On May 29, 2025, the staff of the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance (the “Staff”) issued a statement concluding that certain proof-of-stake blockchain “staking” activities do not involve the offer or sale of “securities”...more
On February 27, 2025, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Corporation Finance issued a formal Staff Statement on “meme coins.”
In this statement, the SEC staff took the position that typical meme...more
3/5/2025
/ Blockchain ,
CFTC ,
Corporate Governance ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Institutions ,
FinTech ,
Investment ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
Technology
On February 27, 2025, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed to dismiss its lawsuit against Coinbase, Inc. (“Coinbase”)—an outcome that marks a significant development in the evolving regulatory landscape for...more
M&A practitioners anticipate a ‘Trump bump’ -
The scale of Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election – and the fact the Republicans now have full control of Congress – has been greeted with optimism by U.S....more
12/20/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Biden Administration ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
Competition ,
Corporate Governance ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Foreign Investment ,
Global Dealmaking ,
Global Market ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
National Security ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Tariffs ,
Tax Reform ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies
Welcome to the latest edition of M&A Insights, where we bring together partners from across the A&O Shearman network to explore the themes shaping global dealmaking.
The election of Donald Trump as President is expected to...more
12/18/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Banking Sector ,
Buyers ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
Competition ,
Corporate Governance ,
Cryptocurrency ,
EU ,
European Central Bank ,
Foreign Investment ,
Global Dealmaking ,
Global Market ,
Immigration ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Listing Standards ,
Machine Learning ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
National Security ,
Private Equity ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sellers ,
Tariffs ,
Technology Sector ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ,
United States ,
US Trade Policies
In our biannual M&A trends report we explore the possible impact of the new U.S. administration on dealmaking, the dynamics of transatlantic M&A, private equity exits, and Mario Draghi’s proposals to reshape the European...more
12/18/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Banking Sector ,
Buyers ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
Competition ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Governance ,
Cryptocurrency ,
EU ,
European Central Bank ,
Foreign Investment ,
Global Dealmaking ,
Global Market ,
Immigration ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Listing Standards ,
Machine Learning ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
National Security ,
Private Equity ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sellers ,
Tariffs ,
Technology Sector ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ,
United States ,
US Trade Policies
On May 22, 2024, the U.S. House of Representatives (the “House”) passed the Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act (“FIT21” or the “Bill”) with bipartisan support by a vote of 279-136. FIT21 provides for...more
6/3/2024
/ CFTC ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Digital Assets ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
New Legislation ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Stablecoins ,
U.S. House
In a milestone for the crypto industry, on January 10, 2024, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) approved the listing and trading of a number of spot bitcoin exchange-traded product (“ETP”) shares,...more
On August 30, 2023, in a case of first impression, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York dismissed in full a putative securities class action against Uniswap Labs, a decentralized finance (“DeFi”)...more
9/15/2023
/ Blockchain ,
CFTC ,
Class Action ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Digital Assets ,
FinCEN ,
Investors ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Securities ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Swap Trading
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
9/8/2023
/ Asset Purchaser ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Transactions ,
Investment ,
Investment Contract ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Litigation ,
Token Sales ,
Unregistered Securities
In SEC v. Ripple Labs, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) alleges that Ripple Labs, Inc. and two of its executives raised over $1.3 billion through an unregistered and ongoing digital asset securities...more
7/18/2023
/ Capital Raising ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Offerings ,
Ripple ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Litigation ,
Securities Violations ,
Unregistered Securities
On June 7, 2022, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) introduced the Responsible Financial Innovation Act (RFIA), a highly anticipated legislative proposal that, if enacted by Congress and...more
As part of our ongoing series of virtual panel discussions exploring a select number of themes instrumental in shaping the future of the global banking sector, our next webinar will focus on digital assets. In this session,...more
4/5/2022
/ Banking Sector ,
Banks ,
CFIUS ,
Continuing Legal Education ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Financial Crimes ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Money Laundering ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Webinars