#EO – Page 2 – Federal Financial Analytics

14 03, 2022

Al031422

Arezou Rafikian2023-04-03T15:12:45-04:00March 14th, 2022|3- This Week|

A FULL-FORCE CRYPTO CRACKDOWN

Spurred in part by the critical role cryptocurrency is playing in the Ukraine crisis, the Biden Administration last week finalized a long awaited “whole-of-government policy construct (see Client Report CRYPTO26) with far-reaching, immediate implications not only for the Executive-Branch agencies that must now do as they are told, but also the more-or-less independent banking agencies that will try to make the White House as happy as possible. Touching on another key question — who has payment-system access — the Fed last week revised its 2021 proposal with a replacement request for comment (see FSM Report PAYMENT24) that now opines just a bit more on which companies will get the most scrutiny if they seek Reserve Bank master accounts and services.

Al031422.pdf…

11 03, 2022

DAILY031122

Eliza Allen2023-04-03T15:14:45-04:00March 11th, 2022|2- Daily Briefing|

US, G7 Fragment Global Financial Construct to Sanction Russia

Heightening sanctions to a still more unprecedented level, the President has issued a new set of Russian sanctions and the U.S., along with the rest of the G7, announced today that both the World Bank and IMF will be pressed to deny Russia borrowing privileges, which are rarely – if ever – denied for overtly political reasons.

Daily031122.pdf…

9 03, 2022

CRYPTO26

Arezou Rafikian2023-04-04T10:50:56-04:00March 9th, 2022|5- Client Report|

Biden Administration Decides Crypto Here to Stay, Seeks CBDC

We follow our initial client alert here with an in-depth analysis of President Biden’s long-awaited executive order laying down steps intended quickly to construct a U.S. digital-asset policy construct. Although sparked in part by virtual currency’s role in the Ukraine crisis, the executive order (EO) is a watershed event establishing for the first time that the U.S. views digital assets as a fixture of future finance warranting a rapid, far-reaching, and stringent set of governance, law-enforcement, equity, inclusion, and technology policy intervention. In general, the EO establishes a U.S. principle akin to that set by global regulators in this area: same-business same rules. Nothing in the order thus threatens SEC Chairman Gensler’s assertion that current law addresses many investor-protection challenges (see Client Report INVESTOR19) indeed, the EO strengthens the SEC’s hand by validating the chairman’s concerns.

CRYPTO26.pdf…

9 03, 2022

Daily030922

Arezou Rafikian2023-04-04T12:16:52-04:00March 9th, 2022|2- Daily Briefing|

President Presses Crypto, CBDC Buttons
We will shortly provide clients with an in-depth analysis of President Biden’s executive order setting the stage for substantive U.S. action across the digital-asset sector. We note at the outset that, according to the fact sheet, the order comes as close to demanding a CBDC as the President’s authority over the Fed and Secretary Yellen’s reservations doubtless allowed. The Fed is told to “place urgency” on its research, a demand likely to motivate the Fed to accelerate the very leisurely pace towards some sort of CBDC decision described in last month’s discussion draft (see FSM Report CBDC10).

Long-Awaited LIBOR-Certainty Bill Set for Enactment
Sen. John Tester (D-MN) today to ABA indicated that the Senate version of House-passed LIBOR-transition legislation is in the omnibus spending bill set to pass by the end of this week in order to keep the government open.

CFPB Targets Employer Financial Products, Data
The CFPB today detailed its agenda following meetings on the extent to which U.S. workers are placed at financial risk by their employers.

Daily030922.pdf…

8 03, 2022

DAILY030822

Eliza Allen2023-04-04T12:19:56-04:00March 8th, 2022|2- Daily Briefing|

Congress Prepares Gold-Related Sanctions vs. Russia

Sens. Cornyn (R-TX), Hassan (D-NH), and bipartisan colleagues have added to the Congressional proposals to sanction Russia with S. 3771, legislation to impose secondary sanctions related to American entities that knowingly engage in gold sales or transport involving the Russian central bank.

Mandatory-Arb Bill Gets Low-Priority, Partisan Reception

As we anticipated, today’s Senate Banking hearing on mandatory arbitration in financial products was partisan and provided little in the way of an actionable agenda. The hearing was also poorly attended due to higher-priority concerns, with Chairman Brown (D-OH) and Democrats supporting the legislation they recently introduced to ban mandatory arbitration and class-action waivers.

Energy Financing Now Under Sanctions Gun

As anticipated, President Biden’s executive order today barring oil and related energy imports also extends the sanctions regime to financing, approving, guaranteeing or facilitating sanctioned imports and any energy-related investments.

FedFin Advisory: Commodity Risk Would Renew Political Challenge

A key question we hear from large-bank investors is the extent to which the Ukraine crisis may lead to significant commodity-related losses at the largest U.S. banks due not only to their own exposures, but also to Archegos-like risk positions in these often opaque markets.

Daily030822.pdf…