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
New Inflation Numbers: Still High, Still Fixable
July’s inflation numbers are out. The annualized Consumer Price Index came in at 5.4 percent, compared to a 2 percent target. The month-to-month…
Blog
CEI Continues Fight for Cryptocurrency Freedom
Because the Senate failed to adopt the bipartisan Wyden-Lummis-Toomey amendment even after it was watered down, the infrastructure package’s cryptocurrency tax reporting provisions could…
Blog
CEI’s John Berlau Testifies at House Hearing on Solutions for the Unbanked
On Wednesday, July 21, CEI Senior Fellow John Berlau testified before the House Financial Services Committee, Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Financial Institutions on…
CoinDesk
Gary Gensler’s Insane Crypto Policy
Does cryptocurrency need new regulatory disclosure mandates from Washington, D.C., to be of service to consumers? No, but that is what Securities and Exchange…
Blog
Senate Should Pass the Wyden-Lummis-Toomey Cryptocurrency Amendment
The Senate must adopt the bipartisan Wyden-Lummis-Toomey amendment to ensure that the infrastructure package’s cryptocurrency tax reporting provisions do not destroy, rather than help…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Letter : Re: Wyden-Lummis-Toomey Amendment to H.R. 3684
Dear Majority Leader Schumer and Minority Leader McConnell, The undersigned organizations—which include nonprofits, trade associations, and individual companies that participate in the United…
Letters
CEI and Other Organizations Sign Coalition Letter Supporting the Wyden-Lummis-Toomey Amendment
Dear Majority Leader Schumer and Minority Leader McConnell, The undersigned organizations—which include nonprofits, trade associations, and individual companies that participate in the United…
Forbes
Infrastructure Bill Threatens Cryptocurrency Ecosystem: Why Is Crypto Being Targeted With More Tax Reporting Burdens Than Traditional Finance?
The Senate is poised to vote on an infrastructure bill containing tax-reporting “revenue” provisions that could have devastating effects on the business model of…
Blog
Has Bitcoin/Crypto Failed as Money?
“[I]t’s not that [cryptocurrencies] didn’t aspire to be a payment mechanism; it’s that they’ve completely failed to become one except for people who desire…
Blog
Wisdom on the Interest-Rate Price Control Folly from John Stuart Mill to Thomas Sowell
Today, the Senate held a hearing entitled, “Protecting Americans from Debt Traps by Extending the Military’s 36% Interest Rate Cap to Everyone.” But…
Letters
Coalition Letter of Opposition Interest Rate Cap
Dear Chairman Brown and Ranking Member Toomey, On behalf of our organizations and the millions of American individuals, families, and business owners we…
National Review
Bitcoin Gets ESG’d
The Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) movement is coming for Bitcoin and a host of other cryptocurrencies. This latest iteration of the corporate-responsibility movement has successfully…
CoinDesk
Washington Should Let DeFi Succeed
A new form of consumer finance could upend the entire banking and finance system that’s plagued by expensive fees, limited “bankers hours,” public mistrust,…
Testimony
Testimony of John Berlau Before the House Financial Services Committee, Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Financial Institutions
Chairman Perlmutter, Ranking Member Luetkemeyer, and honorable members of this Subcommittee, thank you for this opportunity to present testimony on behalf of my organization,…
National Review
Forecast for the SEC: Storm’s a Comin’
The Biden-era Securities and Exchange Commission, led by Chairman Gary Gensler, has a lot on its plate, including potential action on everything…
News Release
CEI Experts React to President Biden’s Wide-Ranging Executive Order on Competition
President Joe Biden signed an Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy today, which the White House claims is aimed at…
Blog
SEC Discovery Tactics Belie Lofty Pronouncements in Ripple Case
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has gotten away with questionable investigation and litigation methods for years. The Commission’s Enforcement Division tactics are so…
Forbes
How Regulation Creates an Elite Investor Class
Forbes cites Senior Fellow John Berlau on his book, George Washington, Entrepreneur: How Our Founding Father’s Private Business Pursuits Changed America and the World:…
News Release
House Should Be True to America’s Credit Need and Reject Anti-True Lender Resolution
The House is expected to vote soon on a resolution that would un-do a valuable Trump-era deregulatory rule called the “True Lender” rule. CEI…
News Release
Mark Calabria Had Excellent Stewardship of Fannie, Freddie While at Federal Housing Finance Agency
On news today that President Biden is replacing Trump appointee Mark Calabria as head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), which oversees government-sponsored…
Letters
CEI Leads Coalition Letter Opposing House Vote on Resolution to Overturn OCC “True Lender” Rule
View Full Document as PDF Dear Speaker Pelosi and Minority Leader McCarthy, As leaders of conservative and free-market groups who…
Real Clear Markets
Eager to Protect Small Investors, Gary Gensler Leaves Them Scraps
In a rush to protect retail investors, new Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler is promoting ill-considered policies that will undermine everyday investors.
Blog
Digital Yuan Threatens Global Freedom
“[Bitcoin] is an escape hatch from tyranny and nothing less than freedom money.” – Alex Gladstein, Human Rights Foundation The world…
National Review
The House Must Be True to the Credit Needs of American Families and Entrepreneurs
As America shows its resilience and recovers from a devastating pandemic, many American families and entrepreneurs need credit to rebuild their lives…
National Review
Central Bank Digital Currency: The Fed’s Coming Power Grab
Recent volatility in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ether, and Dogecoin has emboldened the Biden administration and congressional Democrats to call for government regulation of digital…
Reason
Sports Betting Pays Off
Reason cites Senior Fellow Michelle Minton on sports betting: “There is nothing criminals like more than a large, unregulated betting market…
Blog
Should the SEC Require More Climate Data from Public Companies?
This week, Case Western Reserve University law professor (and CEI alum) Jonathan Adler hosted a fascinating event titled “Climate Change, Financial Markets…
Blog
Federal Interest Rate Cap and Overturning of “True Lender” Rule Threaten Credit Innovation
On May 11, the U.S. Senate passed a measure, which, though sold as stopping “predatory lenders,” would greatly limit access to credit from solid…
The Center Square
Conservatives Raise Alarm Over Potential for Hidden ‘Biden Tax’ for Middle Class, Poorer Americans
The Center Square cites Senior Fellow Ryan Young on inflation: “Yes, inflation is a tax, and yes, an uptick in inflation…
Blog
Why Policy Makers Should Consider Expanding Financing and Exit Options for Startups
Last month, the online chat startup Discord halted accepting bids for a potential acquisition. Suitors included Microsoft, which had offered to acquire the…
News Release
House Financial Services Committee Should Look for Ways to Empower Middle Class Investors Post-Gamestop Controversy
A House Financial Services Committee hearing revisits GameStop-Robinhood-Reddit controversy from February, in which ordinary retail investors – fueled by social media-platforms – bested hedge…
Blog
Biden’s Carried Interest Tax Would Force All Partnerships to Carry Big Burden
“The Biden administration and its allies excel at leveraging crises to expand government,” observes my CEI colleague Wayne Crews on the Biden “infrastructure”…
Blog
Don’t Fear Crypto Dip; Fear Regulations that Will Harm America’s Cryptocurrency Lead
After a massive runup for the past few months, the cryptocurrency market experienced a slight dip over the past week and a half. This…
News Release
House-passed SAFE Banking Act Would End Federal Threat to Banks Dealing with Legal Cannabis Businesses
The House has passed a bill allowing banks to do business with cannabis companies, the SAFE Banking Act. While Senate action on the…
News Release
Regulators Should Let Cryptocurrency Firms Follow in Coinbase Footsteps
The successful cryptocurrency exchange platform Coinbase is poised to go public on April 14 amid high anticipation. CEI Senior Fellow John Berlau urges…
Forbes
The Growth-By-Deregulation Alternative To Joe Biden’s Cyclopean American Jobs Plan
Sandwiched between Joe Biden’s $1.9 American Rescue Plan and a promised American Families Plan is the American Jobs Plan (…
Blog
LBRY Cryptocurrency Prosecution Shows SEC’s Misplaced Priorities
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), without authorization from Congress or from formal rulemaking, continues its punitive push against blockchain-based companies that sell native…
Blog
New CEI Paper Revisits Viral Exchange on Payday Loan Rates by Katie Porter and Kathy Kraninger.
It’s not every day an exchange about a technical measurement for loans goes viral on social media. During a 2019 House Committee on…
Inside Sources
Government Mandates for APR Calculations on Small-Dollar Loans Mislead Consumers
As public health turns a corner and the travel industry begins to recover, imagine if the federal government were to impose a crazy rule…
Study
The Annual Percentage Rate Is the Wrong Metric for Assessing the Cost of a Short-Term Loan
Think calculating the cost of a loan is simple? Not under the longtime rules of the federal government and many states. Consider the following…
News Release
Report: APR Calculation Misleading as Applied to Short-Term Loan Costs
A new Competitive Enterprise Institute report criticizes efforts by lawmakers and activists to impose a cap on small-dollar, short-term loans based on a…
Blog
The London Stock Exchange Needs Dual-Class Ownership to Compete with New York and Amsterdam
Notwithstanding London’s status as a global financial center, the London Stock Exchange’s (LSE) inflexible listing rules constrain the city’s ability to attract high-growth…
Comment
Comments to Financial Crimes Enforcement Network on Regulation of Cryptocurrency Wallets
View Full Document as PDF Comments of the Competitive Enterprise Institute To the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network In…
Small Business Advocate
AUDIO: How Much Does Private Crypto-Currency Threaten Sovereign States?
Senior Fellow John Berlau joins Jim Blasingame to debate the influence private cryptocurrencies could have on the marketplace, our relationship with government, and the…
Small Business Advocate
AUDIO: Dealing With the Reality of Digital Payments and Crypto-Currency
Senior Fellow John Berlau joins Jim Blasingame to discuss the difference between the government’s idea of a digital or crypto-currency and that of the…
Small Business Advocate
AUDIO: What George Washington would think about 2021 America
Senior Fellow John Berlau joins Jim Blasingame to report how America’s father, George Washington, would think about the 2021 marketplace, and why he wouldn’t…
Blog
Will Anyone Challenge the SEC’s Ever-Expanding Authority?
This question of redefining a government agency’s mission arose last week during an event hosted by George Mason University’s Center for the Study…
Blog
Janet Yellen vs. Suze Orman on Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency
As Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is testifying now before the House Financial Services Committee, she will likely get questions about the popularity of…
Letters
CEI Joins Letter to Yellen on Federal Overreach of COVID Funds
Dear Secretary Yellen, On March 11, President Biden signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Act), which authorizes $1.9 trillion…
National Review
SEC Unbound: Yet More Regulatory Creep
Federal agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have long varied in their focus and priorities, depending on their current leadership and the ideological…
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