April 18, 2018 @ 10:38 am By JD Alois  |  

The Bank of England has approved the first non-bank payment service provider to join the UK payment system settling in central bank money. Described as a milestone event for the BoE in accommodating innovation, this is the first Fintech to gain direct accesss. Transferwise is… Read More

April 18, 2018 @ 7:59 am By JD Alois  |  

UK peer to peer lending platform Crowd2Fund is opening an Australian office becoming one the first UK-based companies to utilise the new ‘Fintech Bridge’ between the UK and Australia that was recently announced by both countries. Signed in March, the agreement between the UK Financial… Read More

April 11, 2018 @ 3:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has recently published a note stating they are aware of a growing number of UK firms issuing cryptocurrencies or digital assets associated with initial coin offerings. These vehicles are currently not directly regulated but the FCA, and other policy types,… Read More

March 22, 2018 @ 1:46 pm By JD Alois  |  

As was announced earlier today (and leaked out earlier this week) the Australian and UK governments have signed an “enhanced cooperation agreement” on Fintech innovation. Under the new agreement the Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) will continue to… Read More

March 19, 2018 @ 10:04 am By JD Alois  |  

Christopher Woolard, the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority  Executive Director of Strategy and Competition, delivered a keynote speech today at the Innovate Finance Global Summit. Woolard is the defender and champion of the vital competition mandate that has made the FCA a successful financial regulator.  Woolard… Read More

March 14, 2018 @ 7:32 am By JD Alois  |  

Coinbase, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world, has received an e-money license from the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). This will enable Coinbase to offer payments in the UK while supporting the UK’s Faster Payments Scheme. Simultaneously, Coinbase has partnered with Barclays… Read More

March 13, 2018 @ 2:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) is the leading research authority on global innovations in finance. Over the past several years, CCAF has produced benchmark reports tracking the growth and evolution of all forms of Fintech around the world. These reports have become valued… Read More

March 5, 2018 @ 3:02 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Collateral, a UK-based peer to peer lending platform, has reportedly gone into administration after trading without a proper license. According to various reports, a letter was sent to investors from the company’s administrator, named Gordon Craig, that stated the company was operating in the belief that… Read More

February 20, 2018 @ 5:30 am By JD Alois  |  

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published a call for input as to how technology can make things easier for firms to meet their regulatory reporting requirements. Incorporating Regtech can also streamline the process for the regulator while improving the overall quality of the… Read More

February 19, 2018 @ 7:38 am By JD Alois  |  

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) have signed a formal agreement that commits the two regulatory agencies to work together to support Fintech. This is the first such agreement for the CFTC and just one of many… Read More

January 16, 2018 @ 11:43 am By Erin Hobey  |  

Financial technology investment platform BnkToTheFuture claims that the platforms has raised an initial $30 million for its tokenized equity market and due diligence platform in the first three days of BnkToTheFuture’s token private pre-sale open solely to institutional investors. BnkToTheFuture reportedly offers the largest online… Read More

January 5, 2018 @ 11:58 am By JD Alois  |  

HM Treasury appointed Charles Randell CBE as the new Chair of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The appointment commences on April 1st and is for a 5 year term. Randell is currently an external member of the Prudential Regulation Committee of the Bank of England and… Read More

January 5, 2018 @ 9:56 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

The House Crowd, a UK property crowdfunding platform, announced on Friday it has received full authorization from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Frazer Fearnhead, founder and CEO of The House Crowd, revealed more details by stating: “We are extremely pleased to announce that after (a very long)… Read More

December 20, 2017 @ 2:32 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has released a statement on Brexit and the implications on financial services firms. The UK has already seen an undetermined number of departures in financial services but Reuters published several months back a survey that indicated 10,000 UK finance jobs… Read More

December 15, 2017 @ 12:00 pm By Barry James  |  

Appearing on the BBC’s news flagship Newsnight the head of the UK’s regulator, the  FCA’s  Andrew Bailey, has drawn mainstream attention to Bitcoin and the world of cryptocurrencies while admitting that they have yet to understand what he called an ‘odd commodity’. While  the BBC’s… Read More

December 15, 2017 @ 7:44 am By JD Alois  |  

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published a feedback statement on distributed ledger technology (DLT) or Blockchain.  The document comes following an earlier discussion paper published in April designed to commence a dialogue between interested parties and the regulator. The FCA has now responded to received… Read More

December 7, 2017 @ 7:01 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF), the leading global research institute for all things Fintech, has published its fourth annual survey on UK alternative finance. According to the report, entitled Entrenching Innovation: The 4th UK Alternative Finance Industry Report, the sector of emerging financial… Read More

December 5, 2017 @ 8:03 am By JD Alois  |  

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has just released an update on their regulatory Sandbox created to help aspiring Fintech firms to navigate the labyrinth of financial services rules. The trailblazing project, which has been replicated around the world, kicked off in 2014 and the… Read More

November 1, 2017 @ 2:56 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Funding Options, a UK-based online marketplace for business finance, announced on Wednesday it is supporting Federal Conduct Authority (FCA) plans to allow more SMEs access to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). Established by Parliament, FOS describes itself as the UK’s official expert in resolving complaints between financial businesses and… Read More

October 20, 2017 @ 8:10 am By JD Alois  |  

Following the first full year of operations of the Fintech Sandbox, the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published a report outlining lessons learned. The UK has been the trailblazer in the concept of creating a regulatory sandbox to allow innovative financial firms to work… Read More