Square hit with cease and desist order in Illinois

Square has been told by local regulators to stop providing "money transmission services" in Illinois.

In a cease and desist order - picked up by former Citi banker Thomas Noyes - the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation says that Square is violating the Transmitters of Money Act.

The Act requires "any person engaged in the business of transmitting money in Illinois" to be licensed by the department, which Square is not.

The order, from January, demands that Square cease and desist from offering its service in the state and hand over relevant documents.

A Square spokesperson told The Next Web: "We've been in close contact with the Illinois Division of Financial Institutions for several months and are addressing their concerns."

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Comments: (2)

Ketharaman Swaminathan - GTM360 Marketing Solutions - Pune 06 March, 2013, 15:33

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Maybe this is what happens when the digerati rubber finally meets the regulatory road. However, I'm a bit sad that this should begin with someone like SQUARE, which never claimed to disintermediate banks from payments.

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A Finextra member 08 March, 2013, 04:00

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As impressive as a 'Cease and Desist' order sounds, this is likely to be more of a temporary speed bump for Square rather than any form of longer term obstacle.

What this really highlights is that Square is quickly becoming a mainstream player in the payments arena and as a result is beginning to attract attention from regulatory bodies.