A new Democratic counterproposal on DeFi regulation highlights several policy differences over how to regulate digital asset market structure in the U.S. Due to policy disagreements, lawmakers remain at odds over the timeline...more
10/16/2025
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
CFTC ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Digital Assets ,
New Legislation ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
U.S. Treasury
The U.S. regulatory environment for digital assets has never been more promising for the industry. Since the change in administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has committed to stemming what it has...more
9/16/2025
/ Blockchain ,
Class Action ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Healthcare ,
Howey ,
Investment Contract ,
Life Sciences ,
Rule 10b-5 ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ,
Securities Litigation ,
Securities Regulation ,
Securities Tokens ,
Tokenization
On September 5, 2025, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced the formation within its Division of Enforcement of a Cross-Border Task Force To Combat Fraud. The new task force is designed to strengthen...more
The U.S. regulatory environment for digital assets has never been more promising for the industry. Since the change in administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has committed to stemming what it has...more
8/19/2025
/ Appeals ,
Blockchain ,
Cryptoassets ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Howey ,
Investment Contract ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Tokenization ,
Unregistered Securities
- What is new: The Trump administration’s Working Group on Digital Asset Markets released a comprehensive report outlining some 100 policy and legislative recommendations to position the U.S. as a global leader in digital...more
8/8/2025
/ Blockchain ,
CFTC ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Digital Assets ,
FinTech ,
Popular ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Stablecoins ,
Taxation ,
Trump Administration
- What is new: The U.S. Congress has passed the GENIUS Act, establishing the first federal regulatory framework for payment stablecoins, addressing consumer protection, financial stability and AML compliance.
- Why it...more
7/18/2025
/ AML/CFT ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
New Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Stablecoins ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Treasury
Key Points -
- On June 17, 2025, the U.S. Senate passed, with a 68-30 vote, legislation that would authorize and regulate the issuance of stablecoins. Referred to as the GENIUS Act, the bipartisan bill must be passed by...more
7/7/2025
/ Banking Sector ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
New Legislation ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Stablecoins
On May 5, 2025, several House committees jointly released a discussion draft of a bill to establish a regulatory framework for digital assets. Notably, this proposed Act would clarify the jurisdictional boundaries between the...more
5/29/2025
/ Blockchain ,
Broker-Dealer ,
CFTC ,
Commodity Broker ,
Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Securities ,
FinTech ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Stablecoins ,
Technology
Key Points -
- The SEC’s Crypto Task Force acknowledges past hostility toward digital assets and aims to create more sensible regulations.
- Tokenized securities face complex regulatory challenges, including compliance...more
5/28/2025
/ Acquisitions ,
Blockchain ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Corporate Governance ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Energy Sector ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Healthcare ,
Investment Company Act of 1940 ,
Life Sciences ,
Mergers ,
Private Equity ,
Retail Market ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ,
Securities Fraud ,
Securities Litigation ,
Securities Regulation ,
Securities Tokens ,
Technology
Key Points:
- The SEC’s Crypto Task Force cited past “hostility” toward digital assets and aims to create a regulatory framework.
- Tokenized securities face complex regulatory challenges, including compliance with the...more
Key Points -
- Periods of market volatility expose firms managing private funds to increased scrutiny from government agencies, regardless of the existence of any actual misconduct.
- Government agencies may open an...more
Key Points -
- In 2024, securities litigation remained consistent with historical averages, with a slight increase in core filings and cases related to COVID-19 and artificial intelligence.
- The U.S. Supreme Court had an...more
2/27/2025
/ Acquisitions ,
Automotive Industry ,
Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Digital Assets ,
Filing Requirements ,
Item 303 ,
Macquarie Infrastructure Corp v Moab Partners LP ,
Mergers ,
Popular ,
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 ,
PSLRA ,
Real Estate Market ,
Rule 10b-5 ,
SEC v Jarkesy ,
Securities Fraud ,
Securities Litigation ,
Securities Regulation ,
Technology Sector
Key Points -
- A Republican president and Congress are expected to be more supportive of digital assets than the current administration.
- There is a reasonable chance that legislation creating a regulatory framework...more
1/15/2025
/ Banking Sector ,
Capital Markets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
Federal Bank Regulatory Agencies ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Technology Sector ,
Trump Administration
Key Points -
- During its 2024 term, the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to provide important guidance on the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act’s (PSLRA’s) particularity requirement in NVIDIA Corp. v. E. Ohman J:or...more
12/6/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Automotive Industry ,
Class Action ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Privacy ,
Digital Assets ,
E-Commerce ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Energy Sector ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Healthcare ,
Investment Adviser ,
Life Sciences ,
Mergers ,
NVIDIA ,
Nvidia Corp v E Ohman J or Fonder AB ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
PSLRA ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Litigation ,
Securities Regulation ,
Technology Sector ,
Trading Platforms
Ninth Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Insider Trading Claims Against Satellite Operator Investors Based on Stock Sales After FCC Chairman Vote -
In re Silver Lake Grp., LLC Sec. Litig. (9th Cir. July 24, 2024)
What to...more
10/2/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Aerospace ,
Bylaws ,
Cannabis Products ,
Class Certification ,
Commercial Litigation ,
Corporate Governance ,
Delaware General Corporation Law ,
Disclosure ,
FCC ,
Fraud ,
Healthcare ,
Insider Trading ,
Life Sciences ,
Marijuana ,
Mergers ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
PSLRA ,
Safe Harbors ,
Scienter ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Litigation ,
Securities Regulation ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) ,
Startups ,
Technology Sector
AI has revolutionized the way many businesses operate. Firms in the financial sector are eager to take advantage of rapidly developing technologies but do not want to risk running afoul of relevant Securities and Exchange...more
9/16/2024
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Investment Adviser ,
Machine Learning ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Technology Sector
In Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy, the U.S. Supreme Court held that “the Seventh Amendment entitles a defendant to a jury trial when the [Securities and Exchange Commission] seeks civil penalties against him...more
7/9/2024
/ Administrative Authority ,
Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Administrative Proceedings ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Enforcement Actions ,
SCOTUS ,
SEC v Jarkesy ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud ,
Securities Litigation ,
Securities Regulation ,
Seventh Amendment
On May 16, 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced the adoption of amendments to Regulation S-P (Reg S-P), which broadly track the changes originally proposed in March 2023. The revised Reg S-P requires...more
Spotlight -
Macquarie Ruling Raises the Bar for Securities Fraud Claims -
Key Points -
- On April 12, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously reversed and vacated the Second Circuit’s decision in Macquarie...more
5/23/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Commercial Litigation ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Financial Institutions ,
Healthcare ,
Life Sciences ,
Macquarie Infrastructure Corp v Moab Partners LP ,
Media ,
Mergers ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Real Estate Market ,
Retail Market ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Litigation ,
Securities Regulation
Securities Class Actions Show No Signs of Slowing in 2024 -
Key Points -
While the volume of securities class actions filings has remained consistently elevated over the past several years, the composition of the class...more
3/5/2024
/ Class Action ,
Corporate Governance ,
Digital Assets ,
Educational Institutions ,
Energy Sector ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Healthcare ,
Life Sciences ,
Macquarie Infrastructure Corp v Moab Partners LP ,
Media ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Retailers ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Securities Litigation ,
Securities Regulation
Last year, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed ambitious rules relating to artificial intelligence (AI) that have drawn significant commentary and criticism. While it is unlikely that any changes in the...more
2/27/2024
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Compliance ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Protection ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Final Rules ,
Machine Learning ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Popular ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud ,
Securities Violations ,
Technology
SEC Wins Summary Judgment on Howey Issue in Terraform Litigation -
On December 28, 2023, Judge Jed Rakoff in the Southern District of New York issued a summary judgment decision in SEC v. Terraform Labs Pte. Ltd., a...more
On January 8, 2024, in a decision that underscores the potential viability of fair-notice defenses to U.S. regulators’ rule interpretations, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reversed a $6.5 million penalty...more
1/19/2024
/ Appeals ,
Broker-Dealer ,
CFTC ,
Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) ,
Corporate Crimes ,
Corporate Governance ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Holding Companies ,
Insider Trading ,
Investment Adviser ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
White Collar Crimes
The U.S. Supreme Court will likely decide before the end of its current term whether the failure to make a disclosure pursuant to Item 303 of Regulation S-K can serve as the basis for a securities fraud claim under Section...more
12/5/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Data Security ,
Dismissals ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Healthcare ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Life Sciences ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Mergers ,
Putative Class Actions ,
Regulation S-K ,
Scams ,
Scienter ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Securities Fraud ,
Securities Litigation ,
Shareholders ,
Token Sales
In a speech on October 24, 2023, the director of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) Enforcement Division, Gurbir Grewal, described the scenarios in which the commission would bring an enforcement action against...more