Tagged: brian brooks

Former OCC Head, Dean of Economics at University of Austin, Tout Stablecoins as Path to Ongoing Dollar Supremacy

There has been a lot of discussion about the US Dollar remaining the top reserve currency around the world. Having the dollar be the big dog in the realm of fiat brings a lot of benefits to the US and must be a leading policy… Read More

House Financial Services Committee Hearing on Digital Assets Provides Insight into Regulatory Needs of Crypto Industry

Earlier today (December 8, 2021), the House Financial Services Committee held a hearing on digital assets. As was previously reported, the witnesses included top crypto executives and thus provided the opportunity for a unique discussion between House members and crypto entrepreneurs. Chairwoman of the Committee,… Read More

Here is the Memo for the Digital Assets Hearing by House Financial Services Committee

Later today (December 8, 2021), the House Committee on Financial Services will hold a hearing entitled, “Digital Assets and the Future of Finance: Understanding the Challenges and Benefits of Financial Innovation in the United States.”  This hearing will be widely scrutinized by the Fintech sector… Read More

House Financial Services Committee Hearing to Include Top Crypto Names Testifying on Behalf of Industry

The House Financial Services Committee has announced the list of witnesses scheduled to testify at a hearing entitled “Digital Assets and the Future of Finance: Understanding the Challenges and Benefits of Financial Innovation in the United States.”  The witnesses include many of the biggest names… Read More

Oportun Updates on Pursuit of National Bank Charter, Withdraws Application – For Now

Last week, Oportun (Nasdaq:OPRT), an online lender that utilizes artificial intelligence, said it had decided to voluntarily withdraw its application for a national bank charter from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). The OCC is the main bank regulator in the United… Read More

Perspective: Crypto Should Divorce From the Progressive Movement

Progressives should love cryptocurrency, the latest innovation that brings power to the people. Turns out, they don’t. Perhaps surprisingly, it is precisely because crypto circumvents the corporate, permissioned, speech-controlled online world that angers progressives. Crypto threatens to nix not just the corporation but also the… Read More

Over 18,000 ETH Burned Since EIP-1559 Went Live on Ethereum MainNet: Report

The latest report from EthHub, the “essential” resource for Ethereum information, curated by Anthony Sassano (@sassal0x) and Eric Conner (@econoar), notes that Ethereum Improvement Proposal or EIP-1559 is now live on the Ethereum (ETH) network. Since the major upgrade went live this past week, the… Read More

Former OCC Comptroller Brian Brooks Departs Binance.US CEO Position

Former acting Comptroller of the Currency Brian Brooks has announced his exit as CEO of Binance.US. Brooks has only been the Chief Executive of Binance.US since April 2021. Binance.us is a subsidiary of Binance – the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world. At the time… Read More

Senator Sherrod Brown, Chair of Senate Banking Committee, Presses OCC on Crypto Bank Charters Putting Fintech Innovation at Risk

Earlier today, US Senator Sherrod Brown, Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee,  issued a statement challenging the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to review federal bank charters approved for digital asset firms. In the last year of the Trump Administration, the OCC… Read More

BTC Dominance Fell to Lowest Level Since July 2018, but New Crypto and Blockchain Developments Reveal Maturing Digital Asset Space: Report

Bitcoin (BTC) dominance recently dropped to 50.2% (but has increased slightly to 50.7% at the time of writing) for the first time since July 2018, Bloqport reports. Bitcoin dominance represents the total share of the digital assets market that BTC claims. Notably, the BTC price… Read More

Binance.US Hires Former OCC Chief Brian Brooks as New CEO

Binance.US, an offshoot of Binance – the largest crypto exchange in the world, has hired the former Comptroller of the Currency, Brian Brooks, as its new Chief Executive Officer. In a strategic coup, Brooks will now be leading Binance.US, a top ten crypto exchange, in… Read More

Pushing Through the Fintech Frontier: Financial Regulators Poised to Expand Fintech and Cryptocurrency Oversight


President Joe Biden’s young administration is poised to deliver heightened – and perhaps unprecedented – regulatory scrutiny of the exploding Fintech industry.  The groundwork for a more active regulatory regime has been set over the course of the past decade.  Prior administrations harnessed existing enforcement… Read More

Former OCC Acting Head Brian Brooks Joins Board of Directors at Spring Labs, which Facilitates Secure Data Exchange via DLT

Brian Brooks, Former Acting Head of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), has now joined the board of Spring Labs, a firm that develops innovative tech for exchanging data securely and in an anonymous manner via a shared blockchain or distributed ledger… Read More

OCC: Acting Comptroller of the Currency Brian P. Brook Steps Down

Acting Comptroller of the Currency Brian P. Brooks will step down from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) on January 14, 2021. OCC Chief Operating Officer Blake Paulson will become Acting Comptroller of the Currency, according to a statement by the bank… Read More

OCC Crypto Guidance Used to Assure National Banks as Certain States Move Aggressively into Digital Assets

Earlier this week, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) – the leading national bank regulator, provided guidance on banks and stablecoins. The guidance was designed to provide “greater regulatory certainty for banks” operating in this sector. Stablecoins are digital assets typically tied… Read More

OCC Issues Interpretive Letter on Banks and Stablecoins, SEC Comments on its Position Regarding Digital Assets

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), part of the US Department of Treasury, has issued an interpretive letter pertaining to banks and federal savings entities pertaining to “certain stablecoins.” Stablecoins are digital currencies that are based on a fiat currency or specific… Read More

OCC to Start Processing Charter Applications from Fintechs: Report

  The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) will start processing Fintech applications to become federally chartered firms as soon as this week, according to a report. The acting Comptroller of the Currency Brian Brooks has only been managing the regulator since May… Read More

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency Clarifies Banks Ability to Serve Crypto Firms. What Does this Mean for Digital Asset Businesses?

Recently, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) posted a letter clarifying national banks’ and federal savings associations’ authority to provide cryptocurrency custody services for customers. Although recently we have seen improvements in banks providing services to crypto firms, many digital asset service providers… Read More

Comptroller of the Currency Brian P. Brooks Comments on Varo Bank Receiving Federal Bank Charter

Last week, Acting Comptroller of the Currency Brian P. Brooks virtually presented Varo Bank, N.A. its official charter. Varo Money has been in business for years having provided bank services by partnering with an already chartered bank. As of August 1st, 2020, Varo Bank can… Read More

Big News: Varo Money Becomes First US Fintech to Receive a National Bank Charter

Varo Money, Inc. has been granted its national bank charter from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and secured regulatory approvals from the FDIC and Federal Reserve to open Varo Bank N.A. This represents the first consumer Fintech in the US to… Read More

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