CEI has fought excessive regulation in the financial sector from laws such as Sarbanes-Oxley and Dodd-Frank. We have scored major bipartisan victories for deregulation. These include the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act, signed by President Obama in 2012, that lifted or relaxed some of the biggest burdens preventing small and midsize firms from raising capital and going public; and the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act, signed by President Trump in 2018, that lifted some of Dodd-Frank’s crushing burden on community banks and credit unions. We continue to fight to remove regulatory barriers that limit choices and increase costs for entrepreneurs, investors, and consumers.
Banking and Finance Issue Areas
Featured Posts
Blog
What a 1958 onion law reveals about modern politics
University of Chicago students recently held an onion-themed protest, of all things. Social media was flooded with more onion puns than any reasonable…
Blog
The challenges of central banking
The Federal Reserve has decided to maintain interest rates between 3.75 percent and 4 percent. Within minutes of this announcement, economists, investors, politicians,…
News Release
Federal Reserve holds rates steady as inflation turmoil continues: CEI analysis
The Fed has decided to keep interest rates steady as it continues to battle against rising inflation and economic uncertainty, made worse by…
Search Posts
Blog
What a 1958 onion law reveals about modern politics
University of Chicago students recently held an onion-themed protest, of all things. Social media was flooded with more onion puns than any reasonable…
Blog
The challenges of central banking
The Federal Reserve has decided to maintain interest rates between 3.75 percent and 4 percent. Within minutes of this announcement, economists, investors, politicians,…
News Release
Federal Reserve holds rates steady as inflation turmoil continues: CEI analysis
The Fed has decided to keep interest rates steady as it continues to battle against rising inflation and economic uncertainty, made worse by…
Blog
OCC aligns with CEI suggestions in new stablecoin rule
Last week, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) released its long-awaited final rule implementing the GENIUS (Guiding and Establishing National…
National Review
America’s Misplaced Income Priorities
The national inequality debate is asking the wrong questions. Pundits are cheering a recent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report showing a…
Blog
Why can’t we just print more money?
Last week, I attended an event at a think tank where the conversation centered on the federal budget and national debt. At one…
Blog
Buy Now, Pay Later doesn’t mean pay more, owe more, and panic more
Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) has become a familiar way to pay for everything from discretionary purchases to everyday expenses. BNPL lets consumers divide…
News Release
Report analyzes and offers reforms to the current US-proxy advisory system
Today, the Competitive Enterprise Institute released a new report that analyzes and critiques the current US proxy-advisory system and offers strong reforms that…
Blog
Are stablecoins already delivering what CBDCs promise?
Many proposals for a central bank digital currency (CBDC), a digital form of the US dollar issued by the Federal Reserve, have circulated…
Center Square
After rate hike, economists weigh tariffs’ role in inflation
CEI’s Senior Economist Ryan Young was quoted by Center Square in their analysis of tariffs impact in inflation. Ryan Young, senior economist…
News Release
Federal Reserve raises interest rates, eyes on future economic policy: CEI analysis
Today, the Federal Reserve has decided to raise interest rates by 25 basis points, the first increase in over three years. The decision…
Blog
Why the 5 percent Treasury bond interest rate matters
The recent rise of the 10-year Treasury yield to 5 percent has set off alarm bells among economists, policymakers, and investors. While the…
American Family News
President Trump criticized for dangling a ‘dividend’ in front of voters if GOP wins midterms
CEI’s Clyde Wayne Crews was cited by American Family News about the Presidents offer of a winning dividend for the midterms. he…
Washington Times
Prices climbed slightly in August as Fed weighs interest rate increase
CEI’s Monetary Policy Analyst Steve Swedberg was cited by the Washington Times regarding inflation. Forecasters say the Fed could increase rates slightly…
Fox Business
Trump’s $5,000 dividend proposal could add $1.2T to federal deficit, analysts say
CEI’s Ryan Young was cited by Fox News regarding Trump’s new dividend proposal. Competitive Enterprise Institute Senior Economist Ryan Young told FOX…
Washington Examiner
Treasury triples buyback of longer-term debt to $6 billion
CEI’s Ryan Young was cited by the Washington Examiner regarding the increased buybacks from the Treasury. Higher yields on longer-term bonds can…
Washington Examiner
Higher rates spell an end to the case for putting huge programs on Uncle Sam’s credit card
CEI’s Ryan Young was cited by The Washington Examiner regarding higher interest rates. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury security, for…
The Washington Sun
Bessent Downplays the Bond Market’s Latest Swing: It’s Not ‘Dire’
CEI’s Senior Economist Ryan Young was cited by The Washington Sun regarding bond markets and Bessent’s reaction. Ryan Young, a senior economist…
Blog
Sports dominate prediction markets, but don’t bet on that being the whole story
Less than two years ago, the biggest controversy surrounding prediction markets was their enabling of speculation on elections. Then in early 2025, with…
Washington Examiner
Gold and bitcoin rise on fears about US debt
CEI’s John Berlau was quoted by the Washington Examiner regarding cryptocurrency in the economy. As gold has gone up, so too have…
Blog
Let’s end ‘reputational risk’ debanking once and for all
Although this legislative session is near its end, Congress still has the opportunity to take an important step to ensure that financial regulation is…
Washington Examiner
Bond markets shrug off Treasury intervention, with yields rebounding
CEI’s Senior Economist Ryan Young was cited by The Washington Examiner regarding bond markets. Ryan Young, a senior economist at the Competitive…
Blog
Vance wants to break the dollar’s global reserve currency status: Why American consumers would pay
A recently resurfaced video of Vice President J.D. Vance has brought renewed attention to his argument that the US dollar’s status as the…
Reason
Border Patrol Saves America From Canadian Trucker Delivering Goods in New Mexico
Reason cited CEI’s Steve Swedberg in relation to the Department of Transportation launching the Freedom Haulers Initiative. The Trump administration is well…
Letters
CEI joins coalition to support the FIRM Act
We, the undersigned organizations, write in support of Senator Tim Scott’s Financial Integrity and Regulation Management (FIRM) Act.
News Release
Inflation increases slightly in July, Americans still paying higher prices: CEI analysis
July’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) report shows inflation increased 0.1 percent across all sectors, in line with economists’ predictions. With new proposed tariffs…
Washington Examiner
Fed rate hikes likely even with weakening jobs outlook
The Washington Examiner cited CEI’s Ryan Young regarding the Federal Reserves target on employment and inflation. So as long as the unemployment…
Blog
Forecasts, not puppet strings: The myth that prediction markets rig reality (Part II)
Prediction markets have become an increasingly prominent tool for forecasting elections, economic indicators, geopolitical developments, and other uncertain events. Their growing popularity has also…
Letters
CEI joins coalition against federal intrusion of bank licensing
Dear Chairman Warsh: Left-wing advocacy groups are urging federal regulators to block the bank license applications of fintech lenders…
The National Desk
Resilient economy faces mounting risks from Iran and inflation
CEI’s Senior Economist Ryan Young was cited by The National Desk relating to the economy and its response to Iran and inflation.
Reason
The Bond Market Is Unhappy With the Federal Reserve’s Unwillingness To Fight Inflation
CEI’s Steve Swedberg was cited by Reason in relation to the Federal Reserve and their response to inflation. But if the Federal…
Market Watch
Do-nothing Fed? Maybe not. Now Wall Street zeros in on rate hike in September.
CEI’s Senior Economist Ryan Young was cited by MarketWatch regarding the Federal Reserves choice to hold interest rates. An economist at the…
News Release
Fed decides to maintain interest rates during July FOMC meeting: CEI analysis
Today, the Federal Reserve announced it will maintain interest rates, signaling a continued commitment to the fight against inflation. The Fed is remaining…
Blog
Forecasts, not puppet strings: The myth that prediction markets rig reality (Part I)
Prediction markets have become an increasingly prominent tool for forecasting elections, economic indicators, geopolitical events, and other uncertain outcomes. As their popularity has grown,…
News Release
Inflation drops some in June, does not yet indicate inflation relief is here to stay: CEI analysis
The Consumer Price Index report for June fell 0.4 percent, mostly canceling out May’s 0.5 percent increase. While this may provide some immediate…
Letters
CEI leads free-market Coalition Letter applauding SEC Proposal to End Quarterly Reporting Mandate With Semiannual Option
Dear Chairman Atkins: As leaders of conservative and free-market organizations interested in reducing red tape that limits opportunities for middle-class investors and entrepreneurs,…
Blog
Lessons Kevin Warsh can learn from the late Alan Greenspan
Alan Greenspan’s recent passing provides an opportunity to reassess his legacy as Chairman of the Federal Reserve and consider the lessons Kevin Warsh can…
Blog
Before reform comes review: What Warsh’s task forces could mean for the Fed
Major institutional reforms rarely begin with sweeping policy changes. More often, they begin with a willingness to reexamine long-standing assumptions. That is what makes…
Reason
Monetary policy analyst Steve Swedberg is cited in Reason regarding the decision to cap credit card fees. Arguments back and forth convinced…
Blog
Remembering Alan Greenspan
Alan Greenspan passed away this week. National Review was kind enough to run my remembrance of him: There…
Blog
Time to end the SEC’s surveillance of everybody’s finances
Today is the deadline for filing regulatory comments on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Consolidated Audit Trail (CAT) program. The CAT is a…
Blog
Three consequences of Illinois’ interchange fee law
In my new CEI paper, I examine the Illinois Interchange Fee Prohibition Act and what policymakers can learn from previous efforts to restrict…
Washington Times
Twenty-Six jurisdictions to hike minimum wage next month
Sean Higgins was quoted in the Washington Times regarding the minimum wage debate. Sean Higgins, an analyst at the libertarian Competitive Enterprise…
Comment
CEI Comments on Federal Reserve’s Regulatory Capital Rules
Dear Mr. McDonough, On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, I am pleased to comment to the Board of Governors of the Federal…
Read the Full Study
Report: Government limit on credit card interchange fees undermines consumers, small businesses
A new Competitive Enterprise Institute report examines an Illinois law that will limit credit card interchange fees paid by merchants to the banks and credit unions that issue…
Study
The Hidden Costs of Interchange Fee Bans
The state of Illinois risks transforming the Land of Lincoln into the Land of Patchwork Price Controls. The Interchange Fee Prohibition Act (IFPA), passed…
News Release
Federal Reserve moves to keep interest rates steady during its June meeting: CEI analysis
The Fed has decided to keep interest rates where they are, signaling the focus is still on economic uncertainty and asserting its independence…
Blog
The house doesn’t always win: Why prediction markets aren’t gambling
“If it talks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it must be a duck.” That phrase is not reserved for ducks. It…
The Washington Examiner
Warsh faces similar trap to the one that led to huge inflation in 2022
CEI senior economist Ryan Young is cited by the Washington Examiner on the inflation rate. The problem for Warsh is that former Fed…
Washington Times
Inflation rises again, driven by energy costs amid Iran war
The Washington Times cites Finance and Monetary Policy Analyst Steve Swedberg on inflation and rising costs: “The economic data provide little support for…
Staff & Scholars
John Berlau
Senior Fellow and Director of Finance Policy
- Banking and Finance
- Deregulation
- Financial Regulation
Iain Murray
Vice President for Strategy and Senior Fellow
- Banking and Finance
- Trade and International
Steve Swedberg
Finance and Monetary Policy Analyst
- Banking and Finance
- Deregulation
- Financial Regulation