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
Cryptocurrency Exchanges Forge New Paths, Bitcoin ETF Applications Continue - This week one of the largest U.S. cryptocurrency exchanges, Coinbase, completed its initial public offering through a direct listing of its shares...more
4/19/2021
/ Bitcoin ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
ETFs ,
European Central Bank ,
Fraud ,
Hackers ,
IRS ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Popular ,
Safe Harbors ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
On April 14, 2021, the U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination of Gary Gensler as the 33rd Chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC” or “Commission”). This change will bring forth a Democratic majority at the...more
4/16/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
CFTC ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Fraud ,
FSOC ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs)
Central Bank Digital Currencies Explored in Thailand, Japan and Sweden - According to a recent press release, the Bank of Thailand (BOT) is seeking public comment on the issuance and development of a Retail Central Bank...more
Crypto Firms Expand CBDC and Custody Initiatives, GSA Auctions Bitcoin - Ripple Labs recently released a white paper describing its XRP cryptocurrency as a way to link different central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). The...more
3/29/2021
/ Bitcoin ,
Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDCs) ,
CFTC ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
Enforcement Actions ,
ETFs ,
Financial Markets ,
Popular ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Virtual Currency
Crypto Firms Launch New Services, MIT Seeks to Improve Bitcoin Codebase - A San Francisco-based cryptocurrency custody firm successfully completed an $80 million funding round, following its recent procurement of a federal...more
3/8/2021
/ Banking Sector ,
Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
Hackers ,
Investment ,
Popular ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Virtual Currency
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
Cryptocurrency Exchanges and Financial Firms Announce Market Developments. Last week, Coinbase signified its intent to become a publicly traded company by announcing a proposed direct listing of its Class A common stock under...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
NY DFS Approves New Stablecoin Company, Crypto Financial Products Continue Growth - New York’s Department of Financial Services (DFS) recently granted a charter under New York Banking Law to a Japanese cryptocurrency firm...more
1/11/2021
/ Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Products ,
FinCEN ,
Fraud ,
NYDFS ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Popular ,
Stablecoins ,
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
Major U.S. Payments Firm Launches Cryptocurrency Service as Adoption Grows - This week a major U.S. Internet payments firm announced the launch of “a new service enabling its customers to buy, hold and sell cryptocurrency...more
On Sept. 30, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York granted the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) motion for summary judgment against Kik Interactive Inc. (Kik) and denied Kik’s...more
Crypto Initiatives Launched by Foreign Banks, Exchanges, Apps, Gaming Firms - According to a press release this week, the “Bank of Thailand (BOT) … has successfully launched the world’s first blockchain-based platform for...more
IRS Addresses Taxing Crypto Received in Microtasks, Swiss Enable Crypto Payments - Late last week, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released a memorandum on the topic “Taxation of Virtual Currency Received in the...more
Announcements Provide Details on New Cryptocurrency Payment Products - According to recent reports, a major U.S. mobile payments firm has announced that its Q2 revenue from selling bitcoin to customers through its Cash App...more
Monetary Authority of Singapore and World Bank Publish Blockchain Payments Reports - The fifth and final phase of Project Ubin, a blockchain project spearheaded by the Monetary Authority of Singapore, concluded this week. ...more
On July 9, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, First Department (First Department) issued a significant decision in James v. iFinex that confirmed the broad authority of the New York State Attorney...more
Blockchain Solutions Announced in Auto, Shipping, Medical and Aid Sectors - A prominent German automotive manufacturer announced this week that it has begun testing the use of blockchain technology for the company to monetize...more
On June 11, 2020 the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC), one of Canada’s provincial securities regulators, issued a report finding that QuadrigaCX (Quadriga), which went into bankruptcy a few months after founder and CEO...more
U.S. and Australia Explore Blockchain Solutions, Global Blockchain Survey Published - This week, Simba Chain announced that it has been awarded “a two-year, $1.5 million contract by the U.S. Air Force to fund a Phase II Small...more
Fish Producer Joins Food Trust, Blockchain Identity Solutions Advance in UK and US - Last week, a major Norwegian fish producer announced it will join the Food Trust – a permissioned, permanent and shared ledger of food...more
Blockchain Solutions Launch in Pharma, Energy and Food Industries - According to reports, the Chinese branch of one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world recently announced that it will work with VeChain to...more