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☆ US regulators are looking at potential ‘bait and switch’ schemes with airline-affiliated credit card reward points
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —If you use a points-and-rewards credit card offered by an airline in partnership with a big bank, how much are the points you’ve accrued worth in dollars? The terms and conditions of such card programs can be confusing and in some instances they can be changed at any time. “For many families looking to finance a trip or a vacation, those [credit card] benefits are really valuable. “[But] our review of all the fine print suggests that credit card companies and airlines have the power to quickly and dramatically devalue those points by making it more challenging to redeem them. Such a drop in revenue, banks argue, could jeopardize the availability of rewards programs.

Persons: you’re, It’s, ”, Rohit Chopra, Chopra, Transportation Peter Buttigieg, Rob Nichols, ” Nichols, Nichols, Jaret, Seiberg, Biden, Trump Organizations: New, New York CNN, Department of Transportation, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Transportation, American Bankers Association, Cowen Washington Research Group Locations: New York, CFPB, U.S

☆ 'Basel III' bank rules could pose unexpected threat to Biden's green energy plans
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Emily Wilkins | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Banks help fund the vast majority of renewable energy projects through tax equity investments, which allow the banks to benefit from federal tax credits for renewable energy. Currently, renewable energy draws $18 billion to $20 billion annually through tax equity investments, according to the American Council on Renewable Energy. "Many people joke that we're on the 'solar-coaster,'" Torres said about the ups and downs of renewable energy. The higher capital requirements for renewable energy projects in Basel III puts the regulation on a collision course with the Biden administration's push for cleaner and greener energy sources. "The clean energy industry's experience with tax equity investments does not warrant such a radical change," the group's letter read.

Persons: Julian Torres, Torres, he's, Banks, Jerome Powell, Biden, Dominic Lacy, Sean Casten Organizations: D.C, Gallaudet University, Washington , D.C, Gallaudet, Federal Reserve, FDIC, American Council, Renewable Energy, Basel III, Tesla, American Bankers Association, Bank, Institute, Clean Energy State Alliance Locations: Washington ,, Basel

☆ Biden administration faces onslaught of lawsuits as business groups claim regulatory overreach
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Megan Cassella | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

They argued that the FTC lacked the authority to impose it in the first place. The playbook is becoming a familiar one: The Biden administration finalizes a new rule regulating business, and the Chamber and industry lobbying groups immediately sue to stop it by arguing that the agency has overstepped its authority. So far this year, the administration has finalized seven rules, addressing everything from independent contractors to credit card late fees and climate disclosure requirements, only to see them met with near-immediate lawsuits by the Chamber and other groups. Officials at both the Chamber and ABA emphasize that litigation is always a last resort. But they see it as a necessary step when agencies issue regulations that go outside the scope of their authority.

Persons: WASHINGTON, Biden, finalizes, Joe Biden's, Trump, Obama's, It's, Neil Bradley Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, U.S . Chamber of Commerce, FTC, Chamber, American Bankers Association, ABA, CNBC Locations: U.S, Washington

☆ How the Canadian mortgage model could help unfreeze the housing market
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Theron Mohamed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewCopying the way mortgages work in countries such as Canada and the UK could help thaw the frozen US housing market, experts say. Prospective buyers are also balking at paying such high mortgage rates, especially when national home prices are near record levels, fueling an affordability crisis. AdvertisementOffering portable mortgages would enable hesitant sellers to keep their rock-bottom mortgage rates when they move, potentially boosting overall inventory and transaction volumes. She suggested the best fix for the frozen housing market will be if inflation cools, the Fed cuts interest rates, and mortgage rates fall to historical norms. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored enterprises that direct the mortgage market, would have to be on board to make mortgage portability a reality, but that doesn't appear to be the case.

Persons: —, Julia Fonseca, Fonseca, Richard Martin, University of Georgia's Terry, Susan Wachter, Wachter, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Organizations: Service, Business, University of Illinois, University of Georgia's, University of Georgia's Terry College of Business, The Wharton School, Federal Reserve, Federal Housing Finance Agency, American Banker Locations: Canada, University of Illinois Urbana, Champaign, conservatorship

☆ Kari Lake woos D.C. lobbyists at fundraiser, private meetings as Arizona Senate race heats up
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Arizona Republican Senate Candidate Kari Lake speaks with reporters after leaving the office of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Capitol Hill on March, 6 2024 in Washington, DC. Arizona Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake has been quietly meeting with lobbyists and raising money in Washington in recent weeks, according to people familiar with the matter. Lake has built her political brand around her willingness to buck the D.C. establishment wing of the GOP. On Tuesday, Lake met with about a dozen lobbyists in the nation's capital, and the following day she attended a campaign fundraiser that was heavy with D.C. hired guns. "I don't give a damn what the lobbyists think," Lake wrote in a tweet on X.

Persons: Kari Lake, Mitch McConnell, Lake, Joe Biden, McConnell, Kari, KARI Organizations: Capitol, Arizona Republican, GOP, D.C, The Arizona Senate, Republican, Microsoft, American Bankers Association, CNBC, Victory Fund, National Republican Senatorial Committee, PAC Locations: Arizona, Washington , DC, Washington, Ky

☆ Credit card late fees will soon be capped at $8—why you should aim to pay on time anyway
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Cheyenne Devon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The days of double digit late fees for late credit card payments may be coming to an end. On Tuesday, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a rule that will cap credit card late fees at $8. For the past decade, consumers have faced increasing credit card late fees with the average cost of a late payment rising from $23 at the end 2010 to $32 in 2022, according to the CFPB. However, the agency says many larger credit card issuers hiked those late fees each year without proving why the increase was necessary. I don't think $8 is enough of a deterrent [against making late payments]," he tells CNBC Make It.

Persons: Rohit Chopra, Ted Rossman Organizations: Consumer Financial, Federal, CNBC, American Bankers Association

☆ Credit card users can save over $400 a year by switching issuers, CFPB says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Olga Rolenko | Moment | Getty ImagesCard balances and total debt at are all-time highsThe agency's findings come as average credit card balances and total credit card debt hit all-time highs at the end of 2023. The average credit card interest rate for all accountholders was more than 21% in November, also a record, according to Federal Reserve data. The federal agency's analysis defines large lenders as the nation's 25 biggest, and small lenders as all others in its sample. Credit scores didn't impact findingsThe CFPB's new interest-rate findings are consistent regardless of a consumer's credit score, it said. Why interest rates may not matter for some usersThe CFPB report doesn't necessarily offer a complete picture of the credit card market, Rossman said.

Persons: Olga Rolenko, spokespeople, Lindsey Johnson, CFPB, Ted Rossman, Rossman, cardholders, Bankrate, Rohit Chopra Organizations: Federal Reserve, Consumer Bankers Association, American Bankers Association, —

☆ As online romance scams rise, banks ask for help to save victims billions
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Eamon Javers | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The banking industry is seeking help from the federal government and the social media industry to stop an escalating crisis that's costing Americans billions of dollars every year: online romance scams. These digital crimes have proliferated since the pandemic, as criminals pose as attractive partners and reach out to lonely Americans on social media. "We need the social media companies to shut down these people that are putting these out there. The romance scams are run by organized criminal gangs, often based in Southeast Asia, that set up phony social media avatars and use those to connect to potential American victims. Erin West, deputy district attorney in Santa Clara County, California, estimated that between $30 billion and $50 billion was lost to romance scams in 2022.

Persons: Paul Benda, Benda, I've, Scammers, We're, We've, Banks, Erin West, they'd, there's, Bria Cousins Organizations: American Bankers Association, CNBC Locations: Southeast Asia, Santa Clara County , California

☆ Banks Sue Regulators Over Anti-Redlining Rule
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Emily Flitter | More About Emily Flitter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Some of the banking industry’s most powerful trade groups sued the Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency on Monday, claiming that the regulators overstepped their authority in updating a law meant to reverse the effects of redlining. In October, the regulators imposed new frameworks for assessing whether banks are abiding by the 1977 Community Reinvestment Act, which requires banks to do business in neighborhoods made up largely of racial minorities or low-income households that they typically shunned. The lawsuit said the rule was “a complicated and burdensome regime” and might “ultimately result in reduced lending to the very populations that the C.R.A. was designed to benefit.”The suit was filed by the American Bankers Association, the Independent Community Bankers of America and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, trade groups that represent virtually all U.S. banks. Several Texas groups joined as plaintiffs, allowing the Washington-based groups to sue in federal court in that state, where they have already won favorable rulings against the regulators.

Persons: “ Organizations: Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, American Bankers Association, Independent Community Bankers of America, U.S . Chamber of Commerce, Texas Locations: Washington

☆ A Famed Analyst’s Final Forecast Is the Fall of the U.S. Economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-27 | by ( Rob Copeland | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Over his 54 years as a financial analyst, Richard X. Bove perfected the art of grabbing attention. Through thousands of newspaper interviews, cable news appearances and radio segments, Mr. Bove turned what can be a dull, by-the-numbers career into a more showy one. In an interview with The New York Times, Mr. Bove (pronounced “boe-VAY”), who goes by Dick, shared a dire outlook on the U.S. economy and his former profession. Many analysts are rewarded for coming up with unique but inconsequential and “arcane” ideas, he said, peppering his criticism with profanities. Mr. Bove worked at 17 brokerage firms during his career.

Persons: Richard X, Bove, ”, “ boe, VAY, Dick, Mr Organizations: Banker, Bloomberg, The New York Times Locations: U.S, Tampa, China

NEW YORK (AP) — The squabble over billion of dollars in overdraft fees that Americans get charged every year is intensifying. While banks have drastically cut back on overdraft fees in the past decade, the nation's biggest banks still take in roughly $8 billion in overdraft fees every year, according to data from the CFPB and bank public records. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesBanks charge a customer an overdraft fee if their bank account balance falls below zero. What started off as a courtesy offered to some customers, the popularity of debit cards beginning in the 1990s led to Americans wracking up tens of billions of dollars in overdraft fees. While big banks have cut back on overdraft fees, smaller banks have not, and a number of them heavily rely on overdrafts to be profitable, industry analysts said.

Persons: Biden, “ It's, Joe Biden, “, Greg McBride, ”, Aaron Klein, ” Klein, Rohit Chopra, ” Chopra, Chopra, Barack Obama, Carter Dougherty, overdrafts, can’t Organizations: Consumer Financial, Biden Administration, Federal Trade Commission, Bank of America, Banking, Bankrate, Brookings Institution, Armed Forces Bank, Republican, Trump Administration, American Bankers Association, Financial Reform

Bitcoin coins are seen at a stand during the Bitcoin Conference 2023, in Miami Beach, Florida, U.S., May 19, 2023. Crypto companies spent $18.96 million in the first three quarters of 2023 on lobbying, compared with $16.1 million during the same period in 2022. That was despite last year's spectacular meltdown of crypto exchange FTX, which had been a top-ten spender. Coinbase (COIN.O), the largest U.S. crypto exchange, led the pack again, spending $2.16 million, followed by Foris DAX, which operates Crypto.com, the Blockchain Association and Binance Holdings. Although those bills have yet to advance further, crypto lobbyists are not letting up.

Persons: Marco Bello, spender, FTX, Foris DAX, Kristin Smith, Sam Bankman, Fried, Coinbase, Binance, Crypto.com, Hannah Lang, Michelle Price, Matthew Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Blockchain Association, Binance Holdings, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Thomson Locations: Miami Beach , Florida, U.S, Washington, Manhattan, Binance

Bitcoin coins are seen at a stand during the Bitcoin Conference 2023, in Miami Beach, Florida, U.S., May 19, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 29 (Reuters) - The U.S. government will cut off cryptocurrency companies from the broader U.S. economy if they fail to block and report illicit money flows, Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo warned the industry on Wednesday. The Biden administration on Tuesday sent a letter to Congress, requesting new legislation that would grant Treasury the authority to police crypto marketplaces used by actors the U.S. government deems illicit, Adeyemo said. Binance said in response that it had worked hard to make the platform "safer and even more secure." Reporting by Hannah Lang in Washington; Editing by Michelle PriceOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Marco Bello, Wally Adeyemo, Adeyemo, Biden, Changpeng Zhao, Binance, Hannah Lang, Michelle Price Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, Blockchain Association, Treasury, Palestinian, Prosecutors, Islamic, Thomson Locations: Miami Beach , Florida, U.S, Israel, Gaza, al Qaeda, Islamic State, Iraq, Syria, Washington

The group usually has one active case against financial regulators, but currently has two against the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and one against the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), he said. To be sure, the financial regulators have been sued many times during previous administrations, including by pro-reform advocacy groups. "There are some financial regulators that are walking right into it," he added. In September, for example, bank groups accused regulators including the Federal Reserve of violating the APA with a new capital rule. According to research by Wharton School professor David Zaring, neither industry groups nor individual lenders have filed more than one suit over the past decade challenging Fed policymaking.

Persons: Jim Bourg, Gibson, Dunn, Crutcher, Joe Biden's, Donald Trump's, Tom Quaadman, Jack Inglis, CFPB, Dennis Kelleher, Trump, Eugene Scalia, Gibson Dunn, Scalia, Antonin Scalia, Rebeca Romero Rainey, David Zaring, Kelleher, Douglas Gillison, Chris Prentice, Pete Schroeder, Nate Raymond, Jody Godoy, Megan Davies, Nick Zieminski Organizations: U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, Democratic, Republican, Reuters, APA, U.S . Chamber of Commerce, Securities and Exchange Commission, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Funds, Alternative Investment Management Association, Fifth Circuit, Appeals, Better Markets, Biden, American Bankers Association, Labor, Supreme, Independent Community Bankers of, Federal, Wharton School, Thomson Locations: Washington, Independent Community Bankers of America

U.S. oversight of Big Tech financial services is fragmented. The CFPB rule would toughen up supervision, requiring Big Tech to comply with its rules on privacy protections, executives' conduct and unfair and deceptive practices. Without regulatory scrutiny, they could leverage their growing dominance of consumer payments to capture other services like lending and card issuing, analysts said. 'LEG UP'Representatives for Big Tech have accused the CFPB of trying to protect traditional lenders. While Big Tech companies have deep pockets and plenty of resources to handle the new scrutiny, the rule could limit how they use and protect consumer data.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Rohit Chopra, Todd Phillips, Dodd, Frank, It's, Paige Pidano Paridon, Chopra, John Coleman, Hannah Lang, Stephen Nellis, Michelle Price, Richard Chang Organizations: Apple, REUTERS, Wall, Big Tech, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Google, Georgia State University, PayPal, Federal, McKinsey, Bank, BPI, Banks, Representatives, Big, Herrington, Thomson Locations: U.S, Washington

Nov 16 (Reuters) - Digital wealth management provider Wealthfront, a pioneer in automated investing, now oversees more than $50 billion in assets and is set to grow revenue by more than 140% this year, the company said on Thursday. Wealthfront was founded in 2008 by Andy Rachleff and Dan Carroll and launched automated investing services in 2011. It is a pioneer in using artificial intelligence to craft low-cost investment portfolios for Americans. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently proposed a rule aimed at managing how AI is used to provide investment advice. "We're trying to take the best investment advice that we can through academic research and make that available at low cost to as many clients as we possibly can," he said.

Persons: Wealthfront, David Fortunato, Fortunato, Andy Rachleff, Dan Carroll, Hannah Lang, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Wealthfront, UBS, Reuters, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Google, Thomson Locations: Washington

Check your bank statement to find out if you have the latest savings account and are earning the best rate. Capital One is asking for dismissal of a lawsuit filed by customers over high-yield savings account rates. Some customers thought their 360 Savings account was simply changing its name to 360 Performance Savings. However, Capital One savings rates for the 360 Savings Account are just 0.30% APY as of last month. If you have multiple accounts with a bank, all of the accounts' transactions usually appear in the same bank statement.

Persons: —, you'd, you've Organizations: Service, Savings, Banker, Capital

☆ Americans are getting ‘ripped off’ by big banks, Robinhood CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —Robinhood is trying hard to lure customers fed up with traditional banks that pay little to no interest on savings. To attract deposits, the stock trading app made famous by the GameStop craze is offering fatter and fatter interest rates. That’s far higher than traditional banks and among the highest in the industry. We see an opportunity to correct that,”Tenev argued this has long been part of the “playbook” of traditional banks. The Robinhood rate of 5% applies to new and existing customers of Robinhood Gold, a subscription service that costs $5 a month.

Persons: New York CNN — Robinhood, ”, Vlad Tenev, ” Tenev, Robinhood, Roth, “, Tenev, We’re Organizations: New, New York CNN, GameStop, CNN, Federal Reserve, American Bankers Association, Bank, AMC, of America, ” Bank of America Locations: New York

Federal rules require banks to reimburse customers for payments made without their authorization, such as by hackers, but not when customers themselves make the transfer. Following its launch in 2017, Zelle grew to become one of the largest U.S. peer-to-peer payments networks by total payments. A March 2022 New York Times report that scams were flourishing on Zelle caught the attention of lawmakers frequently critical of big banks, including Senator Elizabeth Warren. He said Zelle has seen "a step-change reduction" in fraud and scam rates this year but declined to provide details. Chance said EWS has been engaging with policymakers on the need for a "holistic approach" to combating scams, including advocating for more dedicated law enforcement resources.

Persons: Jamie Dimon, Jane Fraser, Brian Moynihan, Banks, Ben Chance, Zelle, Elizabeth Warren, Warren, Dimon, EWS, Chance, ”, Trace, Carla Sanchez, Adams, we're, Lindsey Johnson, Hannah Lang, Chris Prentice, Michelle Price, Rod Nickel Organizations: JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Bank of America, Banking, Housing, Urban Affairs, Capitol, Warning, Reuters, Federal, JPMorgan, New York Times, Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, PayPal, National Consumer Law, Consumer Bankers Association, Thomson Locations: Zelle, U.S, Warren, Washington, New York

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Nov 7 (Reuters) - The top U.S. consumer financial watchdog on Tuesday proposed to regulate tech giants' digital payments and smartphone wallet services, saying they rival traditional payment methods in scale and scope but lack consumer safeguards. In a statement on Tuesday, Chopra said the tech sector had expanded into financial services traditionally provided by the closely regulated banking sector. "Today's rule would crack down on one avenue for regulatory arbitrage by ensuring large technology firms and other nonbank payments companies are subjected to appropriate oversight," he said. Representatives of Big Tech companies have previously highlighted their efforts to protect consumer data. The agency said the rule would also foster competition by ensuring that both traditional financial players and the tech sector were equally subject to the same oversight.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Block's, CashApp, Rohit Chopra, Chopra, CFPB, Lindsey Johnson, Douglas Gillison, Hannah Lang, Chris Prentice, Matthew Lewis, Mark Potter, David Gregorio Our Organizations: PayPal, REUTERS, Rights, Consumer, Apple, Big Tech, Consumer Bankers Association, Electronic Transactions Association, Thomson Locations: Washington, New York

☆ Jeff Horwitz — Reporter at The Wall Street Journal
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Jeff Horwitz | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Jeff HorwitzJeff Horwitz is a technology reporter for The Wall Street Journal based in San Francisco, where he covers Meta and social-media platforms. His work on the Facebook Files won a George Polk Award, a Gerald Loeb Award and the Chris Welles Memorial Prize, among other recognitions. Previously he was a financial and enterprise reporter for the Associated Press in Washington, D.C. Jeff has also worked for American Banker, Legal Times, the San Bernardino Sun and the Washington City Paper.

Persons: Jeff Horwitz Jeff Horwitz, George Polk, Gerald Loeb, Chris Welles, Jeff Organizations: Wall, Journal, Facebook, George, Associated Press, American Banker, Legal Times, San Bernardino Sun, Washington City Locations: San Francisco, Washington ,

☆ Frustrated With New Rules, Bank Lobbyists Are Making Their Fight Public
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Emily Flitter | More About Emily Flitter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Banks have become increasingly frustrated with their federal regulators and, in a break with tradition, have brought the battle out into the open. In an effort to overturn new rules and challenge the legitimacy of regulators’ powers, bank lobbyists have added legal threats and public attacks to the more usual lobbying efforts that once took place behind closed doors on Capitol Hill. In recent months, trade groups representing banks of all sizes, including the American Bankers Association, the Independent Community Bankers of America and the Bank Policy Institute, have accused federal regulators like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Reserve of regulatory overreach. Cam Fine, a former longtime president of the community bankers group, said the cultural shift leading to the lawsuits was notable. In his 18 years at the group, he said, he could remember going to court only twice.

Persons: Banks, Cam Fine Organizations: American Bankers Association, Independent Community Bankers of America, Bank Policy Institute, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Federal Reserve

A bitcoin is seen in an illustration picture taken at La Maison du Bitcoin in Paris, France, June 23, 2017. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 23 (Reuters) - Bitcoin, the world's largest cryptocurrency, hit a three-month high on Monday, rising 4.73% to $31,420 amid investor enthusiasm about the possibility of a spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund. The rise in bitcoin sent shares of cryptocurrency and blockchain-related companies such as Coinbase Global (COIN.O) and Marathon Digital Holdings (MARA.O) up 6.5% and 11.9% respectively. Bitcoin is up more than 18% from the year's low of $26,533 on Oct. 11. Bitcoin briefly soared on Oct. 16 following an erroneous news report about asset manager BlackRock's high-profile application for a spot bitcoin ETF, which would track the underlying price of the token.

Persons: Benoit Tessier, bitcoin, Bitcoin, Zach Pandl, Treasuries, BlackRock's, Matteo Greco, Fineqia, Hannah Lang, Kanjyik Ghosh, Krishna Chandra Eluri, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: La Maison du, REUTERS, Marathon Digital Holdings, Hamas, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, BTC, Thomson Locations: La, Paris, France, cryptocurrency, Washington, Bengaluru

A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the U.S. Treasury building in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2023. If finalized, the rule would require financial firms to report information about transactions that they suspect involve crypto mixers, which are anonymized software tools that allow users to conceal the source or owner of digital assets. * On Wednesday, the Biden administration issued sanctions to disrupt Hamas' funding, which included a Gaza-based crypto exchange. * The U.S. last year imposed sanctions on crypto mixers Tornado Cash and Blender. Reporting by Hannah Lang in Washington; editing by Michelle Price and Deepa BabingtonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kevin Lamarque, Biden, ”, Wally Adeyemo, Hannah Lang, Michelle Price, Deepa Babington Organizations: Department of, U.S . Treasury, REUTERS, U.S . Treasury Department’s, Hamas, U.S ., Reuters, U.S, Convertible, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Israel, Gaza, Washington

Israeli police said in an Oct. 10 statement that it had frozen several crypto accounts that were used to solicit donations for Hamas. Reuters reported in May that Israel had seized around 190 crypto accounts at crypto exchange Binance since 2021, including dozens it said were owned by Palestinian firms connected to Hamas. Hamas uses a global financing network to funnel support from charities and friendly nations, including by using cryptocurrencies, Reuters reported on Monday. The lawmakers requested that the Biden administration provide estimates on the value of crypto assets that remain in Hamas-controlled wallets, how much of Hamas’ operations are funded through crypto, and any information it has on the actors facilitating the sending of crypto to and from Hamas and other militant groups. Reporting by Hannah Lang in Washington; editing by Michelle Price and Bill BerkrotOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Elizabeth Warren, Julia Nikhinson, Biden, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Roger Marshall, Sean Casten, Israel, Binance, Hannah Lang, Michelle Price, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Intelligence, U.S, Capitol, REUTERS, Hamas, U.S . Treasury Department, White, Senators, Reuters, TRM Labs, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, cryptocurrencies, Israel, Hamas, Washington

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