Fintech regulation – Consumer Financial Services Watch

Future of Fintech Regulations in the US

May 20 2016

By Charles Carter and Anthony (Tony) Yerry (ed. Cameron Abbott and Giles Whittaker)

Investment in financial technology (fintech) companies has surpassed US$24 billion worldwide since 2010, which consequently emphasises the importance of the relationship between fintech companies and regulators as they attempt to establish a culture of compliance while not stifling innovation.

As suggested by the industry experts according to The Wall Street Journal, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) may be the best federal agency to regulate fintech companies in the US. On March 31 the OCC during a speech at Harvard University on the innovation of the fintech industry released a white paper which attempts to launch formal discussions between regulators and the industry.

For more information and analysis of the OCC white paper please see K&L Gates’ e-alert here.

The OCC’s Request for Comments and Discussion on the Future of Fintech Regulation

May 16 2016

By Charles P. Carter and Anthony (Tony) Yerry

U.S.-based digital banking startups have raised more than $10 billion since 2010, and investment in financial technology (“fintech”) companies has surpassed $24 billion worldwide. These firms are attempting to disrupt the banking value chain by providing services such as lending, bill payment, wealth management, and mobile banking. The significant federal and state regulation of these services create an obstacle for these fintech companies that technology companies in other vertical markets, such as social, internet infrastructure, and enterprise technology, do not face. It is critical for these companies, at the earliest stages of development, to understand how and when to engage with regulators and to build a culture of compliance, and it is critical for regulators to listen and adapt to the complaint from traditional banks and startups that the current regulatory framework stifles innovation and is unable to provide oversight for new forms of finance and banking.

To read the full alert, click here.

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