contrôle Prudentiel et de… Read More

December 28, 2024 @ 11:31 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Milan based Habacus has reportedly finalized a $5 million seed funding round in order to offer students / learners an ecosystem of services, including various financial services and products. Habacus, the Milan-headquartered student service ecosystem, has raised the new funding in order to develop its… Read More

December 28, 2024 @ 11:31 am By Michael Wong  |  

Vancouver-based bookkeeping service Bench Accounting has announced its sudden closure, potentially putting hundreds of staff out of work. The company, once billed as North America’s largest small-business bookkeeping service, posted a “notice of closure” on Friday stating the platform is “no longer accessible.” Bench acknowledges… Read More

December 28, 2024 @ 9:45 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Estateguru CEO Mihkel Stamm recently stated that their goal is to surpass €1 billion in total loan volume. The total volume of loans issued by investors on the Estateguru platform over the course of its roughly 10-year operation “may exceed the €1 billion mark next… Read More

December 28, 2024 @ 9:36 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Compass Mining shared its Bitcoin Mining Industry Report for the past month along with key operational updates. Bitcoin, the flagship cryptocurrency, surpassed $100,000 for the first time on Thursday 5 December, 2024, marking a significant milestone in the realm of digital assets and “even recognized… Read More

December 27, 2024 @ 4:25 pm By JD Alois  |  

Any issuer of securities using the Reg D exemption must file a document with the Securities and Exchange Comission 15 days after the first sale of securities. The two-page document is super simple to complete, and no follow-up filings are required. This simplicity has helped… Read More

December 27, 2024 @ 4:06 pm By JD Alois  |  

Do Kwon, founder of Terraform Labs and the issuer of TerraUSD, will be extradited to the US, according to a Bloomberg report. Kwon and his business helped to crush crypto markets after his algo-based “stablecoin” TerraUSD ended up not so stable. Billions were vaporized in the… Read More

December 27, 2024 @ 3:28 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

As the year 2024 comes to a close, it’s wise for financial institutions and Regtech (regulatory technology) providers to pause and assess the evolving sanctions landscape, particularly with the U.S. preparing to transition to a new administration in 2025. This, according to an update from… Read More

December 27, 2024 @ 3:27 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

authID (Nasdaq: AUID), a provider of biometric identity verification and authentication solutions, announced it has become a member of the Accountable Digital Identity Association (ADIA), an open industry association created to drive the development of a standardized, interoperable framework for decentralized identity services to “ensure… Read More

December 27, 2024 @ 10:37 am By JD Alois  |  

Silicon Prairie has dumped its Funding Portal designation and is migrating all current offerings to its Broker-Dealer. FINRA regulates both Broker-Dealers and Funding Portals. A Funding Portal is kind of like a broker-dealer light. This new type of intermediary was created under the JOBS Act… Read More