US Firm Acquires Crypto Co., Swiss Digital Asset Exchange Gains License - In a recent press release, a major U.S. financial services firm announced its acquisition of CipherTrace, a blockchain analytics and cryptocurrency...more
CBDC Initiatives Announced, Blockchain Trade Finance Platform Launches - This week, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) announced Project Dunbar, an initiative in which BIS will collaborate with the Reserve Bank of...more
9/7/2021
/ Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDCs) ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
Financial Markets ,
Fraud ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Popular ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Virtual Currency
Crypto Market Develops in DeFi, Payments, Compliance and Consumer Adoption - A large institutional financial and media conglomerate recently announced a partnership with a major financial services and investment management...more
8/30/2021
/ Blockchain ,
CFTC ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
Financial Markets ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Online Marketplace ,
Popular ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Virtual Currency
Crypto Adoption Index Published, Regulators Address Crypto Across Globe - The 2021 Chainalysis Global Crypto Adoption Index was published on Wednesday, providing an in-depth review of cryptocurrency adoption around the...more
Crypto Firms Pursue Bank Charters, Traditional Financial Firms Integrate Crypto - This week, the Wyoming Division of Banking granted a new Special Purpose Depository Institution (SPDI) bank charter to Commercium Financial...more
New Crypto Products Launch in Payment Cards, Gold and Sandwiches - Coinjar, an Australian cryptocurrency exchange, recently announced its launch of a payment card backed by a major U.S. credit card and financial services...more
NCUA Seeks Comment on DeFi, Crypto Firms Launch Products, Gain Licenses - The National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), a federal agency that charters and regulates federal credit unions, recently published a notice of...more
US Stablecoin Issuers Publish New Details on US Dollar Reserves - This week, Circle, the issuer of USDC – a cryptocurrency “stablecoin” with each unit backed 1:1 by U.S. dollars – published its latest reserve attestation...more
Rob Musiala, a Counsel in the Digital Assets and Data Management group and the co-leader of our Blockchain Technologies and Digital Currencies team, breaks down everything you need to know about NFTs, all in 10 minutes or...more
7/26/2021
/ Blockchain ,
CFTC ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
Ethereum ,
FinCEN ,
Investors ,
IRS ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Royalties ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Smart Contracts
USDC Expands to 10 New Blockchains, Crypto Payment Initiatives Launch - The Centre Consortium recently announced that USDC, a stablecoin that is backed 1:1 by U.S. dollars, will soon be added to 10 additional blockchain...more
7/12/2021
/ Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Markets ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Popular ,
Stablecoins ,
Virtual Currency
Market Actors Continue to Integrate Cryptocurrency into Payment Systems - According to a press release this week, California-based Silvergate Bank announced that it will become the issuer of Diem USD, a new cryptocurrency...more
5/17/2021
/ Bitcoin ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Hackers ,
Investment ,
Investors ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Payment Systems ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Virtual Currency
CBDC Paper Released, NY DFS Grants License, Study Cites Crypto Adoption - The Digital Dollar Project, a partnership created by the Digital Dollar Foundation, released a white paper this week highlighting use cases for a U.S....more
Crypto Adoption Continues in Credit Cards, OCC Approval, Restaurant Paymentsc - According to recent reports, a major U.S. financial services firm and Gemini, one of the largest U.S. cryptocurrency exchanges, will soon launch...more
US Institutional Financial Firms, and Fintech Startups, Launch Crypto Products - A major U.S. financial services corporation announced this week that it would begin to settle transactions over the Ethereum Network in USD Coin...more
4/5/2021
/ Bitcoin ,
Broker-Dealer ,
CFTC ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Currency ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinCEN ,
Fraud ,
IRS ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Popular ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Virtual Currency
NFTs Make Headlines, Global Payments Firm Launches Cryptocurrency Unit - Nonfungible tokens (NFTs) rule the blockchain world this week, with numerous high-profile campaigns making headlines. Digital artist Beeple sold a JPG...more
Payment Firms Adopt Cryptocurrencies, Company Purchases $1.5 Billion in Bitcoin - According to a press release, last week the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency provided conditional approval to Protego Trust Bank for a...more
FinCEN Extends Crypto Rule Comment Period, Crypto Payment Products Launch - This week the U.S. Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) published a notice extending the comment period for its proposed rule that would...more
Exchanges and Banks Expand Cryptocurrency Services and Products - A major U.S. cryptocurrency exchange recently announced the launch of its asset hub. The initiative is intended to “streamline the asset listing process … and...more
Crypto Trust to Convert to Bank, FinCEN Extends New Rule Comment - The Anchorage Trust Company, a subsidiary of Anchor Labs, an advanced digital asset platform (Anchorage), secured conditional approval this week from the...more
FinCEN Proposed Rule Creates New Cryptocurrency Record-Keeping Requirements - On Dec. 18, 2020, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), a bureau of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, published a notice of...more
Canadian Ether Fund Launches, Swiss Bank Tokenizes Shares, New German Law Passed - Earlier this month, 3iQ Corp., a Toronto-based investment management firm, announced the listing of its fund, The Ether Fund (the Fund), on...more
12/22/2020
/ Asset Management ,
Blockchain ,
Canada ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Currency ,
Estonia ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Popular ,
Royalties ,
UK ,
Virtual Currency
The Telegram case is arguably the most important case of 2020 involving the legal classification of blockchain-based digital assets. Because it is often cost-prohibitive for companies to challenge the government in court, the...more
Cryptocurrency Firms and Legacy Financial Institutions Worldwide Make Crypto Moves - Two cryptocurrency firms filed applications this week with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to become federally regulated banks...more
12/14/2020
/ Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Currency ,
Financial Institutions ,
Popular ,
Securities Fraud ,
Tax Evasion ,
Token Sales ,
Virtual Currency ,
White Collar Crimes
Credit Card Company To Integrate USDC Payments, 401(k) Advisor Integrates Bitcoin - A major U.S. credit card company has announced plans to link its global payments network of over 60 million merchants to a cryptocurrency...more
12/7/2020
/ 401k ,
Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
Credit Cards ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
FinHub ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Popular ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Virtual Currency
The third episode in the series focuses on the differences and similarities between the Ethereum Network, HyperLedger, and other key blockchain networks. Topics discussed include smart contracts, public versus private...more