On May 3, 2023, a jury found Nathaniel Chastain, a former manager of OpenSea (a major NFT marketplace), guilty of wire fraud and money laundering in connection with his attempts to conceal his use of confidential business...more
5/25/2023
/ Commodities ,
Confidential Information ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Criminal Convictions ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Digital Assets ,
Fraud ,
Insider Trading ,
Jury Verdicts ,
Material Nonpublic Information ,
Misappropriation ,
Money Laundering ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Securities ,
Wire Act ,
Wire Fraud
Mango Markets is a decentralized cryptocurrency exchange that allows users to purchase and borrow cryptocurrencies and cryptocurrency-related financial products. Mango Markets is run by the Mango Decentralized Autonomous...more
2/27/2023
/ CFTC ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Platforms ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fraud ,
Market Manipulation ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Trading Platforms ,
Wire Fraud
New Research and Surveys Address CBDCs, Institutional Crypto Investment -
Staff from the board of governors of the U.S. central bank recently published a research paper addressing central bank digital currencies (CBDCs)....more
12/5/2022
/ Banking Sector ,
Bitcoin Mining ,
Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDCs) ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Data Collection ,
Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Wallets ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Fraud ,
Initial Coin Offering (ICOs) ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Money Laundering ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
USPTO
On November 7, 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it had seized more than $3.36 billion worth of bitcoin as part of a continuing investigation into a 10-year fraud involving the Silk Road dark web...more
11/14/2022
/ Asset Seizure ,
Bitcoin ,
Criminal Proceeds ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Dark Web ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Fraud ,
IRS ,
Silk Road ,
Wire Fraud
New Cryptocurrency Payments Systems, Tokens and Trade Associations Launch -
A leading global cryptocurrency platform has reportedly announced a partnership with a global e-commerce platform that would allow e-commerce...more
6/6/2022
/ Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDCs) ,
CFTC ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) ,
European Central Bank ,
Financial Stability Board ,
FinTech ,
Fraud ,
G7 ,
Insider Trading ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Popular ,
Risk Mitigation ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Virtual Currency
According to reports, a major U.S.-based global investment bank has allowed a borrower to use bitcoin as collateral for a cash loan, for the first time in the bank’s history. In other financial news, according to reports, the...more
5/9/2022
/ Banks ,
Bitcoin ,
Bitcoin Mining ,
Blockchain ,
Collateral ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
FinCEN ,
Fraud ,
Hackers ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
NYDFS ,
Patriot Act ,
Retailers ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Key Takeaways -
..The Joint Chiefs of Global Tax Enforcement (J5) issued its first intelligence bulletin providing guidance to banks, law enforcement partners and private investigators regarding indicators of potential...more
5/4/2022
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Banking Sector ,
Fraud ,
International Tax Authority ,
International Tax Issues ,
IRS ,
Joint Task Force ,
Know Your Customers ,
Law Enforcement ,
Market Participants ,
New Guidance ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Popular ,
Tax Authority ,
Tax Evasion ,
Tax Fraud
CBDC Initiatives Announced, Blockchain Trade Finance Platform Launches - This week, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) announced Project Dunbar, an initiative in which BIS will collaborate with the Reserve Bank of...more
9/7/2021
/ Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDCs) ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
Financial Markets ,
Fraud ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Popular ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Virtual Currency
Cryptocurrency Exchanges, ETFs and Payment Initiatives Announced - Cryptocurrency firm Bullish announced its intention to go public on the New York Stock Exchange as it prepares to launch a cryptocurrency exchange, according...more
7/19/2021
/ Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
CFTC ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Currency ,
ETFs ,
Fraud ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Popular ,
Ransomware ,
Virtual Currency
NFT Initiatives Continue, Cryptocurrency Advertising Restrictions Ease - In New Dehli, a blockchain-powered platform is hosting an exhibition displaying 27 art pieces by Bengal-born artist Lalu Prasad Shaw. According to a...more
Reports Address CBDCs and Security Tokens, Banks Launch Crypto Initiatives - A recent report released by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) analyzes results from a survey of 50 central banks in the first quarter of...more
6/21/2021
/ Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDCs) ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
Financial Markets ,
Fraud ,
Initial Coin Offering (ICOs) ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Popular ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Token Sales ,
Virtual Currency
Reports Analyze Bitcoin Price Crash and Network Energy Consumption - A well-known blockchain analytics company has issued a report commenting on this week’s crash of the prices of cryptocurrency, including bitcoin. The report...more
Cryptocurrency Exchanges Forge New Paths, Bitcoin ETF Applications Continue - This week one of the largest U.S. cryptocurrency exchanges, Coinbase, completed its initial public offering through a direct listing of its shares...more
4/19/2021
/ Bitcoin ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
ETFs ,
European Central Bank ,
Fraud ,
Hackers ,
IRS ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Popular ,
Safe Harbors ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
On April 14, 2021, the U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination of Gary Gensler as the 33rd Chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC” or “Commission”). This change will bring forth a Democratic majority at the...more
4/16/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
CFTC ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Fraud ,
FSOC ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs)
Payment Firms Adopt Cryptocurrencies, Company Purchases $1.5 Billion in Bitcoin - According to a press release, last week the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency provided conditional approval to Protego Trust Bank for a...more
Cryptocurrency Exchanges and Financial Firms Announce Market Developments. Last week, Coinbase signified its intent to become a publicly traded company by announcing a proposed direct listing of its Class A common stock under...more
NY DFS Approves New Stablecoin Company, Crypto Financial Products Continue Growth - New York’s Department of Financial Services (DFS) recently granted a charter under New York Banking Law to a Japanese cryptocurrency firm...more
1/11/2021
/ Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Products ,
FinCEN ,
Fraud ,
NYDFS ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Popular ,
Stablecoins ,
Virtual Currency
Monetary Authority of Singapore and World Bank Publish Blockchain Payments Reports - The fifth and final phase of Project Ubin, a blockchain project spearheaded by the Monetary Authority of Singapore, concluded this week. ...more
On June 11, 2020 the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC), one of Canada’s provincial securities regulators, issued a report finding that QuadrigaCX (Quadriga), which went into bankruptcy a few months after founder and CEO...more