Fintech is now the most important part of our life which is used day by day from an individual to large enterprises. It is a combination term of two words Financial and Technology. This technology is leading the world towards the future by providing and automating financial services. As an entrepreneur will you seek to work in this field than knowing the fintech laws and regulations in USA is a must thing.
Helping large payments services and financial institutions to customize and manage their digital assets with an easy process. By understanding consumers’ and businesses’ needs, fintech is improving its services on every forum of the world, from apps to software.
Banks are using fintech for accounting and monitoring their accounts activity, businesses now rely on financial technology for payments and transactions process. Now it is providing a helping hand to the government in the PPP (Payroll Protection Program).
This technology is serving both consumers and businesses in various ways. Fintech is bringing an endless era of applications from mobile banking to investment apps for enhancing the power of the industry.
Nowadays, there is no longer a need for investors to meet financial experts face-to-face for their investment’s ins and outs. They can easily manage their portfolios and pursue their options online for better results. Individuals can easily handle their bank account transactions, deposits, credits, money transfers, and more.
The development and use of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are helping to build a new future for everyone and spreading worldwide.
Major Fintech Laws and Regulations in USA
The U.S. has a large and complex fintech companies network that is spread all over the country. In the U.S., all financial services are regulated at both state and federal levels. There are 50 states in the U.S. and they all have passed their own body of laws for financial services. Each state and federal agencies watch over its laws and regulations and take action against alleged violations.
The fintech trend is driving the U.S. market and data network to the next level with sophisticated innovations and is including changes in consumer preferences, processing, and the capacity and speed of the data network. Global legal insight has also validated that fintech boom is yet to be achieved and regulations should be devised in the initial prototyping stage.
The U.S. government now becoming more adaptive to fintech businesses and providing a helping hand in the growth within the legal space by making necessary financial regulation. As the industry offers lending loans and many other services, each state and federal authority is watching over the framework and imposing licenses.
Fintech is offering many services in the U.S. by fulfilling the conditions of state and federal agencies. In the past, money was carried out by licensed money transmitters, multiply located to work as agents for collecting and dealing money and monetary instruments.
Now all things are digitized, mobile and internet technologies are changing business operations, banking, investments, and others in several ways. Including offers alternative lending, buy now pay later, and cryptocurrencies.
Some state and federal authorities have even built innovation offices for the awareness of fintech-related developments. Another vital law is fair credit reporting act and enforces companies to protect and encrypt consumer financial transaction data.
An other imperative law that affects the global financial innovation network in broad spectrum of financial institutions is bank secrecy act. It ask financial companies to help USA institutes to detect and stop money laundering.
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority – Federal Regulators
For regulating the financial services industry, four federal regulators are responsible and including the fintech entities that play a part in the banking business.
Each authority targets various parts and points of the industry, but all have taken the best legal actions to enhance fintech.
- The FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) is the main federal regulator for the non-members of the Federal Reserve System like state-chartered banks.
- The OCC (Office of the Comptroller of the Currency) regulates and charters national banks and federal saving associations. The OCC has even created an office of innovation to make a regulatory structure that aids responsible innovation.
- The Board of Governors of the FRB (Federal Reserve System) is the main regulator for all state-chartered banks that are members of the FRB and supervises the work of all depository institution holding companies. The Federal Reserve System continues to support and manage responsible innovation, with a focus on facilitating real-time payments, studying the disadvantages, advantages, and opportunities of digital currencies, and making use of artificial intelligence in fintech.
- The NCUA (National Credit Union Administration) charters national credit unions and regulates all national and state-chartered credit unions. The NCUA has proceeded toward fintech-related developments more than other authorities and agencies.
Financial Institutions – Other Regulatory agencies
Along with the federal banking agencies, other federal regulators take a part in regulating the impact and influence of financial services.
- The CFPB (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau) oversees and enforces compliance with many federal consumer financial protection rules that impact fintech. The CFPB’s supervisory authority regulates large banks and some non-bank financial services companies, including debt collectors, mortgage lenders, and student loan services.
- The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) promotes competition and saves consumers from prejudiced or misleading acts and practices in the marketplace. The FTC’s authority expands to non-bank fintech entities that render a variety of financial services which includes lending, payments, and cryptocurrency offerings.
- The FinCEN (Financial Crimes Enforcement Network) collects and analyses data about financial transactions to prevent money laundering, terrorist financing, and other financial crimes, and authorizes laws for financial institutions’ AML (Anti-Money Laundering) compliance programs. FinCEN’s development initiative promotes innovation in AML compliance through the adoption of new technologies.
- The SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission), CFTC (Commodity Futures Trading Commission), and FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) shield investors from fintech-related scams operate the activities and operations of cryptocurrency exchanges and execute federal securities and commodities trading rules implicated in fintech offerings. The agencies also provide a helping hand to fintech through initiatives such as SEC’s Strategic Hub for innovation and financial technology, the CFTc’s LabCFTC, and FINRA’s office of financial innovation.
Keep in mind, that fintech firms working in any particular state has to follow its own regulations along with federal laws. For instance, if you company is registered in California than it has to comply with California consumer privacy act. All federal and state regulators are their to ensure consumer protection and corporate transparency act.
State Regulators
In the past, most state banking and financial services regulators have extended the scope and approach of their oversight and regulation of fintech, especially concerning the fintech offerings from state-chartered banks and non-bank financial services providers.
A state banking regulator organization, the CSBS (Conference of State Banking Supervisors) helps to coordinate and enforce uniformity and consistency among state regulators for these issues.
- Additionally, several states have created so-called “sandboxes”, which are intended to allow entities to test new fintech products and services in the marketplace without to need to obtain mandatory licenses. Arizona, Nevada, Florida, West Virginia, Utah, and Wyoming states have established fintech sandboxes.
It is advised to stay updated with changing federal law, fintech regulation, and regulatory requirements. However, if you are unable to stay updated with ever-changing regulatory landscape then you are get help from a consumer financial services providers or federal deposit insurance corporation that will handle this work for you.
Financial Crimes enforcement network
In order to stop terror financing, money laundering, and other financial crime USA has developed this enforcement network to stop these crime from happening and keep an eye on institutes to ensure they follow the set guidelines.
Conclusion
The fintech industry is witnessing a boom in the current era and replacing traditional financial institutions. Hence, solid rules and regulations are mandatory to control this industry and hold it accountable in case of any wrongdoing or fraudulent activity.
So, these laws and regulations in the USA pertinent to the fintech industry are so imperative to help them grow with legitimacy.