March 25, 2019 @ 2:45 am By JD Alois  |  

France is a country that is pursuing a regulated path for the tokenization of securities. The Pacte Law (Loi PACTE) is predicted to be signed into law at some point this spring. Ostensibly, the legislation will define the issuance, and management, of digital assets. In… Read More

March 24, 2019 @ 10:00 am By Jason A. Nagi  |  

For the third time since November 2018, on February 20, 2019, the SEC issued a cease and desist order relating to an initial coin offering (ICO) which set forth the steps for remediation of an unregistered securities offering, this time for Gladius Network, LLC (the… Read More

March 23, 2019 @ 1:30 pm By JD Alois  |  

This week, the House Financial Services Committee issued a note on upcoming hearings scheduled to take place in early April. Amongst the group are several interesting topics for the realm of Fintech. On Tuesday, April 9 at 10AM the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Financial… Read More

March 23, 2019 @ 12:30 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Alexander Vinnik, a 39-year-old Russian national accused by three countries of crimes involving bitcoins, including money-laundering and fraud, has filed an appeal with a court in Piraeus, Greece, asking that he be released from prison on humanitarian grounds and returned to Russia, Ekathimerini reports. Vinnik… Read More

March 23, 2019 @ 6:19 am By Cali Haan  |  

Legal intelligence newsletter JD Supra has published an article advising lawyers on what to do in the event that client files are compromised in a data breach. Data breaches attacks on public institutions and private businesses are becoming increasingly common as hackers find more and… Read More

March 22, 2019 @ 4:49 am By Cali Haan  |  

Jared Rice Sr, creator of “AriseBank” and the associated cryptocurrency/token “AriseCoin,” has pleaded guilty to one count of securities fraud in Texas, Dallas News reports. The plea reportedly involved Rice admitting that he lied to investors when he raised money for his project. These lies… Read More

March 22, 2019 @ 2:20 am By Cali Haan  |  

Switzerland’s Federal Council has voted 99-83 (with 10 abstentions) that existing “procedural instruments of the judicial and administrative authorities” should be adopted forthwith, “so that they can also be applied to cryptocurrencies.” The motion was introduced by Giovanni Merlini (FDP / TI), a Swiss Free… Read More

March 21, 2019 @ 2:00 am By JD Alois  |  

The American Bar Association (ABA) has published an extensive treatise on the US regulatory environment pertaining to cryptocurrency and other digital assets. In brief, the 353 white paper is a must-read review of current law and treatment by regulatory authorities such as the Securities and… Read More

March 20, 2019 @ 6:10 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Quebec’s Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) and Financial Markets Tribunal (TMF) would like to hear from anyone who invested in “Blockchain Lab Inc.” Affected investors are asked to contact M me  Sarah Abi-Khalil at 1 877 525-0337 , extension 2644, before 1 st April 2019. The company and its proprietors, Jonathan Forte, Benjamin… Read More

March 20, 2019 @ 3:19 pm By Cali Haan  |  

The Japanese government has approved proposed amendments to laws governing cryptocurrency trading that will, among other things, cap leveraged trades permitted in Japan at 2-4X, Nikkei Asian Review reports. Presently, “Certain exchanges voluntarily cap leverage at 25 times the deposit, as with the rule for… Read More

March 19, 2019 @ 6:45 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Disclosure filings show that the number of lobbyists promoting “blockchain technology” on K Street, Washington DC’s “lobbying row,” tripled in 2018, Politico reports. As well, Business Standard has reported that one lobbying firm, the Klein/Johnson group, is being partly paid in Ripple crypto coins. According… Read More

March 18, 2019 @ 4:11 pm By JD Alois  |  

The newly formed Association for Online Investment Platforms (AOIP) visited Washington, DC last week to discuss improvements for access to capital for small business and better opportunities for smaller investors. The trip was organized in partnership with the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council (SBECouncil) –… Read More

March 18, 2019 @ 7:31 am By JD Alois  |  

The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) has issued a statement on “crypto-assets” indicating their concern that new financial products related to crypto have the potential to increase the risks to banks who engage in digital or crypto assets. The BCBS was established by central… Read More

March 17, 2019 @ 6:52 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) has published guidelines on security tokens and post trade responsibilities. The issuance of these guiding principles are an important step in the utilization of the issuance and ongoing trading of blockchain based securities tokens or crypto assets. DTCC… Read More

March 16, 2019 @ 11:01 am By JD Alois  |  

The Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) has published a consultation on a framework for Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs). The SC is one of many financial regulators that are seeking to better understand digital assets while investigating potential regulatory environments to create an effective ecosystem. The SC… Read More

March 16, 2019 @ 9:31 am By Cali Haan  |  

An 18-year-old young man in Japan has been turned over to prosecutors to face allegations he hacked 15 million yen ($134 ooo USD) worth of Mona cryptocurrency from a “digital currency storage website,” Japan Today reports. Police claim this is the first time charges have… Read More

March 15, 2019 @ 12:35 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has scheduled a public forum focusing on distributed ledger technology (DLT or blockchain) and digital assets (or crypto assets). Topics will include initial coin offerings (ICOs), digital asset platforms, DLT innovations, and how these impact investors and the markets…. Read More

March 15, 2019 @ 7:49 am By JD Alois  |  

The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) has published a set of adjustments regarding their policy for their Fintech License and Sandbox structure. In June of 2018, the Swiss parliament introduced a new licensing category for Fintech companies. The following August FINMA launched a consultation… Read More

March 14, 2019 @ 5:43 pm By JD Alois  |  

Last week, a committee at the Israel Securities Authority (ISA) investigating the applicability of regulation pertaining to initial coin offerings (ICOs) and digital assets submitted their final report. The Committee was first established in August of 2017 during the height of the ICO boom. The… Read More

March 14, 2019 @ 10:00 am By Erin Hobey  |  

According to the Securities Commission Malaysia in conjunction with the release of its 2018 Annual Report, the Malaysian capital market continued to play a key role in financing the economy against a backdrop of challenging global market conditions. “Though occasionally tempered by uncertainties stemming from rising… Read More