Crypto in the Crosshairs: What Regulatory Themes Characterized 2020?
Cryptocurrency, Legitimate Uses, and Legal Issues
Episode 3 - The Freeman Law Project - Cryptocurrency Regulation and Taxation: A Brief Primer
Summer Enforcement Action Review; Raising Money in a Pandemic - Investment Management Roundtable Discussion
Investment Management and Private Funds Roundtable: TALF 2020 and PPP Update
Videocast: Asset management regulation in 2020 videocast series – FinTech initiatives
Theoretical No More: Blockchain Technology, Cryptocurrencies and the Tax, Legal and Business Implications
Most of 2021 was characterized by free-flowing capital, as government aid propped up economies in response to COVID-19. Low interest rates and other central bank stimulus measures contributed to an environment that helped see...more
Throughout 2020, cryptocurrencies experienced incremental progress towards the mainstream as institutional investors and financial institutions made positive statements about the nascent asset class, an increasing number of...more
SMCR extension: SI extending implementation date made - The Bank of England and Financial Services Act 2016 (Commencement No. 6 and Transitional Provisions) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (SI 2020/929) have been made....more
Financial institutions M&A sector trends: fintech — H2 2019 and outlook for 2020. British thoroughbreds dominate the downs—London has overtaken New York as the world's #1 hub for fintech investments. Unicorns are not...more
U.S. Developments - U.S. Regulatory Developments - Bill Addressing Tax Treatment of Crypto Transactions Introduced to the House - On January 16, 2020, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA) and Congressman David Schweikert...more
Blockchain Solutions Advance in Manufacturing, Food, Pharma and Grant Management - Last week, one of the world’s largest industrial cobalt producers announced plans to join the Responsible Sourcing Blockchain Network (RSBN)....more
A Complaint filed by the SEC in the Southern District of New York last week reminds us that in the area of securities law violations there is not much new under the sun. Even though the action against Eran Eyal and...more
The New York State Department of Financial Services proposed a self-certification regime for the approval of new digital coins by licensed virtual currency firms similar to the process applied by the Commodity Futures Trading...more
The Enforcement Division (Division) of the Securities and Exchange Commission released its Annual Report on November 6, 2019, summarizing the year’s enforcement activity. It was a record-setting year for the Division due to...more
U.S. Developments - REGULATORY - House Passes Bill to Review How Blockchain Technology Can Improve FinCEN - The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill sponsored by Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH) that requires the Director...more
From Cattle to Coffee to Cannabis: Enterprises Continue to Test Blockchain Supply Chain Solutions - Late last week, the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) revealed a blockchain proof-of-concept with consulting company...more
U.S. Developments - Regulatory - VanEck/SolidX Bitcoin ETF Proposal Withdrawn. Facing an October 18 deadline for the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) to approve or disapprove, Cboe BZX Exchange withdrew the...more
The Department of Justice raised the stakes in spoofing enforcement actions by including racketeering charges in an indictment filed last week alleging spoofing by three traders over many years. The Commodity Futures Trading...more
Blockchain Developments for Energy Grids, Automobiles, Enterprise Protocols - Earlier this week, TFA Labs, an internet-of-things security startup, announced plans to explore Factom’s protocol as a solution for validating the...more
Blockchain Capital Markets Platforms Achieve and File for Regulatory Approvals - The Intercontinental Exchange recently received approval from the New York State Department of Financial Services for its emerging bitcoin...more
On May 9, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network of the US Department of the Treasury (FinCEN) issued guidance relating to how its regulations apply to certain businesses that transact in "convertible virtual currencies"...more
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued guidance on May 9, 2019, underscoring the application of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and its implementing regulations relating to money...more
2018 has been a transformational year for fintech M&A. Deal values and volumes have reached new heights as established financial institutions pin hopes on well-placed bets to deliver competitive edge and market share. VC and...more
The Blockchain Effect: NASA, IoT, Supply Chain and State Initiatives - On Monday, NASA Ames Research Center published a paper about a permissioned blockchain framework that addresses privacy and security issues for FAA air...more
This quarter’s issue includes summaries and associated court opinions of selected cases principally decided between September 2018 and October 2018. ...more
Over the past couple of years, the crypto industry has come under heavy scrutiny from skeptical regulators seeking to root out fraud and protect investors amid the initial coin offering boom that generated over $4 billion in...more
On October 18, the SEC announced the launch of a new Strategic Hub for Innovation and Financial Technology (the “FinHub”). The FinHub provides an online portal for market participants to engage with the SEC on a range of...more
U.S. Developments - Regulatory Updates - FinCEN Issues Advisory on Illicit Iranian Activities - On October 11, 2018, the U.S. Treasury Department Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) issued an advisory to...more
• The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) staff made official statements regarding when a token may or may no longer be a security • The SEC continued to bring actions related to cryptocurrency offerings against...more
US regulators have stepped up their activity in terms of enforcing the regulation of virtual currencies and on September 11, 2018, issued four relevant decisions: FINRA’s first disciplinary action involving cryptocurrencies;...more