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
On September 16, 2022, the U.S. Department of the Treasury published a report, “The Future of Money and Payments” (Report), in response to the President’s March 2022 Executive Order on Ensuring Responsible Development of...more
10/3/2022
/ AML/CFT ,
Biden Administration ,
Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDCs) ,
Digital Assets ,
Executive Orders ,
Information Reports ,
Money Services Business ,
Payment Systems ,
Public Policy ,
Stablecoins ,
U.S. Treasury
Non-Fungible Marketing: Brands Continue to Launch NFTs -
A South Korean technology company has reportedly launched a weeklong promotion in the metaverse. According to reports, the virtual events occurred across multiple...more
9/26/2022
/ AML/CFT ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Assets ,
Fraud ,
Hackers ,
Information Reports ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
SDN List ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
U.S. Treasury
Ethereum Network Completes Transition to Proof of Stake Consensus -
After years of development and delays, Ethereum’s long-awaited “merge” occurred this week, changing the network’s consensus mechanism from proof-of-work...more
9/19/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Blockchain ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Ethereum ,
Executive Orders ,
Impact Assessments ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Ponzi Scheme ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
NFT Initiatives Launch in Ticket Sales, Social Media and College Football -
According to a recent press release, a major ticket sales and distribution company announced that event organizers who sell tickets on its platform...more
9/12/2022
/ Banking Regulators ,
Blockchain ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fraud ,
Hackers ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
OCC ,
Popular ,
Sports
Takeaways -
..U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC, or Commission) Chair Gary Gensler reaffirmed his view that the “vast majority” of cryptocurrency tokens are securities, and recent agency enforcement actions...more
On August 1, 2022, the New York State Department of Financial Services (“DFS” or “Department”) issued a Consent Order, imposing a $30 million fine on Robinhood Crypto, LLC (“Robinhood”), a trading platform that allows...more
New NFT Initiatives Announced in Jewelry, Automobile and Liquor Industries -
A U.S. luxury jeweler has reportedly partnered with the popular NFT (non-fungible tokens) collection CryptoPunk to transform the digital...more
8/8/2022
/ Banking Sector ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Deposit Insurance ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Regulatory Agencies ,
Fraud ,
Hackers ,
New Guidance ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Regulatory Violations ,
Virtual Currency
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) often involve two areas with known money laundering and terrorist financing risks: cryptocurrencies and high-value assets, like art. As detailed below, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial...more
CryptoPunk Sold at $2.6M, USPTO to Address NFTs, Court Approves NFT Service -
A rare NFT from the CryptoPunk collection recently sold for approximately $2.6 million, the fifth-largest sale in the collection’s history....more
7/18/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Copyright Office ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement ,
Financial Regulatory Agencies ,
FSB ,
Information Reports ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
IOSCO ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Stablecoins ,
U.S. Treasury ,
UK ,
USPTO
Financial Firm Launches Crypto Group, MakerDAO Votes to Integrate with Bank -
A major multinational financial institution recently “announced the formation of its Digital Assets and Financial Markets group.” According to...more
7/11/2022
/ Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) ,
Brand ,
CFTC ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Action Task Force ,
Financial Institutions ,
Fraud ,
Hackers ,
Infringement ,
IP Litigation ,
New Guidance ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs)
New Fiat-Pegged Stablecoins Launch, BIS Publishes New Findings on CBDCs -
Late last week, a global fintech firm and issuer of the dollar-pegged stablecoin, USD Coin (USDC), announced that it was preparing to issue a...more
6/27/2022
/ Auction ,
Canada ,
Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDCs) ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Stablecoins ,
Startups ,
Ukraine
Firms Announce New Crypto Initiatives; Data Published on Crypto and NFT Use -
Late last week, a major U.S. cryptocurrency custodian announced “a groundbreaking, industry-first custody exchange network giving institutions...more
6/20/2022
/ Australia ,
Blockchain ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Assets ,
FinTech ,
First Amendment ,
Fourth Amendment ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Scams ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Stablecoins
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are the latest advancement in the ongoing evolution of the blockchain market. To help put this new phenomenon into context, the BakerHostetler Blockchain team has prepared a series of papers that...more
A well-known digital currency investment services company announced the launch of its first European exchange-traded fund (ETF), according to a press release this week. The ETF, which will be traded on multiple foreign...more
5/23/2022
/ Bitcoin ,
Bitcoin Mining ,
Blockchain ,
Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDCs) ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Evasion ,
Exchange-Traded Products ,
FinCEN ,
Investment Funds ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Partnerships ,
Popular ,
Risk Assessment ,
Scams ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
U.S. Commerce Department
BIS Releases Survey on CBDC Initiatives; New Crypto Products Launch -
The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) recently released the results of its 2021 survey of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). According to...more
5/16/2022
/ Casinos ,
Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDCs) ,
CFTC ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Exchange-Traded Products ,
Korea ,
Metaverse ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Popular ,
SDN List ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Security Risk Assessments ,
Stablecoins
According to reports, a major U.S.-based global investment bank has allowed a borrower to use bitcoin as collateral for a cash loan, for the first time in the bank’s history. In other financial news, according to reports, the...more
5/9/2022
/ Banks ,
Bitcoin ,
Bitcoin Mining ,
Blockchain ,
Collateral ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
FinCEN ,
Fraud ,
Hackers ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
NYDFS ,
Patriot Act ,
Retailers ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Key Takeaways -
..SEC enforcement actions related to crypto and cyber are expected to significantly increase with the additional 20 staff assigned to the Division of Enforcement unit dedicated to these industries....more
A major U.S. fintech firm recently announced the launch of a “crypto payouts” pilot that will allow a select group of creators to receive cryptocurrency payments through a major social media platform. According to a press...more
5/2/2022
/ 401k ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Bitcoin ,
Bitcoin Mining ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Wallets ,
El Salvador ,
Enforcement ,
Evasion ,
FinTech ,
Indictments ,
New Regulations ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Online Platforms ,
Popular ,
Stablecoins