On Dec. 12, 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission brought what crypto followers consider one of the most consequential enforcement actions related to the sale of cryptocurrency since the
Virtual Currencies, Digital Assets & the Law
On Dec. 12, 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission brought what crypto followers consider one of the most consequential enforcement actions related to the sale of cryptocurrency since the…
On Oct. 11, 2022, the U.S. Treasury Department announced that cryptocurrency exchange Bittrex Inc. had agreed to settle $53 million total in fines over allegations it violated sanctions and anti-money-laundering…
Continue Reading Crypto Exchange Bittrex Settles $53 Million in Fines with Treasury Department for Sanctions, Anti-Money-Laundering Violations
On Oct. 3, the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) took another step in identifying, assessing, and responding to the risks various types of digital assets pose to the financial system…
Continue Reading Digital Assets: Financial Stability Oversight Council Risk Report Assesses Regulatory Gaps; Offers Recommendations
In late July the House Financial Services Committee made tentative plans to consider legislation to regulate stablecoins and require the Federal Reserve to study development of a…
Continue Reading Will Cryptocurrency Legislation Gain Momentum in September?
On June 30, 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced criminal charges against six defendants in four separate criminal cases involving alleged fraud in the offering of cryptocurrency investment…
Continue Reading DOJ Signals Concerted Effort to Prosecute Alleged Cryptocurrency Fraud
On June 8, 2022, the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) issued a new Regulatory Guidance, setting foundational criterial for USD-backed stablecoins used by DFS-regulated entities. This…
Continue Reading NYDFS Becomes First US Financial Regulator to Issue Stablecoin Expectations to Virtual Currency Industry
On June 7, 2022, U.S. Sens. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced the Lummis-Gillibrand Responsible Financial Innovation Act (RFIA), a bill that would create the first comprehensive regulatory…
Continue Reading The Responsible Financial Innovation Act: A Comprehensive Proposal to Regulate Digital Assets
On May 12, 2022, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed bill CS/HB 273 (the Bill), amending Florida’s money services business (MSB) laws (i.e., Chapter 560 of the Florida Statutes) to, among other…
Continue Reading Florida Gov. Signs Bill that Defines ‘Virtual Currency’ and Eases Licensing Restrictions on Certain Virtual Currency Transactions in the State
At a speech to the University of Pennsylvania Law School’s Capital Markets Association on April 4, 2022, SEC Chair Gary Gensler took the opportunity to again promote his strong desire…
Continue Reading SEC Chair Continues Push to Regulate Digital Asset Markets
The digital asset and blockchain sector in 2021 saw exponential growth and adoption fueled by stablecoins, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), decentralized finance (DeFi), and decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). Headed into 2022,…
Continue Reading Digital Assets Sector: What to Watch for in 2022