Insights Archive

March 25, 2022

Week In Brief - March 25, 2022

A short roundup of some of the week's payments news you may have missed. This week we look at plans to monetise a new SEPA API access model scheme, the latest on cross-border CBDC initiative Project Dunbar, the rise in data protection complaints in Spain, and the launch of new international group to promote UK fintech.

March 25, 2022

Thailand Outlaws Crypto Payments From April 1

The Thai Securities and Exchange Commission and Bank of Thailand have outlined new tough measures that will ban payments using crypto-assets from next month.

March 25, 2022

Indian State Of 120m People Preparing Online Gaming Legislation

India’s massively populous Maharashtra state has moved closer to regulating online gaming, with the government reportedly preparing dedicated legislation that includes a 25 percent gaming tax.

March 25, 2022

World Lottery Association Suspends Russian Members

Eastern European lottery operators have succeeded in petitioning the World Lottery Association to suspend its members from Russia and Belarus.

March 25, 2022

NHL Partnership Approach Could Be Boon In Ontario Online Market

The National Hockey League (NHL) was one of the earliest of the major U.S. professional leagues to embrace sports betting through partnerships with operators, and with Ontario’s new online gaming market set to launch in less than two weeks, the league is poised to capitalize.

March 25, 2022

Bill To Ban Gambling Ads In Ireland Advances

A bill to ban gambling advertising in Ireland will progress to the committee stage on March 29 after appearing to accrue government sympathy.

March 25, 2022

News In Brief: March 21-March 25, 2022

European operators to pool anti-cybercrime resources, a Missouri betting bill makes progress, while another in Minnesota narrowly survives its latest vote.

March 24, 2022

OBIE Updates Open Banking Roadmap

There are three remaining items that large UK banks have to put into effect this year, the latest update on the open banking roadmap shows.

March 24, 2022

UK/EU Authorities Keep Up Pressure On Crypto-Assets

The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority has published a new enforcement notice regarding crypto-asset promotions, following recent interventions from the EU’s financial regulators, as well as Ireland’s central bank.

March 24, 2022

Improvement Needed! EBA And EU Lawmakers Scrutinise AML Supervision

Lawmakers in Brussels have held a public hearing on the EU’s latest financial crime package and how it can be made effective. Meanwhile, the European Banking Authority's new report highlights why the current one is not.

March 24, 2022

Canada Names First-Ever Open Banking Lead

Canada has picked former digital banking director Abraham Tachjian to help set up the country’s open banking regime, which is planned to launch next January.

March 24, 2022

Missouri House Moves Forward On Sports Betting

Missouri’s House of Representatives advanced a modified sports-betting bill for passage on Wednesday, the most significant step taken to towards enacting legislation in the state after years of misfires.

March 24, 2022

First German Online Slots Licences Could Finally Emerge, Says Lawyer

The award of Germany’s first virtual slots licences could be days away, but delays and uncertainty are expected to persist at least until a federal council steps back from gambling regulation in 2023.

March 24, 2022

UK Regulator, BGC Question Estimate 1.4m Are Experiencing Harm

The Gambling Commission has said charity GambleAware’s estimate of 1.4m people experiencing gambling-related harms in Great Britain is likely to be affected by its differing online methodology.

March 24, 2022

Western Australian Probe Finds Crown Resorts 'Not Suitable'

A Royal Commission has found Crown Resorts unsuitable to hold a casino licence in the Western Australian capital of Perth, but the company will retain its licence pending remediation.

March 24, 2022

U.S. Casinos' Reign In Macau Facing Instability, Uncertainty

Three U.S. gaming companies continue to rake in billions from their casinos in Macau, but recent actions by the Chinese and American governments and union-linked interests suggest this golden era may be coming to an end.

March 23, 2022

EPI Drops Card Plans After Member Banks Pull The Plug

The European Payments Initiative (EPI) has reportedly given up its plans to pursue a pan-European competitor to Visa and Mastercard after two-thirds of its member banks quit the project.

March 23, 2022

Bank Of Lithuania Continues To Talk Up Payments, E-Money Opportunities

The amount and revenue of payment transactions executed by electronic money and payment institutions increased almost four-fold in 2021, Lithuania’s central bank has said.

March 23, 2022

Time To Make Open Banking BAU, Says PSR Chief

Open banking needs to move to the next chapter in the UK, a senior official at the UK’s payments regulator has said, as the industry awaits the Competition and Markets Authority’s decision on the future of the Open Banking Implementation Entity.

March 23, 2022

Regulator Fears Of Sanction Busting Crypto Are Unwarranted, Says Sector

Despite attempts by regulators and lawmakers to further restrict cryptocurrency in the name of Russian sanctions, the nature of blockchain technology makes conventional methods still the most effective way for Russian authorities to evade sanctions.

March 23, 2022

Australian Government Seeks Crypto Plan Feedback

Following its commitment to stipulate a regulatory framework for the crypto-asset sector, Australia’s Treasury Department has published a new consultation on the matter.