On Friday, July 18, President Donald J. Trump signed into law historic legislation to establish a legal framework for the payment stablecoin industry in the United States, S.1582, the Guiding and Establishing National...more
7/28/2025
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
New Legislation ,
OCC ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Stablecoins ,
U.S. Treasury
On April 24, the Federal Reserve withdrew its prior guidance for banks related to their crypto-asset and dollar token activities and also announced related changes to its expectations for these activities....more
5/23/2025
/ Banking Sector ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
OCC ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Agencies ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
On May 12, 2025, Matthew Galeotti, Head of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Criminal Division, unveiled a comprehensive white collar enforcement strategy titled “Focus, Fairness, and Efficiency in the Fight Against...more
5/19/2025
/ Compliance ,
Compliance Monitoring ,
Cooperation ,
Corporate Misconduct ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
National Security ,
Voluntary Disclosure ,
Whistleblowers ,
White Collar Crimes
As we previously reported, in February, the CFTC’s DOE issued an enforcement advisory (the DOE Advisory) to provide guidance to market participants on how the DOE will evaluate a company’s or an individual’s conduct in the...more
On April 7, 2025, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced in a memorandum to all DOJ employees (the “Blanche Memorandum”) that the DOJ “will stop participating in regulation by prosecution” and “no longer pursue...more
This is the final article in our three-part series focused on a key question: as bank-fintech partnerships continue to play a vital role in driving financial services, how does the industry make this system safer and better?...more
4/8/2025
/ Banks ,
Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) ,
Ethereum ,
FDIC ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Investment ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Securities Tokens ,
Smart Contracts
On February 25, 2025, the CFTC released an Enforcement Advisory on Self-Reporting, Cooperation, and Remediation, introducing metrics the Division will use to evaluate a company’s or individual’s conduct before and leading up...more
On January 23, President Trump issued an EO, “Strengthening American Leadership in Digital Financial Technology.” The same day, the SEC published SAB 122 which rescinded the earlier staff interpretive guidance, SAB 121....more
In issuing the Advisory, the CFTC recognizes the potential for AI to transform the U.S. financial markets. However, given how far-reaching AI’s impact may be, the CFTC simultaneously cautions CFTC-regulated entities to be...more
New Crypto Products Announced by Financial Services Firms, Exchanges, DEXs -
A major U.S. cryptocurrency exchange recently announced that it has integrated a major mobile payments application into its Onramp tool to enable...more
12/9/2024
/ Banking Sector ,
Blockchain ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Digital Wallets ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Evasion ,
Hackers ,
Mobile Payments ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Online Platforms ,
Popular ,
Presidential Nominations ,
Retailers ,
Russia ,
SDN List ,
Trump Administration
Stablecoin Initiatives Announced by Fintech Companies, DeFi Protocols -
Major U.S. payments firm recently announced plans to enable “disbursement partners” to use the PYUSD stablecoin to settle cross-border money...more
11/25/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
Capital Markets ,
CFTC ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement ,
Enforcement Actions ,
ETFs ,
EU ,
FinTech ,
Initial Coin Offering (ICOs) ,
Institutional Investors ,
Investors ,
License Agreements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Singapore ,
Stablecoins ,
Unregistered Securities
Crypto Exchanges and Stablecoin Issuers Announce Multiple New Products -
Multiple crypto sector companies have recently announced new products. In a press release, LayerZero, “an omnichain interoperability protocol that...more
11/18/2024
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Benchmarks ,
Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
Criminal Convictions ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Data Security ,
Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Ethereum ,
Information Reports ,
Market Research ,
Money Laundering ,
Money Transmitter ,
Open Source Software ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Scams ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Stablecoins ,
Virtual Currency
Crypto Companies Announce New Stablecoin Products and Partnerships -
In recent press releases, U.S. crypto companies Paxos and Ripple announced new stablecoin products and partnerships. Paxos announced the launch of a new...more
10/21/2024
/ Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Assets ,
Ether Tokens ,
Ethereum ,
Popular ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Stablecoins ,
Virtual Currency
According to a recent press release by the banking cooperative that operates the world’s foremost global payment messaging network, central and commercial banks will soon be able to use the network “to carry out trial...more
10/7/2024
/ Blockchain ,
CFTC ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Information Reports ,
Payment Systems ,
Scams ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Smart Contracts ,
Trade Associations ,
Trading Platforms
Payments Firms Launch Crypto Products, New Crypto Adoption Data Published -
According to a recent press release, a well-known U.S. payments and financial technology company announced that it will allow its United States...more
9/30/2024
/ Asset Tokens ,
Blockchain ,
CFTC ,
Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
FinCEN ,
Foreign Currency ,
Futures Commission Merchants (FCMs) ,
Hackers ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Payment Systems ,
PayPal ,
Russia ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud ,
Stablecoins ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Unregistered Securities ,
Visa Inc
Kalshi is a CFTC registered exchange that allows for the placing of cash bets on a variety of real-world events. Specifically, through what it calls “event contracts,” Kalshi allows users to buy positions on whether an event...more
9/20/2024
/ CFTC ,
Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) ,
Derivatives ,
Designated Contract Markets (DCMs) ,
Exchange-Traded Products ,
Gambling ,
Gaming ,
General Elections ,
Illegal Gambling ,
Popular ,
Presidential Elections ,
State Elections ,
Statutory Authority
According to recent reports, two U.S. multinational financial technology companies have integrated Ethereum Name Service (ENS), a decentralized naming system built on the Ethereum blockchain, into their payment platforms....more
9/16/2024
/ Banking Sector ,
Blockchain ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Brokers ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
DFSA ,
DIFC ,
Digital Assets ,
Dubai ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Ethereum ,
FBI ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
FinTech ,
Hackers ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
Investment Fraud ,
Multinationals ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Popular ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Crypto Payments Firms Announce New Integrations and Initiatives -
According to reports, fintech bank Revolut recently announced a partnership with Ledger, a major crypto hardware wallet provider, to make it easier for...more
9/9/2024
/ Banks ,
Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
BSA/AML ,
CFTC ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Digital Platforms ,
Enforcement Actions ,
FBI ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hackers ,
Korea ,
Malware ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Phishing Scams ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Scams ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
State Attorneys General ,
Unregistered Securities ,
Wells Notice
Crypto Firms Announce New Products in Payments, Investments, Custody -
A major U.S. digital asset management company recently announced the creation and public launch of its MakerDAO Trust, which “offers investors the...more
8/19/2024
/ Bank Holding Company ,
Blockchain ,
BSA/AML ,
CFTC ,
Compliance ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Wallets ,
Ethereum ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Fraud ,
Monetary Authority of Singapore ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Payment Systems ,
Press Releases ,
Ripple ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud ,
Securities Tokens ,
Statutory Violations ,
Token Sales ,
Venture Capital ,
Whistleblower Awards ,
Whistleblowers
On Aug. 7, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York issued its judgment in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Ripple Labs, Inc., marking the end of district court- level proceedings in the highly...more
8/12/2024
/ Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Pending Litigation ,
Permanent Injunctions ,
Popular ,
Ripple ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Violations ,
Summary Judgment ,
Unregistered Securities
US Stablecoin Companies Achieve Licenses, Avoid SEC Enforcement Action -
According to a recent press release, Circle, the issuer of USDC and EURC, announced that it is now the “first global stablecoin issuer to achieve...more
7/15/2024
/ Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) ,
Blockchain ,
BSA/AML ,
Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDCs) ,
Compliance ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
Hackers ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Popular ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Royalties ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Stablecoins
Institutional Firms Enter Crypto Market; Crypto Firms Partner on New Products -
According to recent reports, a major global bank is establishing a spot trading desk for buying and selling bitcoin and ether. The new desk,...more
7/1/2024
/ Annual Reports ,
Banking Regulators ,
Blockchain ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
FinCEN ,
Mexico ,
Opioid ,
Partnerships ,
Risk Management ,
Significant Transnational Criminal Organization ,
UK ,
Virtual Currency
EigenLayer TVL Surpasses $20B; New Self-Custodial Wallet Features Launch -
According to recent reports, the total value locked (TVL) on the Ethereum network-based EigenLayer restaking protocol recently surpassed $20...more
6/17/2024
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Blockchain ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Wallets ,
FBI ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fraud ,
Hackers ,
Money Transmitter ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Popular ,
Scams
TradFi/DeFi Integrations Announced, Yield-Bearing Stablecoin Launches -
According to reports, Robinhood, a major U.S. financial services company, has entered into an agreement to acquire Bitstamp, a global cryptocurrency...more
6/10/2024
/ Blockchain ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Institutions ,
Hackers ,
Money Laundering ,
New Guidance ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
NYDFS ,
Popular ,
Risk Assessment ,
Stablecoins
In a recent press release, Grayscale Investments announced “the creation and public launch of two new crypto investment trusts: Grayscale Near Trust and Grayscale Stacks Trust.” According to the press release, “The trusts...more
6/3/2024
/ China ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
ETFs ,
Ether ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Indictments ,
Money Laundering ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Scams ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Wells Notice