Regulation & Compliance - Long Reads, News, Articles & Research: Finextra

FCA’s 5 year strategy: The UK’s shifting approach to digital assets and tokenisation

Chris Holmes Peer at House of Lords

FCA’s 5 year strategy: The UK’s shifting approach to digital assets and tokenisation

The UK needs to get serious about DeFi, digital assets, stablecoins, crypto, RWAs, tokenisation and the kind of compliance that supports innovation and protects consumers. Hopefully the days of politicians confusing bitcoin with blockchain are well behind us and there is now a greater appreciation of the potential of this technology, which is broad...

10 April 2025 /regulation

Outlook on financial regulations and supervisory practice in Germany and the EU

Renate Prinz Partner at McDermott Will & Emery LLP

Outlook on financial regulations and supervisory practice in Germany and the EU

The first quarter of the new year is over, and many new regulations have come into force and already been widely discussed. DORA, MiCA, CRR III, AMLD – the list of exciting abbreviations in financial market supervision is getting longer every year, and new regulations are increasingly affecting more than just financial service providers and other ...

02 April 2025 /regulation

Is the PS21/3 operational resilience transition period end a turning point?

Madhvi Sonia Head of Content at Finextra

Is the PS21/3 operational resilience transition period end a turning point?

The transition period for the UK regulator FCA’s PS21/3 guidance for Financial Market Infrastructures (FMIs) to build their operational resilience officially ends on 31 March 2025. For many organisations in the financial services and fintech industries, the conclusion of this transition period marks a critical milestone in regulatory compliance an...

31 March 2025 /regulation

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

What is CFPB Section 1033?

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or CFPB, is an independent agency of the United States government. On 22 October 2024, the CFPB issued a final rule to implement Section 1033 of the Dodd-Frank Act, seeking to govern how consumers access and share their financial data – and how that data is protected. In essence, the regulation marked an ...

18 March 2025 /regulation

Fintech sentiment: What the PSR abolishment means for the UK

Dominique Dierks Senior Content Manager at Finextra

Fintech sentiment: What the PSR abolishment means for the UK

This week, the UK Government has confirmed its plans to scrap the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) in a bid to slash red tape and boost economic growth. The PSR’s operations will be merged with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) once the government has passed primary legislation to enact the change. Opinions on the axing of the PSR are divided....

17 March 2025 /regulation

How partnerships are transforming payments and fintech

Olivia Murphy Managing Associate at Linklaters

How partnerships are transforming payments and fintech

Strategic partnerships are on the rise in the payments and fintech space. In recent weeks we have seen traditional banks team up with technology and fintech companies to bring buy now pay later (BNPL) offerings to the market. Partnerships themselves are not a new phenomenon in the payments sphere. For years banks providing merchant services have te...

06 March 2025 /regulation

What’s happening at the SEC? Examining signs of Trump’s regulatory roll-back for crypto

Dominique Dierks Senior Content Manager at Finextra

What’s happening at the SEC? Examining signs of Trump’s regulatory roll-back for crypto

Over the last weeks, a series of events and announcements have shaken up the crypto market in the US. From SEC (US Securities and Exchange Commission) case dismissals to the creation of a US Crypto Reserve, the Trump administration has quickly signalled a 180 turn on the handling of cryptocurrencies. Even before his inauguration, President Trump w...

04 March 2025 /regulation

How much is too much – or too little - regulation? Banks and their depositors may soon find out

Scott Hamilton Contributing Editor at Finextra Research

How much is too much – or too little - regulation? Banks and their depositors may soon find out

In a new report published on 27 February, NPR shared a warning that the US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)’s proposed dismantling at the behest of the Trump administration could be particularly perilous for the US banking system and its customers. NPR noted the rapid job-cutting actions and attacks from the White House and its allies ...

04 March 2025 /regulation

M&A in the EU market: Essential factors for investors to consider

Renate Prinz Partner at McDermott Will & Emery LLP

M&A in the EU market: Essential factors for investors to consider

Investing in Europe: Is it a good time to do so? Opinions differ. The EU financial sector has experienced significant growth in recent years, driven by technological advancements and evolving consumer preferences, but there is also heavy regulation. Despite the downsides of a high degree of regulation, such as increased costs, inflexibility, many ...

25 February 2025 /regulation

Scott Hamilton Contributing Editor at Finextra Research

What’s happening to the US CFPB?

What’s in store for America’s consumer financial services watchdog agency – the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)? Nobody really knows. But many open banking and data protection and control advocates are saying: “please don’t lose sight of the benefits of personal financial data rights,” amid the heated debate over its sponsoring agency’...

17 February 2025 /regulation

How greenwashing is approached in the UK and EU

Sehrish Alikhan Reporter at Finextra

How greenwashing is approached in the UK and EU

Last week, the Association of Financial Markets (AFME) in Europe released a report revealing how the UK and EU’s approach to greenwashing differ in the financial market. The report analysed how financial institution regulators approach greenwashing mitigation, taking into account sustainability-related statements and laws in place, such as the U...

05 February 2025 /regulation

2025 trends: UK regulatory predictions and upcoming legislation

Chris Holmes Peer at House of Lords

2025 trends: UK regulatory predictions and upcoming legislation

A traditional job for this time of year is thinking about what might be coming up in the year ahead. For me this is a combination of likely trends and priorities in the areas I work in which involves fintech from both a business perspective and related legislation. My top five headlines for 2025 (so far) are fraud, AI, stablecoins, smart data and ...

04 February 2025 /regulation

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