News & Analysis as of

Digital Assets New Guidance

Seward & Kissel LLP

401(k) Plan Investments in Digital Assets

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The Department of Labor (“DOL”) recently issued Compliance Assistance Release No. 2025-01 (the “Release”), reversing previous guidance that cautioned plan fiduciaries offering investments in digital assets in...more

Polsinelli

Blockchain+ Bi-Weekly; Highlights of the Last Two Weeks in Web3 Law: June 5, 2025

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The most important development of the last two weeks is likely the release of a revised bipartisan digital asset market structure bill in Congress, which now gives real momentum to the possibility of comprehensive...more

Seward & Kissel LLP

What We Have Here Is a Success to Communicate: SEC Releases FAQs for BDs and Transfer Agents Relating to Crypto Asset Activities...

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On May 15, 2025, the staff of the Division of Trading and Markets (the “Staff”) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”) released responses to frequently asked questions (“FAQs”) relating to crypto assets and...more

Fenwick & West LLP

SEC Staff Statement Concludes Protocol Staking Is Not a Securities Transaction

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On May 29, 2025, the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance (Corp Fin) released a Statement on Certain Protocol Staking Activities clarifying that certain crypto asset staking activities on proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchain...more

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP

SEC Staff Green Lights Various Staking Activities

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Division of Corporation Finance released a statement articulating its position that certain cryptocurrency staking activities fall outside the federal securities laws. This...more

Jones Day

Crypto Staking: SEC Staff Clarifies Non-Security Status for Certain Protocol Activities

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A May 29, 2025, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") Division of Corporation Finance statement explains that "Covered Crypto Assets"—crypto tokens without any inherent rights to passive income, business enterprise...more

K&L Gates LLP

United States: SEC’s Division of Trading and Markets Issues Crypto Asset-Related FAQs (And Withdraws Previous Guidance)

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On 15 May 2025, the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Trading and Markets (Division) released Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) clarifying how certain broker-dealer and transfer agency rules relate to crypto...more

Lowenstein Sandler LLP

SEC Staff Clarifies That Certain Staking Activities Are Not Securities

Protocol Staking Under the Federal Securities Laws - Historically, the SEC has taken issue with certain staking activities under the federal securities laws. The SEC previously alleged that staking-as-a-service programs...more

Proskauer - Employee Benefits & Executive...

DOL Rescinds 2022 Guidance Cautioning Against 401(k) Plan Investments in Cryptocurrencies

On May 28, 2025, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued Compliance Assistance Release No. 2025-01 which rescinds the DOL’s prior Compliance Assistance Release No. 2022-1 which had warned 401(k) plan fiduciaries against adding...more

Woods Rogers

ESBA No Longer Discourages Crypto Investments in 401(k) Plans

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Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) Rescinds Prior Guidance Limiting 401(k) Plan Investments in Cryptocurrencies Since March of 2022, the Department of Labor (DOL) operated under the guidance of the Compliance...more

Morrison & Foerster LLP

Charting a New Course for Digital Asset Securities

On May 15, 2025, the Division of Trading and Markets (the “Division”) of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Office of General Counsel of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA)...more

Mayer Brown

OCC Reiterates Full Scope of Crypto Custody Authority of Banks It Regulates

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On May 7, 2025, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”) issued Interpretative Letter 1184 (“IL 1184”) confirming that national banks and federal savings associations may provide cryptocurrency custody...more

Mayer Brown Free Writings + Perspectives

SEC Division of Trading and Markets Releases FAQs on Crypto Asset Activities and Distributed Ledger Technology; 2019 Joint Staff...

On May 15, 2025, the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) Division of Trading and Markets (the “Staff”) published responses to certain frequently asked questions (“FAQs”) relating to crypto asset activities...more

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP

SEC’s Division of Trading and Markets Issues New FAQ Guidance on Broker-Dealer Custody and Net Capital Treatment of Cryptoassets

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has taken a significant step toward permitting broker-dealers to custody digital assets and toward accounting for such proprietary digital assets in a broker-dealer’s net capital...more

Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP

SEC publishes broker-dealer and transfer agent crypto custody guidance

On May 15, the SEC staff provided guidance to SEC-registered broker-dealers and transfer agents on how they can custody and recordkeep digital assets. According to the guidance, non-securities are not subject to the...more

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

OCC Confirms Banks Authority to Offer Crypto Custody and Execution Services

On May 7, the OCC issued Interpretive Letter 1184, reaffirming that national banks and federal savings associations may provide cryptocurrency custody and execution services, including through sub-custodians. The OCC...more

McGuireWoods LLP

Banks May Provide Cryptocurrency Transaction and Custody Services, but OCC Has Yet to Provide Clear Compliance Requirements

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On May 7, 2025, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”) issued a follow up to its July 2020 Interpretative Letter 1170, which allowed national banks to provide cryptocurrency custody services to their customers....more

Fenwick & West LLP

SEC Staff Offers New Guidance on Crypto Disclosure, Stablecoins

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On April 10, the SEC staff articulated how existing disclosure requirements under the federal securities laws apply to offerings and registrations involving crypto assets....more

A&O Shearman

ESMA final guidelines on preventing and detecting market abuse under MiCAR

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The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has published its final report on the guidelines on supervisory practices for National Competent Authorities (NCAs) to prevent and detect market abuse under the Market in...more

Vedder Price

SEC Division of Corporation Finance Staff Issues Guidance on Crypto Assets

Vedder Price on

As previously summarized here, since SEC Commissioner Mark T. Uyeda was named Acting Chairman on January 21, 2025, the SEC has significantly shifted its approach to cryptocurrency regulation and enforcement actions, including...more

K&L Gates LLP

Federal Banking Regulators Adopt a Permissive Stance on Cryptocurrency

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The federal banking regulators have each recently adopted a more permissive approach to the regulation of cryptocurrency activities within the banking sector. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Federal...more

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

Regulators withdraw crypto guidance, plan further clarity for banks

On April 24, the FDIC and the Fed announced they have retracted two joint statements concerning banking organizations’ activities related to crypto-assets. According to the agencies, this move aims to clarify that banking...more

McDermott Will & Emery

IRS Roundup April 1 – April 17, 2025

The IRS issued Notice 2025-19, inviting the public to submit recommendations for items to include in the IRS’s 2025-2026 Priority Guidance Plan. The IRS uses the Priority Guidance Plan to identify and prioritize the tax...more

Woodruff Sawyer

Everything’s Coming Up Roses: Domestic Crypto Regulation in Spring 2025

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Last March, I wrote: “Howey Livin’? Domestic Crypto Regulation in 2024.” As elegantly foreshadowed by the hilarious title, the article covered the strange crypto regulatory moment of spring 2024: Bitcoin has been packaged...more

Jones Day

Federal Reserve Withdraws Crypto-Related Guidance Including Notification Requirements for Banking Organizations

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The Federal Reserve Board ("Board") softened its stance on regulation of crypto activity by banking organizations by rescinding supervisory letters that created hurdles for crypto-asset activities and by joining the Office of...more

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