In this episode of The Crypto Exchange, Troutman Pepper Partner Ethan Ostroff welcomes his colleagues Carlin McCrory and Addison Morgan to discuss a recent case in the Southern District of New York that has been in the news,...more
On December 14, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) introduced the Digital Asset Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2022 (the Act) that would extend anti-money laundering and countering of the financing...more
On November 30, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown (D-OH) sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen requesting that she coordinate with other financial regulators to further work on the recommendations...more
On November 28, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced a $362,158.70 settlement with Payward, Inc. d/b/a Kraken. The Delaware-incorporated virtual currency exchange allegedly...more
On November 10, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released a new complaint bulletin, highlighting consumer complaints it has received related to crypto-assets. The bulletin suggests that fraud, theft, hacks, and...more
On September 16, the Nevada Financial Institutions Division (NFID) introduced a bill draft request to the Nevada Legislature for the 2023 legislative session. If passed, the bill will adopt the Model Money Transmission...more
On June 20, the Louisiana Office for Financial Institutions (OFI) proposed a Rule on licensure, registration, and regulation of persons engaging, or planning to engage, in virtual currency business activity in Louisiana. The...more
On April 28, bipartisan lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives introduced legislation, allowing the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to oversee cryptocurrency spot markets. The legislation intends to create...more
On June 8, the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) issued new “Guidance on the Issuance of U.S. Dollar-Backed Stablecoins,” establishing a first-of-its-kind state standards for USD-backed stablecoins...more
The New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) recently issued guidance on the use of blockchain analytics for all virtual currency businesses that either have a BitLicense or are chartered as limited purpose...more
On March 31, Idaho Governor Brad Little signed HB 583, the Digital Asset Act. The bill amends Title 28 of the Idaho Code, which governs commercial transactions generally, to include a new chapter dedicated to regulation of...more
On March 31, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 121 (Bulletin), noting that a company safeguarding or exerting custody over cryptocurrency on behalf of its platform users must...more
Several recent releases of draft legislation, reports, and speeches highlight the federal government's efforts in the first quarter of 2022 to address the rapidly developing digital asset marketplace and its regulatory...more
The fiscal year 2022-2023 budget for New York, which takes effect in two months, includes requiring the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) to charge a new “assessment” to all virtual currency businesses...more
On April 11, Virginia enacted a new law (HB 263), which goes into effect on July 1, 2022, permitting “banks” to provide customers with “virtual currency custody services so long as the bank has adequate protocols in place to...more
On March 28, Representative Stephen Lynch (D-MA), along with co-sponsors Jesús G. García (D-IL), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), and Alma Adams (D-NC), introduced H.R. 7231, the Electronic Currency and Secure...more
On March 11, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States (collectively, the G7) announced more sanctions against Russia, including first-time sanctions specific to virtual assets. The White House...more
On February 25, the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) issued Guidance to all individuals and entities subject to its regulation due to the rapidly evolving situation in Ukraine, following the Russian...more
On November 22, the New Jersey State Senate introduced Senate Bill No. 4163 (NJ S4163), titled “Virtual Currency and Blockchain Regulation Act.” The bill, sponsored by Senators Thomas Kean, Jr. (R) and Robert Singer (R), if...more
On October 6, Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco announced the creation of a National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET) to handle criminal misuses of cryptocurrency. According to the press release, NCET will focus...more
On August 3, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Gary Gensler spoke on cryptocurrencies at the Aspen Security Forum — his first significant remarks regarding cryptocurrency since his confirmation in April....more