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The Daily Line

Opinion

2 min left
Opinion— argued

Opinion: It's Time for the MCA Industry to Create a Self-Regulatory Body

Without a unified self-regulatory organization, the MCA industry is leaving its fate in the hands of state legislatures and federal agencies that don't understand the product.

DO
David Okafor
Fintech Editor
September 7, 2026
4 min read · 4d ago
September 7, 2026 · 4 min read
Filed under self-regulation · industry governance · opinion
  1. 1Without a unified self-regulatory organization, the MCA industry is leaving its fate in the hands of state legislatures and federal agencies that don't understand the product.
  2. 2Trade-group positioning ahead of federal comment deadlines
  3. 3The argument: shaping a single standard beats fighting a nine-state patchwork.

What happened

Without a unified self-regulatory organization, the MCA industry is leaving its fate in the hands of state legislatures and federal agencies that don't understand the product.

Moneyline confirmed the details with 2 people with direct knowledge, who asked not to be named because the matter is not yet public. This story on self-regulation is developing; we will update it as filings and statements land.

Why it matters

The industry's reflex has been to fight each bill state by state. That strategy has produced a patchwork that is costlier to comply with than any single standard would have been — and it has ceded the narrative to critics.

By the numbers
federal rule on the table
1
states moved in 18 months
5
industry lobbying spend, 2025
$14M

The numbers behind it

The figures below come from Moneyline's data desk, drawn from verified member submissions and public filings. They are directional, not audited — but they are the clearest picture available today.

What we're hearing

Reaction in the community has been split along predictable lines: funders broadly supportive, some ISOs wary of anything that adds friction at the point of sale.

“If we don't write the rules, someone who has never funded a deal will write them for us.”
From the essay

What to watch

  1. Trade-group positioning ahead of federal comment deadlines
  2. Whether a voluntary code of conduct gets real signatories
  3. State bills that copy the strictest existing provisions

Reporting by David Okafor. Tips and corrections: editorial@moneyline.com.

self-regulationindustry governanceopinionSRO
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Discuss in #news-desk

163 comments · 68 members weighing in

Open channel
NP
Nicole PatelProvider·3:41 PM

Agree with the diagnosis, not the prescription. Self-regulation only works if the big shops actually sign on.

CRJD11 repliesLast reply 4m ago
MT
Mike TorinoFunder·3:18 PM

This is the conversation the trade groups should have had in 2022.

TR
Tony RussoProvider·2:55 PM

Editors — can you do a follow-up with the funder side? Would love to hear their read.

DWRG1 replyLast reply 22m ago
AMAdd to the conversation…↵
On this page
  1. What happened
  2. Why it matters
  3. The numbers behind it
  4. What we're hearing
  5. What to watch
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