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With 2.6 million people and the highest remittances in Africa, Nigeria is currently the 7th most populous country in the world.
Chinese regulators raided over 40 companies in China to investigate for illegal activities pertaining to the country's newly disseminated laws; investigators found property agents listing homes that owners had not agreed to sell and providing false information about properties; with a focus on real estate property investing, the investigators also found P2P lenders offering down payment loans after they were recently restricted by regulators. Source
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has announced it will create an Innovation Office with staff in Washington, New York and San Francisco; the new Innovation Office is part of a broader framework for responsible innovation also released this week; the Innovation Office will provide a dedicated staff of government officials focused on innovation affecting federally chartered banks and the banking system; it will also seek to manage the OCC's framework for responsible innovation for banks and nonbanks. Source
BTC or ETH is not subject to tax on sales if the individual sells them more than 12 months after being acquired.
The Federal Reserve has finally opened up the Main Street Lending Program for registration; this is the program targeted towards...
Gensler said his biggest worry about the equity market was competition and consolidation. While retail investing has taken off, the PFOF that enables it is ripe for conflict of interest.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) was established as part of Dodd-Frank reform following the 2008 financial crisis to focus on financial law pertaining to the protection of consumers in the financial marketplace; in 2016 a three-judge D.C. circuit panel declared the CFPB unconstitutional in the PHH vs. CFPB case and gave full director accountability power to the president; an appeal by the CFPB overturned that ruling and called for a rehearing of the case before a broader panel of judges which is set for May 24, 2017; on Friday, March 17 the US Justice Department filed a brief requesting that the federal appeals court restructure the CFPB; the brief appears to be focused on the fact that the CFPB director was setup to have no accountability to the president; in the case of PHH vs. CFPB, lawyers from PHH reported that the CFPB should be dissolved; the Justice Department's brief appears to focus just on the CFPB director's accountability. Source
Moody's has released a report commenting on the new FDIC guidelines for bank lending through third-party lenders; guidance from the FDIC is proposed and seeks to potentially improve controls on bank lending through marketplace loans; the new FDIC guidance will help to improve the overall quality of loans on marketplace lending platforms, according to Moody's; the new controls focus on greater analysis and oversight by banks of marketplace lenders' credit underwriting models to ensure that they align with the bank's lending terms. Source
The US Senate's Banking Committee majority leader says a full reform of Dodd-Frank is unlikely but the Committee will seek to pass targeted reforms; the Banking Committee majority leader also sees larger regulatory changes coming mainly from the independent agencies; the outlook means the Financial Choice Act led by House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling is also unlikely to be passed in the Senate; "The Choice Act is our omnibus legislation, but we will also reintroduce its component bills," says Hensarling; a previous executive order from President Trump which halts new federal regulations or requires regulators to repeal two rules for every new one issued is also slowing the regulatory process. Source
The US marketplace lending industry has matured with a number of self-regulating industry associations however the evolution of the industry and its integration into mainstream financial services has brought about increased regulatory attention which was one prominent topic for discussion at LendIt USA; HousingWire details the keynote speeches from Thomas Curry and Patrick McHenry also discussing insight from Amias Gerety; Richard Cordray from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was also a featured keynote speaker discussing government regulatory efforts pertaining to the industry. Source