Background and Scope -
The Assessment was drafted by Treasury’s Office of Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes (“TFFC”), in consultation with multiple U.S. agencies, including the Departments of Homeland Security,...more
Montenegro Announces CBDC Pilot, BIS Compares CBDCs to Stablecoins -
According to a recent press release, “The Central Bank of Montenegro (CBCG) has agreed to collaborate with the enterprise crypto and blockchain solutions...more
4/17/2023
/ AML/CFT ,
Banks ,
Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDCs) ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Ethereum ,
EU ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Hackers ,
Popular ,
Risk Assessment ,
Stablecoins ,
Tax Liability ,
U.S. Treasury
Crypto Exchange Ends U.S. Operations, Swiss Bank to Expand Crypto Offerings -
Late last month, Bittrex, a leading cryptocurrency exchange founded in Seattle, announced it was closing U.S. operations effective April 30,...more
4/10/2023
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Commodities ,
Compliance ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Fraud ,
Money Laundering ,
National Futures Association ,
Ponzi Scheme ,
Popular ,
Scams ,
State Securities Regulators
NFT Integration Software Released; NFTs Used to Serve Complaint in Civil Action -
According to a recent press release, a major U.S. software company has launched a suite of tools that will allow users to “enter the Web3 and...more
3/20/2023
/ Compliance ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Assets ,
Financial Crimes ,
Money Laundering ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Popular ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Service of Process ,
Terrorist Financing Regulations ,
U.S. Treasury
Reserve Bank of Australia and BIS Commence Efforts to Advance CBDCs -
In a recent announcement, the Reserve Bank of Australia and the Digital Finance Cooperative Research Centre (DFCRC) released details on an ongoing...more
3/13/2023
/ Bitcoin ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDCs) ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
FinTech ,
PCAOB ,
Risk Assessment ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Dapper Labs was founded in 2018 shortly after the debut of its first NFT collection, “CryptoKitties,” which was so successful it created a bottleneck of transactions on the decentralized Ethereum Network. Seeking faster...more
3/7/2023
/ Blockchain ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Digital Assets ,
Ethereum ,
Howey ,
Investment Contract ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Popular ,
Securities ,
Securities Act of 1933
Proof of Stake Alliance Publishes Analysis, Advocates for Industry Standards -
This week the Proof of Stake Alliance (POSA), a nonprofit industry alliance focused on proof of stake (PoS) ecosystems, announced their newly...more
2/27/2023
/ CFTC ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Financial Transactions ,
Howey ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Unregistered Securities
Mango Markets is a decentralized cryptocurrency exchange that allows users to purchase and borrow cryptocurrencies and cryptocurrency-related financial products. Mango Markets is run by the Mango Decentralized Autonomous...more
2/27/2023
/ CFTC ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Platforms ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fraud ,
Market Manipulation ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Trading Platforms ,
Wire Fraud
DeFi Protocols Announce Updates, US Bank Introduces Deposit Token Concept -
According to recent reports, Rocket Pool, a decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol used as an Ethereum (ETH) staking service, has reached $1...more
Reports Address Crypto Ownership, Stablecoins and Dapp Adoption -
Recent reports provide new data on various areas of the digital asset market. In one report, a survey published by a cryptocurrency trading platform found...more
1/30/2023
/ Blockchain ,
CFTC ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Digital Assets ,
FBI ,
Hackers ,
New Guidance ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
NYDFS ,
Request For Information ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Stablecoins
Paper Explores Benefits of DeFi for FX; Australian Bank Launches Stablecoin -
A recent industry paper found that DeFi can reduce costs and enhance transparency in foreign exchange (FX) markets. The paper concludes that...more
1/23/2023
/ Blockchain ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
FinCEN ,
Online Platforms ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Stablecoins
New Data Published on 2022 Crypto Exchange Trading Volume, NFT Royalties -
According to recent reports, Binance, currently the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, controlled 92 percent of global...more
1/16/2023
/ CFTC ,
Criminal Investigations ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Data-Sharing ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Popular ,
Royalties
Crypto Apps Launch New Features, Custody Firm Achieves CCSS Certificate -
According to recent reports, Uniswap V3 was the most used Ethereum contract in 2022, seeing over 15.5 million transactions throughout 2022 and using...more
1/9/2023
/ Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Assets ,
Fraud ,
Fundraisers ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Popular ,
Risk Alert ,
Risk Assessment ,
Scams ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Unregistered Securities
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Division of Corporation Finance (CorpFin) recently issued guidance (Guidance), including a “Dear Issuer” Sample Letter (Sample Letter) to assist companies in meeting their...more
Payments Firms Launch Crypto Products, New DeFi Price Indices Announced -
A U.S. fintech company recently announced the launch of a fiat-to-crypto on-ramp, which facilitates fiat-to-crypto payments using “a customizable...more
12/12/2022
/ AML/CFT ,
Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDCs) ,
Compliance ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinCEN ,
FinTech ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Popular ,
Royalties ,
Token Sales ,
Trading Platforms
New Research and Surveys Address CBDCs, Institutional Crypto Investment -
Staff from the board of governors of the U.S. central bank recently published a research paper addressing central bank digital currencies (CBDCs)....more
12/5/2022
/ Banking Sector ,
Bitcoin Mining ,
Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDCs) ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Data Collection ,
Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Wallets ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Fraud ,
Initial Coin Offering (ICOs) ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Money Laundering ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
USPTO
In a sudden and stunning collapse, FTX, the world’s second largest cryptocurrency exchange, run by 30-year-old Sam Bankman-Fried along with more than 130 entities affiliated with FTX, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy...more
CBDC Report Published, Blockchain Settlement and Payment Initiatives Launch -
This week the New York branch of the U.S. central bank published a report on the Phase I results of Project Cedar, “a multiphase research effort...more
11/14/2022
/ Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDCs) ,
CFTC ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
Fraud ,
Hackers ,
Information Reports ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Popular ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Takeaways:
..The Court granted the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (the SEC) motion for summary judgment, holding that LBC tokens are securities and that the offers and sales of the tokens by LBRY, Inc. (LBRY)...more
New Crypto Products Launch; Singapore Completes DeFi Pilot with Major Banks -
In a press release published this week, a major U.S. cross-border payments and money transfer company announced a new service in its existing...more
11/7/2022
/ Blockchain ,
CFTC ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Digital Assets ,
Ethereum ,
Hackers ,
IRS ,
New Guidance ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Popular ,
Risk Management ,
Royalties
Crypto Products Launch in Debit Cards, Payment Gateways, Trading Platforms -
This week, two cryptocurrency financial services and trading platforms announced partnerships with traditional financial services companies to...more
10/31/2022
/ Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDCs) ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
FinTech ,
Malware ,
Metaverse ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Payment Systems ,
Regulatory Authority ,
State Securities Regulators ,
Supply Chain
On October 11, 2022, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced a $29 million civil monetary penalty against Bittrex, a...more
10/25/2022
/ Bank Secrecy Act ,
BSA/AML ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Compliance ,
Consent Order ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Enforcement Actions ,
FinCEN ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Statutory Violations
Crypto Developments Emerge in Payments, Trading, Staking and Accounting
This week, a global financial services and payment technology firm announced that it has partnered with a major U.S. cryptocurrency custody and...more
New Crypto Products Launch in Custody, Cloud Collaborations and Stablecoins -
This week, a major U.S. financial institution announced that its Digital Asset Custody platform is now live in the United States. According to...more
10/17/2022
/ Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Currency ,
Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Stability Board ,
FinCEN ,
Fines ,
Government Investigations ,
Hackers ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
OECD ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Stablecoins ,
Statutory Violations
Exchange Reaches Agreement to Sell Assets; New Crypto Products Launch -
In a press release this week, Voyager Digital, a cryptocurrency exchange that recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, announced that it selected the...more
10/3/2022
/ Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
CFTC ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
FinTech ,
Fraud ,
IRS ,
John Doe Investigation ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Popular ,
Scams ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
U.S. Treasury ,
UK