On May 25, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) entered a Stipulated Order for Monetary Judgment against Publishers Business Services, Inc. (PBS), and its officers, Brenda Dantuma Schang, Dries Dantuma, Dirk Dantuma, and...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 June 6, Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), member of the Senate Banking Committee, introduced a draft bipartisan bill, the Responsible...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 May 4, following in the footsteps of President Biden’s recent executive order (Federal EO), California Governor Gavin Newsom issued his own blockchain-related executive order (CA EO), making California the first among the...more
On April 28, the Joint Chiefs of Global Tax Enforcement (the J5), a global joint operational taxation group consisting of Australia, Canada, Netherlands, United Kingdom, and the United States, issued an intelligence bulletin...more
On May 19, the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration issued a Request for Comment (RFC), seeking public input on the development of a framework for driving economic competitiveness and leadership in, and...more
On March 9, Wyoming amended the Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAO) Supplement (Supplement), which permits decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) to incorporate and obtain legal status as limited liability...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
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
On April 6, Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) released a draft of his proposed stablecoin legislation titled, Stablecoin Transparency of Reserves and Uniform Safe Transactions Act, or the Stablecoin TRUST Act. Toomey, the ranking...more
On March 31, a New York federal court dismissed a proposed securities class-action lawsuit filed against Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange. The lawsuit, one of a host of similar actions brought against...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 April 7, in front of American University’s Kogod School of Business Center for Innovation, Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen addressed the Biden administration’s forthcoming legislative approach to digital assets, as...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 17, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Jon Tester (D-MT) introduced the Digital Asset Sanctions Compliance Enhancement Act (Act) in an attempt to ensure blacklisted Russian...more
On March 17, the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs conducted a hearing titled, “Understanding the Role of Digital Assets in Illicit Finance,” which focused extensively on whether and how Russia could use...more
On March 8, the U.S. Federal Reserve Banks launched the FedNow Service Provider Showcase (Showcase) to show financial institutions and users the various services to assist them in implementing the FedNow Service (Service)....more
Following the significant sanctions and other restrictions imposed by the United States and its global allies resulting from the Russian Federation's invasion of Ukraine, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN)...more
On March 15, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC or Commission) released a consent agreement with Electronic Payment Systems and its owners John Dorsey and Thomas McCann (collectively, EPS) for allegedly opening credit card...more