SET Training - Banking and Fintech

By Stanley Epstein -  Introduction: The Promise of Stability The financial world is buzzing with talk of stablecoins. It’s no longer a niche topic; major players like Citi, Visa, Stripe, and a growing number of large US banks are actively building platforms and exploring issuing their own. This isn't just experimental—the scale of the ambition is immense. Citi's CEO, Jane Fraser, recently forecasted that stablecoin issuance could surge to an astonishing $3.7 trillion by the end of the decade. At its core, the promise of a stablecoin is simple: to create a cryptocurrency with a stable price by pegging it to a real-world asset, most commonly the US dollar. This is meant to offer the benefits of digital currency—speed, accessibility, and transparency—without the wild price swings associated with assets like bitcoin. But beneath this straightforward promise lies a far more complex and surprising reality with profound consequences for the global financial system. The rapid growth of...

The Big Brain is being dissected. The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched a major inquiry into whether the AI arms race among tech giants like Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI is morphing into a dangerous game of monopoly, stifling competition and innovation. Here's what's got the regulators hot under the collar: The FTC wants the inside scoop:  These dominant AI companies have been ordered to dish on their investments and partnerships, both within the AI space and with key cloud service providers. Think of it as the FTC pulling up a chair and demanding a full disclosure of their playbooks. Partnerships under scrutiny:  While the FTC insists "no wrongdoing is alleged," they're not pulling punches. They want to understand the logic behind these strategic alliances and how they're actually playing out in the competitive landscape. Are these partnerships fostering a vibrant ecosystem or building walled gardens that lock out smaller players? Radio sile...

Binance skirted regulation to become the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume. Now, the company has pleaded guilty in the U.S. and agreed to pay $4.3 billion in fines. Here’s how the same strategy behind the company’s rise brought it crashing down.

The financial revolution once promised by cryptocurrencies has been knocked off course by regulators and allegations of fraud.  So what does the future hold for crypto?