On April 7, 2025, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced in a memorandum to all DOJ employees (the “Blanche Memorandum”) that the DOJ “will stop participating in regulation by prosecution” and “no longer pursue...more
Stablecoin, Wallet Products Launch; German Bank Launches Crypto Services -
Circle, a global fintech firm and issuer of the USDC stablecoin, has announced new smart contract functionality to allow holders of BUIDL, a...more
4/22/2024
/ Australia ,
Bitcoin Mining ,
Blockchain ,
Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDCs) ,
Criminal Convictions ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Wallets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Instruments ,
FinTech ,
Germany ,
Hackers ,
Indictments ,
Investors ,
Phishing Scams ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Scams ,
Stablecoins
New Crypto Indices Launch; Crypto Firms Announce Product Integrations -
According to a recent press release, SIX, a major Swiss stock exchange and global financial information provider, has launched new SIX Reference Rate...more
2/12/2024
/ Advertising ,
Bitcoin ,
Bitcoin Mining ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Energy Information Association (EIA) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
ETFs ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Popular ,
Ransomware ,
SDN List
District Court Upholds Tornado Cash Sanctions, DOJ Charges Founders -
On August 17, a Texas federal court found that Tornado Cash, a crypto mixer (which obscures the source of crypto transactions) is an entity that can be...more
8/28/2023
/ Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDCs) ,
Conspiracies ,
Criminal Conspiracy ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
E-Commerce ,
Enforcement Actions ,
ETFs ,
Hackers ,
Indictments ,
IRS ,
Monetary Authority of Singapore ,
Money Laundering ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Popular ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Singapore ,
Stablecoins ,
U.S. Treasury
US Exchange Approved for Crypto Futures; Wallet Integrates with Fintech Firm -
A major U.S. cryptocurrency exchange recently announced that it has secured regulatory approval from the National Futures Association (NFA) to...more
8/21/2023
/ CFTC ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Wallets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
FBI ,
FinTech ,
Fraud ,
Hackers ,
Scams ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
On July 13, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York issued its highly anticipated summary judgment decision in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) action against Ripple Labs, Inc....more
New Products Launch for Crypto Futures, Wallets, Stablecoins and Settlement -
According to a recent press release, a leading global options exchange has received the necessary approval from the U.S. Commodity Futures...more
6/12/2023
/ Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Wallets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fraud ,
Hackers ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Stablecoins
Product Integrations and Data Indicate Increased Interest in DeFi -
MetaMask, a web3 Ethereum Network cryptocurrency wallet, recently announced a new integration with a major U.S. payments and fintech firm....more
5/22/2023
/ Blockchain ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDCs) ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Ethereum ,
FATF ,
FinTech ,
Fraud ,
IRS ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Ukraine
ETH Staking Data Published, USDC Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol Launches -
New data reflects that the recent amount of staking withdrawals on Ethereum has been balanced by a roughly equal amount of deposits. According to...more
5/1/2023
/ Blockchain ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Ethereum ,
IRS ,
Market Manipulation ,
Money Laundering ,
New Guidance ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
SDN List
European Bank Launches Stablecoin; Financial Firms Expand Crypto Products -
A subsidiary of a major European financial services firm recently launched EUR CoinVertible (EURCV), an Ethereum ERC20 stablecoin backed 1:1 by...more
4/24/2023
/ Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Wallets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Ethereum ,
Hackers ,
Popular ,
SDN List ,
Stablecoins
Crypto Exchange Ends U.S. Operations, Swiss Bank to Expand Crypto Offerings -
Late last month, Bittrex, a leading cryptocurrency exchange founded in Seattle, announced it was closing U.S. operations effective April 30,...more
4/10/2023
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Commodities ,
Compliance ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Fraud ,
Money Laundering ,
National Futures Association ,
Ponzi Scheme ,
Popular ,
Scams ,
State Securities Regulators
NFT Integration Software Released; NFTs Used to Serve Complaint in Civil Action -
According to a recent press release, a major U.S. software company has launched a suite of tools that will allow users to “enter the Web3 and...more
3/20/2023
/ Compliance ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Assets ,
Financial Crimes ,
Money Laundering ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Popular ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Service of Process ,
Terrorist Financing Regulations ,
U.S. Treasury
Reserve Bank of Australia and BIS Commence Efforts to Advance CBDCs -
In a recent announcement, the Reserve Bank of Australia and the Digital Finance Cooperative Research Centre (DFCRC) released details on an ongoing...more
3/13/2023
/ Bitcoin ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDCs) ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
FinTech ,
PCAOB ,
Risk Assessment ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
On February 1, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York dismissed a putative class action brought by customers of Coinbase Global Inc. and its subsidiary Coinbase Inc. (together, Coinbase), alleging the...more
On January 4, 2023, the New York State Department of Financial Services (“DFS”) announced that Coinbase, Inc., a major U.S. cryptocurrency exchange, will pay a $50 million penalty and invest an additional $50 million in its...more
1/17/2023
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Bank Secrecy Act ,
Coinbase ,
Compliance ,
Consent Order ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Customer Due Diligence (CDD) ,
Cybersecurity ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Government Investigations ,
Know Your Customers ,
Money Transmitter ,
NYDFS ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Regulatory Violations ,
Settlement ,
Statutory Violations ,
Virtual Currency
New Data Published on 2022 Crypto Exchange Trading Volume, NFT Royalties -
According to recent reports, Binance, currently the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, controlled 92 percent of global...more
1/16/2023
/ CFTC ,
Criminal Investigations ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Data-Sharing ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Popular ,
Royalties
In a sudden and stunning collapse, FTX, the world’s second largest cryptocurrency exchange, run by 30-year-old Sam Bankman-Fried along with more than 130 entities affiliated with FTX, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy...more
New Crypto Products Launch; Singapore Completes DeFi Pilot with Major Banks -
In a press release published this week, a major U.S. cross-border payments and money transfer company announced a new service in its existing...more
11/7/2022
/ Blockchain ,
CFTC ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Digital Assets ,
Ethereum ,
Hackers ,
IRS ,
New Guidance ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Popular ,
Risk Management ,
Royalties
On October 11, 2022, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced a $29 million civil monetary penalty against Bittrex, a...more
10/25/2022
/ Bank Secrecy Act ,
BSA/AML ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Compliance ,
Consent Order ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Enforcement Actions ,
FinCEN ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Statutory Violations
New Crypto Products Launch in Custody, Cloud Collaborations and Stablecoins -
This week, a major U.S. financial institution announced that its Digital Asset Custody platform is now live in the United States. According to...more
10/17/2022
/ Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Currency ,
Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Stability Board ,
FinCEN ,
Fines ,
Government Investigations ,
Hackers ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
OECD ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Stablecoins ,
Statutory Violations
Firms Announce New Crypto Initiatives; Data Published on Crypto and NFT Use -
Late last week, a major U.S. cryptocurrency custodian announced “a groundbreaking, industry-first custody exchange network giving institutions...more
6/20/2022
/ Australia ,
Blockchain ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Assets ,
FinTech ,
First Amendment ,
Fourth Amendment ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Scams ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Stablecoins
Key Takeaways -
..SEC enforcement actions related to crypto and cyber are expected to significantly increase with the additional 20 staff assigned to the Division of Enforcement unit dedicated to these industries....more
Last week a fintech company reportedly teamed with a local digital asset exchange in the Philippines to develop a blockchain-based solution for cross-border remittances. According to reports, the partnership aims to increase...more
Key Takeaways -
..Banks and cryptocurrency exchanges need to update their BSA programs to account for the unique aspects of cryptocurrencies, detect and report related suspicious activity, and minimize the risk of...more
2/17/2022
/ BSA/AML ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Criminal Fines ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Currency ,
FBI ,
Financial Institutions ,
FinCEN ,
Policies and Procedures ,
U.S. Treasury ,
White Collar Crimes