American Financial Services Association - The need for innovation spreads from state to federal regulators
Member login
American Financial Services Association

The need for innovation spreads from state to federal regulators

Blog Posts

AFSA this year has provided its members the opportunity to learn about the concept of a FinTech sandbox from speakers at both the state and federal levels.

The first state to create a FinTech sandbox was Arizona. The sandbox concept in Arizona, according to Attorney General Mark Brnovich, is a way to reduce regulations without stifling technology.

Addressing AFSA’s inaugural Law and Compliance Symposium last January, Brnovich said the initiative allows fintech companies “to come up with a better mousetrap to serve the citizens of Arizona.” This is against the backdrop of Arizona being among the states having the most stringent consumer protection laws in the nation.

Fast-forward to AFSA’s Annual Meeting last month. The topic of the FinTech sandbox on the federal level was addressed by Paul Watkins, Director of the Office of Innovation at the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (BCFP).

Ironically, the federal agency hired Watkins in July from the Arizona Attorney General’s office. There, Watkins was Chief Counsel for the Arizona AG’s 150-person civil litigation division. Additionally he led the office’s sandbox initiative with the aim of easing regulatory burdens for firms trying to launch new products.

“Innovation can protect consumers in ways regulations cannot,” Watkins said at the AFSA Annual Meeting. “Arizona now has seven applicants operating in the sandbox.”

“At the BCFP, we did not create the upside in customer service,” he said. “We rely on businesses to bring products to market. The bureau seeks to promote competition.”

The need for innovation spreads from state to federal regulators
Nov 28, 2018

AFSA this year has provided its members the opportunity to learn about the concept of a FinTech sandbox from speakers at both the state and federal levels.

The first state to create a FinTech sandbox was Arizona. The sandbox concept in Arizona,… Read the rest

Analyzing the Midterm Election Results
Nov 27, 2018

The latest edition of the AFSA Today podcast features Ann Carmichael, Vice President of Congressional Affairs at AFSA. Ann analyzes, among other topics, changes in leadership at the important House Financial Services Committee on both Read the rest

Happy Thanksgiving
Nov 22, 2018

Happy Thanksgiving from everyone at AFSA.… Read the rest

Top Ten Debt Collection Lessons from 2018
Nov 19, 2018

Join us at 2 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 13 for Top Ten Debt Collection Lessons from 2018, presented by AFSA.

We’ve seen a number of developments in debt collection this year. Technology is changing the way debt is collected. The Bureau… Read the rest

Sharpen your acquisition strategy
Nov 15, 2018

Join AFSA on Tuesday December 4 at 2 pm. ET for Optimize your Acquisition Strategy and Elevate Profits, presented by Clarity, a division of Experian.

Step into the future of customer acquisition and put the data to work for you!

The capabilities… Read the rest

Making Sense of the Digital Transformation
Nov 15, 2018

Bestselling author and motivational speaker Erik Qualman will deliver the keynote address at the 2019 AFSA Vehicle Finance Conference and Expo From January 22-24 at the Hilton San Francisco!

Erik has performed in over 50 countries and reached… Read the rest

From the AFSA Education Foundation…
Nov 14, 2018

This week the AFSA Education Foundation celebrated National Philanthropy Day. This is a special day set aside each year to recognize the great contributions of philanthropy – and those people active in the philanthropic communityRead the rest

SGA Publishes Post-election Whitepapers
Nov 12, 2018

AFSA’s State Government Affairs (SGA) team this week published its series of post-election white papers, which provide relevant election results in state governor races, attorney general races, and state legislatures. In the midterms… Read the rest

Targeted survey reveals preferences of bill payers
Nov 08, 2018

Join us on Tuesday, November 13 at 2 p.m. ET for “Speedpay® Pulse: Consumer Research Reveals Preference for Traditional Payment Options,” presented by Speedpay.

The Speedpay® Pulse, a quarterly consumerRead the rest

Election analysis: AFSA examines the midterm results
Nov 07, 2018

The 2016 midterm elections are history and we now know that the House of Representatives will shift control to the Democrats, while the Senate will have a strengthened Republican majority.

Of particular interest to AFSA members, Tuesday’s… Read the rest

1 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 142