Navigating 2025: Federal Legislative and Regulatory Updates on Stablecoins and Decentralized Finance — The Crypto Exchange Podcast
Compliance Tip of the Day: Use of Blockchain in Compliance
Unpacking the Fifth Circuit's Landmark Tornado Cash Decision — The Crypto Exchange Podcast
A Conversation with SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce
Navigating the Dark Side of Crypto: Crime, Compliance, and Consumer Protection – The Crypto Exchange Podcast
Crackdown on DeFi? An Examination of the CFTC's Enforcement Action Against Uniswap — The Crypto Exchange
Hot Topics in International Trade, Wyoming, Blockchain, Crypto, and the Current Landscape of Regulations
Ep. 11 - Crypto & Consumer Protection: Insights from a Former FTC Official
The Current State of Web3 Gaming
From Court to Code: Smart Contracts and Arbitration
Powering Sustainable Crypto: A General Counsel’s View
From Paper to Digital: The California DMV's Leap Into Blockchain Technology — The Crypto Exchange Podcast
El Salvador’s Bitcoin Nation: A Government Insider’s View
Dogecoin’s Day in Court
A Tale of Two Crypto Cases
Unpacking the Lummis-Gillibrand Payment Stablecoin Act: Implications for the Digital Asset Industry — The Crypto Exchange Podcast
Navigating the Regulatory Waters: The SEC's Wells Notice to Uniswap and its Impact on DeFi — The Crypto Exchange Podcast
Will Resiliency Carry the Digital Asset Sector Through 2024: Navigating the 2023 Regulatory Landscape — The Crypto Exchange Podcast
Understanding the CFPB's Proposed Digital Payments Larger Participants Rule and Its Implications for Digital Assets — The Consumer Finance Podcast
Hot Topics in International Trade-The Mod Act
Published on April 29, 2025, the ESMA final report (ESMA75-453128700-1408) outlines the guidelines (Guidelines) for competent national authorities (NCAs) to prevent and detect market abuse in the context of the Markets in...more
After years of regulatory uncertainty, the Trump administration has signaled a new approach to digital assets, including by establishing a working group focused on digital assets and nominating crypto-friendly chairs to the...more
In April 2025, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Acting Chairman Travis Hill announced that the FDIC is focused on four key policy areas: de novo bank formation, digital assets and blockchain activities, resolution...more
The Guidance provides the Division’s views regarding certain disclosure requirements under Regulation S-K, specifically with respect to disclosures contained within Form S-1 (registration statements), Form 10-K (reporting...more
On April 10, 2025, the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance issued a staff statement (the “Statement”) titled “Offerings and Registrations of Securities in the Crypto Asset Markets.” This development underscores the...more
The global financial landscape is under siege by increasingly sophisticated financial and economic crimes. Money laundering, fraud, corruption, and market abuse pose ever-growing risks, compounded by rapid advancements in AI,...more
This is the final article in our three-part series focused on a key question: as bank-fintech partnerships continue to play a vital role in driving financial services, how does the industry make this system safer and better?...more
The Bermuda Monetary Authority ("BMA") has issued an invite for proposals from voluntary participants to take part in a pilot project aimed at testing Embedded Supervision practices within the context of DeFi. Embedded...more
The cryptocurrency industry is undergoing a transformative period as the Trump administration adopts a more structured and proactive regulatory approach to digital assets such as Bitcoin. This evolving legal framework not...more
On 21 March 2025, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) removed Tornado Cash, a virtual currency mixer, from its list of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN List),...more
On March 18, Acting Comptroller of the Currency Rodney Hood reiterated the OCC’s commitment to ensuring fair access to banking services, including for cryptocurrency firms. Speaking at a retail banking industry conference,...more
On March 7, the OCC issued Interpretive Letter 1183 and an accompanying statement affirming prior guidance regarding whether national banks and federal savings associations may engage in cryptocurrency-related activities,...more
On March 7, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued a significant update regarding the involvement of national banks and federal savings associations in cryptocurrency activities. Interpretive Letter 1183...more
It is well established how to perfect a security interest on general intangibles under Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code: filing a financing statement. But is there a better way for a secured party who wants to stay in...more
The VASP Act defines “Virtual Assets” as digital representations of value that can be digitally traded or transferred and can be used for payment or investment purposes. Digital representations of fiat currencies (which is...more
Cryptocurrency exchanges continue to be a target of hackers – and theft is the prize. On February 21, the cryptocurrency exchange Bybit reported that an Ethereum transaction was transferred to an unidentified address,...more
On February 20, 2025, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced the creation of a new enforcement unit – the Cyber and Emerging Technologies Unit (CETU). The SEC’s announcement made clear that the new unit...more
In a remarkable evolution from its origins as a mere memecoin, Shiba Inu - now the 18th-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalisation, valued at an impressive US $8.8 billion - is on the cusp of a bold new chapter: the...more
On February 11, the White House nominated Brian Quintenz to replace Caroline Pham as Chairman of the CFTC. He previously worked as the Head of Policy at a venture capital fund that invests in cryptoassets. Quintenz previously...more
While the cryptocurrency industry is still relatively young, its adoption by various economic sectors and the evolution of the technology itself is growing, along with the tokenization of assets, AI-powered smart contracts,...more
Prospective purchasers of blockchain assets can now navigate through global exchanges (i.e., Coinbase or Kraken) to invest in various forms of tokens. Investments in tokens, however, are only the tip of the iceberg for those...more
As payments innovation continues to accelerate, Wilson Sonsini is publishing a series of pragmatic playbooks to help companies navigate the legal complexities in the highly regulated payments space. In this new installment,...more
Not to sound like a broken record — but we are consistently asking the compliance community the same question. As far back as March 2013, on this very blog, I wrote a posting — The Future of Compliance — What Will the New...more
President Donald Trump signed an executive order (EO) on Jan. 23, 2025, titled Strengthening American Leadership in Digital Financial Technology. The EO focuses on promoting U.S. leadership in blockchain, digital assets and...more
The landscape of government enforcement, private litigation and federal and state regulation of digital assets, blockchain and related technologies is constantly evolving. Each quarter, Ropes & Gray attorneys analyze...more