DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

Wenner, co-founder and publisher of Rolling Stone magazine, speaks at the 32nd Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony - Show – New York City, U.S., 07/04/2017 – Publisher Jann Wenner. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Rolling Stone magazine co-founder Jann Wenner was removed from his position on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's board of directors after comments he made about Black and female artists that were widely criticized, the hall said in a statement. In a terse statement, the Cleveland-based Hall of Fame offered no reason for its move, saying, "Jann Wenner has been removed from the Board of Directors of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation." Wenner, 77, said Black and female musicians were not "as articulate" as the others he chose to profile. Reporting by Hannah Lang in Washington; Editing by Scott Malone and Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Wenner, Jann Wenner, Lucas Jackson, Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, Black, Hannah Lang, Scott Malone, Sandra Maler Organizations: Rolling Stone, Roll Hall, REUTERS, Rights, Stone, Roll, of Fame, Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, New York Times, Roll Hall of Fame, Thomson Locations: York City, U.S, Cleveland, Washington

With retail investors holding individual stocks for less than a year on average, recent history suggests they could lose money, a Reuters analysis shows. Even institutional investors invited to buy into those 10 IPOs before trading would be down an average of 18%. "For almost all retail investors, buying and holding a low-cost index fund is the best strategy." Arm's debut and an upcoming listing from grocery delivery service Instacart are expected to rejuvenate a lackluster IPO market which has slowed over the past two years due to volatility and economic uncertainty. Instacart will be offering some retail investors a chance to buy into its IPO via underwriter fintech company SoFi, its prospectus said.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Japan's SoftBank Group's, Jay Ritter, Marco Iachini, it's, Ritter, Lance Tupper, Anirban Sen, Echo Wang, Michelle Price, Richard Chang Organizations: REUTERS, Retail, Holdings, Reuters, U.S, Investors, University of Florida, Nvidia, GameStop, Vanda Research, Instacart, IPOs, Thomson Locations: British, New York

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 31 (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has delayed a decision on whether to approve applications for spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETF) from Invesco (IVZ.N), WisdomTree (WT.N) and Valkyrie, a filing by the regulator showed on Thursday. The SEC has pushed back the decision dates for the three proposals by several weeks to mid-October, but could potentially delay further. The delay comes just two days after a federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday that the SEC was wrong to reject an application from Grayscale Investments to create a spot bitcoin ETF. The SEC has in recent years rejected dozens of applications for spot bitcoin ETFs, publicly traded investment vehicles that directly track bitcoin prices, citing inadequate levels of trading surveillance that could leave the underlying spot market subject to fraud and manipulation. In June, BlackRock (BLK.N), the world's biggest asset manager, also filed for a spot bitcoin ETF, a move that many viewed as a game-changer for the industry which and boosted the price of bitcoin.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Hannah Lang, Matthew Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, District of Columbia, Thomson Locations: Invesco, Washington, BlackRock

☆ How China became the king of new nuclear power, and how the U.S. is trying to stage a comeback
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

That is two and a half times more nuclear reactors under construction than any other country. China was just getting started as the United States nuclear industry began to take a back seat. Power follows demand, so the new nuclear reactors tend to be built where fast-developing economies need power to fuel their growth. For the United States to win the export business, it must prove it can put steel in the ground in the United States. "We and our close nuclear energy allies are at what I think is just the start of a fierce competition for supremacy in global nuclear energy export markets," Kotek said.

Persons: Jacopo Buongiorno, Kenneth Luongo, Luongo, John F, Kotek, they've, Buongiorno, Westinghouse, Trump, Biden Organizations: Plant, China National Nuclear Corporation, China Huaneng, Changjiang, China News Service, Getty, International Atomic Energy Agency, United, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, CNBC, Partnership for Global Security, World Nuclear Association, Chicago Tribune, Tribune, Service, IAEA, Organization for Economic Cooperation, Development, OECD, U.S . Energy Information Administration, Nuclear Energy Institute, International Energy Agency, France, Visual China, Georgia Power, Westinghouse Locations: China, Changjiang Li Autonomous County, Hainan Province, India, Turkey, United States, Georgia, Byron , Illinois, France, Russia, HUIZHOU, CHINA, Huizhou, Guangdong Province of China, Europe, Eastern Europe, U.S

Representations of cryptocurrency Bitcoin are placed on a PC motherboard, in this illustration taken June 16, 2023. A spot bitcoin ETF would give investors exposure to the world's largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization without having to own it. The SEC has denied all spot bitcoin ETF applications, saying applicants have not shown they can protect investors from market manipulation. Grayscale argued the same setup should be satisfactory for its spot ETF, since both products rely on bitcoin's underlying price. Other firms have spot bitcoin ETF applications with the SEC, including asset management giant BlackRock (BLK.N), Fidelity and WisdomTree (WT.N).

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Grayscale's, It's, Christopher LaVigne, Withers, Michael Sonnenshein, Bitcoin, Sui Chung, Joseph Toner, Seth Hertlein, Ryan Louvar, Paul Grewal, Coinbase, LaVigne, Carolina Mandl, Tom Wilson, Michelle Price, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, District of Columbia, Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, CNBC, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Fidelity, Coinbase, CME, BlackRock, Supreme, Thomson Locations: Washington, New York, WilmerHale, London

A panel of judges in the District of Columbia Court of Appeals in Washington said the securities regulator's denial of Grayscale's proposal was arbitrary and capricious because the SEC failed to explain its different treatment between bitcoin futures ETFs and spot bitcoin ETFs. CRYPTO WINThe SEC rejected Grayscale's application for a spot bitcoin ETF in June 2022, arguing the proposal did not meet anti-fraud and investor protection standards. The court said in its ruling that the SEC failed to explain why it disagreed with Grayscale's assertion that the bitcoin spot and futures markets are 99.9% correlated. If the SEC chooses not to appeal, the court would issue a mandate specifying how its decision should be executed. That could include instructing the SEC to approve the application, or to revisit Grayscale's application, in which case the SEC could still reject the proposal on other grounds.

Persons: Dado, CRYPTO, Judge Neomi Rao, Hannah Lang, Chris Prentice, Paul Simao, Matthew Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, WASHINGTON, U.S . Securities, Exchange, District of Columbia, SEC, CRYPTO WIN, Fidelity, Appeals, U.S, Supreme, BlackRock, New, Thomson Locations: District, Washington, New York

The case has been closely watched by the cryptocurrency and asset management industries, which have been trying for years to convince the SEC to approve a spot bitcoin ETF. While the agency has rejected spot bitcoin ETFs, it has approved bitcoin futures ETFs, which track agreements to buy or sell bitcoin at a pre-agreed price. Grayscale argued that the bitcoin futures ETF surveillance arrangements should also be satisfactory for Grayscale's spot ETF, since both products rely on bitcoin's underlying price. Bitcoin futures ETFs track bitcoin futures that trade on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), the chief venue for those products. The court's panel of judges said Grayscale showed that its proposed bitcoin ETF is "materially similar" to the approved bitcoin futures ETFs.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Grayscale's, Donald Verrilli Jr, Hannah Lang, Michelle Price, Nick Zieminski Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, District of Columbia, Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, New York Stock, Arca, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, CME, bitcoin, Supreme, Nasdaq, BlackRock, Fidelity, Thomson Locations: bitcoin, U.S, Washington

The rule is part of a broader push by Congress and regulatory authorities to crack down on crypto users who may be failing to pay their taxes. It would also subject digital asset brokers to the same information reporting rules as brokers for other financial instruments, such as bonds and stocks, Treasury said. Brokers would need to send the forms to both the IRS and digital asset holders to assist with their tax preparation. The new requirements stem from the $1 trillion 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which included a provision that aimed to increase tax reporting requirements for digital asset brokers. It instructed the IRS to define what firms qualified as crypto brokers and provide forms and instructions for reporting.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Kristin Smith, Miller Whitehouse, Levine, Elizabeth Warren, Hannah Lang, Deepa Babington, Michelle Price Organizations: REUTERS, Internal Revenue Service, Treasury, Treasury Department, IRS, Investment, Jobs, Blockchain, DeFi, Democratic, Thomson Locations: U.S, Washington

Aug 24 (Reuters) - Shares in online mortgage lender Better's (BETR.O) new public listing plummeted on Thursday as investors fretted over record-high mortgage rates. In the interim, roughly 95% of Aurora shareholders redeemed their holdings, leaving the trust account with just about $24 million at the end of June from about $283 million. Aurora went public in March 2021. Better is going public as U.S. mortgage rates continue to surge, with the popular 30-year fixed rate last week hitting the highest level since December 2000, helping drive mortgage applications to a 28-year low, the Mortgage Bankers Association said on Wednesday. Reporting by Hannah Lang and Lance Tupper in Washington; Editing by Mark Porter and Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Aurora, Vishal Garg, Hannah Lang, Lance Tupper, Mark Porter, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Nasdaq, Aurora Acquisition Corp, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, Aurora, refinancings, Mortgage Bankers Association, Thomson Locations: SoftBank, Washington

The Nasdaq logo is displayed at the Nasdaq Market site in Times Square in New York City, U.S., December 3, 2021. U.S. home builder confidence weakened in August, as mortgage rates and stubbornly high housing prices discouraged prospective buyers. Better enjoyed huge growth during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic when mortgage rates cratered, notching more than $850 million in revenue in 2020, filings show. When interest rates fall, Better expects huge demand for cash-out refinancings, which it says it will be able to deliver in one day. Earlier this year, Better.com launched a one-day mortgage product, allowing customers to get pre-approved, lock in a rate and get a mortgage commitment letter within 24 hours.

Persons: Vishal Garg, Garg, Better.com, Hannah Lang, Michelle Price, Mark Potter Organizations: Nasdaq, REUTERS, Federal, refinancings, Aurora Acquisition Corp, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Better, Zoom, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, SoftBank, Aurora, Washington

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

U.S. Dollar and Chinese Yuan banknotes are seen in this illustration picture taken June 14, 2022. The People's Bank of China (PBOC) set a much stronger-than-expected daily fixing, lifting the yuan from a 9-month low hit on Thursday. The yuan weakened against the dollar to 7.3060 in offshore trading after the PBOC set the official mid-point at 7.2006, more than 1,000 pips stronger than Reuters' estimate. China's economic troubles have deepened, with property developer China Evergrande (3333.HK) seeking Chapter 15 protection in a U.S. bankruptcy court. The Japanese yen strengthened 0.38% versus the greenback at 145.29 per dollar after reaching a nine-month low of 146.56 on Thursday.

Persons: Florence Lo, Joe Manimbo, it's, we've, Joseph Trevisani, that's, Hannah Lang, Joice Alves, Kevin Buckland, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, People's Bank of China, Reuters, China, HK, U.S, Federal, Thomson Locations: U.S, Convera, China, Washington, London, Tokyo

The U.S. dollar index was 0.097% higher on the day at 103.56, after hitting a two-month high of 103.59. The greenback has drawn support from a recent run of U.S. economic data reinforcing the view that interest rates will remain high for some time. The Australian dollar was last 0.44% lower at $0.64, having tumbled more than 0.9% to a trough of $0.6365 following the employment data release. The Norwegian crown rose from six-week lows against the dollar and the euro on Thursday after Norges Bank raised interest rates, as expected, and said it was likely to hike again in September. Against the dollar , the Norwegian crown was last up 0.22% to 10.60, having hit 10.66 earlier in the session.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Adam Button, it's, Kathy Lien, Sterling, BoE, Hannah Lang, Joice Alves, Rae Wee, Angus MacSwan, Kirsten Donovan, Alexandra Hudson, Sandra Maler Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Federal Reserve, Investors, U.S, Fed, Bank of Japan, Zealand, Norges Bank, Bank of England, Thomson Locations: Norwegian, Washington, London, Singapore

Aug 8 (Reuters) - State banks that are a member of the U.S. Federal Reserve system should obtain a written supervisory nonobjection from the Fed before issuing, holding or transacting in dollar tokens used to facilitate payments, such as stablecoins, the central bank said in a new supervisory letter Tuesday. The Fed also said it is creating a new supervisory program to oversee the activities of the banks it supervises related to cryptocurrency, blockchain technology and tech-driven nonbank partnerships, with the aim of complementing its existing supervisory process and strengthening the oversight of tech-driven activities. Prior attempts by major mainstream companies to launch stablecoins have met fierce opposition from financial regulators and policymakers. For banks to receive a written nonobjection to be able to engage with stabelcoins, banks should demonstrate appropriate risk management, including having systems in place to identify and monitor any potential risks, including cybersecurity and illicit finance threats, according to the Fed. After receiving a written nonobjection, state member banks engaging in dollar token-related activities will continue to be subject to supervisory review as well as heightened monitoring of those activities, the Fed said.

Persons: Hannah Lang, Chris Reese, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: U.S . Federal, Federal Reserve, PayPal, ., Fed, Thomson Locations: Washington

☆ Fed policy is weighing on US banks. Here's everything to know about the Moody's downgrades.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In what amounted to 27 rating actions on US banks, Moody's pointed to rising costs of capital, deteriorating profits, and climbing risks to assets. In effect, much of the stress on banks Moody's is responding to can be chalked up to the Federal Reserve's policy decisions over the past year and a half. "Most banks' deposits were flat or down only modestly, but the mix worsened, with non-interest-bearing deposits declining and banks paying more for deposits," Moody's strategists wrote. So Moody's downgrades aren't all doom and gloom for these firms, and it's always possible the moves are reversed once the outlook turns rosier. Banks are in the money business, he explained, and the Fed has made money harder to come by.

Persons: Moody's, Service It's, they've, it's, Michael Bell, Honigman, Banks, Bell Organizations: Bank of New York Mellon, US Bancorp, Service, Northern Trust, State Street, Capital, Citizens Financial, Fifth Third Bancorp, Bank, KBW Nasdaq, Fed, Silicon Valley Bank, First Republic Bank, Signature Bank, Reserve, Moody's, Treasury Locations: Wall, Silicon, Japan

July 28 (Reuters) - U.S. banks should incorporate the Federal Reserve's emergency lending facility known as the "discount window" as part of their contingency funding plans, federal banking regulators said in updated guidance on Friday. The discount window, a key Fed facility long associated with providing emergency loans to banks, is "an important tool" banks can use to manage liquidity risk, bank regulators including the Federal Reserve and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp said in an updated interagency policy statement. The bank runs earlier this year that forced regulators to shut down Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in mid-March "underscored the importance of liquidity risk management and contingency funding planning," the agencies said. The updated guidance comes after Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan said in May that banks should be prepared to borrow regularly from the Fed's discount window, particularly after the March bank failures demonstrated the importance of effective liquidity risk management. The bank regulators also said that financial institutions should establish and maintain operational readiness to use the discount window, including conducting periodic small value transactions.

Persons: Lorie Logan, Hannah Lang, Dan Burns, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, Bank, Signature Bank, Dallas, Thomson Locations: Washington

July 28 (Reuters) - U.S. banks should incorporate the Federal Reserve's emergency lending facility known as the "discount window" as part of their contingency funding plans, federal banking regulators said in updated guidance on Friday. The discount window is "an important tool" banks can use to manage liquidity risk, bank regulators including the Federal Reserve and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp said in an updated interagency policy statement. Bank runs in mid-March that forced regulators to shut down Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank "underscored the importance of liquidity risk management and contingency funding planning," the agencies said. "Banks are now working to see that they are ready to use the discount window, and we are strongly encouraging them to do that," he said. Reuters GraphicsThe guidance also said financial institutions should establish and maintain operational readiness to use the discount window, including conducting periodic small value transactions.

Persons: Lorie Logan, Jerome Powell, Banks, Hannah Lang, Dan Burns, Marguerita Choy, Richard Chang Organizations: Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, Bank, Signature, Dallas, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Washington

The crypto industry has been in the regulatory crosshairs since investors were burned last year by sudden collapses of Celsius Network, Voyager Digital, FTX and other companies. A handful of Democrats, including Reps. Jim Himes and Ritchie Torres, joined committee Republicans in voting for the bill. The bill has galvanized many in the crypto industry, who say that with Democrats' support, the bill could have a shot in the Senate. But some Democrats, including Representative Maxine Waters, the top Democrat on the Financial Services committee, fiercely oppose the bill. "This bill heeds the calls from the crypto industry while disregarding the views of the administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission and consumer and investor advocates," she said.

Persons: Jim Himes, Ritchie Torres, Patrick McHenry, we've, Kristin Smith, Miller Whitehouse, Levine, Maxine Waters, Waters, Sherrod Brown, Hannah Lang, Matthew Lewis, Mark Porter, Diane Craft Organizations: Capitol, Voyager, House Financial, Trading, Securities, Exchange, Republicans, Agriculture, Financial Services, Blockchain Association, DeFi, Securities and Exchange Commission, Democratic, Banking, SEC, Politico, Thomson Locations: Singapore, Australia, United States, McHenry, Washington

But Representative Patrick McHenry, the chair of the committee, said on Thursday at the outset of a hearing that he had not reached a deal with Representative Maxine Waters, the committee's top Democrat. "We had high hopes 48 hours ago that we were going to come to a conclusion and then the White House reviewed where we were and disagreed," said McHenry. The stalemate comes just a day after the committee advanced a bipartisan bill that aims to develop a regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies and clarify when a token is a security or a commodity. A handful of House Democrats, including Jim Himes and Ritchie Torres, joined committee Republicans in voting for that bill, which is also being considered by the House Agriculture Committee on Thursday. Reporting by Hannah Lang in Washington; Editing by Bill BerkrotOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Patrick McHenry, Maxine Waters, McHenry, Jim Himes, Ritchie Torres, Hannah Lang, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Republican, Democrat, U.S . House Financial, ., U.S . Federal, White House, Democrats, Republicans, House, Thomson Locations: Washington

The crypto industry has been in the regulatory crosshairs since investors were burned last year by sudden collapses of Celsius Network, Voyager Digital, FTX and other companies. The markups - where legislation is debated and brought to a vote, paving the way for a full vote by the House of Representatives - are the first time crypto regulatory bills will be put to a vote in Congress, a victory for crypto lobbyists that have pushed lawmakers to provide regulatory clarity for the industry. His committee is expected to consider that bill during a markup on Wednesday, while the House Agriculture Committee will consider the same bill on Thursday. The bill has galvanized many in the crypto industry, who say that with Democrats' support, the bill could have a shot in the Senate. That effort escalated last month when the SEC sued crypto exchanges Coinbase (COIN.O) and Binance for failing to register some crypto tokens.

Persons: we've, Kristin Smith, Sherrod Brown, Patrick McHenry, McHenry, Miller Whitehouse, Levine, Maxine Waters, Waters, Hannah Lang, Matthew Lewis, Mark Porter Organizations: Capitol, Voyager, Financial, U.S ., Representatives, Blockchain Association, Democratic, Banking, Trading, Securities, Exchange, DeFi, SEC, Financial Services, Securities and Exchange Commission, Politico, Thomson Locations: Singapore, Australia, United States, McHenry, Washington

The crypto industry has been in the regulatory crosshairs since investors were burned last year by sudden collapses of Celsius Network, Voyager Digital, FTX and other companies. Still, it remains to be seen if the bills will garner any Democratic support, a factor seen by many as crucial to the bills' ultimate chances of becoming law. His committee is expected to consider that bill during a markup on Wednesday, while the House Agriculture Committee will consider the same bill on Thursday. The bill has galvanized many in the crypto industry, who say that with Democrats' support, the bill could have a shot in the Senate. That effort escalated last month when the SEC sued crypto exchanges Coinbase (COIN.O) and Binance for failing to register some crypto tokens.

Persons: we've, Kristin Smith, Sherrod Brown, Patrick McHenry, Miller Whitehouse, Levine, Maxine Waters, Waters, McHenry, Hannah Lang, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Capitol, Voyager, Financial, U.S ., Representatives, Blockchain Association, Democratic, Banking, Trading, Securities, Exchange, DeFi, SEC, Financial Services, Politico, Thomson Locations: Washington

☆ Treasury yields are flat as investors consider monetary policy outlook
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

ET, the yield on the 10-year Treasury was down marginally at 3.841%. The 2-year Treasury yield was trading less than 1 basis points higher at 4.846%. U.S. Treasury yields were flat on Friday as investors weighed what could be on the horizon for interest rates ahead of the Federal Reserve's meeting next week. The Fed is due to meet on July 25 and 26 to discuss monetary policy, and markets are widely expecting the central bank to announce an interest rate hike when its meeting concludes. Before the central bank announces its decision next Wednesday, several fresh economic data points are expected next week.

Organizations: Treasury, U.S

The service will compete with private sector real-time payments systems, including The Clearing House's RTP network, and was initially opposed by big banks who said it was redundant. Unlike peer-to-peer payments services like Venmo or PayPal, which act as intermediaries between banks, payments made via FedNow will settle directly in central bank accounts. The Fed also operates a real-time payments system called FedWire, but that's reserved for large-scale, mostly corporate payments and is only operational during business hours. While the new FedNow system is for everyone, it's likely to benefit consumers and small businesses the most, analysts have said. But Fed officials have downplayed those concerns, arguing that banks have tools available to mitigate a wave of outflows.

Persons: JPMorgan Chase, FedNow, Anu Somani, it's, ”, Carl Slabicki, Lance Noggle, Hannah Lang, Michelle Price, Andrea Ricci Organizations: U.S . Federal, European Union, JPMorgan, Bank of New York Mellon, US Bancorp, RTP, U.S . Bank, PayPal, Fed, Mellon’s Treasury Services, “, Independent Community Bankers of, Thomson Locations: United Kingdom, India, Brazil, FedNow, Independent Community Bankers of America, Silicon, Washington

July 19 (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has accepted applications to create spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds from six firms including BlackRock (BLK.N) for review, the first step in the agency's process for deciding whether or not to approve the latest round of proposals. The SEC also formally acknowledged applications from Bitwise, VanEck, WisdomTree (WT.N), Fidelity and Invesco (IVZ.N) for similar spot bitcoin ETFs, with those proposals appearing on the Federal Register Tuesday and Wednesday. The SEC has previously rejected dozens of spot bitcoin ETF applications, saying the proposals did not meet anti-fraud and investor protection standards. The first bitcoin futures ETF was approved in October 2021, helping send the volatile bitcoin to an all-time high of $69,000 in November 2021. Spot ETFs directly track the price of the cryptocurrency, while futures-based ETFs follow the price of bitcoin futures contracts.

Persons: Hannah Lang, Andrea Ricci Organizations: U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, BlackRock, Fidelity, Federal Register, Nasdaq, Coinbase, CBOE Global, Thomson Locations: U.S, Washington

They are a key source of financing for some fintech lenders, which have fewer funding options than banks. As the end of pandemic stimulus and rising inflation led delinquency rates to normalize, investors shunned the fintech ABS market late last year. Fintechs like Upstart (UPST.O), Affirm (AFRM.O) and OneMain Financial (OMF.N) say they are boosting credit quality, in another example of how lenders have been pulling back amid uncertainty over the economic outlook. Still, analysts say it is a sign the fintech ABS market is recovering. For fintech loans to borrowers with weighted average credit scores between 660 and 710, annualized net losses rose by 1.88% month-over-month to 16.61%.

Persons: Sanjay Datta, Datta, Max Levchin, Doug Schulman, OneMain, Finsight, Robert Wildhack, Kroll, Hannah Lang, Matt Tracy, Josie Kao Organizations: Wall Street, OneMain, AAA, Autonomous Research, Kroll Bond Rating Agency, Thomson Locations: Washington

Search resuls for: "Policy Development"

25 mentions found