The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) issued a cease-and-desist order on August 28, 2023, charging Impact Theory, LLC (“Impact Theory”) with conducting an unregistered offering of crypto asset securities in violation...more
9/8/2023
/ Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Ethereum ,
Howey ,
Investment ,
Investors ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Tokens
A Southern District of California federal district court in Sarcuni v. bZx DAO held on March 27, 2023, that decentralized autonomous organizations (“DAOs”), which are member-owned communities that maintain financial records...more
In response to President Biden’s March 9, 2022 Executive Order on digital assets, the DOJ announced the formation of a new network of prosecutors tasked with becoming specialists in investigating and prosecuting alleged...more
9/22/2022
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Biden Administration ,
CFTC ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
Enforcement ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Penalties ,
Popular ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Stablecoins ,
Statute of Limitations
The Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on July 21, 2022, filed a complaint (the “SEC Complaint”) alleging insider trading violations against an insider, his brother, and a friend, claiming that the trio engaged in...more
8/15/2022
/ Coinbase ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Insider Trading ,
Misappropriation ,
Non-Public Information ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud ,
Securities Violations
Key Takeaways -
According to sources with firsthand knowledge, the SEC is conducting an industry-wide inquiry into alleged insider trading activities of cryptocurrency exchanges.
Insider trading occurs when a corporate...more
7/6/2022
/ Bitcoin ,
Capital Markets ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
Financial Instruments ,
Financial Regulatory Agencies ,
Insider Trading ,
Investment Opportunities ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Trading Platforms ,
Virtual Currency
Introduction -
Cryptocurrencies have surged in popularity in recent years. As we have reported in recent OnPoints, the swift growth and adoption of cryptocurrencies raise legal questions about everything from their...more
Key Takeaways-
The United States Securities and Exchange Commission announced a settlement against chip manufacturing company Nvidia Corporation, on May 6, 2022, for inadequate disclosures concerning the impact of...more
5/19/2022
/ Bitcoin Mining ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Failure To Disclose ,
Gaming ,
Gaming Revenues ,
Microchip Technology ,
NVIDIA ,
Popular ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud ,
Settlement Agreements
On Wednesday, March 9, President Biden issued an Executive Order entitled Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets. The President’s order represents the first time that the White House has sought to develop a...more
4/5/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDCs) ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Executive Orders ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Financial Transactions ,
Investment Contract ,
Investor Protection ,
Regulatory Agenda
Whether a cryptocurrency product is a security is an issue with serious regulatory consequences. In recent years, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has taken a broad position that various crypto assets are...more
11/19/2021
/ Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Financial Instruments ,
Financial Markets ,
Howey ,
Investment Contract ,
Investment Opportunities ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Virtual Currency
As we recently noted in our OnPoint dated October 20, 2021, the rise in interest from retail and institutional investors in the cryptocurrency market has attracted increased regulatory and enforcement attention in the past...more
11/17/2021
/ Bitcoin ,
Capital Gains ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Currency ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
Financial Transactions ,
Income Taxes ,
Internal Revenue Code (IRC) ,
Investment ,
IRS ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Tax Liability ,
Tax Planning ,
Tax Reform ,
Virtual Currency
Key Takeaways - The federal government has the cryptocurrency market in its crosshairs. Specifically, the DOJ, SEC and CFTC have all continued to make announcements and show interest in regulating cryptocurrency and enforcing...more