The Weekend Reads of a FinTech Scholar

This week, we bring you a special version of Weekend Reads. Mercatus Center Senior Research Fellow and financial regulation expert Brian Knight joined Krista Chavez to share eight of the most influential articles he has been reading.

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An Uncompromising Jeb Hensarling Is Not Sorry

Neil Haggerty | American Banker

In American Banker, Neil Haggerty profiles outgoing House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling. Colleagues and rivals alike credited Hensarling for “sticking to his guns and pursuing ambitious goals” in proposing legislation that focused on capital markets, banking, securities markets, and housing.

Is Congress Really Ready to Take on Crypto?

Victoria Finkle | American Banker

With the new Congressional Blockchain Caucus, US House of Representatives lawmakers are laying the groundwork for future legislation surrounding the regulation of cryptocurrency and its technology.

Regulators Can Do More to Encourage Fintech Innovation

Thomas Curry and Jason Cabral | American Banker

What actually is a “regulatory sandbox,” and what do regulators and policymakers need to know to understand how they can benefit research and development of financial innovation?

Fidelity Says It Will Trade Bitcoin for Hedge Funds

Justin Baer | The Wall Street Journal

As financial services giant Fidelity Investments takes on bitcoin trading for hedge funds, the cryptocurrency market could gain increased stability and credibility in the asset trading world. Read more about the future of crypto-investments and how other Wall Street influencers are moving to follow Fidelity’s example.

LA Voters Will Decide Whether to Eliminate a Barrier to a Public Bank

Emily Alpert Reyes and James Rufus Koren | Los Angeles Times

In 2018, Los Angeles voters will decide on the creation of a public bank that would be owned by the city. Supporters cite examples of costs and corruption in private banking while opponents point to previous city project failures. What would an approved ballot measure mean for the future of US banking?

On the Rise of the FinTechs—Credit Scoring Using Digital Footprints

Tobias Berg, Valentin Burg, Ana Gombovic, and Manju Puri | Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation-Center for Financial Research (FDIC-CFR)

In the digital world, the mere step of visiting a website leaves valuable information about an individual. Researchers for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Center for Financial Research (FDIC-CFR) used this data in a project to determine whether such a “digital footprint” could be advantageous for predicting consumer default.

What You Need to Know About California’s New Data Privacy Law

Dipayan Ghosh | Harvard Business Review

In light of recent privacy scandals, California passed a major consumer privacy law that could force significant changes in how companies handle consumer data. If implemented, the law could radically transform the way Internet service providers, digital advertisers, and data brokers operate.

A Non-Partisan Way to Help Workers and Consumers

Adam Thierer and Trace Mitchell | The Bridge

A new report from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), built on decades of unambiguous research, seeks to tackle restrictive and expensive occupational licensing policy. According to Adam Thierer and Trace Mitchell, occupational licensing reform has the potential to expand economic opportunity, innovation, consumer access, and entrepreneurialism while reducing prices.