Politics, Legal & Regulation

October 15, 2019 @ 12:53 am By JD Alois  |  

Last week, Crowdfund Insider reported on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) enforcement action against Telegram and the issuance of TON tokens. The move by the SEC is a doozy and telling. First, Telegram sold about $1.7 billion in a SAFT (simple agreement for future… Read More

October 14, 2019 @ 11:24 pm By JD Alois  |  

Earlier today, the Libra Assocation issued a release announcing that 21 members have signed the Libra Association Charter and formalized the Libra Association council, elected the Board of Directors, and appointed members of the Libra Association executive team. The news of Libra’s progress arrives while multiple… Read More

October 14, 2019 @ 10:59 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Letters from US lawmakers to members of the Libra Association asking them to, “carefully consider how your companies will manage risks before proceeding,” as backers of a Facebook cryptocurrency called “Libra” may have spurned last week’s corporate exodus from the project. On Friday, October 11th, Visa,… Read More

October 14, 2019 @ 10:26 pm By Cali Haan  |  

US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told Andrew Ross Sorkin at CNBC’s Squawk Box October 14th that initial backers of Facebook’s proposed in-app cryptocurrency project, Libra, probably realized the company was, “not ready….(and) not up to par” when they announced they were leaving the project in… Read More

October 14, 2019 @ 3:46 pm By Cali Haan  |  

A letter from a spokesperson for Telegram regarding the SEC’s emergency action to halt the sale of GRAM tokens to US investors has been making the rounds in the crypto media and on forums. In the the letter, “Shyam” states that Telegram, maker of a… Read More

October 14, 2019 @ 9:53 am By JD Alois  |  

The Group of 7 (G7), representing the 7 largest developed economies in the world, is preparing a report slamming Facebook’s Libra. The proposed stablecoin that aspires to be a non-sovereign global currency has been hammered since it was revealed earlier this year. Government officials from… Read More

October 14, 2019 @ 5:00 am By JD Alois  |  

Facebook’s attempt to launch a global non-sovereign currency was doomed from the beginning for many reasons. While Facebook will continue to put a smiley face on Libra, in its current form, it is just not happening. And this is not just about Facebook’s penchant to… Read More

October 13, 2019 @ 12:46 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Facebook’s subsidiary Calibra is being sued for trademark infringement by Current, the developer of a mobile banking app. The complaint was submitted on October 10 in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. It alleges that Calibra’s logo is quite similar… Read More

October 12, 2019 @ 5:21 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed a notice regarding Box Exchange, a partner of tZero, pertaining to the launch of the Boston Securities and Token Exchange (BSTX) which is seeking regulatory approval to offer publicly traded security tokens. tZero is a subsidiary of… Read More

October 11, 2019 @ 12:25 pm By JD Alois  |  

The leaders of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have issued the following joint statement pertaining to anti-money laundering (AML) and countering the financing of terrorism (CFT) regarding digital assets, such… Read More

October 10, 2019 @ 3:28 pm By JD Alois  |  

In a wide-ranging speech at The World Federation of Exchanges General, Jacqueline Loh, Deputy Managing Director, Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) addressed the advent of blockchain or distributed ledger technology (DLT) in the utilization of regulated securities and exchanges. Singapore is a noted Fintech Hub… Read More

October 10, 2019 @ 2:52 pm By Cali Haan  |  

In a 112-page order, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has rejected NYSE Arca’s request for a rule change to allow the company to sell a “Bitwise” Bitcoin ETF to retail traders. The proposal is believed to be the last remaining request for a… Read More

October 10, 2019 @ 11:32 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has reportedly initiated settlement discussions with Reggie Middleton, the manager of Veritaseum’s (VERI) $14.8 million initial coin offering (ICO). In August, the SEC Enforcement Division announced charges against Reginald “Reggie” Middleton who allegedly engaged in fraud related to… Read More

October 10, 2019 @ 9:57 am By JD Alois  |  

U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has announced the appointment of  Melissa Netram as Director of LabCFTC. Launched in May 2017, LabCFTC is an initiative aimed at facilitating market-enhancing Fintech innovation. Netram will be responsible for coordinating closely with international and U.S. regulators and Capitol Hill… Read More

October 10, 2019 @ 9:45 am By JD Alois  |  

Speaking at the Yahoo Markets All Finance conference, Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chair Dr. Heath P. Tarbert made several important comments today. Tarbert stated, that in his opinion, Ether is a commodity and thus not a security. Tarbert also predicted trading of Ether derivatives as… Read More

October 10, 2019 @ 1:29 am By Cali Haan  |  

The European Union’s finance commissioner-designate, Valdis Dombrovskis, has told fellow members of Europe’s governing body that he plans to propose laws for the regulation of cryptocurrencies, Reuters reports. “Europe needs a common approach on crypto-assets such as Libra…I intend to propose new legislation on this,” Dombrovskis… Read More

October 9, 2019 @ 3:09 pm By JD Alois  |  

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, is scheduled to testify in front of the House Financial Services Committee later this month in what is expected to be a thorough grilling regarding Facebook’s stablecoin Libra and Facebook’s operations in general. Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Chairwoman of the… Read More

October 9, 2019 @ 12:32 pm By JD Alois  |  

The US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued guidance today for “taxpayers who engage in transactions involving virtual currency.” Expanding on guidance from 2014, the IRS is issuing additional guidance to help taxpayers better understand their reporting obligations for specific transactions involving virtual currency. The… Read More

October 9, 2019 @ 1:42 am By Cali Haan  |  

An advocacy group representing mainstream stock exchanges and clearinghouses from around the globe, the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE), has asked the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) not to ban cryptocurrency derivatives products aimed at retail investors. In a consultation paper issued by the FCA… Read More

October 8, 2019 @ 10:14 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) officially closed comments on its concept release regarding regulatory harmonization of securities offerings exemptions on September 24, 2019. But as in past cases, comments have continued to trickle in and we would not be surprised if more follow. That… Read More