A Conversation with SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce
Podcast: Is Cryptocurrency a Security (like an orange grove)?
Episode 286 -- Matt Stankiewicz on the Ripple Decision and Celsius CEO Indictment
From Station Wagon to Lamborghini: One CypherPunk’s Journey from Cryptoanarchy to Solana Cross-Chain NFT Innovations
Wax Studios
Summer Enforcement Action Review; Raising Money in a Pandemic - Investment Management Roundtable Discussion
Theoretical No More: Blockchain Technology, Cryptocurrencies and the Tax, Legal and Business Implications
In an opinion post for a16z crypto, Latham lawyer Jenny Cieplak calls for a new regulatory approach for tokenized securities. A significant number of projects over the past several years have “tokenized” so-called real...more
On 1 September 2024, the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), Qatar’s onshore business and financial centre, published its new Digital Asset Regulations 2024 and accompanying laws, rules and guidelines (the DA Regime). The DA...more
As of June 6, the SEC has brought 24 cryptocurrency enforcement actions between litigations and administrative proceedings. The number of cryptocurrency enforcement actions brought by the SEC in 2023 is advancing at a record...more
Regulators once again offered piecemeal guidance, while focusing on risks and enforcement. Meanwhile, innovation and institutional adoption took off. Last year, Latham & Watkins sounded a hopeful note that 2020 would provide...more
The SEC has settled charges against action star Steven Seagal for failing to disclose payments he received for promoting an investment in an initial coin offering (ICO) conducted by Bitcoiin2Gen (B2G)....more
SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce earlier this month proposed a draft SEC Rule 195 as a safe-harbor for developmental token offerings, providing a registration exemption for three-years to allow the token’s network to achieve...more
SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce continues to be one of the most vocal persons in leadership positions at federal regulators who are promoting innovation in digital currency and the blockchain....more
Upgraded legislation creates an enhanced regulatory framework for the new age of payments, including e-money and digital payment tokens. After much anticipation, and following consultations with the industry at large, the...more
Digital assets and Blockchain technologies which were once described as the tools of criminals, are now a key part of efforts by traditional financial services firms to transform their businesses and innovative firms looking...more
The Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures has published a report on wholesale digital tokens. The report focuses on how digital tokens might be used to effect settlement in wholesale transactions, replacing...more
The method by which cryptocurrency and digital asset companies issue their blockchain-based tokens into the market has evolved, pushed along by regulatory developments and technological advancements. We have observed the...more
Last week, a Canada-based social media company was sued by the Securities and Exchange Commission for purportedly conducting an unregistered securities offering to United States persons in connection with an initial coin...more
U.S. Developments - Regulatory Updates - SEC Releases “No-Action Letter” Stating Turnkey Jet ICO Tokens Are Not Securities and Releases “Framework for ‘Investment Contract’ Analysis of Digital Assets” - The U.S....more
U.S. Developments - Flood of State Virtual Currency Legislation - Since the start of the new year there have been roughly nine virtual currency bills introduced or passed in four different states. Overall, the bills...more
The notion of distributed ledger (formally denominated “shared electronic recording system, or DEEP in French) was first introduced to French law in 2016 by Ordinance No. 2016-520 of April 28, 2016 (the “Minibon...more
There exists no uniformity with respect to how businesses that deal in virtual currencies (also known as "cryptocurrencies") such as Bitcoin are treated among the states....more
It was quite a run, but on Thursday, ECB chief Mario Draghi announced that the bank is finally putting an end to the quantitative easing program it’s used “to hold down interest rates and encourage lending” since 2015. ...more
In the last month, UK and European politicians have been vocal about the regulation, or lack thereof, in the virtual currency sphere. ...more
In a regulatory first, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued a cease and desist order and imposed a $200,000 fine against a hedge fund that invested in digital assets and its founder. ...more
What has happened? The Jersey Financial Services Commission (JFSC) has issued a guidance note on its approach to initial coin offerings (ICOs)....more
The regulatory focus on initial coin offerings (ICOs) in France continues unabated, with the French Treasury proposing a new legislative framework, yet to be officially adopted, that aims to balance the development of ICO...more
A lot of us in the sanctions compliance world were wondering whether and when OFAC would issue official guidance on its application of sanctions in the digital currency world. On March 18, OFAC issued five FAQs related to...more
In a recently published letter to the Senate Finance Committee, FinCEN confirmed that when an ICO token is a “convertible virtual currency,” administrators or exchangers of the token would be “money transmitters” under...more
What you should know The UAE's federal financial services and securities regulator, the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA), has issued a public warning statement on 4 February 2018 in relation to initial coin...more
The Situation: The Financial Services Agency of Japan ("FSA") has released a statement on initial coin offerings ("ICOs"). It clarifies the regulatory position of ICOs under Japanese law and also highlights potential risks to...more