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

December 21, 2017 @ 10:17 am By JD Alois  |  

The Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) has announced that parties interested in establishing and operating an Alternative Trading System (ATS) in Malaysia can apply to participate in regulatory sandbox sessions under the SC’s FinTech Innovation Lab (aFINity – alliance of Fintech community). This follows the Budget… Read More

December 11, 2017 @ 10:41 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) had previously committed to review its regulatory sandbox and Fintech licensing exemption and upon review, officials have proposed to maintain the current status. The regulatory Fintech sandbox was introduced in December 2016 and enables eligible firms to test… Read More

October 26, 2017 @ 12:00 am By JD Alois  |  

The Australian Government has introduced a legislative framework for an “enhanced regulatory sandbox” to enable new Fintech products and services to be tested in Australia. The proposal is designed to extend the scope of activities beyond that of the regulatory sandbox launched by ASIC in… Read More

September 8, 2017 @ 1:02 pm By JD Alois  |  

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich has publicly requested the creation of a Fintech Sandbox in his state. Brnovich published his belief in an OpEd for American Banker. Brnovich is of the opinion that Arizona should be the first state to create a Sandbox as it… Read More

August 8, 2017 @ 3:28 pm By JD Alois  |  

  Lithuania is the latest country joining the Fintech revolution by recognizing the importance of fostering a regulatory environment that is conducive to change and challenges established norms. The Bank of Lithuania is out with a statement regarding the launch of a sponsored Fintech Sandbox…. Read More

May 17, 2017 @ 4:02 pm By JD Alois  |  

The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) will embark on a “major Fintech initiative” with the creation of LabCFTC. The venture was launched to promote responsible Fintech innovation and to encourage competition in the markets the CFTC oversees. “Simply put, LabCFTC is intended to help… Read More

April 21, 2017 @ 3:08 pm By JD Alois  |  

This is a special time of the year in Washington, DC. It is the annual Spring Meetings of the IMF and World Bank meaning a diverse group of policymakers and regulators descend upon the US Capitol clogging restaurants and over-booking hotels. This also means there… Read More

April 10, 2017 @ 9:58 pm By JD Alois  |  

Christopher Woolard, Executive Director of Strategy and Competition at the FCA, delivered a Keynote address today at the Innovative Finance Global Summit 2017. Woolard, the FCA’s champion for competition and thus a champion for consumers, delivered an important message regarding their regulatory mission: “It is… Read More

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

Innovate Finance has published a “Sandbox Consultation Finding Preview in concert with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The release took place as Innovate Finance opened its Global Summit 2017. The FCA invited Innovate Finance , a public-private partnership seeking to boost Fintech innovation, to chair an… Read More

February 24, 2017 @ 5:39 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) has launched a bespoke Fintech regulatory sandbox. The CSA described the Sandbox as an initiative that supports businesses seeking to offer innovative products, services, and applications. “The objective of this initiative is to facilitate the ability of those businesses to… Read More

February 22, 2017 @ 9:56 am By Xu Gao  |  

Hong Kong Securities & Futures Commission Joins R3 Blockchain Consortium The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) announced it had joined the R3 blockchain consortium. Through this partnership, SFC will test applications of blockchain on record and settlement of securities and futures trading with the… Read More

February 10, 2017 @ 2:57 am By JD Alois  |  

Singapore’s Committee on Future Economy (CFE) has identified seven strategies for Singapore’s next stage of growth in its report. Singapore has experienced an enviable period of economic growth and prosperity. The island city-state tmaintains one of the highest standards of living in the world. The… Read More

February 7, 2017 @ 12:07 pm By Timothy Li  |  

The Office of Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is an independent bureau within the United States Department of the Treasury that was created by the National Currency Act of 1863 (154 years ago, 20 years before the automobile was invented by Karl Benz from Germany)…. Read More

January 30, 2017 @ 1:07 pm By JD Alois  |  

The United Kingdom has dominated the Fintech sector globally.  Starting with innovations in capital formation from crowdfunding and peer to peer lending platforms, the UK has fostered an impressive ecosystem of Fintech entrepreneurs. While a culture of innovation and risk-taking has been vital to this… Read More

November 20, 2016 @ 5:19 pm By JD Alois  |  

As a growing number of nations around the globe embrace the potential of Fintech to provide superior services to consumers, businesses and the under-banked, one country stands out as lacking in leadership in the evolution of finance. The US has been the epicenter of financial… Read More

November 17, 2016 @ 2:00 am By JD Alois  |  

While the UK has been the trailblazer in the creation of the concept of a regulatory Sandbox for innovative financial firms, the rest of the world has seen the light and moving forward with their own Fintech Sandbox structures. The UK understood that rule written… Read More

November 16, 2016 @ 8:16 am By JD Alois  |  

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has published its Fintech “regulatory sandbox” guidelines. The intent is to encourage and enable experimentation of solutions that leverages technology innovatively to deliver improved financial products and services to both consumers and businesses. The Sandbox guidelines have incorporated feedback… Read More

November 7, 2016 @ 10:05 am By JD Alois  |  

  The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has revealed the first group of Fintech firms accepted into their innovative regulatory Sandbox initiative.  The FCA said that 69 Fintech firms applied for the opportunity to participate but 24 firms were deemed acceptable. Most of these companies will… Read More

October 21, 2016 @ 2:00 am By JD Alois  |  

2016 is the Year of Fintech in Hong Kong Hong Kong is on the growing list of countries that see Fintech as strategically important for their regional economy and global competitiveness. This past week, in a speech delivered in New York City, Hong Kong Financial… Read More