Insights Archive

May 10, 2022

US Issues New Sanctions Targeting Sberbank, Gazprombank, MIB

The US has issued new sanctions against designated individuals and entities deemed “critical” to Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.

May 10, 2022

EU Ruling Against Apple To Shake Up Payments, Experts Tell VIXIO

EU payments players consider a future in which Apple Pay loses its monopoly on iOS devices and the the technology giant is forced to open up its device to competitors, bringing more opportunities for payments innovation.

May 10, 2022

Sanctions First As US Treasury Targets Virtual Currency Mixer

A virtual currency mixer has been sanctioned by the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control for its role in aiding North Korea.

May 10, 2022

Sports Betting Not Without Risks, Warns Maryland Panel

Small businesses eligible to receive sports-betting licenses in Maryland will face high upfront costs, intrusive regulatory investigations and risk significant losses week-to-week, according to a panel of experts from larger operators.

May 10, 2022

Belgium To Severely Restrict Gambling Ads

Belgium’s justice minister has said he is “done with gambling advertising”, as the country notifies the European Commission of its draft royal decree to severely restrict gambling advertising.

May 9, 2022

’Rug Pull’: New York Senator Introduces Bill To Criminalise Crypto Fraud

A New York senator has introduced a bill that would criminalise so-called "rug pulls" and other types of crypto fraud.

May 9, 2022

Put Needs Of Vulnerable Consumers First In These Challenging Times, Says FCA’s Competition Chief

The new Consumer Duty, open banking and a more diverse financial services sector are key to supporting better outcomes for consumers, a senior official at the UK’s financial services watchdog has said.

May 9, 2022

CBDC: Catalyst For Change In Latin America

As an increasing number of Latin American and Caribbean countries are pursuing the development of a central bank digital currency (CBDC), VIXIO takes a look at some of the main drivers behind the trend in the region, and some of the risks and opportunities involved.

May 9, 2022

DMA Delayed To 2023 In EU

More groundwork needs to be done by the EU as the antitrust chief confirms that the Digital Markets Act (DMA) enforcers will be in place by spring of next year, while in the UK, a Digital Markets Unit is set to be included in the Queen's speech.

May 9, 2022

Three Star Entertainment Execs Resign After Probe Testimony

The top lawyer, CFO and chief casino officer for Australian operator Star Entertainment Group have fallen on their swords after damaging testimony at a review into the company’s operations.

May 9, 2022

Dominican Republic To Create New Gambling Regulator

Lawmakers in the Dominican Republic are pushing for the creation of a new gambling regulator, as the headline reform in an overhaul sparked by scandal.

May 9, 2022

Swedish Restrictions Hurting Economy, Says BOS Report

Sweden’s economy would benefit from easing the restrictions that drive players to the black market, according to a new report commissioned by the Swedish Trade Association for Online Gambling (BOS).

May 9, 2022

Maryland Mobile Sports-Betting Mandate Seeks Minority Participation

Nearly a year and a half after voters approved sports betting, Maryland is finalizing licensing rules to govern how mobile wagering will operate in the state as commercial gaming interests as well as small, minority- and women-owned businesses wait to be licensed.

May 9, 2022

Gaming Executives High On California Prospects For Mobile Sports Betting

One thing that top gaming executives made clear during a busy week of first-quarter earnings calls with analysts is that all eyes will be on California and the hotly contested sports-betting ballot initiatives voters will decide in November.

May 6, 2022

Bigtech QR Code Payments Creating Better Opportunities For Small Merchants, Says BIS

Findings from a new Bank for International Settlements (BIS) study suggest that access to quick response (QR) codes helps micro firms build up a credit history and that using bigtech credit can ease access to bank credit.

May 6, 2022

SEC Expands Crypto Unit In Major Enforcement Shake-Up

In a sign of its increased focus on digital assets supervision, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced that it will nearly double the size of its crypto enforcement team to 50 dedicated personnel.

May 6, 2022

EBA Makes Harmonisation Push In New Non-Bank Lending Report

The European Banking Authority (EBA) has fed back to the European Commission on how best it can respond to the rise of non-bank actors in the lending space, which could result in new compliance rules for bigtechs and fintech services.

May 6, 2022

J5 Releases First Guidance On Red Flags In NFT Market

The Joint Chiefs of Global Tax Enforcement (J5) have published a new intelligence briefing warning of the financial crime risks of non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

May 6, 2022

Durbin Pushes For Credit Card Regulation But No Fee Cap

In a congressional hearing, Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) proposed a number of measures to restore competition in the credit card market, but a swipe fee cap was not one of them.

May 6, 2022

U.S. Gaming Industry Remains Insulated From Inflation

Despite higher gas prices, rising interest rates, and an equity market that has not done well this year, U.S. gaming industry executives were quick to point out during their first-quarter earnings conference calls that they have not seen any meaningful changes in gamblers' behavior.

May 6, 2022

Chicago Mayor Picks Bally's To Run Windy City's $1.7bn Casino

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Thursday announced Bally’s Corporation is her choice to build and operate a mega casino in the nation’s third largest city by 2026.