DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Justices Seem Likely to Side With N.R.A. in First Amendment Dispute
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Abbie Vansickle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A majority of the Supreme Court appeared on Monday to embrace arguments by the National Rifle Association that a New York State official violated the First Amendment by trying to dissuade companies from doing business with it after a deadly school shooting. The dispute, which began after a gunman opened fire in 2018 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., was one of two cases on Monday that centered on when government advocacy crosses a line to violate the Constitution’s protection of free speech. After the shooting, which killed 17 students and staff members, Maria Vullo, then a superintendent of the New York State Department of Financial Services, said banks and other insurance companies regulated by her agency should assess whether they wanted to continue providing services to the N.R.A. The gun rights group sued, accusing Ms. Vullo of unlawfully leveraging her authority as a government official.

Persons: Marjory Stoneman, Maria Vullo, Ms, Vullo Organizations: National Rifle Association, New York State, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, New York State Department of Financial Services Locations: Parkland, Fla

☆ Bitcoin stages a $1 trillion comeback
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —Bitcoin is back with a $1 trillion dollar bang. In contrast to traditional currencies, the supply of bitcoin is limited and is expected to peak in 2140, according to the price-tracking website for cryptocurrencies. The value of bitcoin has risen nearly 13% since January 10, when US regulators gave the green light to investment firms wishing to offer such funds. In January, before approving bitcoin exchange-traded funds, Gary Gensler, chair of the US Securities and Exchange Commission, said on X: “A number of major platforms & crypto assets have become insolvent and/or lost value. Investments in crypto assets continue to be subject to significant risk.”

Persons: London CNN — Bitcoin, ” Gareth Rhodes, Gary Gensler, ” Organizations: London CNN, cryptocurrencies, CNN, New York State Department of Financial Services, US Securities and Exchange Commission Locations: CoinMarketCap, bitcoin

☆ Bitcoin euphoria is back as investors prepare for the quadrennial ‘halving’
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

There are a few key forces forces driving the latest bitcoin euphoria, including an influx of money from investors in newly launched bitcoin exchange-traded funds and excitement over the halving, when the rate of bitcoin production is slashed. “Which is exciting because if history rhymes, the next 12-18 months is going to be a scorcher for crypto.”The halving hypeThe halving, also called the “halvening,” is a foundational concept in the bitcoin philosophy. In 2016, it was about almost 800% over that two-year period; for the 2020 halving, investors saw a 700% gain. The imminent bitcoin halving is setting up a grand chess game in the markets, Henry Robinson, co-founder of Decimal Digital Currency, said in an email. The timing of this year’s halving is also significant, coming just a few months after the US Securities and Exchange Commission approved the first spot bitcoin ETFs.

Persons: New York CNN —, Bitcoin, bitcoin, ”, Antoni Trenchev, Gareth Rhodes, bitcoin’s, Rhodes, Henry Robinson, ” Robinson, “, it’s Organizations: New, New York CNN, New York State Department of Financial Services, Decimal, US Securities and Exchange Commission, BlackRock, Fidelity, Bloomberg Locations: New York, bitcoins

☆ Crypto Firm Genesis Global Trading to Pay $8 Million for Compliance Failings
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( David Smagalla | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Genesis Global Trading closed its U.S. spot trading operations in September. Its parent company, Genesis Global Holdco, filed for bankruptcy a year ago. Photo: Gabby Jones/Bloomberg NewsCrypto brokerage firm Genesis Global Trading has agreed to pay $8 million in a settlement with New York state’s financial regulator over alleged failings in its anti-money-laundering and cybersecurity programs. Genesis Global Trading, part of the now-bankrupt Genesis Global Holdco LLC, closed its U.S. spot crypto trading operations in September and is in the process of winding down. As part of its settlement with the New York State Department of Financial Services, the trading unit will surrender its BitLicense, which allowed it to operate a crypto business in New York, the regulator said in a statement Friday.

Persons: Gabby Jones Organizations: Genesis, Bloomberg, New York, Global, New York State Department of Financial Services Locations: New, New York

☆ A sales practice at American Express is under scrutiny. Here's what we know about the investigation.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Dakin Campbell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

It's not clear how much scrutiny the company is under for management's role in developing and training employees to sell the product. Subpoenas are issued to compel parties such as company executives and employees, or former employees, to appear for interviews or turn over documents. In July, the OCC assessed a $15 million civil penalty against American Express National Bank. The IRS is also involvedBrooklyn attorneys are coordinating their criminal investigation alongside the IRS's criminal-investigation unit, the people BI spoke with said. Sinking morale among some sales employeesThe investigations are taking a toll on Amex's results-driven culture, current and former sales employees told BI, because compliance staff have gotten more involved in the sales process.

Persons: Amex, hadn't, salespeople, It's, Adam Isserlis, Isserlis, John Marzulli, Brian Morris, Hiral Mehta, Morris, Boies, Boies Schiller Flexner, Seth DuCharme, Charles Blazer, he's, Mehta, Hiral, Brian Organizations: American Express, Business, Justice, New York State Department of Financial Services, BI, Brooklyn, Eastern, of, OCC, American Express National Bank, Consumer Financial, Justice Department, Department of Financial Services, Department of Justice, IRS, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, FDIC's, Government, Costco, Securities, Eastern District, Department of Homeland Security, Boies Schiller, FIFA, Taco Bell Locations: Brooklyn , New York, of New York, Eastern, Brooklyn

☆ New York Adds Stiffer Requirements to Cybersecurity Rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( James Rundle | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Adrienne Harris, the superintendent of the New York State Department of Financial Services, in May. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty ImagesNew York’s financial watchdog published significant updates to its cybersecurity regulations Wednesday, adding strict provisions around board oversight and ransom payments that go further than recent federal rules. The New York State Department of Financial Services, which oversees banks, insurance firms, mortgage brokers and other financial institutions, expanded its initial cybersecurity rules, published in 2017, because rising cyberattacks require stronger protections, said Adrienne Harris , superintendent of financial services, in a statement.

Persons: Adrienne Harris, Anna Moneymaker Organizations: New York State Department of Financial Services

☆ US authorities interview Winklevoss over claims against DCG and its CEO -source
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/file photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 7 (Reuters) - U.S. authorities are probing claims of fraud that Cameron Winklevoss, the co-founder of crypto firm Gemini Trust Co, has made against the Digital Currency Group (DCG) and its founder Barry Silbert, according to a source familiar with the inquiry. Winklevoss has said that DCG and Silbert misrepresented the financial health of DCG's lending arm Genesis, which filed for bankruptcy in January. Gemini was the largest creditor of the bankrupt firm and is suing DCG and Silbert. Federal prosecutors in New York and investigators from the FBI and the Securities and Exchange Commission asked Winklevoss about his claims during an interview in recent months, the source said. Authorities have not accused DCG or Silbert of any misconduct and investigations do not always lead to charges.

Persons: Cameron Winklevoss, Lucas Jackson, Barry Silbert, Winklevoss, Silbert, Gemini, DCG, Chris Prentice, Jaiveer Singh, Devika Syamnath, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: New York State Department of Financial Services, REUTERS, Gemini Trust, Digital Currency Group, FBI, Securities and Exchange Commission, Bloomberg, SEC, Gemini, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, New York, Bengaluru

REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Aug 21 (Reuters) - PayPal's (PYPL.O) stablecoin is likely to succeed where Facebook's failed, thanks to the payment giant's standing in Washington and policymakers' greater understanding of the issues in the last three years. "From a policy perspective, there is a seismic difference between Facebook's Libra and PayPal's stablecoin," said Isaac Boltansky, director of policy research for brokerage BTIG. Dan Dolev, a senior analyst at Mizuho, said PayPal USD is not a game-changer for PayPal investors. When Facebook unveiled Libra, a stablecoin whose operations were based in Switzerland and which was pegged to a basket of currencies, executives made no secret of their ambitions. Facebook rebranded Libra, scaled it back and moved the project to the United States, in a bid to win U.S. regulatory approval.

Persons: Fabrizio Bensch, stablecoin, Facebook's, Christopher Giancarlo, PayPal's, Isaac Boltansky, Dan Schulman, Dan Dolev, Maxine Waters, Joe Biden's, Janet Yellen, Yellen, TerraUSD, stablecoins, There's, Jack Fletcher, Patrick McHenry, Hannah Lang, Andrea Shalal, Pete Schroeder, Niket, Michelle Price, Matthew Lewis Organizations: PayPal, REUTERS, Rights, U.S ., Facebook, U.S . Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Federal Reserve, Meta, Paxos Trust, New York State Department of Financial Services, Mizuho, Financial Services, Treasury, Congress, prudential, Republican, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Washington, U.S, Switzerland, United States, transact, stablecoins, Bengaluru

☆ PayPal is diving deeper into crypto by launching its own stablecoin—what investors should know
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Cheyenne Devon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

PayPal has added a new cryptocurrency to its roster: PayPal USD (PYUSD). On Monday, the online payments service became the first major U.S. financial company to launch its own U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin. PayPal USD is "100% backed by U.S. dollar deposits, short-term U.S. Treasuries and similar cash equivalents," according to a Monday press release. Additionally, PayPal's stablecoin is redeemable 1:1 for U.S. dollars, which means one PayPal USD can be redeemed for one U.S. dollar and vice versa. Notably, Paxos was ordered to stop issuing Binance's dollar-pegged stablecoin, BUSD, by the New York State Department of Financial Services in February.

Persons: PYUSD, Paxos, PayPal's, Dan Schulman Organizations: PayPal, U.S ., U.S, Paxos Trust Company, New York State Department of Financial Services

☆ New York State to Debut First Cybersecurity Strategy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( James Rundle | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

The state of New York will debut its first cybersecurity strategy, including plans to modernize government networks, provide digital defenses at the county level and regulate critical infrastructure. In addition, the state plans to focus on developing its cybersecurity workforce and educating New York residents and companies about cybersecurity. In March, the White House published the National Cybersecurity Strategy, which touches on several of the themes in New York’s own document. The U.S. Office of the National Cyber Director coordinated with the New York state government during the drafting process, said acting National Cyber Director Kemba Walden. Kemba Walden, acting National Cyber Director Photo: U.S. OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL CYBER DIRECTOR“Certainly we appreciate points of alignment, where appropriate, between state cyber strategies and the National Cybersecurity Strategy.

Persons: Kathy Hochul, Kathryn Garcia, Lev Radin, ”, Garcia, Colin Ahern, Kemba Walden, ” Walden, ” Garcia, James Rundle Organizations: state’s, of Homeland Security, Emergency Services, New York, cybersecurity, Aging, U.S . Office, National Cyber, New, New York State Department of Financial Services, New York State Intelligence Center, Joint Security Operations Center Locations: New York, Suffolk County, Iowa, Michigan, West Virginia, New York’s Suffolk County, New, New York City, Albany, Telecommuting, Brooklyn, Albany , Rochester, Syracuse, Albany , New York City, Yonkers, james.rundle

☆ New York State Debuts First Cybersecurity Strategy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( James Rundle | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

The state of New York debuted its first cybersecurity strategy, including plans to modernize government networks, provide digital defenses at the county level and regulate critical infrastructure. In addition, the state plans to focus on developing its cybersecurity workforce and educating New York residents and companies about cybersecurity. In March, the White House published the National Cybersecurity Strategy, which touches on several of the themes in New York’s own document. The U.S. Office of the National Cyber Director coordinated with the New York state government during the drafting process, said acting National Cyber Director Kemba Walden. Photo: U.S. OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL CYBER DIRECTOR“Certainly we appreciate points of alignment, where appropriate, between state cyber strategies and the National Cybersecurity Strategy.

Persons: Kathy Hochul, Kathryn Garcia, Lev Radin, ”, Garcia, Colin Ahern, Kemba Walden, ” Walden, ” Garcia, James Rundle Organizations: New York, state’s, of Homeland Security, Emergency Services, cybersecurity, Aging, U.S . Office, National Cyber, New, New York State Department of Financial Services, New York State Intelligence Center, Joint Security Operations Center Locations: New, New York, Suffolk County, Iowa, Michigan, West Virginia, New York’s Suffolk County, New York City, Albany, Telecommuting, Brooklyn, Albany , Rochester, Syracuse, Albany , New York City, Yonkers, james.rundle

☆ PayPal launches first dollar-backed stablecoin from a major U.S. financial institution
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

PayPal on Monday launched a U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin to help facilitate payments as its latest addition to its suite of crypto services. The new asset, called PayPal USD (PYUSD), was designed to address the "emerging potential" to "transform payments in web3 and digitally native environments." PayPal said the stablecoin's function is to reduce friction for in-experience payments in virtual settings and allowing direct flows to developers. PayPal USD is issued by Paxos, which also previously issued the dollar-pegged, Binance-branded stablecoin BUSD. Paxos was ordered by the New York State Department of Financial Services in February to stop issuing BUSD, which marked the beginning of this year's decline in the stablecoin market cap.

Persons: Dan Schulman, Paxos, they're Organizations: PayPal, Monday, U.S ., Paxos, New York State Department of Financial Services Locations: U.S, web3

Robinhood vs. Coinbase: The Biggest DifferencesRobinhood Investing and Coinbase are both popular online investment platforms offering a vast range of investment choices for active traders. Robinhood Account FeaturesRobinhood's virtual library provides a variety of financial research on investing, options trading, and more. Coinbase Account FeaturesThe Basic Coinbase account offers things like trading, crypto rewards, interest rewards, digital storage, and mobile access. Compared to Coinbase, Robinhood is the better option for investors who want to merge traditional investments, such as stocks and ETFs, with more digital assets like cryptocurrencies. Although Robinhood has a significantly more limited crypto selection than Coinbase, Robinhood offers a large variety of investment options.

Persons: Robinhood, Roth, Coinbase Coinbase, Roth IRAs, Coinbase, There's, Louis Oberlander, Henry Rodriguez, Christopher Underwood Organizations: Robinhood, Chevron, Reading Chevron, Coinbase, Trade, Pro, Morningstar, Nasdaq, Better, Bureau, BBB, Gamestop, SEC, Advanced Trade, Inc, New York State Department of Financial Services, New, DFS Locations: cryptocurrencies, New York, Robinhood

Kraken vs. Coinbase: The Biggest DifferencesCompare Kraken and Coinbase KrakenCoinbase Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. These levels determine which account features you can access, as well as represent the amount of documentation you provide when setting up your Kraken account. Kraken Account FeaturesIf you're an institution or an advanced trader, there's no shortage of services at Kraken. The standard Coinbase account includes crypto trading, Coinbase Earn, Coinbase Card (a Coinbase debit card), wallet services, and more. Coinbase and Kraken are both great cryptocurrency exchanges with large cryptocurrency selections, account features, NFT beta marketplaces, and more.

Persons: Coinbase, Min, webinars —, Kraken, Roth IRAs, Coinbase Waller, you'll Organizations: US Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Chevron, Coinbase, Trade, Pro, OTC, Better, Bureau, Inc, New York State Department of Financial Services, New, DFS, iOS Locations: New York, Washington

☆ New York's financial watchdog on recent bank failures, protecting consumers and small businesses
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailNew York's financial watchdog on recent bank failures, protecting consumers and small businessesAdrienne Harris, Superintendent of New York State Department of Financial Services, joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss the fallout from recent bank failures, ways to prevent bank runs in the future, and more.

☆ Stocks week ahead: SVB and Signature Bank execs are set to testify next week
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The US Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs is holding three hearings this coming week centered around the collapses of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in March. ET : Greg Becker, former chief executive, Silicon Valley Bank; Scott Shay, former chairman and co-founder, Signature Bank and Eric Howell, former president, Signature Bank. ET : Mark Bialek, inspector general, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; Paul Kupiec, senior fellow, American Enterprise Institute and more. Since then, the Federal Reserve and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation have released reports detailing management missteps at SVB and Signature Bank, as well as federal regulators’ own mistakes in properly addressing red flags preceding the banks’ demises. A separate report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on Friday shows that American households are becoming increasingly frugal.

☆ New York Attorney General Seeks Broader Authority to Police Crypto
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Mengqi Sun | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

New York Attorney General Letitia James will propose a bill that would broaden her office’s enforcement authority over crypto firms. Photo: Seth Wenig/Associated PressNew York Attorney General Letitia James is proposing new legislation that would give her office more authority to regulate the increasingly tumultuous cryptocurrency industry. The bill would give the attorney general’s office broader enforcement authority over crypto firms that have operations in the state, while codifying the New York State Department of Financial Services’ authority to license participants in the sector and oversee the state’s digital asset licensing regime.

☆ Signature Bank failure due to 'poor management,' US FDIC report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

April 28 (Reuters) - Last month's failure of New York-based Signature Bank was caused by "poor management" and a pursuit of "rapid, unrestrained growth" with little regard for risk management, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation said on Friday in a report detailing its supervision and regulation of the regional bank. Bank management and its board chased growth and deposits without "developing and maintaining adequate risk management practices and controls appropriate for the size, complexity and risk profile of the institution," according to the 63-page report. The same day SVB failed, Signature lost 20% of its total deposits in a matter of hours, FDIC Chair Martin Gruenberg has said. Similar to SVB, Signature examiners reported weak corporate governance practices and failures by bank management to address shortcomings identified by supervisors, including the firm's reliance on uninsured deposits. Like SVB, Signature relied heavily on uninsured deposits and experienced a boom in growth between 2019 and 2020, when its assets grew 64%, according to Gruenberg.

☆ First Republic may not survive, even after two multibillion-dollar bailouts
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

New York CNN —First Republic Bank is in a fight for its survival. “It’s becoming clearer each day” that First Republic is “toast,” said Don Bilson at Gordon Haskett, in a note Wednesday. First Republic said in its latest earnings call that is exploring its strategic options, Wall Street code for searching for a white knight. First Republic CEO Michael Roffler attempted to assure investors in an earnings call Monday that the bank had enough liquidity to do that. That’s what happened to Silicon Valley Bank on March 10 when the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation took possession of and closed Silicon Valley Bank and on March 12 Signature Bank was closed by the New York State Department of Financial Services.

[1/4] A view of the Park Avenue location of the First Republic Bank, in New York City, U.S., March 10, 2023. FDIC regulators had raised the specter of systemic risk from the failure of large regional banks months before the SVB and Signature Bank collapses, records reviewed by Reuters show. SECRETS REVEALEDThe Fed will release its report on SVB at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT) on Friday. FDIC Chair Martin Gruenberg has not provided much detail about the supervision of Signature, which like SVB had grown rapidly in recent years. The Fed's inspector general will have a report on each bank in the third quarter.

☆ New York Finance Regulator to Bill Crypto Firms for Annual Supervision Fees
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Mengqi Sun | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The assessment fees will in part be based on a formula of a crypto firm’s size and complexity, Superintendent Adrienne A. Harris said. The New York State Department of Financial Services said it would start charging cryptocurrency firms registered in the state for the costs of annual supervision and examination. The new rule, adopted Monday and applying to those holding a so-called Bitlicense, aligns the crypto sector more closely with how the agency bills insurance and banking firms in New York for the assessment fees that fund the agency’s operations.

☆ New York Finance Regulator Says Signature Bank’s Closure Not Related to Crypto
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Mengqi Sun | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Superintendent Adrienne A. Harris described the events leading to the Signature failure as “a new-fashioned bank run.”The head of the New York State Department of Financial Services said the regulator’s decision to close Signature Bank last month was as a result of problems with the New York bank’s liquidity, not simply because it had banking customers in the cryptocurrency space. Superintendent Adrienne A. Harris, speaking at a crypto industry conference Wednesday, described the events leading up to the Signature failure last month as “a new-fashioned bank run,” in which the bank had a high percentage of uninsured deposits and lacked liquidity management protocols to meet withdrawal requests.

☆ Bitcoin’s market dominance is climbing. Here’s what that says about interest rate expectations
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Bitcoin's market dominance has been climbing in March and is now up to levels not seen since June. Investors use it to determine which parts of the crypto market are outperforming or underperforming relative to their peers. When bitcoin dominance climbs, it implies that bitcoin is doing well, but more specifically, it means its outperforming altcoins. Bitcoin dominance has risen steadily since March 8, the day after Silvergate Bank announced its voluntary liquidation. "That's reflecting a view that a lot of macro investors have, that we're either at or very near the bottom of this macro cycle."

Signature was a traditional commercial bank with a wide range of activities and customers,” an NYDFS spokesperson said. The spokesperson added that as withdrawal requests ballooned over the weekend, Signature Bank failed to provide reliable and consistent data. In response to NYDFS' statement, Frank said he was surprised the regulator said the decision to close the bank was not related to cryptocurrency. Signature was a commercial bank with private client offices with nine national business lines including commercial real estate and digital asset banking. The FDIC established a "bridge" successor bank to Signature Bank on Sunday to enable depositors to access their funds.

[1/3] A person walks into the lobby of the Signature Bank headquarters, in New York City, U.S., March 13, 2023. Signature Bank did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Signature was a traditional commercial bank with a wide range of activities and customers,” an NYDFS spokesperson said. The spokesperson added that as withdrawal requests ballooned over the weekend, Signature Bank failed to provide reliable and consistent data. The FDIC established a "bridge" successor bank to Signature Bank on Sunday to enable depositors to access their funds.

Search resuls for: "New York State Department of Financial Services"

25 mentions found