In 2016 government regulators became more involved in the fintech industry in a variety of ways; while new regulations were discussed across the globe, governments also got more involved in the industry through sandbox and innovation programs; China's fintech market continued to grow in 2016 with both private market funding and fintech company growth; in 2016 robo advisors and blockchain emerged with new services; the market now offers a broader range of robo advisor services and the leading asset managers have introduced their own platforms; blockchain also reported unprecedented growth with distributed ledger being used for a wider variety of solutions across all industries; all of these industry developments are expected to remain in focus for 2017. Source
Thomas Curry, Comptroller of the Currency, gave more insight on the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's (OCC) plans for fintech regulation at a banking and innovation conference in London; Curry reported that regulation would be consistent with current banking standards, noting in his comments that, "if the OCC decides to grant a national charter in this area, the institution will be held to the same high standards of safety, soundness and fairness that other federally chartered institutions must meet"; the OCC is continuing with its plans for an Innovation Office and Curry said he would be releasing a white paper on fintech innovation. Source
In a speech last week to the US Chamber of Commerce, CFPB Richard Cordray provided thoughts geared towards fintech companies stating, "One message we are sending to the industry is, you are not going to be able to take advantage through arbitrage of our regulatory system. It's not fair for you to not have to meet the same expectations that banks have to meet. If you're trying to get an advantage by not meeting the same standards, that is not acceptable and we're trying to send that message loud and clear."; Cordray also spoke on finding the right balance of fintech regulation, modernizing regulations and the Bureau's look at debt collectors and payday lenders. Source
Representative Patrick McHenry says Dodd-Frank reform is not likely to make it to the House of Representatives until June or July; he is confident in major changes for the regulation from the House of Representatives however he foresees opposition from Senate democrats; in an interview with WSJ Pro Financial Regulation he also provided his insight on a range of regulatory aspects which could be integrated into legislation in various ways. Source
The paper, published by the President's Working Group on Financial Markets, argued that regulation must address defi money laundering and terrorism financing to create broader investor protection.
PricewaterhouseCoopers' DeNovo team says transparency, credibility and evolving business models will be key factors for marketplace lending in 2017; increased disclosures and new solutions for data analytics are expected to help transparency while also improving confidence and credibility; new regulations will also be an important factor for the landscape overall, potentially creating new business requirements while also validating funding sources; the DeNovo team also cites potentially lower investment taxes from House Speaker Paul Ryan's "A Better Way" plan and expansion to broader lending categories as important for the new year; in 2017 funding disbursement is also expected to come from a wider range of sources with securitization in the lead; originations overall in 2016 are down 4.9% through September at $7.8 billion versus $8.2 billion in 2015 while securitizations have increased by 80% at $5.4 billion versus $3.0 billion in 2015 according to Orchard. Source