BY: Kiana Lozzi, RBFL Student Editor Artists’ incomes have significantly shifted from mechanical to performance royalties and the next shift should be to music NFTs. NFTs, or “non-fungible tokens,” are data units that are stored on a blockchain that transfer ownership of either physical things or digital media. Additionally, NFTs have given artists an opportunity to retain the copyright and reproduction rights for their work and allow musicians to directly license ownership to fans. NFTs incentivize musicians by offering perpetual royalties, new revenue streams, and the easing of payments. NFT ..read more

BY: Roshni Parikh, RBFL Student Editor Cryptocurrency (‘crypto’) has permeated through the financial world as a popular investing tool that is relatively easy to use. The problem is that it is inherently risky, if not dangerous, and is not considered a sophisticated investment space due to its fraudulent features, anonymity, and decentralization. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have worked extensively to improve regulations, adjusting them to the new crypto environment and scams that arise. However, the current regime is still insufficient to ..read more

BY: Megan R. Miller, RBFL Student Editor “Finfluencer” activity has exploded in recent years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Bloomberg Wealth, “finfluencers” are online personalities who share financial advice, particularly on social media. Social media platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram are full of young people offering investment, budgeting, and other financial advice to large, also mostly younger Gen Z and Millennial audiences.  The explosion of young people investing and consuming financially focused social media content may be due in part to the 2019 ..read more

BY: Aspen Schneider, RBFL Student Editor Throughout its eight years of operation, Robinhood has faced many problems. The company has been penalized by multiple regulatory bodies for a variety of offenses. In response to the penalties, Robinhood has made hopeful additions to the board of directors and made various improvements within the platform. However, regardless of efforts to improve, it is likely that Robinhood will face more regulatory challenges in the future. The mission of Robinhood is to “democratize finance for all.” However, is the company truly bringing finance to the people if re ..read more

BY: Melissa Pereira, RBFL Student Editor Cryptocurrency (“Crypto”) financial technology may be the future of transacting. However, there are regulatory obstacles to overcome before widespread adoption and usage can be achieved. My developmental article extensively discusses these regulatory obstacles, the need for a clear regulatory framework of crypto, Wyoming’s leadership in implementing crypto-friendly regulation, as well as anticipations for the future of digital asset regulation.  There are thousands of crypto technologies, and many vary in their function, goals, and codes. Issues ar ..read more

By: Jenny Eldred, RBFL Student Editor The California Consumer Financial Protection Law went into effect January 1, 2021,[1] reorganizing the Department of Business Oversight into the newly created Department of Financial Protection and Innovation. The DFPI assumes the reserved powers carved out of the Dodd-Frank Act for state regulators to protect consumers against unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts and practices.[2] The new California statute expands the jurisdiction of the consumer watchdog to cover previously unregulated actors including debt collectors, rent-to-own contractors, consumer cr ..read more

By: Bailey Meideros, RBFL Student Editor In recent years, stock-trading apps have become increasingly popular among young investors. In particular, the stock-trading app, Robinhood, has become the topic of various financial news outlets thanks to its unique features catered to young traders. Robinhood, founded in 2013 by Stanford University graduates Baiju Bhatt and Vladimir Tenev, is a FINRA regulated broker-dealer known for being user-friendly. Not only does the platform have no fees and no minimum requirement, but it also has a game-like interface that makes trading on the app similar to th ..read more

By Beyond Bi, RBFL Student Editor Financial technology (“Fintech”) covers technologies that seek to “improve and automate the delivery and use of financial services,” including common peer-to-peer (“P2P”) mobile payment applications such as Paypal and Apple pay and cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin.[1]  The global growth of non-cash transactions, blooming adoption of digital wallets, and the success of many fintech apps make e-commerce the new focus of many industry players.  In many countries, non-cash exchanges have become the primary method of payment, which not only increases the ..read more

by Zachary Zehner, RBFL Student Editor   If I were a betting man, I would guess that the average reader has a bank account, a credit card, and maybe some even have an investment portfolio. With juggling all of these accounts and attempting to stick to one’s financial budget, many consumers opt for a third party service provider like Mint.com. Mint provides a platform to consolidate all of these accounts into one place and provide a fuller picture of one’s financial health. But how does Mint know all of your financials across all of these accounts? As with Mint and many other third party f ..read more

by Kellen Safreed, 2L Editor   As data collection, use, and analysis become increasingly central to the operations of many companies, users and governments are growing concerned about the risks this data harvesting may pose to individual privacy. Scandals over the past few years, such as Cambridge Analytica’s improper use of Facebook user data during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign,[1]major hacks of companies like Equifax and Target,[2]as well as a range of other breaches,[3]have made data privacy a major issue. Consequently, we need to consider what legislation can or should do ..read more