CFPB Semiannual regulatory agenda identifies 20 rulemaking actions expected in coming months in addition to five longer term actions
Link: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/rules-policy/regulatory-agenda/
In its Semiannual Regulatory Agenda covering the period from January 2026 through November 2026, the CFPB Semiannual Regulatory Agenda identifies 20 rulemaking actions that it expects to pursue in addition to five longer term actions. Despite efforts to put the agency out of business, the CFPB is expected to survive and remain active, although the anticipated rule-making activity is expected to shift from a consumer protection focus to modifications to a number of existing regulations that address burdensome requirements and the unwinding of others altogether.
Why It Matters:
The inclusion of several items indicates that the Bureau is in the earliest stages of considering potential amendments, often deregulatory in nature, to significant regulations that have long affected the consumer financial services industry, including the Dodd-Frank.
The proposed rule stage reflects the Bureau’s continued emphasis on reconsidering existing regulations and establishing procedural safeguards governing its own regulatory process.
US threatens to penalize Brazil for successful Instant Payment System (PIX)
Link: https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/brazil-us-clash-over-future-payments-popular-pix-system-stirs-global-interest-2026-07-21/?
The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is citing PIX, one of the world’s most successful instant-payment systems, as a justification for imposing new 25% tariffs on imports from Brazil. PIX is operated by Brazil’s Central Bank and competes with U.S. card networks Mastercard and Visa.
“’We’re not asking Brazil to get rid of Pix,’ a senior Trump administration official said. However, Washington is pushing to avoid a situation in which ‘Pix gets special treatment simply because it’s owned and operated by the government’” the official said.
“Brazilian officials have long argued the criticism is aimed at protecting U.S. credit card companies. USTR documents say that Brazil’s practices ‘may undermine the competitiveness of U.S. companies engaged in digital trade and electronic payment services.’”
Why It Matters:
Pix enables real-time transfers between accounts through banking apps, combining free person-to-person payments with significantly lower costs and faster transactions for businesses, bypassing much of the traditional card-payments chain. It also operates within a robust regulatory framework and utilizes Central Bank infrastructure.
Dozens of other countries are studying the PIX business model for adaptation within their own borders. It also threatens instant payment systems like FedNow which are reserved for participating banks and not directly accessible by consumers or merchants.
Canada’s Bill C-36 introduces privacy reforms, enforcement changes
Link: https://iapp.org/news/a/canada-s-bill-c-36-introduces-privacy-reforms-enforcement-changes
In an effort to modernize its privacy framework and address risks associated with development and adoption of digital and data-driven technologies, the Government of Canada has introduced Bill C-36. The bill would recognize privacy as a fundamental right, strengthen consent and deletion rights, increase protections for children, and shift private sector enforcement to a new Digital Safety and Data Protection Commission with significant penalty powers.
Bill C-36 would:
- Enact the new Protecting Privacy and Consumer Data Act (PPCDA)
- Amend the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA)
- Make consequential and related amendments to other Acts.
Why It Matters:
The proposed PPCDA represents the most significant change to Canada’s private-sector privacy law in over 25 years.
“IAPP Country Leader, Canada and nNovation Managing Partner Kris Klein, CIPP/C, CIPM, FIP, said, ‘the biggest news out of this new bill is… the creation of a new enforcement agency that completely re-writes the model of enforcement for privacy in the private sector.’”
