News & Analysis as of

Securities Act of 1933 › Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) › Investment Contract

The Securities Act of 1933 is a United States federal statute enacted in response to the stock market crash of 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression. The Act has two primary purposes: 1) to give investors better... more +
The Securities Act of 1933 is a United States federal statute enacted in response to the stock market crash of 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression. The Act has two primary purposes: 1) to give investors better access to material information prior to investing 2) ensure that transactions are not based on fraud. In order to effectuate its dual goals, the Act requires that any offer or sale of securities is registered with the SEC. less -
Fenwick & West LLP

Looking Under the Hood of $TRUMP’s Legal Strategy

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On Friday, January 17, 2024, President Donald J. Trump announced the launch of the $TRUMP memecoin, which was organized and sold by CIC Digital, an affiliate of the Trump Organization. Within 60 hours, $TRUMP reportedly...more

Farella Braun + Martel LLP

Howey Test for Crypto Asset Transactions Analyzed in Recent Denial of Kraken's Motion to Dismiss in ND California

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In a recent decision in SEC v. Payward, Inc. (d/b/a “Kraken”), Judge Orrick of the Northern District of California denied Kraken's motion to dismiss the SEC's suit against it. In its complaint, the SEC alleges that Kraken...more

Morrison & Foerster LLP

Top 5 SEC Enforcement Developments for August 2024

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Each month, we publish a roundup of the most important SEC enforcement developments for busy in-house lawyers and compliance professionals. This month, we examine: •The SEC’s case against crypto firm Kraken is permitted to...more

Fenwick & West LLP

SEC v. Binance: Court Decides Majority of Claims Can Proceed but Expresses Skepticism of SEC’s Application of Law to the...

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Of particular importance for the crypto industry, the opinion analyzes the SEC’s allegations that Binance and BAM offered and sold various tokens and programs to investors as investment contracts without registering them with...more

Latham & Watkins LLP

Wyoming Adopts New Legal Structure for DAOs

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The legislation allows decentralized autonomous organizations to gain legal entity status and operate within the bounds of applicable law. ...more

Cornerstone Research

Number of Securities Class Action Settlements Falls as Median Settlement Amount Reaches Highest Level Since 2010

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The number of securities class action settlements declined 21% relative to 2022, following the 15-year high set in 2022, according to a new report released today by Cornerstone Research. Despite the decline in settlement...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

SEC’s First Two NFT Enforcement Actions Cast Shadow of Ambiguity

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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

A&O Shearman

SEC charges Impact Theory for unregistered offering of NFTs

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On August 28, 2023, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) charged Impact Theory, LLC (“Impact Theory”), a media and entertainment company headquartered in Los Angeles, with conducting an unregistered securities...more

Jones Day

Ripple and Terraform Labs: Two New York District Courts Address the Status of Certain Crypto Assets as Securities

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In Short - The Situation: Recently, two judges in Southern District of New York were required to apply the Howey test in separate cases to decide whether sales of certain crypto assets were investment contracts, and thus...more

Holland & Knight LLP

A Ripple of Doubt

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Specifically, the SEC wants a change to persuade the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit – now, not later – of its view that Torres got it wrong when she determined that the company's offer and sale of its XRP token...more

Willcox & Savage

Crypto and the SEC v. Ripple Labs, Inc. Decision: What Did the Court Actually Say?

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Earlier this month, a federal trial court judge issued an opinion ruling on whether sales of a digital token, XRP, constituted a “security” for purposes of federal securities laws. Some headlines reporting the ruling have...more

Goodwin

SEC Sues Binance and Coinbase: What Are the Allegations and What Is Next?

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In the span of two days, June 5 and June 6, 2023, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) commenced proceedings against the largest crypto asset exchange in the world, Binance.com; its affiliated US exchange,...more

Latham & Watkins LLP

SEC v. Ripple: Approaching Judgment Day

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While a conclusion to the much-hyped case may be approaching, market participants should be wary of doomsday prognostications. As a new year begins, the digital assets industry is still enduring a deep and widespread crypto...more

Latham & Watkins LLP

LBRY Ruling: A Nice Read for the SEC

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In granting the SEC’s motion for summary judgment, a federal court ruled that sales of LBC tokens were securities transactions. On November 7, 2022, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) prevailed in a motion for...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

District Court Allows ‘Fair Notice’ Defense in SEC’s Cryptocurrency Case Against Ripple Labs, But Denies Motions To Dismiss

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In December 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed an action against Ripple Labs, Inc. and two of its executives, alleging they raised over $1.3 billion through an unregistered ongoing securities offering of...more

Kohrman Jackson & Krantz LLP

The Sec Had No Love For Blockfi This Valentine’s Day

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The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not hesitated to conclude that crypto assets are securities subject to the Securities Act of 1933, but with BlockFi, the SEC went a step further and, for the first time with...more

Proskauer - Corporate Defense and Disputes

SEC’s Coinschedule Settlement Offers Mere “Clue-By-Enforcement” Into Whether Cryptocurrencies are Securities

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On July 14, 2021 the SEC issued a consented-to Cease and Desist Order against U.K.-based cryptocurrency review website owner Blotics Ltd. (formerly doing business as Coinschedule Ltd.) for violating Section 17(a) of the...more

Proskauer - The Capital Commitment

Three Critical Questions That Will (Hopefully) be Answered by the SEC’s Lawsuit against Ripple

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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

Jones Day

Court Rules That Sales of Digital Tokens Were Illegal Unregistered Securities Offerings

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Federal court grants summary judgment to the SEC on its claim that sales of digital tokens constitute investment contracts under the Securities Act. On September 30, 2020, U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein granted...more

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

Legal Implications of Secondary SAFT Sales

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Simple Agreements for Future Tokens pose difficult and controversial legal questions under U.S. securities, commodities and tax laws. SAFT holders face significant difficulties in securing liquidity, and regulatory issues...more

Winstead PC

Steven Seagal is not “Above the Law” in Crypto Scalping Case

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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

Allen Matkins

Not All Sports Betting May Be Legal In Nevada

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Last August, Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske issued a Summary Order to Cease and Desist on Thomas Becker and Wellington Sports Club, LLC, Einstein Sports Advisory, Ltd., and Welscorp, Inc. The gist of Secretary of...more

Allen Matkins

Did James Joyce Inspire Howey?

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Anyone who has studied securities regulation has been exposed to the United States Supreme Court's decision in SEC v. W.J. Howey, 328 U.S. 293 (1946) establishing the definition of  "investment contract" under the Securities...more

Proskauer - Blockchain and the Law

Blockstack Announces SEC Filing for $50 Million Regulation A Token Offering

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On April 11, Blockstack Token LLC (“Blockstack”) filed a preliminary offering circular with the SEC for a $50 million token offering under Regulation A of the Securities Act. The offering circular is now under review with the...more

Perkins Coie

Senior SEC Official Provides Regulatory Clarity for Digital Assets

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During a speech in San Francisco last week at the Yahoo Finance All Markets Summit, William Hinman, Director of the Division of Corporation Finance of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), provided some welcome...more

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