News & Analysis as of

Cryptocurrency Investment Contract Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

DLA Piper

SEC Staff Concludes Protocol Staking Activities on Proof-of-Stake Networks Are Not Securities

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On May 29, 2025, the Division of Corporation Finance of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a statement clarifying its views on the application of federal securities laws to certain proof-of-stake (PoS)...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

SEC: Certain ‘Protocol Staking Activities’ Are Not Securities Transactions

On May 29, 2025, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) Division of Corporation Finance issued a statement providing that certain cryptoasset staking activities in connection with proof-of-stake (PoS) networks do...more

Morrison & Foerster LLP

SEC Concludes Certain Protocol Staking Activities Are Not Securities Offerings

On May 29, 2025, the Staff of the Division of Corporation Finance (the “Staff”) of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a statement[1] (the “Staking Statement”) concluding that certain protocol staking...more

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

Lowenstein Sandler LLP

SEC Staff Clarifies That Certain Staking Activities Are Not Securities

Protocol Staking Under the Federal Securities Laws - Historically, the SEC has taken issue with certain staking activities under the federal securities laws. The SEC previously alleged that staking-as-a-service programs...more

Hogan Lovells

The SEC’s Crypto Road Trip Gathers Momentum - Crypto Task Force begins clarifying security status and outlining registered...

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Three months into the life of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Crypto Task Force, the SEC staff has begun taking tangible steps to define its evolving approach to the regulation of digital assets. In a series of...more

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Corporation Finance Issues Two Unusual Statements Regarding Regulation of Digital Assets

The Division of Corporation Finance (Division) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently issued two statements regarding whether certain tokens, or arrangements involving tokens, constitute “investment...more

Mayer Brown Free Writings + Perspectives

SEC Staff Statement on Meme Coins and Commissioner Crenshaw’s Response

On February 27, in what is likely the first of many statements about crypto assets, the Staff of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Corporation Finance (the “Division”) posted a statement on Meme Coins...more

Fenwick & West LLP

Looking Under the Hood of $TRUMP’s Legal Strategy

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On Friday, January 17, 2024, President Donald J. Trump announced the launch of the $TRUMP memecoin, which was organized and sold by CIC Digital, an affiliate of the Trump Organization. Within 60 hours, $TRUMP reportedly...more

Fenwick & West LLP

Crypto Litigation and Enforcement: Q3 2024 - Key Takeaways and Updates

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Civil and criminal litigation heated up this summer in high-profile crypto matters that will affect crypto projects moving forward. For their quarterly crypto lit update, partner David Feder and associates Rebecca...more

Farella Braun + Martel LLP

Howey Test for Crypto Asset Transactions Analyzed in Recent Denial of Kraken's Motion to Dismiss in ND California

In a recent decision in SEC v. Payward, Inc. (d/b/a “Kraken”), Judge Orrick of the Northern District of California denied Kraken's motion to dismiss the SEC's suit against it. In its complaint, the SEC alleges that Kraken...more

Morrison & Foerster LLP

Top 5 SEC Enforcement Developments for August 2024

Each month, we publish a roundup of the most important SEC enforcement developments for busy in-house lawyers and compliance professionals. This month, we examine: •The SEC’s case against crypto firm Kraken is permitted to...more

Fenwick & West LLP

Crypto Litigation & Enforcement: H1 2024  - Key Takeaways and Updates

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The beginning of this year brought several legal milestones in the world of crypto litigation and enforcement. In the first live installment of our quarterly update webinar, we discussed how...more

Fenwick & West LLP

SEC v. Binance: Court Decides Majority of Claims Can Proceed but Expresses Skepticism of SEC’s Application of Law to the...

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Of particular importance for the crypto industry, the opinion analyzes the SEC’s allegations that Binance and BAM offered and sold various tokens and programs to investors as investment contracts without registering them with...more

Latham & Watkins LLP

US House of Representatives Passes Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act

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FIT21 would provide regulatory certainty for the US digital asset ecosystem, balancing support for innovation with consumer protection....more

Latham & Watkins LLP

Ruling for SEC Clears Path for Continued Litigation in SEC v. Coinbase

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The decision, which addresses a broad range of market activity by Coinbase relating to 13 third-party tokens, could have significant implications for market participants. On March 27, 2024, Judge Katherine Failla of the US...more

Vinson & Elkins LLP

Another Notch in the SEC’s Belt: SEC v. Coinbase, Inc.

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Another Southern District of New York (“SDNY”) court has sided with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) in its enforcement campaign against the unregistered sale of cryptocurrency assets. On March 27, 2024, in SEC...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Inside Look: The SEC’s Enforcement Action Against Cryptocurrency Exchange Kraken

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On November 20, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) instituted a civil enforcement action against Kraken, a major U.S. cryptocurrency exchange. The SEC alleged Kraken operated as an unregistered broker, dealer,...more

A&O Shearman

SEC charges Impact Theory for unregistered offering of NFTs

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On August 28, 2023, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) charged Impact Theory, LLC (“Impact Theory”), a media and entertainment company headquartered in Los Angeles, with conducting an unregistered securities...more

Jones Day

SEC Brings Its First Enforcement Action Against Non-Fungible Token Sellers

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Two SEC commissioners dissented and urged the Commission to provide further guidance on non-fungible tokens ("NFTs")....more

Mayer Brown Free Writings + Perspectives

For the First Time, the US SEC Sanctions an NFT Issuer for Selling Unregistered Securities in SEC v. Impact Theory

In a published settlement of the charges on August 28, 2023, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) stated that non-fungible tokens (“NFTs”) issued by Impact Theory, LLC (“Impact”) were “securities” under US...more

Ballard Spahr LLP

SEC Finds NFT to Be a Security in Landmark Action

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Summary - The SEC’s focus on the crypto industry expanded this week to include non-fungible tokens (NFTs). In its first NFT-enforcement action, the SEC settled with Impact Theory, a media and entertainment company, over...more

Jones Day

Ripple and Terraform Labs: Two New York District Courts Address the Status of Certain Crypto Assets as Securities

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In Short - The Situation: Recently, two judges in Southern District of New York were required to apply the Howey test in separate cases to decide whether sales of certain crypto assets were investment contracts, and thus...more

Jenner & Block

Client Alert: Ripple, and Terra, and Coinbase, Oh My!

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Three federal judges in the Southern District of New York sit at the center of the long-running battle between the SEC and the crypto industry, overseeing cases that may eventually bring clarity to the industry. After two...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

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