Thomas Curry, Comptroller of the Currency, gave more insight on the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's (OCC) plans for fintech regulation at a banking and innovation conference in London; Curry reported that regulation would be consistent with current banking standards, noting in his comments that, "if the OCC decides to grant a national charter in this area, the institution will be held to the same high standards of safety, soundness and fairness that other federally chartered institutions must meet"; the OCC is continuing with its plans for an Innovation Office and Curry said he would be releasing a white paper on fintech innovation. Source
Russia's invasion of Ukraine triggered a rapid wave of sanctions, bringing challenges for financial services firms looking to stay compliant.
In a speech last week to the US Chamber of Commerce, CFPB Richard Cordray provided thoughts geared towards fintech companies stating, "One message we are sending to the industry is, you are not going to be able to take advantage through arbitrage of our regulatory system. It's not fair for you to not have to meet the same expectations that banks have to meet. If you're trying to get an advantage by not meeting the same standards, that is not acceptable and we're trying to send that message loud and clear."; Cordray also spoke on finding the right balance of fintech regulation, modernizing regulations and the Bureau's look at debt collectors and payday lenders. Source
Their website mentions names such as 'digital sterling' or 'Britcoin' and emphasizes the difference between CBCDs and cryptocurrencies.
Chinese regulators have issued new guidance for P2P lenders in further efforts to regulate China's fintech industry; the new guidance requires P2P lenders to register with the government which will also help regulators to build an industry database for development of future regulation; regulators involved with the new guidance include the China Banking Regulatory Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the State Administration for Industry and Commerce. Source
The UK's Cambridge Center for Alternative Finance (CCAF) is actively involved in industry research and is currently doing three alternative finance surveys; much of the research is in conjunction with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), providing insight for its crowdfunding consultation period; CCAF is surveying crowdfunding investors and crowdfunding borrowers; CCAF has also announced it will now be doing a survey on blockchain and cryptocurrencies; as part of the FCA's regulatory study, CCAF is working with 25 crowdfunding and P2P lending platforms in the UK to gain greater insight into the crowdfunding ecosystem. Source
Coinbase and affiliates have taken the lead on introducing a legal framework for blockchain tokens as a security; on Wednesday they released a 27-page framework for regulation and best practices for blockchain tokens; paper provides a risk score measurement, best practices for token sales and a detailed securities law analysis. Source
A new report by NextGen Crowdfunding documents increasing use of Reg. A+ as the regulatory umbrella for real estate crowdfunding and other financial offerings; Reg. A+ was finalized in June 2015 as a means for non-accredited investors to access private offerings; companies can raise up to $50 million per year under Reg. A+; across all sectors, 131 companies to date have filed under Reg. A+, with 38% of these filings being by real estate and financial services platforms and many others being IT startups; roughly half of the filers are using "Tier 1" rules for Reg. A+, meaning they will continue to register in individual states as well as at the federal level, and half are filing "Tier 2", seeking national fundraising scope while avoiding the added prudence of vetting against state rules. Source
While Gensler deepens confusion on The Hill, the EU passes the first comprehensive crypto law spanning all member states.
Chinese regulators raided over 40 companies in China to investigate for illegal activities pertaining to the country's newly disseminated laws; investigators found property agents listing homes that owners had not agreed to sell and providing false information about properties; with a focus on real estate property investing, the investigators also found P2P lenders offering down payment loans after they were recently restricted by regulators. Source