Ebrima Santos Sanneh

Despite a deregulatory push under Trump, cannabis banking remains hindered by legal uncertainty. The path forward under the current administration is not much clearer than under the last, but some cannabis banking experts are cautiously optimistic.

The Financial Technology Protection Act would create a task force to stop terrorists and criminals from using digital assets, as lawmakers push for stronger oversight for emerging technologies. 

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp's decision to scrap Biden-era rules restricting industrial banks raises hopes for firms seeking to establish ILCs, but that doesn't mean the entry of the largest retailers and tech firms — whose entry to the industry banks most fear — is imminent.

Administration of the Community Development Financial Institution Fund at the Treasury Department will be led by the CDFI Fund's legal counsel following the resignation of the fund's director.

The Treasury's financial crime agency delayed enforcement of a variety of Bank Secrecy Act requirements for investment advisors in order to gain time to revise and tailor regulations.

The Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency proposed a rule that would revert the anti-discrimination framework to its 1995 standards.

The agency unveiled several deregulatory measures at a Tuesday board meeting, including a measure to tie regulatory thresholds to inflation, one creating a supervisory appeals office that reports to the board and withdrawal of a Biden-era rule on industrial loan companies.

Outgoing Acting Comptroller of the Currency Rodney Hood said in an interview with American Banker that advances can be made in economic inclusion through race-neutral policies, and he intends to keep up that fight as he leaves the Trump administration.

Major nonbank financial trade groups asked Treasury Secretary Bessent to scrap 2023 guidance expanding nonbank designations, citing cost and competitiveness concerns.

Despite bipartisan support and backing from bank trade groups, the Treasury scrapped a corporate ownership reporting rule meant to expose shell companies and aid financial compliance. But the problems that spurred the law's passage still remain.

The group expressed concern with the White House proposal to reduce the program's funding, and urged Appropriators to fund the bipartisan-backed Community Development Financial Institutions Fund.

Following deadly flash floods in Texas, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency allowed national banks to close branches for safety.

Backed by tech billionaires, the crypto-focused digital startup bank's timely application reflects the current administration's openness to new tech-driven banking models — and raises concerns about regulatory impartiality, considering its backers' political ties.

In a joint letter signed by over 50 bank trade groups, leaders in the banking industry urged regulators to revise bank regulatory thresholds upward to keep up with inflation.

New order lets banks use third-party data for customer ID, reducing paperwork for firms, but the idea has divided some in the industry.

Republicans pulled a $52B foreign bank tax after Bessent says he struck a global pact, easing industry fears.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, vetoed a bill that would cap consumer loan rates at 36% APR, arguing it would restrict credit access for vulnerable Alaskans.

Banking has long been overseen by independent agencies, though that independence has been waning for years. With the Supreme Court poised to weigh in, experts are questioning where — and whether — to redraw the line between politics and policy.

Senate Banking Committee ranking member Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., sent a letter to banking regulators urging them to preserve the enhanced Supplemental Leverage Ratio, warning that a rollback would only enrich bank shareholders.

Deputy Treasury Secretary Michael Faulkender says Basel capital rules need to fit the U.S. economy and avoid discouraging banks from lending.