Insights

The Reserve Bank of India has said its retail CBDC pilot is attracting users by the million, while the Netherlands has released new material to help firms comply with informational requirements under DORA.

Facing strong opposition from the country’s blockchain industry, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) has told Vixio that it stands by its latest guidance on stablecoin issuance.

The Bank of Lithuania has issued a formal letter outlining its expectations for entities currently providing or intending to provide services related to crypto-assets.

A select group of bipartisan lawmakers will introduce a measure in next year’s legislative session that would take Virginia’s multiple state agencies that regulate gaming and consolidate most of them into a single independent authority.

Brazil’s betting regulator has shuffled its pack to give officials more bandwidth to review all 113 licence applications that were submitted before a key deadline last week. 

Government-owned Holland Casino lost €3.5m in the first half of the year and has warned that more losses are certain if a planned increase in gambling tax goes ahead, with a top executive raising the possibility of a government bailout.

Earlier in August, the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) published a response to its December call for views on variable recurring payments (VRPs) and their expansion in the UK. The call for views set out initial proposals on how the PSR could support the Phase 1 expansion of VRPs to regulated financial services, regulated utilities sectors, and local and central government. The PSR’s latest publication summarises stakeholder feedback on the expansion of VRPs, revealing support for better coordination, but concerns about the need for a multilateral agreement (MLA) and, within that, a central price.

Victoria state’s gambling regulator has slapped wagering giant Tabcorp Holdings with a A$4.6m ($3.1m) fine over systematic compliance breaches, a state record for the company, as well as letters of censure and an operational overhaul order.

A new study reveals that the crypto industry has spent "unprecedented" amounts on influencing this year’s US elections, Tether is launching a new UAE stablecoin, and Australia counts the costs of crypto scams.

New Zealand’s Commerce Commission has granted conditional authorisation to Payments NZ to develop a framework for open banking, as regulators look to disrupt the "oligopoly" of the country’s four largest banks.

A new study has found that the US is now the global capital of corrupt banking, while Canada’s TD bank has set aside $2.6bn to pay anti-money laundering (AML) penalties.

Brazil received an unprecedented 113 applications for federal licences to operate sports betting and online gaming before an initial deadline of midnight on Tuesday, but at least some applicants are not expected to pay the hefty R$30m (US$5.5m) price tag when the time comes. 

New Zealand opens consultation on account-based play rules and Bovada adds Ohio to growing list of restricted states.

The Netherlands Gambling Authority has said it is “urgently” warning Formula One, Team Sauber and the Dutch Grand Prix that they should not promote unlicensed, and therefore, illegal online gambling operator Stake.com during this weekend’s racing event in the Netherlands.

South Africa has become the latest jurisdiction to unveil its plans for AI, using a new policy framework to warn that outdated legislation risks hindering its progress.

The buy now, pay later (BNPL) industry is responding “favourably and constructively” to the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), its chair Rohit Chopra has said, as he confirmed that the often interventionist agency will not be enforcing against firms as they come into compliance with its new interpretive rule for BNPL.

Legal medical marijuana sales in Nevada launched seven years ago, which has led to the opening of cannabis lounges and dispensaries, but any integration with the licensed gaming industry remains off limits due to the federal government classifying it as an illicit drug.

The judicial tide has turned in the case against unlicensed operators in the state of Rio de Janeiro, after a judge granted an injunction to Kambi to allow the company to stay in business without a licence. 

The Swedish Gambling Authority is warning that illegal land-based gambling may increase after the planned closure of Svenska Spel’s last remaining land-based casino in Stockholm.

Australian banks outside the "Big Four" are failing to update their anti-scam measures in line with current best practices, the country’s financial regulator has said.