News & Analysis as of

Digital Assets Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) Enforcement Actions

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP

Groundbreaking and Informative – CFTC’s KuCoin Complaint

On March 26, 2024, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) filed a complaint (the “Complaint”) in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (“SDNY”) for injunctive and other relief against...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Fifth Circuit Reverses CFTC Penalty Judgment Under ‘Fair Notice’ Doctrine

On January 8, 2024, in a decision that underscores the potential viability of fair-notice defenses to U.S. regulators’ rule interpretations, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reversed a $6.5 million penalty...more

Morgan Lewis

Register with the CFTC or Leave the US Market—or Risk Enforcement

Morgan Lewis on

The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) recently settled enforcement actions against operators of three decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols (i.e., collections of smart contracts on blockchains that offer...more

Goodwin

The CFTC’s DeFi Trifecta: Lessons and Implications for DeFi Participants Inside and Outside the US

Goodwin on

On September 7, 2023, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced the settlement of three separate enforcement actions in the decentralized finance (DeFi) space: namely, concerning the Opyn protocol and its...more

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP

CFTC Enforcement Focus on DeFi

The CFTC has announced three enforcement actions this month that further cement the CFTC’s jurisdiction over the decentralized finance space (“DeFi”). Back in 2022, the CFTC filed its first DeFi cases, including the...more

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

CFTC Issues Staff Advisory Letters on DCO Regulation: Prime Brokerage Arrangements and Digital Assets

In May 2023, the Division of Clearing and Risk ("DCR") of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission ("CFTC") issued two Staff Advisory letters addressing areas of regulatory focus related to Derivatives Clearing Organizations...more

Proskauer - Blockchain and the Law

CFTC Enforcement Highlights Potential Compliance Risks to Crypto Exchanges for Derivatives Trading

Binance is the latest major crypto industry player to be sued by a U.S. regulator. On March 27, 2023, the CFTC announced that it had filed a civil enforcement action against Binance Holdings Limited (and related legal...more

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP

CFTC Charges Binance and its Founder with Multiple CEA Violations

On March 27, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”), the U.S. derivatives regulator, charged three Binance entities (collectively “Binance”) and its founder and chief compliance officer (“CCO”) with numerous...more

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP

CFTC Enforcement − Aiding and Abetting Liability

Churchill is credited with saying “Never let a good crisis go to waste” at the end of WWII in reference to lessons learned in rebuilding the post-war world. The rolling collapse in crypto and digital assets’ markets, and...more

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

U.S. Regulators File Complaints for Digital Asset Market Manipulation and Misappropriation

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) filed a complaint on Jan. 9, 2023, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against Avraham Eisenberg. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission...more

Morgan Lewis - All Things FinReg

Court OKs CFTC’s Service of Process Through Online Forum, Chat Box in Ooki DAO Action

The US District Court for the Northern District of California ruled on December 20, 2022, that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) properly served the defendant, Ooki DAO, by posting summons documents in Ooki...more

Goodwin

CFTC Attempts to Extend Liability to DAO Participants

Goodwin on

In a first of its kind enforcement action, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) is attempting to hold participating members of a decentralized autonomous organization (“DAO”) liable for alleged violations of the...more

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP

CFTC Brings Enforcement Action against Digital Exchange and Natural Person Controller Suggesting Native Cryptoasset is a Commodity...

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) charged a group of companies and their natural person controller with operating an unlicensed futures brokerage company (i.e., a futures commission merchant (“FCM”)); not...more

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP

DAOs in CFTC’s Enforcement Crosshairs

On September 22, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) asserted its jurisdiction over a decentralized autonomous organization (“DAO”) and its founders, signaling for the industry that even an unincorporated...more

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP

Holders of DAO Governance Tokens Beware: According to the CFTC, Voting May Be Hazardous to Your Well-Being

Natural persons and legal entities are potentially jointly and severally liable for all of a decentralized autonomous organization's (DAO) violations of the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) and Commodity Futures Trading...more

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP

CFTC’s Enforcement of Fraudulent and Manipulative Pump-and-Dump Scheme in Crypto Commodities

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) has two levels of jurisdiction under the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”). First, there is an exclusive (or regulatory) jurisdiction over “derivatives” on “commodities,”...more

Proskauer - Blockchain and the Law

CFTC Issues Cease and Desist Order to Binary Options Operator Using Smart Contracts

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

Perkins Coie

CFTC Crypto Charges & Settlements Timeline - 2021 Update

Perkins Coie on

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Settlements Timeline serves as an interactive compilation of select CFTC guidance, enforcement actions, and speeches relating to the application of the federal securities laws...more

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

CFTC’s Enforcement Division Announces Record-Breaking 2020 and Outlines Priorities for 2021

On December 1, 2020, the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Division of Enforcement published its annual report for Fiscal Year 2020. According to the report, the Division filed a record number of enforcement...more

Latham & Watkins LLP

A CFTC Helping Hand: DSIO Offers to Review Digital Asset Products

Latham & Watkins LLP on

Product innovation (including in pooled investment vehicles) is encouraged, but innovation must be consistent with the law. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (CFTC’s) Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary...more

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