EU Moves Closer to Harmonized Regulation of Cryptoassets

A sign in a Berlin pub signals the owner’s acceptance of bitcoin.  Reports on cryptoasset regulation in the European Union could have global reverberations. ( Sean Gallup/Getty Images file photo)

Two pivotal reports on European cryptoasset regulation were released today by the European Securities Markets Authority (ESMA) and the European Banking Authority (EBA), setting the stage for a process that could result in a “bespoke” regime for cryptoassets.  The full story is here. 

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FintechPolicy.org, an online portal for news and analysis of global regulatory developments in financial technology, officially launched in the latter days of December 2018. 

FintechPolicy.org will be the first website of its kind to focus on policy across an increasingly expansive fintech ecosystem.  A wide array of experts from the field of financial technology will contribute articles, opinion pieces, and exposés concerning the current state and future of regulatory policy in the United States and internationally, with Dr. Chris Brummer serving as founder and key contributor. 

New Brexit vote would 'break faith' with British, says May

REUTERS/Toby Melville

Prime Minister Theresa May reportedly opposes a second Brexit referendum on Monday, arguing that such a vote would “break faith” with British people and do “irreparable damage” to politics.  The story is here. 

NAFTA talks forced Canada to pick a side in U.S.-China trade war

(Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

When Justin Trudeau's government agreed to a revised North American free trade deal, the Americans said Canada also agreed to something else: joining Donald Trump's trade war on China.  The story is here. 

Why some experts say scrapping part of NAFTA’s Ch.  11 is Canada’s biggest win with USMCA

Photo Courtesy of globalnews.ca

While the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) is similar to its NAFTA predecessor in many ways, some experts are cheering the removal of a section little-known to the Canadian public — Chapter 11, Section B., or the Investors-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanism.  The story is here. 

Fintech Week speakers roster is now up! 

The speakers roster for Fintech Week is available now!  From Amazon to Zcash, and from the Comptroller of the Currency to the Co-Director of Colombia's central bank, experts will come to Washington November 5-8 to discuss the future of fintech regulatory policy. 

NAFTA talks to resume, according to Mexican negotiators

Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo holds his headset during a joint news conference on the closing of the seventh round of NAFTA talks in Mexico City, Mexico March 5, 2018.  REUTERS/Edgard Garrido/File Photo

Mexican Economy Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo declared that the negotiating teams for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) are ready to kick off talks again after they stalled last month.  The full story is here. 

TPP to Expand Membership

Chief negotiators from the 11 members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership pose in Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Thursday.  | KYODO

Chief negotiators from the 11 signatories to the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreed this week to start accession talks with potential newcomers in 2019, when the free trade pact takes effect.  Thailand, Indonesia, Columbia, South Korea and Taiwan are reportedly seen as willing to join the revised accord, which was signed in March and is now formally known as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.  The story is here. 

EU-Japan Trade Agreement Signed

Photo Courtesy of DW.com

European member states have given the go-ahead for a free trade deal with Japan, the world's third-largest economy, news outlets report.  Among other things, the new accord will create the world’s largest open economic area, removing EU tariffs of 10 percent tariffs on Japanese cars and the 3 percent rate typically applied to car parts.  Meanwhile, Japan has reportedly committed to remove duties of some 30 percent on EU cheese and 15 percent on wines as well as allowing it to increase its beef and pork exports and gain access to large public tenders in Japan.