This week we feature a guest post from John Browning, founding partner of Hong Kong commodity and financial futures broker BANDS Financial. In reporting on the state of and statistics on the Chinese economy, Browning follows the development by the People's Bank of China (PBOC) of a so-called "digital yuan." We last wrote about it here. The PBOC's effort is gaining enough … [Read more...] about China’s Digital Currency and CME’s Bitcoin Micro Contract
Crypto’s Regulatory Imperative
For many FinTechs, particularly those operating in cutting-edge spaces like blockchain and cryptocurrency, regulation has often been seen as a dirty word; something that can only shackle innovation. But lack of regulation in the blockchain and crypto space has often served as a greater restriction than most actual laws can be, creating an air of uncertainty for companies … [Read more...] about Crypto’s Regulatory Imperative
Banking on FinTech
U.S. banks made more than 65 strategic bets in FinTech in 2020. Capital markets investments led the way. “Despite the economic uncertainty surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic, U.S. banks are future-proofing by actively investing in FinTech,” research firm CBInsights concludes in a report released last week. Deals in the capital markets category more than doubled those in the … [Read more...] about Banking on FinTech
March 2021: The Month in FinTech
The month of March started with an international focus that included our most popular article of the month, as measured by page views. As a whole, however, bitcoin and digital assets dominated the news and our themes of the week. Here's a review. Innovation and Regulation: Building Better International Payments International trade and commerce are a major piece of … [Read more...] about March 2021: The Month in FinTech
National Currencies Go Digital
You may be forgiven if you think that Central Bank Digital Currencies are the boring cousin of bitcoin. Yet CBDCs made more news this week than the ups and downs of king of crypto—and perhaps because of them. Bitcoin was designed to address “the risk that fiat currency is debased in the future by excessive supply”—printing money—and “the clunky nature of the modern payments … [Read more...] about National Currencies Go Digital
New Charter Law Could Make Illinois a Crypto Leader
Illinois FinTechs may soon have a new opportunity to provide safekeeping of digital assets such as cryptocurrencies, in a move that would make the state only the second in the nation to offer this authority to applying companies. A new charter for these “special purpose trust” companies got one step closer to passage through the state legislature Tuesday, with the Illinois … [Read more...] about New Charter Law Could Make Illinois a Crypto Leader