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
The United Kingdom HM Treasury (“HMT”) on 1 February 2023 launched its first consultation on the future regulatory regime for cryptoassets (the “Cryptoassets Consultation”). At the same time, it also published a response to...more
The organizers of an initial coin offering (ICO) recently won dismissal of an investor’s fraud claims by establishing that their public risk disclosures negated the investor’s claims of reliance on alleged misstatements. The...more
While the crypto community is rightfully focused on the Ripple case to see how the SEC will fare in court on enforcements alleging cryptocurrency offerings are a security, a lesser-known case may provide clarity first. The...more
Nach einjährigem Ringen hat das Bundesministerium der Finanzen (BMF) nun endlich Ausführungen dazu veröffentlicht, wie virtuelle Währungen (z. B. Bitcoin, Ether, Litecoin und Co.) und sonstige Tokens (nachfolgend:...more
What is Tokenization? Tokenization is the process of converting an asset into a token on the blockchain. It operates by dividing—or fractionalizing—the ownership of an asset (whether the asset is a piece of real estate or...more
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
Five plaintiffs recently voluntarily dismissed their putative securities class action lawsuits one year after sending shock waves through the crypto world when they filed eleven alleged class action lawsuits against...more
This is the first article in a nine-part series that addresses the SEC’s unlawful suppression of new cryptocurrencies. Introduction - In 2017, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) established an agency-wide...more
Late last year, the SEC filed a litigated action in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against Ripple Labs Inc. and two of its executive officers (collectively, “Ripple”), alleging that Ripple...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
In this podcast, Greg Nowak, a partner in Troutman Pepper’s Investment Management and Compliance and Hedge Funds Practice Groups, is joined by Evan Katz, Managing Director of Crawford Ventures, Inc., for a candid review of...more
A government inquiry can result in serious consequences for a company or individual. Our new podcast series, Voluntary Disclosure—brought to you by the lawyers in our investigations, enforcement, and white collar practice—is...more
Asset managers will need to consider how FinTech developments impact their business model in 2020, including developments related to digital asset securities, cryptocurrency-based ETFs and blockchain. In this Bottom Line...more
Hollywood martial arts sensei Steven Seagal was recently karate-chopped by the SEC for his alleged undisclosed payments for Twitter-touting a security that was being offered and sold in an initial coin offering. In a settled...more
Recently, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued an Investor Alert (the Alert) warning investors to use caution before investing in initial exchange offerings (IEOs) through online trading platforms. The...more
On January 14, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) Office of Investor Education and Advocacy issued an Investor Alert urging investors to use caution before investing in “initial exchange offerings”...more
The emergence of blockchain technology has transformed and will continue to disrupt the way companies in various industries conduct business. The technology, strategy and laws in this space are constantly evolving, and as...more
On January 14, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") issued an investor alert urging investors to use caution before investing in initial exchange offerings ("IEOs"). In contrast with an Initial Coin...more
The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy issued an alert on January 14, 2020, warning investors of initial exchange offerings and the potential for fraud. This follows the 2020 examination priorities the SEC...more
Editors’ Note: This is the first in our start-of-year series examining important trends in white collar law and investigations in the coming year. Up next: a look at trends in health care enforcement. Look for additional...more
In a somewhat surprising move, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) entered into a $24 million settlement with Block.one on September 30, 2019, over its unregistered initial coin offering (ICO) that raised upwards of...more
It is official. Finally. On October 10, 2019, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) Chairman Heath Tarbert announced that he believes ether is a commodity and thus falls under the jurisdiction of the CFTC....more
Blockchain Payment Solutions, Patents and Market Data Announced - Late last week, a major U.S. financial services firm made headlines with several blockchain-related developments. ...more
Finance - Amendment to the Payment Services Act Tightens Regulation of Crypto Assets - The Payment Services Act ("PSA") and the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act ("FIEA") were amended on May 31, 2019...more
Signs of recovery in the crypto field are obvious and the investing public is again interested in companies operating in this realm. Thus, with the initial coin offering (ICO) era considered over, it seems there is a new tool...more