Consumer Finance Monitor Podcast Episode: A Deep Dive into Mass Mailings by Debt Relief Law Firms
On September 13, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission settled enforcement proceedings against the maker of the Stoner Cats web series arising from its sale of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), reflecting a significant...more
The Securities and Exchange Commission recently brought its first two enforcement actions against issuers of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), resulting in cease-and-desist orders, penalties and other remedies, finding that the...more
New Crypto Products Launch in Exchanges, Wallets, and Custody - A recent press release announced the launch of EDX Markets, a “first-of-its-kind digital asset marketplace designed to enable safe and compliant trading of...more
Recent enforcement actions against banks indicate a new regulator emphasis on digital assets and Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering (BSA/AML) compliance. Last year, Anchorage Digital Bank (Anchorage)—formerly Anchorage...more
On January 10, 2022, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC” or the “Commission”) announced it settled charges in In re tZERO ATS, LLC, No. 93938 (SEC Order Jan. 10, 2022) (“Order”)....more
On January 3, 2022, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”) entered an order charging Blockratize, Inc. (d/b/a Polymarket.com) (“Polymarket”) with offering off-exchange binary options contracts and failing to...more
Jay Clayton to step down as SEC Chairman at the end of this year - Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton will step down at the end of this year, according to a November 16, 2020, announcement. This...more
U.S. Developments - Veritaseum Founder Provides Response to Asset Freeze Order - Responding to an emergency application filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission, Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall of the United States...more
SEC issues cease-and-desist orders for unregistered token presales and anti-touting violations. Not content to let the dog days of summer slip by, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently issued two...more
This month, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that it has entered into a settlement with SimplyVital Health, Inc., a blockchain company that offered and sold approximately $6.3 million worth of securities...more
U.S. Regulatory - Kik Files Answer to SEC Complaint - On August 7, Canadian messaging company Kik Interactive Inc. (“Kik”) filed its answer to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) complaint filed in the...more
In an enforcement action filed on November 8, 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ordered that 31-year-old Zachary Coburn, founder of the EtherDelta cryptocurrency exchange, cease and desist from operating the...more
On November 8, 2018, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) announced that it settled charges against Zachary Coburn, the founder of blockchain token trading platform EtherDelta, over operating an unregistered...more
Hester Peirce Remarks at Cato Institute Conference - Hester Peirce made remarks at the Cato Institute’s Fintech Unbound conference on September 12, 2018. Commissioner Peirce commented that securities regulators are too risk...more
In its latest effort to combat scams in the initial coin offering (ICO) space, the SEC announced today that it has obtained a court order cutting off AriseBank’s ICO of “AriseCoin” tokens, appointing a receiver over AriseBank...more
U.S. Developments - Regulatory Updates - CFTC and SEC Enforcement Directors Issue Joint Statement Regarding Virtual Currency Enforcement Actions - This morning, the Enforcement Director of the U.S. Commodity...more
December 11, 2017 was a day of reckoning for entrepreneurs conducting or contemplating initial coin offerings, and for securities professionals who advise them. ...more
On December 11, 2017, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a cease-and-desist order to Munchee Inc. (Munchee), a company that was in the process of a $15 million initial coin offering (ICO), for selling...more
The SEC Munchee Order and Chairman’s Statement - On December 11, 2017, the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) issued a cease and desist order (“Order”) against Munchee, Inc.’s (“Munchee”) $15 million Initial...more
The SEC issued a cease and desist order against Munchee’s $15 million ICO, opining that the tokens were securities for which no there was registration statement filed or in effect with the Commission nor a qualifying...more
The Securities and Exchange Commission announced yesterday that a California-based company selling digital tokens to investors to raise capital for its blockchain-based food review service halted its initial coin offering...more