On May 3, 2023, a jury found Nathaniel Chastain, a former manager of OpenSea (a major NFT marketplace), guilty of wire fraud and money laundering in connection with his attempts to conceal his use of confidential business...more
5/25/2023
/ Commodities ,
Confidential Information ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Criminal Convictions ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Digital Assets ,
Fraud ,
Insider Trading ,
Jury Verdicts ,
Material Nonpublic Information ,
Misappropriation ,
Money Laundering ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Securities ,
Wire Act ,
Wire Fraud
Product Integrations and Data Indicate Increased Interest in DeFi -
MetaMask, a web3 Ethereum Network cryptocurrency wallet, recently announced a new integration with a major U.S. payments and fintech firm....more
5/22/2023
/ Blockchain ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDCs) ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Ethereum ,
FATF ,
FinTech ,
Fraud ,
IRS ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Ukraine
ETH Staking Data Published, USDC Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol Launches -
New data reflects that the recent amount of staking withdrawals on Ethereum has been balanced by a roughly equal amount of deposits. According to...more
5/1/2023
/ Blockchain ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Ethereum ,
IRS ,
Market Manipulation ,
Money Laundering ,
New Guidance ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
SDN List
European Bank Launches Stablecoin; Financial Firms Expand Crypto Products -
A subsidiary of a major European financial services firm recently launched EUR CoinVertible (EURCV), an Ethereum ERC20 stablecoin backed 1:1 by...more
4/24/2023
/ Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Wallets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Ethereum ,
Hackers ,
Popular ,
SDN List ,
Stablecoins
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
Staking Market Launches, ‘Defi Cover’ Data Published, DAO Buys Golf Course
According to a recent press release, MetaMask Institutional, “the web3 wallet for organizations,” has launched its “institutional staking...more
3/27/2023
/ Biden Administration ,
Blockchain ,
Celebrities ,
Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDCs) ,
Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Assets ,
Fraud ,
Hackers ,
IRS ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Popular ,
Russia ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Wells Notice
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
On February 1, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York dismissed a putative class action brought by customers of Coinbase Global Inc. and its subsidiary Coinbase Inc. (together, Coinbase), alleging the...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
On January 4, 2023, the New York State Department of Financial Services (“DFS”) announced that Coinbase, Inc., a major U.S. cryptocurrency exchange, will pay a $50 million penalty and invest an additional $50 million in its...more
1/17/2023
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Bank Secrecy Act ,
Coinbase ,
Compliance ,
Consent Order ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Customer Due Diligence (CDD) ,
Cybersecurity ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Government Investigations ,
Know Your Customers ,
Money Transmitter ,
NYDFS ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Regulatory Violations ,
Settlement ,
Statutory Violations ,
Virtual Currency
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)