Tagged: perspective

Keith Noreika from OCC: The US Banking Industry Needs More Competition, Not Less #Fintech

  Acting Comptroller of the Currency Keith Noreika delivered a speech today discussing the US banking industry. In the speech, Noreika makes an important point: US banks need more competition, not less. He also intimates that mixing commerce and banking can deliver benefits to consumers…. Read More

ESMA, MiFID and the Post-Brexit Future of Europe’s Capital Markets Union

  Recently, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) held its first ever conference in Paris. The event underlined the growing importance of ESMA, the European Supervisory Authority for capital markets. Along with the European Commission and the Parliament, ESMA is one of the pillars… Read More

Tezos Terms Call Contributions “Donations”, Contributors Apparently Waive the Right to Class Action

Recently someone forwarded a copy of the Tezos Terms of Allocation regarding their spectacularly successful Initial Coin Offering (ICO). To update anyone that has not followed the odyssey of the high profile ICO, Tezos – a self amending cryptographic ledger”, raised $232 million this past… Read More

The SEC, the ICO and Avoiding the ICU: A Call for Leadership and Action

As a securities lawyer and a sometimes advocate for smart regulation of capital formation, I must confess: When it comes to addressing the current state of the Initial Coin Offering (ICO) marketplace, I believe that market participants face a crisis of growing proportions. No Hype… Read More

The Token Sale Sky is Not Falling. Unless We Cause It To.

You Can’t Generally Stop Someone From Suing You. In the years before the blockchain buzz, I often would sit in my mentor’s office for conference calls. Even on calls where there was not much for me to add, I always learned from listening to him… Read More

Initial Coin Offerings Need Governance Now

It is clear with the Tezos Greek tragedy, many Initial Coin Offering (ICO) investors are worried about investing in complex and sometimes shady structures. The founders visiting the Swiss city of Zug to set up their foundation may find their days numbered. The idea to… Read More

Sober Enthusiasm for Blockchain While ICOs Create a Crypto Bubble

  Sober enthusiasm is the way I would describe a recent LAT Blockchain Economic Forum I attended in New York City. Most speakers at the event noted that we are in a crypto bubble referencing the gold rush mentality embracing the Initial Coin Offering (ICO)… Read More

Karen Mills: Predictions for the Future of Small Business Lending and Fintech

Several years back while at LendIt Europe in London, I had the opportunity to sit down with Karen Mills a Senior Fellow at the Harvard Business School Harvard. Mills previously was a Cabinet Member during the Obama Administration from 2009 to 2013. At that time,… Read More

McKinsey: Banks Cannot Afford to Wait Any Longer as Digital Entrants Impact Bank Performance

McKinsey recently published a report on the global banking industry. While stating the financial recovery has helped old finance regain their footing the future is not quite so clear. According to the authors; “New digital entrants are also having an impact on bank performance, particularly… Read More

Perspective: Building a World-Class Risk Team

What is a world-class risk team and how do you build one? I’m often asked that question as Chief Risk Officer of BlueVine. Like other Fintech lenders, we are intensely focused on risk. Building a world-class risk team has been and will always be a… Read More

ICOs are Securities: Token Based Offerings Poised for a Rude Awakening as US Regulators May Soon Act

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) pumped their regulatory brakes on Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) earlier this year. Pointing to the DAO debacle, the Feds said if a tokenized offering is a security it will be regulated, end of story. This  statement was a long… Read More

US Bitcoin Foundation Seeks Donations to Challenge Pending Legislation that May Cripple Crypto

Pending US legislation titled “The Combating Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing, and Counterfeiting Act of 2017,″ seeks to update criminal money laundering and counterfeiting statutes. As written now, the bill impacts the utilization of any and all cryptocurrencies. Senate Bill 1241, sponsored by Senator Chuck Grassley, will define anyone… Read More

Here is the London Token Fundraising Manifesto

There are multiple movements being organized by the crytpo world to create a legitimate and sustainable Initial Coin Offering ecosystem. This means putting the hammer to fraud and creating a set of principles based best practices to guide the nascent industry as it goes from… Read More

UK: The Investment Opportunities You Should Know About

  Since 2011, the UK technology sector has seen £28 billion invested into it – a sum which means it is the largest tech investment in the European Union. France has received £11 billion in investment since 2011, while Germany has gained £9.3 billion. In… Read More

Ron Suber: We are in the Golden Age of Fintech

  Ron Suber has become one of the most recognizable voices in the global Fintech arena. Since officially departing the Fintech he helped to create, the former President of Prosper Marketplace has become an elder statesman for online lending and financial innovation in general. An… Read More

If You Can’t Compete, Lobby Against Them: ICBA Tells FDIC to Deny Square Bank License, Asks Congress to Stop ILCs Altogether

There are two ways that big business competes in the USA. You can provide a better product or service for your customers or you can work with elected and appointed officials to block innovative firms. Of course, the consumer loses out in all this, but… Read More

US Treasury Report Outlines Ways to Boost Capital Markets Including JOBS Act Improvements

The US Department of Treasury has published a report on ways the government may streamline and reduce burdens of capital markets regulation. The report is an interesting compendium of the pressing need to reduce regulatory hurdles while pointing to policy initiatives that can improve access… Read More

This Time is Different: Bank of England Explains Why Fintech Will Completely Upend Traditional Finance

Andrew Hauser, the Executive Director of Banking, Payments and Financial Resilience from the Bank of England, delivered a speech today explaining why “this time is different.” His statement reflected on detractors who criticize Fintech as more of the same. Sure, ATMs came along and they were… Read More

Head of IMF Envisions a Future Without Banks as Fintech Takes Over

Late last month, Christine Lagarde, International Monetary Fund Managing Director, delivered a speech in the UK envisioning a future without banks. Now Lagarde did not say banks will no longer exist but she stepped up to the precipice of the death of banking stating there… Read More

Reason for Optimism: OCC Chief Says Reducing Regulatory Burden Means More Economic Opportunity

Acting Comptroller of the Currency, Keith Noreika, delivered a speech to midsize bank risk officers today that struck a positive note. The head of the OCC said there was much room for optimism as the regulatory pendulum has shifted away from the monolithic belief that… Read More

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