Traditionally when it comes to investing, certain privileges were reserved exclusively for those with a high net worth. As the saying goes, the rich get richer. Many analysts suggest that part of the reason is that this group earns higher returns on their investments than those considered “average investors.” The result is that the wealth gap between the rich and the poor has continued to widen, suggesting that a solution is needed now, more than ever. Consequently, the concept of democratizing wealth management has continued to grow in popularity to equalize the playing field. With automated trading and other digital …

Sir Jon Cunliffe, the Deputy Governor for Financial Stability at the Bank of England (BoE) crypto may pose an imminent threat to the traditional financial system. During a Nov. 15 interview with the BBC’s “Today” program, Cunliffe argued that the rapid growth of digital assets and their integration with traditional financial services could soon pose systemic risks, stating: “[Cryptocurrencies] are growing very fast, and they’re becoming integrated more into what I might call the traditional financial system.” “So the point at which they pose a risk is getting closer. I think regulators and legislators need to think very hard about …

Australian banks have been dressing up anti-competitive behavior as regulatory compliance when de-banking crypto customers, Senator Andrew Bragg said. “I believe many banks have been dressing up de-banking as a regulatory necessity. In fact it is often anti-competitive behavior and far more sinister and threatening than it appears on the surface,” the Liberal Senator for New South Wales said in a prepared address to the Tech Council of Australia tod. Denial of banking, or debanking, is when a financial institution chooses to no longer offer banking services to a customer. No reason needs to be given, and banks have the …

One of the ANZ bank’s senior executives has told a Blockchain Australia forum that the crypto sector has grown too big to be ignored by traditional finance. The comments came a day after rival Commonwealth Bank announced that it would roll out crypto trading services for 10 digital assets via its Commbank app. The “State of Play” forum was held by Blockchain Australia on Nov. 4 and featured representatives from organizations including Mastercard, ANZ and NAB offering their take on the crypto sector in the wake of CBA’s play. Today we hosted the 'State of Play' with over 1200 registrations …

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) is set to launch crypto trading services for the 6.5 million users of its CommBank app. The CBA will become the first bank in Australia to support crypto, and Blockchain Australia says it is “inevitable” that the other ‘big four’ banks including National Australia Bank (NAB), Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) and Westpac will soon follow suit. According to a Nov. 3 announcement, the CBA has partnered with the Gemini crypto exchange and blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis to launch its crypto services. The bank will launch a pilot for a limited number …

Top U.S.-based banks and financial institutions have filled more than 1,000 positions for crypto experts in the past three years. According to a Nov. 1 report from Bloomberg, financial institutions are offering significant bonuses to attract crypto talent, with human resource consultant Johnson Associates estimating that crypto positions pay salaries that are between 20% and 30% higher than comparable positions not related to digital currency. The firm added that many senior crypto roles benefit an up to 50% bump in salary over comparable positions, with managing director Alan Johnson concluding: “The banks can’t run the risk that their clients go …

The United States territory of Puerto Rico is seeing a resurgence of interest among crypto investors attracted by the fact it doesn’t charge federal income tax and eligible investors can pay zero taxes on their crypto gains. Under local law Act 22, those who live in Puerto Rico for at least half of the year are exempt from taxes on interest, dividends and capital gains — meaning they can keep most or all of the profits from crypto or other investments without having to renounce U.S. residency. The popularity of the territory as crypto tax haven was highlighted when news …

The share price of the Intercontinental Exchange-backed crypto services company Bakkt ($BKKT) has surged as it unveiled two partnerships with major global payments firms. On Monday 25 Oct., Mastercard announced it would be working with digital asset platform Bakkt to allow its customers based in the United States to buy, sell and hold digital assets through custodial wallets. On the same day, global payment provider Fiserv also announced a strategic collaboration with Bakkt to offer merchant-facing digital asset services. The news drove a bullish day of trading for BKKT, with the stock rallying by more than 50% outside of regular …

The rapid growth of mainstream attention toward cryptocurrencies has forced the hands of numerous governments to create their digital alternatives. Over the past few years, interest from various jurisdictions has been pointed towards central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) — digital versions of government-issued fiat. Given their capacity to use blockchain technology to facilitate a simplified fiscal policy — not to mention calibrate privacy features and even provide cross-border banking services to the unbanked — CBDCs continue to gain even more attention from various governments worldwide. Already, surveys show more than 80% of central banks are researching CBDCs, with some working …

Until recently, the majority of Bitcoin (BTC) lending took place on centralized platforms. This was predominantly because of the cumbersome process involved in tokenizing Bitcoin into a wrapped ERC-20 version before it could be deposited on the Ethereum (ETH) network. The resulting implication of this inconvenience was not just the additional transaction fees and slippage incurred but a fragmented decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem. Currently, only 1% of Bitcoin is circulating on Ethereum. BiFi is a platform that facilitates real Bitcoin lending on DeFi by connecting the Bitcoin and Ethereum networks directly. The platform describes itself as “like Compound or Aave, …

Resistance is mounting to United States President Joe Biden’s reported plans to tap a staunch banking and crypto critic to run the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. The proposed nomination of law professor Saule Omarova to head the federal bank regulatory agency has raised eyebrows in political and financial circles, as she is widely seen as anti-crypto and anti-big banks. Senator Ted Cruz has become the latest crypto ally to speak out, claiming that her decisions, if nominated, could change the future of the industry in a tweet on Tuesday. “Not only is Saule Omarova, Biden’s pick to …

SEBA Bank AG, a fully regulated Swiss-based institution that focuses on offering digital cryptocurrency assets, announced Wednesday the approval of a CISA license from the Swiss Financial Market Authority, or FINMA, to facilitate an institutional-grade custodian service for nation-native collective investment schemes. This announcement enables the bank to become Switzerland’s — and indeed one of the world’s first — digital asset-centric banks to gain a custody license. The endorsement will allow the institution to provide greater investment opportunities to professional clientele in the emerging cryptocurrency markets. Founded in mid-2018 as an advocate of next-generation digital banking, the firm soon rose …