Fintech regulations

The Dodd-Frank Act’s Volcker Rule was meant to protect the financial system, but it is also stopping community banks from investing in funds focusing on fintech.

Christine Duhaime, an anti-money-laundering attorney in Toronto, lays out the reasons banks should become early experts (and assist) in initial coin offerings. She also lays out the risks, especially in the wake of the SEC’s report suggesting some ICO tokens are really securities.

A week after acting Comptroller of the Currency Keith Noreika announced his support for the fintech charter, his agency argued in a court filing that its fate was too uncertain to be challenged in court.

Readers react to the CFPB’s final arbitration rule, a new potential hurdle for initial coin offerings, a housing finance reform proposal and more.

Citigroup hopes to return $60 billion to shareholders by 2020 while earning $20 billion a year; SEC says companies that raise money by selling their own electronic tokens for cryptocurrencies may be subject to federal oversight.

Social Finance’s application for an industrial loan charter has not only drawn opposition from a coalition of incumbent banks and community activists, it also serves as a microcosm of several perennial debates in financial services policy.

Varo Money, an app designed for people who want to exclusively bank on their cell phones, announced Tuesday that it has filed formal applications for a national bank charter, adding another credit union competitor to the banking landscape.

Varo Money, an app designed for people who want to bank exclusively on their cellphones, announced Tuesday that it has filed formal applications for a national bank charter.

In recent years, the country’s largest cellphone carriers have begun to experiment with new financing options for smartphones and other devices. That forebodes a deeper interest in financial products.

Readers question acting comptroller Noreika, weigh in on SoFi’s charter application, defend Trump’s exit from the Paris Accord, and more.

Acting Comptroller of the Currency Keith Noreika made it clear that he supports the creation of a federal charter for fintech firms while also arguing that abusive lending happens at state-chartered firms, not national banks.

While some policymakers are open to accommodating fintech companies with looser oversight compared with banks, the New York State superintendent is unapologetic about her tough approach.

Readers slam credit unions’ ever-inclusive membership criteria, weigh in on the OCC’s proposed fintech charter, encourage a rewrite of the CRA, and more.

Observers see recent comments by acting Comptroller of the Currency Keith Noreika as a sign that the agency may plow ahead on its policy for fintech firms.

Payment companies have lots of emerging regulations. Regtech can bring together different stakeholders to ease compliance.

Online lenders are evading New York regulations by claiming their loans are “made” by federally chartered or out-of-state partner banks, Department of Financial Services Superintendent Maria Vullo told lawmakers Monday.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has launched an office dedicated to exploring fintech issues, the agency’s head announced Wednesday.

The deposit insurer has stayed out of the debate over how to regulate the online lending industry. But that may be about to change.

New York’s banking regulator on Friday filed its own individual lawsuit against the OCC's fintech charter, asking the courts to block it.

Compliance flexibility, state law harmonization and funding transparency requirements are among the regulatory steps that can encourage continued innovation.