News & Analysis as of

Cryptocurrency Howey Investors

A&O Shearman

SEC staff takes a position on the securities status of protocol staking activities

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On May 29, 2025, the staff of the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance (the “Staff”) issued a statement concluding that certain proof-of-stake blockchain “staking” activities do not involve the offer or sale of “securities”...more

Ankura

Understanding the Crypto Ripple Effect

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On July 13, 2023, the Court ruled in partial favor of Ripple Labs Inc.’s argument that many of its XRP sales did not violate investor-protection laws. The ruling has sent the crypto world ablaze with speculation on the future...more

Paul Hastings LLP

Public Company Watch: August 2023

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In the August edition of our Public Company Watch, we cover key issues impacting public companies, including the SEC’s enhanced disclosure requirements regarding cybersecurity risk management, strategy, governance and...more

Mintz - Securities Litigation Viewpoints

Judge Rakoff puts the Ripple Party on Ice as the Crypto Community and SEC Ponder their Next Moves

Just barely two weeks ago, we wrote about the half-victory for Ripple Labs in its ongoing litigation with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), in which Judge Analisa Torres granted partial summary judgment in favor...more

Winstead PC

Ripple’s Legal Waves: Ripple Summary Judgment Ruling Could Have Wide-Ranging Impact

Winstead PC on

In a recent and highly anticipated decision, a court in the Southern District of New York held that Ripple’s cryptocurrency token – XRP – is not inherently a security. In a setback to the SEC, the court also held that...more

Mintz - Securities Litigation Viewpoints

Will a Half-Victory for Ripple Labs Create a Wave of Good News for Digital Asset Exchanges?

On July 13, 2023, a New York federal judge issued a landmark split decision in the SEC v. Ripple Labs case that takes a step toward answering one of the biggest questions in the digital asset space: whether cryptocurrency...more

Amundsen Davis LLC

Cryptocurrency Companies Should Expect More SEC Enforcement in the Near Future

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The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has been increasing its enforcement actions against cryptocurrency companies and individuals in recent years. In 2022, the SEC brought 24 litigation actions in federal courts and 6...more

Harris Beach Murtha PLLC

The First FTX Lawsuit – Class Action Crypto

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On November 15, 2022, the CEO of FTX and various alleged celebrity endorsers were sued in Florida federal court by Edwin Garrison, an FTX investor. In the complaint, Garrison alleges that FTX engaged in the unlawful sale of a...more

Mintz - Securities Litigation Viewpoints

“We lost. Sorry everyone”: The Implications of a District Court Finding Digital Token, LBC, Is a Security

Crypto litigation, fueled by a surge of investors and market volatility, has ballooned in recent years. For example, numerous securities class actions and government subpoenas followed the May 2022 collapse of the $60 billion...more

Amundsen Davis LLC

BlockFi Settlement: A New Era in Crypto Regulation?

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On February 14, 2022, BlockFi Lending LLC (BlockFi) settled charges with the SEC and state securities regulators for a total of $100 million in penalties. BlockFi was charged with a failure to register the offer and sales of...more

Foley & Lardner LLP

Class Certification Analysis in a Cryptocurrency Case: Williams v. Kucoin

Foley & Lardner LLP on

A recent class certification decision out of the Southern District of New York provides insights on how courts will analyze the requirements for class certification, at least at the initial stage, in cases involving...more

Proskauer - The Capital Commitment

Cryptocurrencies and Other Digital Assets: A New Regime

Cryptocurrencies and digital assets will continue to be an area of intense regulatory focus, but a new administration may bring new regulations. SEC Chairman Gensler has extensive experience with cryptocurrencies and...more

Proskauer - The Capital Commitment

Three Critical Questions That Will (Hopefully) be Answered by the SEC’s Lawsuit against Ripple

Late last year, the SEC filed a litigated action in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against Ripple Labs Inc. and two of its executive officers (collectively, “Ripple”), alleging that Ripple...more

Sullivan & Worcester

Ether Is…a Commodity

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It is official. Finally. On October 10, 2019, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) Chairman Heath Tarbert announced that he believes ether is a commodity and thus falls under the jurisdiction of the CFTC....more

McDermott Will & Emery

Blockchain Tokens: The SEC Staff Issues Its Framework for Determining Whether an ICO is an Issuance of Securities

McDermott Will & Emery on

In its long-awaited guidance, the Staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission recently provided a lengthy list of factors to consider when determining whether an initial coin offering (ICO) is a security. While the...more

Perkins Coie

The SEC and Digital Assets—A Busy Year End

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The end of the year has been a very busy time for the SEC in the digital asset space. From speeches to the issuance of joint statements to enforcement actions, there are many things to highlight, discuss and consider. This...more

Perkins Coie

Senior SEC Official Provides Regulatory Clarity for Digital Assets

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During a speech in San Francisco last week at the Yahoo Finance All Markets Summit, William Hinman, Director of the Division of Corporation Finance of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), provided some welcome...more

Proskauer - Blockchain and the Law

SEC Director William Hinman: “Current offers and sales of Ether are not securities transactions”

At last week’s Yahoo! All Markets Summit in Palo Alto, SEC Division of Corporation Finance Director William Hinman delivered a speech sure to send shockwaves through the crypto world. Applying the Howey test (which sets forth...more

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

The SEC’s Shutdown of the Munchee ICO

Commission’s action shows the limited utility of the utility token-security token distinction. Regulator finds that sellers of blockchain-based digital coins cannot dodge securities law by calling the coins “utility...more

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs): The Current State of Play

The ICO boom in 2017 brings with it questions of jurisdiction and compliance, and a need for further guidance - The benefits of ICOs in raising capital, as well as in providing a marketing push for a new business model,...more

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