Fintech regulations

Christine Duhaime, an anti-money-laundering attorney in Toronto, lays out the reasons banks should become early experts in 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.

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

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.

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.

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.