The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is suing Gemini Trust Company, based in New York City, alleging that in 2017 the cryptocurrency exchange made false or misleading statements to the CFTC about the self-certification of a bitcoin futures product. The regulator has filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of… Read More >>
Senate Bill Pushes Regulation & Innovation for Digital Assets
A bipartisan bill, co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), offers a comprehensive regulatory framework for digital assets that encourages innovation while also protecting against “bad actors” in volatile and highly risky markets. The proposed law, the Responsible Financial Innovation Act, is also meant to boost “financial innovation, flexibility, transparency and… Read More >>
Greenwashing Crackdowns Should Spur ESG Funds Review: Q&A
(For financial services firms, the term “greenwashing” refers to misleading marketing about investments based upon Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and sustainability concerns. The practice has been getting a lot of attention recently as major media have reported upon a raid by German authorities of Deutsche Bank’s DWS offices in an effort to gather evidence… Read More >>
Merrill Lynch to Give Back $15.2M to Customers
FINRA, the self-regulatory organization for broker-dealers, has ordered Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith (MLPF&S) to pay $15.2 million-plus to “thousands of customers who purchased Class C mutual fund shares when Class A shares were available at substantially lower costs.” Looking at it from street level, you might be reminded of the shell game separating… Read More >>
Glencore Penalized $1B+ via Corruption Cases
Glencore International A.G. and Glencore Ltd., which are part of a commodity trading and mining firm based in Baar, Switzerland, have admitted their guilt in sprawling schemes of foreign bribery and market manipulation that led to market advantages but also scandal, plea bargains, and a billion-dollar fine. Among many authorities across the globe, the complex… Read More >>
Canadian Firm to Use SimCorp & Other News
StonePine Signs Up for SimCorp’s Centralization A relatively new Canadian firm, StonePine Asset Management reports that it will be using an investment platform and services from vendor SimCorp to jumpstart its growth. The new agreement will mean that SimCorp’s Software as a Service (Saas) investment management solutions will run the asset manager’s front-to-back office… Read More >>
Germany’s LPA Plans U.S. Expansion & Other News
Germany’s LPA Plans U.S. Expansion LPA, the capital markets technology and advisory firm headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, with offices in a dozen cities around the world, reports a United States expansion plan. The plan calls for a new office in New York City and the appointment of Serge Malka as the firm’s U.S…. Read More >>
ESG Boosts Client Engagement via Social Media: Q&A
(A survey conducted by digital client engagement vendor Hearsay Systems, which focuses on financial services markets, has revealed that “principles-based messaging” is achieving the highest engagement rates for financial services firms, particularly financial advisors and agents. Such messaging refers to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria, and efforts to involve more women and more diversity… Read More >>
Cowen Digital to Deploy SS&C Eze’s OEMS
Reflecting the range of its offerings, SS&C Technologies has news for cutting-edge, digital asset efforts and for established, institutional securities operations. For the cutting edge, Cowen Digital, the new digital asset division of investment bank Cowen, Inc., reports that it will be deploying an order/execution management system (OEMS) from SS&C Eze in support of clients… Read More >>
Crypto’s Pitfalls Are the Focus of a New Guide
Say this for the computer kids who bought into the Great Crypto Scam: They (and others who dream of easy riches) are determined to tie themselves to the blockchain, no matter what. Even the recent $300 billion drop in value across the crypto economy (as calculated by the New York Times) hasn’t dissuaded them. The… Read More >>
