News & Analysis as of

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Cryptoassets Token Sales

Latham & Watkins LLP

SEC Staff Clarifies That Meme Coins Are Not Securities

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The Staff stated that most meme coins are not subject to federal securities laws or SEC fraud enforcement; who will oversee meme coins remains an open question. On February 27, 2025, the Securities and Exchange...more

King & Spalding

Meme Coins: Collectibles, Not Securities.

King & Spalding on

On February 27, 2025, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Corporation Finance (“CorpFin”) issued a Staff Statement announcing its view that meme coin transactions do not involve the offer and sale of...more

Fenwick & West LLP

Entertainment or Investment? The SEC’s Stance on Meme Coins as Securities

Fenwick & West LLP on

On February 27, 2025, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Division of Corporation Finance (Corp Fin) published a new staff statement intended to clarify the application of federal securities laws to meme coins....more

Wiley Rein LLP

A Conversation with SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce

Wiley Rein LLP on

In this episode of the CryptoCounsel, hosts Josh and Frank sit down with SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce to unpack the complexities of cryptocurrency regulation. Together they discuss the recent challenges of SEC regulatory...more

Latham & Watkins LLP

SEC Reels in Fishy NFT Project

Latham & Watkins LLP on

In its third action involving NFTs, the SEC targets a restaurant membership token tied to fundraising and promises of potential price appreciation for buyers....more

Barnea Jaffa Lande & Co.

SEC Signals Intent to Regulate NFTs

Barnea Jaffa Lande & Co. on

This past August, the US Securities and Exchange Commission took enforcement action against Impact Theory, a US media company that sold NFTs called “KeyNFTs.” It filed a second enforcement action shortly thereafter, against...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

SEC Requests Leave to Appeal in Ripple Labs

Troutman Pepper Locke on

On August 9, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sent a letter to U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres requesting leave to file an interlocutory appeal in SEC v. Ripple Labs, Inc. as to the two adverse liability...more

Holland & Knight LLP

A Ripple of Doubt

Holland & Knight LLP on

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

Barnea Jaffa Lande & Co.

Crypto as a Security – Applying the Howey Test

A US court recently handed down a landmark ruling addressing the question of whether the crypto token XRP falls under the definition of “security”. The US court ruled that the same crypto token may be classified differently...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

New Senate Crypto Bill Would Limit SEC Regulatory Role in Favor of CFTC

A bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. Senate last week seeks “to bring crypto assets within the regulatory perimeter” by granting oversight responsibility to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) for most forms...more

Holland & Knight LLP

The SEC Lands First Blows Against Crypto Industry Titans

Holland & Knight LLP on

In a one-two punch earlier this month, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) brought successive actions against two of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchanges – the first blows in what will likely be...more

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

March Madness: “The Truth” Fined by the SEC for Not Shooting Straight in Crypto Promotion

NBA Hall of Famer Paul Pierce, known by basketball fans as “The Truth,” has run afoul of the SEC. No, not that SEC—Pierce played college basketball at Kansas in the Big 12. No, this would be the U.S. Securities and Exchange...more

Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP

The SEC’s Limited Guidance on Crypto Tokens in No-Action Letters

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC or Commission) has been accused of “regulation by enforcement” when it comes to the standard for determining whether a crypto token is a security. Part of this stems from the fact...more

Morrison & Foerster LLP

Court Rules LBRY Token Is a Security in Another SEC Crypto Win

Morrison & Foerster LLP on

On November 7, 2022, Judge Paul J. Barbadoro in the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire granted summary judgment in favor of the Securities and Exchange Commission against the content sharing...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Drawing the Line in Crypto Cases

Dorsey & Whitney LLP on

​​​​​​​One of the key complaints about the SEC by crypto enthusiasts is that the line between which crypto coins are securities and which are not is unclear. Many, for example, look at a coin and are puzzled – when is it a...more

Cranfill Sumner LLP

SEC Doubles-Down on Cryptocurrency Regulation With Increased Staffing and Resources for Specialized Enforcement Unit

Cranfill Sumner LLP on

Few investors made it through 2021 and 2022 without learning of, discussing, or perhaps purchasing, cryptocurrency or other blockchain assets, and the federal agency responsible for regulating the securities industry has...more

Proskauer - Blockchain and the Law

SEC to Hire More Staff in Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit and Ratchet Up Scrutiny of Industry

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced yesterday that it would hire 20 additional positions to the Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit (formerly known as the Cyber Unit) within the Division of Enforcement, increasing...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Delaware Court Issues Novel Ruling Clarifying Treatment of Cryptocurrency Assets When Evaluating Contract Damages

Troutman Pepper Locke on

Judge Paul Wallace of the Delaware Superior Court issued a recent opinion in Diamond Fortress Technologies, Inc. v. EverID, Inc., clarifying the treatment of cryptocurrency assets when calculating damages. The opinion also...more

Pillsbury - Gravel2Gavel Construction & Real...

Investing in Metaverse Real Estate: Mind the Gap Between Recognized and Realized Potential

The Metaverse is an immersive world combining virtual reality and augmented reality, where users are represented by avatars and roam virtual spaces. It comprises a variety of platforms and environments that can be explored,...more

Cohen & Gresser LLP

SEC Chairman Gensler’s New Speech on Exchanges, Stablecoins and Tokens Expected to Bring New Regulatory Focus

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On April 4, 2021, SEC Chairman Gary Gensler gave a new speech on crypto-related issues at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. The speech focused on three main topics: (1) crypto exchanges and other trading and lending...more

Jones Day

SEC Chairman Signals Intensified Enforcement and Regulatory Scrutiny of Crypto and DeFi

Jones Day on

SEC Chairman Gary Gensler suggests SEC will aggressively police crypto assets and decentralized finance ("DeFi") platforms while seeking expanded authority to regulate these fast-growing industries....more

Orrick - On the Chain

Power of the Peirce: SEC Commissioner Spends Some of Her Influence on Trying to Help Crypto Network Developers

Orrick - On the Chain on

SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce continues to be one of the most vocal persons in leadership positions at federal regulators who are promoting innovation in digital currency and the blockchain....more

Latham & Watkins LLP

INSIGHT: Crypto - The Pursuit of Sufficient Decentralization

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Recent SEC guidance on digital assets cleared a path for at least certain stable coins or payment tokens to avoid securities regulation. However, Latham & Watkins attorneys say there are still a number of open questions that...more

Morgan Lewis

Recent Developments in the Regulatory Treatment of Cryptoassets in the United Kingdom and United States

Morgan Lewis on

Regulators on both sides of the Atlantic continue to monitor and address cryptoasset and distributed ledger technology activities. We recently posted on the guidance issued by the US Financial Crimes Enforcement Network on...more

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP

Bridging the Weeks - July 2019 #2

The United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority proposed to ban the marketing and sale in or from the UK to retail persons of derivatives and exchange-traded notes based on cryptocurrencies and utility digital tokens,...more

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