The euro trended higher on Monday, with the single currency able to shrug off some underwhelming German data. Meanwhile, the pound is trading sideways so far this morning, with GBP/EUR flat at €1.1817 and GBP/USD stable...more
The March decision in Williams v. Binance from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit marks the latest chapter in the judiciary's struggle to apply the U.S. Supreme Court's 2010 decision in Morrison v. National...more
When it comes to estate planning, addressing all your assets should be a priority. However, certain assets require greater attention than others. For example, if your assets include unregistered securities, such as restricted...more
Who may be interested: Investment Advisers, Registered Investment Companies - The SEC approved the creation and listing of eleven spot Bitcoin ETFs on January 10th. Several firms received approval to launch funds,...more
Hong Kong regulators recently brought criminal enforcement actions against virtual asset trading platform JPEX and individuals associated with the platform. This case has become the first opportunity for local authorities to...more
Revamped SFC and HKMA guidance applies to intermediaries that distribute products or provide dealing, advisory, and asset management services related to virtual assets. On 20 October 2023, the Hong Kong Monetary...more
In our previous alert, we provided an overview of the new Dual Licensing Regime and highlighted the consequences of relevant breaches of Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Ordinance (Cap. 615), as amended...more
Under the helm of SEC Chairman Gary Gensler, the Securities and Exchange Commission has argued that many cryptocurrencies qualify as “securities” under federal law, and therefore fall within the SEC’s bailiwick....more
The Hong Kong government is trying to support the growth of virtual asset and other Web3 industries. One of the first key steps they've taken is to put virtual asset trading platforms into a regulatory licensing regime where...more
On June 22, 2023, the Investor Advisory Committee (“IAC”) of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC” or “Commission”) held a panel discussion regarding current challenges and potential improvements to the use of...more
Below is our initial take on recent bankruptcy-related developments: Silvergate reported a $1 billion loss for the fourth quarter and said it is unable to meet an extended March 16 deadline for submitting its annual...more
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
On Wednesday, December 14, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) affirmatively voted to advance some major changes to U.S. stock-market rules, perhaps the biggest changes to such rules in nearly 20 years....more
Things change, at least sometimes. Take Crypto assets. They began as a way to “get off the grid.” Over time some came on to the grid as their popularity increased. Others stayed off....more
UK & European Financial Services M&A: Sector trends H2 2021 | H1 2022 — Brokers/Corporate Finance - Marginal improvement in investor sentiment for high-quality brokers, particularly across online brokerage, crypto trading...more
Cryptocurrency investors, who were already in the icy clutches of the so-called “crypto winter,” now have another reason to shiver. Insolvency issues are cropping up with some frequency among crypto companies, which is...more
On June 29, 2022, Grayscale Investments, LLC petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia for review of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s June 29, 2022 final order disapproving of an October...more
In April, we continued to see a steady pace in the seriousness and frequency of crypto enforcement actions by state and federal law enforcement. (See our March 2022 Crypto Enforcement Actions Roundup blog here where we...more
CROSS-PRACTICE TEAM RECOVERS $6 MILLION FROM BITCOIN THIEF IN SHORT ORDER - The Challenge: In the emerging cryptocurrency space, most investors store their assets in digital wallets, where—unlike traditional bank...more
Financial institutions M&A sector trends: stock exchanges/trading venues — H1 2021 and outlook for H2 2021 - Global FMI juggernauts snatch up fund platforms, trading venues and data analytics providers, under the...more
THE CHALLENGE: In the emerging cryptocurrency space, most investors store their assets in digital wallets, where—unlike traditional bank accounts—they earn no interest. In the last few years, cryptocurrency investors have...more
With bitcoin prices rocketing nearly 300% from trough to peak when COVID-19 lockdowns were announced in March 2020 and then relaxed in July 2020, I thought I would revisit a blockchain company we discussed earlier last year...more
Here’s about as 2019 as we can get in the financial world (with a healthy dose of 1950s-era gender discrimination for good measure): a series of tweets from tech entrepreneur David Heinemeier Hansson alleging gender...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
On July 8, 2019, the staff of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) Division of Trading and Markets and the staff of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) issued a joint statement outlining...more