4 regulatory showdowns affecting the future of finance

4 regulatory showdowns affecting the future of finance

From cannabis to cryptocurrency, the future of fintech lies in the hands of regulators. Find out how alternative payments rails, smart contracts, and securities enforcement can potentially change everything.

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Robinhood to launch stock-lending feature

Robinhood to launch stock-lending feature

The trading platform’s new offering would let users generate passive income by loaning out their stocks to other financial institutions. It’s set to roll out in the first half of 2022, according to a Robinhood spokesperson.

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How will new cybersecurity rules affect fintech?

How will new cybersecurity rules affect fintech?

Yesterday, President Biden signed the Cyber Incident Reporting For Critical Infrastructure Act of 2022. The law shortens reporting timelines for cybersecurity incidents and names the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) as the leading government body for enforcement.

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Reserve Bank of India bans Paytm payments bank onboarding

Reserve Bank of India bans Paytm payments bank onboarding

Indian regulators have forced the country’s payments giant to pause the onboarding of new customers during an IT audit. This is the second time Paytm has faced such a ban in five years.

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Stripe recommits to crypto payments

Stripe recommits to crypto payments

On Thursday, Stripe CEO John Collison announced that Stripe is re-entering the crypto space. FTX US said it will use Stripe to automate KYC processes, approvals, and crypto purchases from debit cards and ACH transactions.

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Tencent stock dives 10% due to fintech fines

Tencent stock dives 10% due to fintech fines

The People’s Bank of China (PBOC), the country’s central bank, may levy record fines against Tencent’s WeChat Pay for failing to comply with KYC and AML regulations. The PBOC discovered these violations during an inspection of the company in 2021.

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Fintech scams promise windfall for crime prevention firms

Fintech scams promise windfall for crime prevention firms

Silent Eight, a Singapore-based financial crime prevention firm, announced yesterday that it had raised $40M in Series B funding. HSBC and Standard Charter’s venture wings were listed as investors.

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ACI integrates Venmo and PayPal for IRS filings

ACI integrates Venmo and PayPal for IRS filings

Real-time payments provider ACI Worldwide announced these new digital payments options for U.S. federal taxpayers, not for state filings. ACI is the first platform to offer tax payments through Venmo.

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Should banks be worried about Zelle?

Should banks be worried about Zelle?

More than 17 million Americans were the victims of fraud on digital wallets or peer-to-peer payment apps in 2020. A large proportion of these crimes took place on Zelle, according to the New York Times.

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New tool to tackle bias in finance

New tool to tackle bias in finance

On Monday, machine-learning solutions provider Stratyfy released UnBias, which helps financial institutions discover and undo bias in their systems. UnBias will be available as a standalone offering.

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Dutch Bros. doubles down on rewards

Dutch Bros. doubles down on rewards

In an earnings call with analysts on Tuesday, the coffee chain’s executives said they would invest in expanding customer use of the Dutch Rewards app. Between 20% and 25% of rewards transactions include stored-value activity, according to the company’s CFO.

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BNPL payments now reflected in credit reports

BNPL payments now reflected in credit reports

On Monday, Equifax started adding “pay-in-four” installment loans to its credit reports. Experian and TransUnion said they would roll out similar developments this year as well.

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Bank of America to launch all-in-one app

Bank of America to launch all-in-one app

In a joint statement on Saturday, the U.S., U.K., E.U., and others announced that they would move to exclude “selected Russian banks” from SWIFT, the international payments system. The group of countries has also frozen assets belonging to Russia’s central bank in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

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Fintechs are building out internal M&A teams

Fintechs are building out internal M&A teams

After a series of IPOs and significant fundraising deals, fintechs are poaching junior bankers to evaluate and negotiate M&As internally. Banking giants increasingly see fintechs and other startups as talent competitors.

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Through acquisitions, SoFi eyes one-stop-shop status

Through acquisitions, SoFi eyes one-stop-shop status

The personal finance giant announced today that it’s acquiring banking-software maker Technisys SA through an all-stock deal worth $1.1B. SoFi’s stock has slid more than 30% since the beginning of the year.

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