Rohit Chopra Confirmed as CFPB Director; Historically Active Enforcement and Regulatory Regime Begins
On September 30, the U.S. Senate confirmed Commissioner Rohit Chopra of the Federal Trade Commission as the new Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Director Chopra is expected to usher in a regime of dramatically increased enforcement and creative, expansive regulation. Many financial institutions will have questions and concerns about the CFPB, how it will affect their businesses and operations, and how to productively engage with this exceptionally powerful and opaque regulator. It is now more important than ever to closely follow the work of the CFPB as new leadership seeks to aggressively employ all of the agency’s tools in service of the American consumer. (more…)
SEC Fines Alternative Data Provider for Securities Fraud
On September 14, 2021, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) settled an enforcement action against App Annie Inc., an alternative data provider for the mobile app industry, and its former CEO Bertrand Schmitt. The SEC charged App Annie and Schmitt with securities fraud, under Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5, for engaging in deceptive practices and materially misrepresenting how App Annie derived its alternative data, thereby inducing trading firms to become subscribers to use App Annie’s data in their decisions to buy and sell securities. (more…)
Fintech and Blockchain 2021
Please join us for a program focused on the latest 2021 FinTech and blockchain developments. Sidley lawyers in the banking, white collar, and FinTech groups will discuss the key regulatory and enforcement issues related to enhanced focus by the DOJ, SEC, CFTC, FinCEN, CFPB, OCC, and Federal Reserve on FinTech, blockchain, and cryptocurrencies from both the criminal and civil enforcement perspectives.
Enhanced Focus on Digital Asset Intermediaries by SEC, Congress, and State Securities Regulators
Given the substantial growth in digital asset investments this year, intermediaries offering trading and lending services are now the target of regulatory and enforcement focus that we expect will continue in the coming months and years. Recent examples of this increased scrutiny of digital asset service providers and intermediaries include
- Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler’s keynote for the American Bar Association Derivatives and Futures Committee, which touched on the regulation of cryptocurrencies, including statements that decentralized finance (DeFi) are implicated by securities laws
- the letter from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., to Chair Gensler requesting further information about the SEC’s authority to regulate cryptocurrency exchanges
- recent actions by state securities regulators against the financial services platform BlockFi related to a digital asset lending program alleging that these products are unregistered securities offerings
- the SEC settlement with Coinschedule, which operated a token-offering website and failed to disclose the compensation it received from token issuers in violation of antitouting provisions
